Cherries

Alisha says: Our cherry trees, that's right trees, are bursting to the seams with big delicious red cherries. I have picked and picked but you can't even tell. After I had picked three buckets today I told Dave that it was his turn and after about five minutes he saw a big tree spider that he poked with a stick and then it jumped at him and so he was done picking cherries for the night.

We also raced the tax day grind circuit race in Inkom, ID last weekend. It must be the mid season slump or something because at all of the races so far this year the women's field has been unusually large but at the start line there were only six of us. We were to do 5.5 laps of the circuit and after 2.5 laps I decided to try the solo breakaway and it actually worked. I was able to stay away until the finish for the win!

Dave says: This was my first road race in the Pro 1-2 field as I'm now a Cat 2 on the road. These are the roadies you hear about in the weekly gossip at your local shop and the race went pretty quick right from the gun. It was a great circuit course with some punchy climbing that is just my style. A break of two was off the road and my buddy Tyler went off the final climb and soloed for third. I took the group sprint for fourth and was happy with how the race played out. I finished just in time to drive back up to the top of the hill where everyone was cheering Alisha as she raced up the final climb for the solo win.

Elkhorn Classic (In the rain)

Alisha says: To recap weekend #9 in a row of racing Dave and I traveled to Baker City, Oregon to race the 3 day 4 stage Elkhorn Classic. Day #1 consisted of the 73 mile Oregon Trail road race. The crazy thing about this race is that the womens field was broken down into three categories, the 1-2's, 3's, and the 4's, but then they raced us all together at the same time making for a field of 80+ women from pro's to beginners. The race started out fast, then it started to rain and rained on us for about 30 miles. It was a little sketch with the big group in the rain. On a minor climb I was able to get in a breakaway with two other girls. We worked hard to stay away but the chase group of about 7 caught us after a long descent. There was another little climb that the same 3 of us were able to breakaway again on. The three of us came into the final 1K together. I goofed up and ended up leading out the sprint so right at the end Teri came around me for the win. I finished 2nd and we put a minute on the rest of the field.

Day 2 was the TT in the morning and the crit in the afternoon. I finished 9th in the time trial and then finished with the group in a big field sprint in the crit. Going into the final stage I was sitting 4th in GC. The last stage was supposed to be an epic 102 miles but when we woke up it was pouring rain. We suited up and went to the starting line anyways where the officials had decided to shorten the race to 20 miles. So we took off in the rain. The stage ended with a nice 7 mile climb. I attacked and one other girl went with me. We duked it out up the mountain and unfortunately I ended up second in the sprint AGAIN!! With the time that we put on the rest of the field I moved to 2nd in GC, only 5 seconds out of first. It was in the time trial that I lost the 5 seconds, gotta work on that.

State Champion (kind of)

Alisha says: Yesterday was the Utah State Championship Road Race. It has been raining everyday this week and the forecast for yesterday was no different. I really thought that we were going to get soaked during the race but luckily the weather held off and we had really nice racing conditions. The drive home was a different story though as we drove through a crazy storm. This race was full of breakaways and attacks. I attacked on the second time up the hill and a break of 6 formed but slowly more people caught us until the group was together again on the last lap. My teamies (KK, Nisie, Tayler) were awesome and worked a lot for me. I went for it on the last hill and had a good gap at the top of the hill but still had a ways to go until the finish line. Kris Walker caught me with 1K to go and then sprinted around me right before the finish. So actually I was 2nd but Kris is an Idaho resident so they gave me the title. Tayler finished 3rd!!

Dave says: I was tired this entire week from Mt. Hood but by Friday I thought I was back in form and ready to race. I had a great two laps at Deer Valley riding off the front with BG and throwing down some attacks that ultimately I couldn't back up with my legs. By lap three I was toast and I watched myself slip from first to fourth as I cracked pretty good for the first time in a mtb race this season. As usual, MTB Race News provided some great coverage of how the race went down. Today's easy ride felt like I had bonked before the ride even began but we made it through nearly two hours of questionable weather before the rain started to pick up a bit and we headed home.

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.