Ramblin R. Dodge: 2012 Race Season Kicks Off

Red 2 Red
With 2 months on the road, I decided the best way to stretch the legs, settle the nerves was to join Brian in racing the Echo Red 2 Red Mountain bike race in Oregon. We rolled over to Vantage on Friday night a got in a great ride in the canyons below the Gorge Amphitheater. Pretty amazing views and really nice to feel the sun again.

On Saturday, we pinned on our numbers and joined over 150 other riders in the Cat 1/Pro/Single Speed start.

The race was super fun, crazy hard and in the end, my performance was somewhere in the middle but I had a hell of a time.

This hurts....How many miles are left?

Fellow Bellingham rider Logan Wetzel rocked a 2nd place finish followed by Patrick Means in 3rd. It was an incredible scene of over 500 riders on the course throughout the day and provided a boost of motivation for the season ahead.

BC Racing

After Red to Red, I was definitely ready to kick off the road racing season with a weekend of racing in BC as part of the Escape Velocity Spring Series. These races offer fun courses, great training and elite competition close to home. Both Saturday and Sunday's courses included a ton of climbing. The cold rain was present every second of each race making this truly a hard man's race race. I couldn't feel my fingers and had to look down to ensure I was touching the shift levers before each climb. To get through these races mentally intact makes the rest of the season so much easier because you've been already been through the worst.

The Garneau team had the numbers and launched constant attacks until they had several riders off the front. I fought hard throughout to maximize the training value but also to be aggressive and try to stay focused in the absolute worst conditions. The results in these races don't mean much but it was a good stepping stone in building confidence for the season ahead. The best training for racing is racing.

Independence Valley Road Race, Volunteer Park and North Shore Road Race.

I just wrapped up my first cat 1/2 races. Throughout these early races I've been working hard to stay focused and ride smarter. While my early results haven't been anything to put on a resume, I'm pleased with the progress I've made so far in adapting to a significantly higher level of competition. Through the first 3 races, I've managed to stay towards the front, get in a couple solid breaks and gain a lot of comfort in the field. There's some seriously impressive riders in the Northwest and it's been totally exciting to mix it up with some of the best. The racing weather lately has been absolutely perfect!