After 5 weeks on the road together it was nice to say goodbye to my teammates after the Tour de Beauce, but after we dispersed to go home and spend some time training alone at altitude it was good to get the crew back together in Bend, Oregon for one final test and tune-up before the Tour of Utah begins August 1st. The Cascade Cycling Classic was a great place to come and put the final touches on the legs while getting in some recovery after spending the last 2 weeks sleeping above 7,000 feet.
The Roster: Barry Miller, Chad Beyer, Chris Horner, Matt Jeannes, and Nicholai Tanovitchii
The Roster: Barry Miller, Chad Beyer, Chris Horner, Matt Jeannes, and Nicholai Tanovitchii
Stage 1: McKenzie Pass Road Race
Matt and I were tasked with getting in the break to ensure we didn’t have to work and control the race before the finish line in the lava fields atop McKenzie pass. It might have been the easiest break I have ever gotten in to. Two guys attacked and Matt followed, then four more and I half jumped but let it go until I realized I was off the front and in no man’s land, three came around I got a free lift to the group. I looked back and a few more were coming across but the field was all across the road riding easy. Our big group immediately worked together and we had a minute pretty quickly.
The course was relatively flat and open except for one kicker 17 miles in. The field eventually decided to chase as Hincapie missed the move and we rode extremely hard up the hill as our gap shrunk to 30s. Over the top we had lost about half of the riders and only 1 amateur was left in the group. We went over the top and got immediately on the gas with 8 guys riding all out. For a while it was tense as the gap stayed around 50s but eventually it went up to 2:30 and we could settle in to our tempo.
The course was relatively flat and open except for one kicker 17 miles in. The field eventually decided to chase as Hincapie missed the move and we rode extremely hard up the hill as our gap shrunk to 30s. Over the top we had lost about half of the riders and only 1 amateur was left in the group. We went over the top and got immediately on the gas with 8 guys riding all out. For a while it was tense as the gap stayed around 50s but eventually it went up to 2:30 and we could settle in to our tempo.
For the remainder of the race nothing interesting happened besides a minor flat and as we headed up the 1-2% grade before the real climb our gap began to fall. We had dropped one and the remaining were having trouble rotating through as the long day in the break took its toll. Matt continued to ride his brains out to give us a little gap on the climb. As the climb finally pitched up Jacob Rathe (Jelly Belly) attacked and Bjorn Selander and I joined. We rode hard and I was definitely in the box but knew I needed to give back to the work Matt had done. After 3km of climbing though it was too much and the field came by at what seemed like Mach 10. I sat in for a little but eventually got spit out the back after the long effort.
Barry, Chad, Chris, and Nicholae road well and all finished in the small main group at the finish line atop McKenzie pass. The first real GC shake-up would occur in the time trial the following day. Last year Nicholae took yellow, so we had high hopes of another solid result.
Barry, Chad, Chris, and Nicholae road well and all finished in the small main group at the finish line atop McKenzie pass. The first real GC shake-up would occur in the time trial the following day. Last year Nicholae took yellow, so we had high hopes of another solid result.
Stage 2: Crooked River Time Trial
Time Trials are time trials and this one was as uninteresting as the rest. I was riding my TT bike with shallow wheels and tasked with just riding tempo. It was a long day yesterday and I might be needed to control and help teammates tomorrow if they placed well in GC. I rode out easy and tried to push a little more on the way home. Respectable but plenty left in the tank put me in 37th on the day. Nothing to write home about. Unfortunately none of us had good days and our GC hopes were done after the day. The next three stages would be all about getting a stage result.
Stage 3: Mount Bachelor Road Race
The plan was to avoid the break today and let other teams work so we were all fresh for the finish. That almost played out but when a big group with some GC contenders struck out Chad and I followed along. Chad sat on as teammates of GC contenders did the hard work to establish the break. Elevate missed out and chased all out. Apparently they were down to their last man when we were finally caught with 70km to go. The race settled a little but another move went with 4 jelly belly riders and I jumped along to make sure we had someone there. I had sprint points from yesterday and thought maybe I could snag the jersey but we were caught with 400m to go till the sprint point. From there Rally controlled the race and Matt and I positioned our fresh climbers. Chad stuck with Lachlan and Robin Carpenter when they struck out but Lachlan pulled away and Chad and Robin were caught by a big group as the road flattened out. Barry countered with about 3km to go and almost stuck it for 2nd behind Lachlan but was caught 150m from the line. We didn’t come up with anything on the stage but were active and there all day. Getting old being 4th-8th and not 1st-3rd, but we're right there!
With an early start we had plenty of down time in the afternoon and I got to enjoy a nice float down the river. No complaints about that. Bend was a cool spot to race for the week.
With an early start we had plenty of down time in the afternoon and I got to enjoy a nice float down the river. No complaints about that. Bend was a cool spot to race for the week.
Stage 4: Downtown Criterium
More rest today. Chad and I were in a competition to see who could do the least power over the 75 minute four corner race. Chad got in the break that stuck to the line so he definitely lost. I avoided any mishaps and relaxed. Chad ended up 4th or 5th in the sprint. I just wanted to have headphones or someone to talk to because that was a boring 75 minutes.
Stage 5: Aubrey Butte Circuit Race
Considering we’d come up empty handed so far in the race we decided to roll the dice a bit and stack the break. We had 3 guys in the move of 12 or so with just Matt and I to relax in the field on hope the break would stick. I honestly had a chance to get across as the break was rolling but thought we had enough representation and at least one guy should be in the field and give it a go if the break was caught. The remaining 4 laps were fairly boring an uneventful. We ripped around the rolling course with Rally controlling and other teams helping randomly and keeping the break just close enough. With about ¾ of a lap to go an Rally running out of guys KHS came to the front and put in some big digs and by the time we hit 10km to go the peloton was rolling. Up the climb to the feedzone and through the false flat uphill drag that led to 5km to go Matt kept me positioned and ready for the hits to come as we tackled the final short hill before the run in to the finish. The break was now coming back fast. We hit the base of the climb and I followed Lachlan and Robin. As we rounded the corner and it flattened slightly I could see the break. Chad had attacked and was off front but we were coming quickly. I paid dearly for following Lachlan and Robin too aggressively and got popped on the second roller just as the break was caught. Chad stayed in the front group and finished dup 7th on the day. I was way too aggressive in going with Lachlan and Robin and think if I could have ridden more within myself I would have been with the group that caught those two on the flatter sections. Sort of a bummer since my legs felt good, but a lesson learned all the same.
Regardless of the results the team is riding strong and showed it all week, always present and being a part of the finishes. I got in some great time on the pedals in the break and gained some confidence after 2 weeks at altitude. Now some rest and the Tour of Utah begins on August 1st!
Regardless of the results the team is riding strong and showed it all week, always present and being a part of the finishes. I got in some great time on the pedals in the break and gained some confidence after 2 weeks at altitude. Now some rest and the Tour of Utah begins on August 1st!