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.

Double "W"

Dave says: Sundance is one of my favorite courses and I felt pretty good on the start line as I put it into the big ring and got ready to drill the first climb like Mitchell did a year earlier. When the singletrack started, I had opened up 20 seconds on the field and I just hit it as hard as I could for the next three laps. Sundance singletrack is tight and fast but lapped riders were quick to move out of the way and the climbs were short enough to keep me out of the red. With Monavie rockstars Alex and Bart out of town, I got to throw my arms in the air and take my first Pro W after three seasons of racing at this level. Thanks to my great teammates who were generous with the post-race high fives and to MTB Race News for providing some great coverage as always. Tomorrow we leave for Oregon for five days of epic racing in the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic.

Alisha says: It was a hot day as we lined up on the starting line at Garden Creek Gap. This year the race started at the top of the climb with a long descent so nothing really happened until the first time up the climb. At the top the race split up with a group of seven sticking together. Teammate Tayler made the break as well as a variety of riders from other teams. The group worked really well together with everyone taking a turn on the front for most of the second lap.

When we hit the final climb through the gap I accelerated off the front of the group. I heard a sound you don't want to hear in cycling of bikes and people hitting the pavement behind me and looked back to see a couple of girls mixed up in a crash. I think two went down and both ended up being okay. I continued climbing and keeping an eye on who was chasing me. I was excited to take the win at a local race, super strong Jenn Holladay was second, and rockstar teammate Tayler took the third spot. It was a great day for PCIM!!

Alisha 3rd at Iron Horse

Dave says: What's not to love about a race that climbs over two 10,000 foot passes in the Rockies? Iron Horse is one of the longest running bike races in the US with 2,500 participants riding from Durango to Silverton in 2009. Alisha got to go head to head with some of the nation's best climbers, including winner Mara Abbott who the announcers called "the best climber in North America."

The race unfolded with Abbott taking off even before the toughest climbs of the day had begun. A chase group with some national level Webcor, Colavita, and DFT girls pursued. The group quickly split with Alisha and Marisa Asplund leaving the rest of the riders on the slopes of Coal Bank. Alisha led over the summit closing the gap on Abbott to less than 30 seconds, but it was Asplund who brought the heat on the descent and was second into Silverton. Alisha came in third as the announcers heaped praise on her calling her a rising star in the cycling world. The Durango Herald Interviewed Alisha afterwards.

In Cat 3, I made the break in a big group of about 70 but when the rider in front of me couldn't keep the pace, I couldn't close the gap and a group of five took off. I joined two other chasers and finished in sixth about a minute back. The weather held out and the roads were gorgeous. Yesterday, coming in from Ouray to Silverton we drove over one of the coolest roads that I've ever been on with steep cliffs and waterfalls pouring out of the rocks.

A Little Too Hot On Bobsled

Dave says: Yesterday was MTB Monday with the Kuhl/Scott boys and I was ready to shred my favorite part of the shoreline down the crazy-fast bobsled. Unfortunately, there's a small stream flowing right down the middle of the trail right now from snow melt causing me to ride high on one side of the bank. Well, the stream didn't slow me down, but a small tree sticking out into the trail sure did as I swerved to get around it but caught my bar and went tumbling down the trail. The thing I appreciate about mountain biking is that I go flying off my bike several times a year but dirt is pretty soft and it never hurts much. My knee got a little cut which looks much worse in the picture (which I couldn't resist taking). I also tacoed my front wheel which is now seriously bent to one side. Fortunately, that's why I train on this old epic frame (with a nice new dent in the downtube) and save my carbon mtb for race day.

Speaking of racing, this Saturday the ICUP headed to Sherwood Hills near Logan. The narrow start line left me jockeying for position as I followed the green Mona-Vie train out on course. On the first lap, I tried to close a gap that had formed during some technical riding and almost made it up to Alex and Bart but it was not to be. Alex crushed the field with Bart in second and road pro Burke Swindelhurst in third with myself in fourth and BZ rounding out the podium.

Alisha was off crit racing in downtown SLC and I stopped by briefly on the way out to my race where her PCIM squad looked ready to represent with a stacked team of fast women. The flat course didn't keep Alisha from attacking the group several times and she broke away with about a lap and a half to go but was caught by the remains of the lead group just before the finish where Tiff P threw down the W and her teammate KK took second.

Gila Stage 5: Alisha Takes 14th Overall

Dave says: The Gila Monster road race ends the Tour of the Gila in a dramatic fashion with some killer climbs. For Alisha, the drama began earlier as about halfway through the race, some girls touched wheels in the pack causing a rider right in front of her to swerve over and knock Alisha's front wheel right out from under her. The great support crew from SRAM jumped out of a vehicle to help her. However, it took even another stop to get her shifter bent back out from the handlebar.

Alisha caught back up to the group but missed the break on the big climb of the day. Instead, she finished with a chase group of five in 19th. On the one hand, her top 10 shot for the day vanished on a course that looked quite promising for her. On the other hand, she was alright except for some road rash and a sore wrist and toughed it out to retain 14th overall. Honestly, we were not even thinking about GC when we planned this adventure so top 15 is pretty sweet. Alisha made quite the entry onto the pro scene, gained some great experience, and had a lot of fun in the process.

Alisha says: The Gila was a great experience for me. I went into it with no expectations and came away with a third place finish on the Mogollon Stage (which is by far my biggest accomplishment on the bike) and 14th in the general classification! It was a pretty sweet birthday. I'm so greatful that my parents were able to come along and help me out and then to have Dave show up and suprise me was awesome.

Gila Stage 4: Alisha Stays 11th After Crit

Dave says: Surprise! I made a last minute decision yesterday at 3 pm and flew out of SLC at 6. It was a crazy afternoon as I turned in a final paper on the way to the airport. However, I arrived in Tucson before midnight and drove to Silver City with my grandparents in the morning.

Today Alisha raced a crit around downtown Silver City. Check out her sweet fan club that gathered at the park while she was warming up. The crit went out fast dropping over a third of the field in the first few laps. However, Alisha hung tight with the group and kept her GC spot for tomorrow's road race. Tomorrow's course is a wildcard with lots of hills where anything could happen. I'm glad I'll be there to witness the excitement.

Gila Stage 3: Alisha in 11th after TT

Dave says: We knew the individual time trial would be a tough stage but all things considered, I think it went pretty well. World Champ Kristin Armstrong smashed the old course record and Alisha says Kristin was just flying when she went by. Despite some crazy crosswinds, racers were allegedly hitting speeds approaching 50 mph (60 mph for the men) on the descents. Alisha finished 24th and moved to 11th in the GC. I've got to get her some better TT'ing equipment like some deep wheels and a carbon TT rig to compete at this level. Tomorrow is the crit where hopefully everything will stay together before the final road race splits things to pieces. VeloNews.