Heather straining for the finish line and taking the win!
The race. Kings Valley, situated just West and North of Corvallis, normally makes for a fun long ride in the "flats". It is flat by my definition (a definition forged in the Rocky Mountains), but it is not flat. More rolling (the longest climb is about 1.5K), with some quick and fun descents and a small number of quad busting ascents. But, when you are constantly covering breaks, chasing down surges, and clenching from the effort of riding so close in proximity with your guard up... It can be brutal.
About 60 women (the entire field of beginner to advanced) rolled out second to last among the starts. And as soon as the first climb appeared, the attacks started. All through the next few miles, single riders or groups of two went to the front. They weren't serious about a break-away, but they were treated seriously. On a course like this one, even the slightest go with four or five riders might be able to say bye-bye to the pack.
But the wind proved brutal as we rode out into the grass fields and the snaking line on the front of the peloton waved from side-to-side on the road forcing a endless braking and maneuvering at the front of the pack that reverberated through the peloton. Tempers were begining to flair when the screech of brakes and the sickening sound of bikes crashing off to my front and right signaled the beginning of a major pile-up. Tina, a rider I knew well from cyclocross who's wheel I had been on, immediately locked up the rear wheel and veered left as I followed. We both came to a complete stop, she recovering before me and racing to the rear of the lead group off the front. I steered clear and looked back trying to discern that my teammates weren't in the fray before hammering to catch on. Thank god for the bright green and blue of the Pacific Power/ Blue Sky jerseys as I was able to see noone on the ground in that color and Heather furiously pedaling to catch up.
I would have thought the women on the front would have chosen that moment to surge ahead, but most seemed to have at least one teammate that they were hoping would catch back on to the lead group. Heather caught on just after the first turn and I hung near her until I could see that she was recovered. As we approached the most serious climb of the loop (and the one that marked the finish on the third loop), the pace was pedestrian and my though was that the whole entire race, save for the poor souls who's bikes or bodies weren't able to continue, would catch on again, creating the same circumstance that may have caused the crash in the first place. So, I did what every good climber would do... I went to the front and set the pace for the uphill. I wasn't a real threat, but enough that I pulled every one along with me, and sealed the deal on those who hadn't caught the pack yet.
So around and around the race went... up the same hills again, with numerous speed changes and surges, until my quads would burn at the thought of rising out of the saddle and all I could do was cover the surges and try to hang on to the wheel in front of me. Lots of times, that wheel was Heather's. It was so obvious that she felt like a rockstar!
As we approached the last straightaway before the finish line, no one wanted to be in the lead and the pace slowed to about 12 mph. We were going so slow that our follow car honked at us. And in retribution for our snail pace, we were neutralized within 3K as the Cat IV/V men passed (nearly causing a head-on collision with traffic coming in the opposite direction — scary moment). With the finish in sight, I jumped to the front and put every ounce of energy in my surge, even though I knew it wouldn't carry me to the finish line... It was enough though to lead out Heather, securing a 1-2 finish for us in the Cat IVs and also giving us highly respectable finishes in among the Cat I/II/III women whom we had been racing.
Oh, and the weather... gorgeously dry. Excellent!
love love love the link to Jem and the holograms!!!
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