Mt. Hood

Dave says: We are finally back from an epic week of racing at the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic in Hood River, Oregon (warning in advance – this post is way too long). We traveled over a day early and spent the first night in Boise where we arrived just in time to get some chocolate milk at the grocery store and walk along the river parkway before dark. The next day’s race was a short prologue that did not start until the evening so we explored some of the Columbia River Gorge including Maltnoma Falls and Bonneville Dam.

The prologue was just for the pros so I got to watch as Alisha raced a short 7 minute time trial. The real racing began the next day with the Cooper Spur Circuit Race. The event brought out some big women’s names including the 4 time national champion of France, the 3 time overall winner of Mt. Hood, and a variety of other national level riders. However, this stage ended on a hill and Alisha drilled it up the final climb to take 5th. I also tried a big move on the hill but dropped from 3rd to 6th after being passed in the last few hundred meters.

(At the start of the prologue)

(Pitel, Goldstein, and Alisha driving it up Cooper Spur)

(As Alisha has gotten better and better, my dad has always joked that I'll be the one going to races to hand her water bottles as opposed to a couple of years ago when she was my support crew at mtb races. Sure enough, here I am)

Stage 3 was the world’s windiest time trial as a storm brought winds ripping through the gorge to torment the riders. We pre-rode the course earlier in the week and enjoyed some incredible views of the river. However, on race day everyone just put their heads down and plowed into the wind. The TT dropped both myself and Alisha down a bit in the overall GC.

(Alisha points out the crazy hill in the TT course a day earlier when there was no wind)

We knew that Stage 4 was going to be gnarly when we stepped out of the car at Mt. Hood Meadows ski resort where there was still large patches of snow on the ground. The elevation profile for the 92 mile course looked like a big V: 46 miles of descending followed by 46 miles of climbing. My day almost ended early when only five minutes into the race we traveled through a rough section of pavement and I hit a pothole hard enough to flat both my front and rear tires at once (stopping at 40 mph in a group of riders with two flats on a downhill was also exciting). Some other riders had also flatted and I found myself running back up the road to the lead car which had already given away all its wheels.

The next wheel car gave me a set and I went chasing down the road as fast as I could knowing that 90 miles by myself would be a long day. It was a big effort to catch the group but I did and managed to ride with them until about 15 miles to go. The bike felt a bit squishy and I looked down to see that my rear tire was going flat. I grabbed another wheel but by that time things were starting to speed up. I chased for awhile and then it was lights out as I bonked and rode the last few miles in slow motion. Afterwards, I was so hungry that I ate 7 fruit bars at a sample tent near the finish line. I later swore never to eat fruit again.

Alisha did not disappoint although the early downhill combined with some speed wobbles from the cold kept her at the back of her group at the start. Once the climbs started, she was back in business although a stiff headwind kept most of the group together until the last few miles. Then, things split to pieces and Alisha sprinted to the finish line to take 4th. Alisha loves the climbs and her only complaint was that 8% isn’t quite steep enough for her (her best finishes seem to have gradients in the double digits).

(Pre-race picture, you can tell because we have enough energy to smile)

Finally, the week concluded with a crit around downtown Hood River including an exciting 180 degree downhill corner (brake check). I though my legs were toast after the hard bonk the day before but that didn’t stop me from chasing a bit of redemption. At the finish, I was the third rider off the front of the main group and won my spot on the podium and a case of beer which my non-Mormon friends immediately began eyeing. Despite Alisha’s aversion to crits (and close encounters with the pavement), she rode her crit at the front of the group and even went for a couple of primes. In the final group sprint she was 10th which is a pretty good crit result for her. She ended up 9th in GC, her first top 10 overall in a major race.

This has turned into quite the lengthy report but it was quite a week. It was also to have our friends Kurt, Tyler, Ryan, and Meg to hang out and race with. Ten hours later, we made it back to SLC and the real world.