That was INCREDIBLE. As my first stage race, I was not too sure what to expect. Along the way we had a lot of surprises, both good and not so good that added up to a great weekend of racing for the team.
The day before, when we should have been doing openers, our car broke down mid-highway 99 in Yuba City. Yuba City is just under an hour from Chico, and we had already been travelling for about 4 hours. Needless to say, we wanted to be on the bike in Chico - and we were not. Luckily, Michael Stewart, who was already in Chico, offered to drive back down to Yuba City and pick us and our bikes up. We initially broke down at about 6:30 in the evening and we did not drive away from Yuba City until nearly midnight. Between those hours, Stefan bought a "Power Salad" from Wendy's while Alex and I scoured the local supermarket (the only place open) for our respective staples: Alex bought granola and I bought pre-made pasta. There may have been a few cookies purchased as well to help us through the night. Once we finally arrived in Chico, I rolled out my legs and promptly climbed in bed, eager to start the race literally six hours later.
The first stage of the race is the Paskenta Road Race, famous (or infamous) for it's 4 mile section of gravel - and I mean GRAVEL - just before the finish line.
The course is 44 miles long with the first 36 or so miles being flat roads with a few steep kickers. Once you hit that 37th mile, the road turns into a pot-hole filled back road. On this road is where the flat tires begin to take their first victims. Up until this point, the race was more or less endurance, with a few attacks going up some kickers and a couple breaks that went off the front that were reeled in shortly thereafter. Once we hit the gravel that followed the pothole-full road, it was full gas. I moved myself to be sitting top 5 and prepared to take the front. A couple minutes into the gravel, a Team Swift Junior and another rider attacked and got a few seconds up the road. Looking over at Stefan, we decided that he would be our sprinter for the finish. I clicked up a couple gears and put my head down, giving it all I had to bridge the gap for Stefan while my back wheel skidded around all over the place, knocking up clouds of gravel and dust as we went. Right before the finish of the gravel, I bridged up to the two riders off of the front. We had got the lead group back together (about 17 of us) and were prepared for the finish. Once we turned off the gravel, we headed up a quick, 2-minute kicker and sped down the final downhill before the finish. We saw the finish line up ahead and Stefan took of on the side, starting his sprint early. He stayed in front, winning the sprint by a generous bike length or more. Cameron and I yelled out after we finished, completely filled with stoke due to what had just happened.
That evening, we spoke with our coaches - Gordon and Sue Martine - regarding what was to be done the following day to keep Stefan in the GC lead. He currently was leading by 10 seconds, and the next two stages were a crit and a time trial.
The second stage was a 6-turn, L-shaped criterium that wound through the streets of downtown Chico. The race started out fast and kept a quick pace throughout the entirety of the next 40 minutes. There were quite a few attacks that went up the road, and my job was to bring Stefan back to any break that got away. Once the last two laps came along, the speed quickly heightened and the racing got a lot more aggressive. Having my time trial later in the day, I did not ride as aggressively as I could have, knowing that my job was done and Stefan was sitting in the top few riders. Stefan ended up finishing in the top few in the sprint finish, resulting with Stefan still in possession of the GC jersey, but now tied with a Mike's Bikes Rider (Sean Davis). I ended up having a personal result of 22nd in the criterium, and thinking back on it now, I feel as though I could have drastically moved up in position with only a little bit of extra effort and still saved my legs for the time trial, though I am happy with a good team result.
The third stage of the race was a time trial - a flat out ten miler with two right turns alongside the Sacramento River. I went into the time trial aiming for near my FTP for the 20-25 minute course. I went out a bit to hard but quickly adjusted my power output to something that I could pace for the entire race and kept it consistent. Luckily, I finished the time trial within 3 watts of my goal!
I ended up taking 12th place out of the 70 man field, which I am very happy about! It was interesting considering the bike I was on, my Specialized Tarmac with thin aluminum clincher wheels. I did not know what to expect in my very first time trial, but I have discovered a new love for the discipline of racing!
In the end, we were able to secure Stefan a third in the general classification. He put down a stellar ride in the time trial as well as the first two stages, and we left it all out there for him. Sharing the happiness of a great team result is one of the best things in cycling - hands down. See you next year Chico, get ready.
On an additional note, I am now a category 3 on the road!
