Cascade Classic

Cascade Lakes Road Race

The Small Team: Nicole, Mara, Alisha, Olivia, Nicola (Team Manager)

Alisha says: The six day Cascade Classic Stage Race in Bend, Oregon was such a fun race this year. The team was running a little slim with only four riders (Mara, Olivia, Nicole, Alisha) but we worked really hard to get and then defend the yellow jersey for Mara who dedicated her general classification victory to her Grandpa who passed away during the week.

Stage 1: Prologue, 2 mile time trial. I think this is the first cycling race that I wasn't that nervous for. I mean, two flat miles, with a couple of turns, not exactly my specialty but I couldn't lose that much time. With the course being so short and the speed/effort so high it actually ended up being a technical course for me with a couple of the turns but it was over before I even knew it. I placed 30th out of the 107 starters.

Stage 2: McKenzie Pass Road Race, 74 miles with lots of climbing. I was super excited for this race. We started on a long descent where a big group of 13 riders broke away from the peloton. We really didn't want it to be that big or for them to get that big of a gap so Olivia and I set tempo on the front to keep the gap in check and set Mara up to be able to close it once we started climbing. It was fun to be on the front keeping the pace going. Once Mara jumped off the front I settled in with a chase group for the rest of the climb and the descent down the other side. At the summit of the climb we passed though this lava rock section that was really cool. Heading to the finish we had another long climb to tackle, the group I was climbing with slowly got smaller and smaller until there were just five of us together and a couple or riders who were still off the front. I finished 10th on the stage and was happy with the finish and effort that went into the stage. Cath Cheatly won followed by Mara in second.

Stage 3: Skyliners Time Trial, 16 miles. I guess my lucky spot for the time trials at this race is 30th (39:31). I had a small mechanical on the way out and was not able to shift into my big chain ring which caused me a bit of panic, luckily after the turn around I finally got it to shift which was good because that is when I really needed it. Mara threw down an awesome time trial to take second and more importantly gained enough time to get the yellow jersey!

Stage 4: Cascade Lakes Road Race, 71 miles. This race went crazy from the start and after only a couple of miles a five person break had established itself. Once again we needed to keep the gap from getting to big and with such a small team it would have made for a really long day on the front. Olivia was able to recruit some of the smaller teams with high overall general classification riders to help rotate on the front in order to protect their GC position. It was fun as the group on the front was always changing. This race also ended after a long climb. I unfortunately got popped off the main group after I had put in an effort on the front and finished with the second chase group a little bit off the main pack (29th). Mara soloed in for the victory and was able to put some more time between her and second place.

Stage 5: Downtown Criterium, 4 corners, 50 min. I had a bad experience in this crit last year that partially resulted from starting in the very back and was determined not to let it happen again this year. I lined up in good position and held my spot on the starting line. It was a much better crit as I stayed in the whole time and finished with the same time as the the winner.

Stage 6: Awbrey Butte Circuit Race, 3 laps, 52 miles. This was a circuit that we did three times. It was an interesting race as I went through a range of feeling really good, to really bad, to good again. It was a very active race and we had to keep an eye on a lot of things in order to protect Mara in the yellow jersey. There was one point where I got dropped off the back a little on the second lap and I thought I was done but I shortly made it back to the group. I came into the finish with a huge group and finished 15th on the stage and 13th overall. Mara finished third on the stage and first overall. It was a great accomplishment for the small team that we had. It was super fun racing with Mara, Olivia, and Nicole who all rode well and I learned a lot at this race from my super team. Nicola was a one woman show who helped us out so much and one again our hosts were exceptional.