Ravensdale Road Race

I woke up at 6:45 to drive 2 hours South for the Ravensdale Road Race.  Looking out the window at the dark clouds and pounding rain, I really questioned if this was something I wanted to do or should I just tumble back in bed for another 3 hours of sleep.  After talking to my travel companions Dave and Brian, we decided to give it a go.  I've always much preferred racing in the rain instead of riding in the rain and I knew that I needed race to rebound from a couple discouraging performances in the last month.

I won the cat 4 race in Ravensdale last year and it's a course that suited me well.  I knew I had to be smart with my effort if I was going to have the legs for a possible sprint finish at the end because the race was too short break up the field.  There was one rolling climb on this 6 lap course and it wasn't nearly hard enough to give the climbers any real opportunities to escape.

We rolled out in 48 degrees, steady rain,  cold and overall a horrible climate for road racing.  Lap after lap went by as my fingers started to freeze stiff and a constant spray off water blasted my face.  Dave, Brian and I each had some activity in a few breaks which was pretty fun but ultimately unsuccessful.  My break was about 8 riders strong and one I thought should have had a real chance to build a good gap but there were a couple bottle necks in our pace line work which allowed to group to bring us back.

As we entered the final lap, I focused on staying towards the front while rounding the final corner towards the climb to the finish.  The group was tight and there was a real risk of getting boxed in but I kept myself well positioned.  As last week's winner Travis from Team Hammer made a move on the climb, I immediately jumped on his wheel.  The junior rider is strong, opportunistic and has a great sprint so I didn't want to let him get off the front.  We rolled up the climb but as he faded back, I found myself at the front of the group.  This was definitely not where I wanted to be but I also wasn't uncomfortable with the position either.  I was on the far left of the road and everything behind me was in clear site.  I felt like I was in a good place to watch anyone looking to make a jump towards the finish while having plenty of time to catch on.  Unlike last week where my effort in the last kilometer was red-lined at 95, this week I kept my reserve tanks full just waiting for someone to make a move.  Sure enough with 300m to go, I saw 2 - 3 riders spring towards the front and had plenty of time to crank it and grab a wheel.  At 200m to go the guy in front of me started to fade as 2 riders sprang off the right side.  I hit it hard with good legs but couldn't catch the clear sprinters off the front but was able to charge through the line for a solid 3rd place.  Dave and Brian got jammed up in the group to finish around 20th.

I was happy to get through this race feeling like I had strong legs, made good decisions and ultimately came away with a solid result.

beautiful northwest conditions

the rider behind me doesn't look too pleased

Brian is obviously not working hard enough