Wenatchee Wrap-Up

Lindsey, Monte, fellow Fanatik rider Luke and I left Friday night with for a weekend of racing and hanging out in Wenatchee, WA.  Stayed with our good friends Taija and Mandy who live in a sweet old house on the East side.  The photo to the left is their backyard...awesome!  The weekend involved 3 bike races plus a 10K trail run in Leavenworth for Linds.  Weather called for 80+ degrees and sunny which is a bit of a shock from what we're used to just 3 hours away in BHam.

Saturday morning's Time Trial went great...riders started every 30 seconds and I was able to pass 6 along the 9 mile course.  Ended up taking 1st in the TT which scored some overall points and helped build confidence going into the next couple races.  Right after the race we (Monte and I) hauled ass up the pass to Leavenworth for 10K trail race.  It looked crazy hard with lots of steep climbs in the hot sun.  They came around the last lap looking really strong as they hammered up and down the ski slopes of Leavenworth...Lindsey continues to run stronger and stronger.

Saturday evening was the downtown criterium.  I had been hearing that this course was pretty crash prone so I knew it could be interesting and once the gun went off, it took me a bit of time to settle in.  Actually, I never really got my #$%@ together during the race and wasn't able to make my way to the front at all during the 25 minute charge.  16th place was a frustrating result which dropped me to 3rd overall after 2 races and I knew I had to throw down on the road race to make the podium.  Luke raced really well in the Cat 1/2 crit held at twilight...he made a huge charge to catch the lead break of 6 riders but just barely missed catching on.  It was without a doubt the most exciting race of the evening...those guys are really really fast.

Sunday morning was a 9AM road race featuring lots of climbing.  I knew which guys I had to beat to take the overall win and as we rolled through the miles, the field quickly broke up into scattered groups of riders. It was awesome to have Mandy Taija and Linds cheering us up and over the top of the climb. After 2 laps of climbing there was just myself and a scrappy young rider at the front with a huge gap to work with.  We were both feeling good as we worked together to separate from the field through steady climbing and 40+ mph descents and smooth turns at the front.  I knew we had a great shot at making the break stick and began to think about how to get the win.  I decided to make a break for it with a strong tailwind and 6 miles to go.  My legs just felt better and better as I separated from the other rider and charged forward over the rolling terrain towards the finish line for the win. The gap was around 2 minutes to 2nd place.




The 1st place road race finish brought me to the top spot on the weekend and provided enough prize money for a tank of gas, my next race entry and a delicious Rusty's Deluxe Bacon Burger...excellent! Good racing, good friends and good times!