July 29, 2012 - San Marcos Circuit Race

The course for the San Marcos Criterium is a 1.3-mile course with fairly wide corners and a power climb with 72 feet of elevation gain before the finish. PC, Bonnie, and I were out representing SC Velo/Empower Coaching and the weather was perfect for a race (clear with a slight head wind on the false flats of the course, and warm). At the start of our pre-race meeting, Bonnie asked me how I felt and told me that she saw no reason why I shouldn’t solo the win (Bonnie, thank you for your vote of confidence). Bonnie used tails of past team wins on this course to motivate us as we finished up our last GU chomps and headed to the start of the race armed with a set of plans and back-up plans. As we lined up, I felt glad to be home. I have dedicated the last month and a half to traveling for races and for a friend’s wedding, so being surrounded by two of my teammates and the usual suspects of some of my favorite local riders put me at ease on the start line. On the whistle, I moved to second wheel and pulled up along side PC to inform her that my brake was rubbing. She thought I was joking when I told her it could be my excuse if I did not perform well- I wasn’t joking, but it wasn’t bad and my Cannondale loyally saw me through to the end of the race. The race started into a turn and a descent, then a second right-hand turn, followed by a straight, very slight descent into a right-hand turn and then a long and fast straight section. I sat second and third wheel throughout the first lap and made sure to not hit the pace too hard after the last right hand turn into the climb before the start finish. PC and I worked together near the front on the second lap and when we rounded the last turn into the climb, I picked up the pace to test out the field. I could hear huffing and puffing, so I kept my pace consistent. There is a short false flat before the last little hill into the start finish on which I sat second wheel. PC and I both picked up the pace nearing the start finish. It was a prime lap and PC yelled to me to take it- I did and I rounded the corner into the descent hard. A voice behind me told me to pull through hard and as I snuck a peak behind, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Joy McCulloch (Helens) was on my wheel and we had a gap between the field and us. Following Joy’s instructions, I took a hard pull. When she pulled through, I was happy to see that Karen Meske (Revolution) had joined us. The three of us worked through the backstretch and finished the third lap together. I am not sure when we lost Karen out of the break, but she left us around this time, I think. On the fourth lap, Suzanne Sonye (Helens) joined us and shortly after PC was with us. I was happy that PC had joined us and I stayed at the front of the break, preparing to do the bulk share of the work to save PC’s legs for the sprint. Soon though, I noticed that Hillary Crowley (Revolution) had joined us. While PC is one of our best sprinters, being in a break with Hillary and Suzanne meant that we was outnumbered by sprinters and our team’s odds of a win were narrowing. I attacked near the last kicker before the start finish and took Joy with me. The two of us successfully broke away from the break away and I was satisfied knowing that Suzanne and PC would do everything they could to protect Joy and me. At some point, Becky Siegel (PAA) joined Joy and me. Becky rotated through with us for at least one lap before we lost her. I made sure to take pulls on the first kicker after the last turn and the last kicker before the start finish. This allowed me to keep the pace up and to keep the other riders in the break a little tired. At some point, I noticed that we were passing a lot of riders and it became apparent that we would lap the field. When Joy and I came upon the main field, I rode hard up to the front. Joy had two or three teammates in the field and Suzanne was somewhere behind, not out of striking range. I could not stay with the field for two reasons: 1) Joy had more teammates in the field than I, which would mean more work for me; 2) if the field stayed slow, Suzanne would catch us and use her caginess against me. At this point, Bonnie got on the front of the field and pushed hard. She took me into the final turn at a good pace and I attacked hard. I heard Helens working to chase me, but I went harder. When I crested the top, I noticed that I had Trina Jacobson (Revolution) with me. I pulled hard down the descent, took the first turn at a mellow pace, hit the false flat hard and pulled hard through the turn. At some point, I looked back and realized that Trina was gone, but Karen was with me. Karen reassured me that there was no one close behind us, and I finished the lap with Karen on my wheel. I should note that at some point, Jacob made sure to yell to me that I had two laps to go (always helpful, because I tend to not hear the announcer and I miss the lap cards). The last two laps, I worked hard, always pushing the descent and on the flats, I practiced my time trialing. I even tried to work on my bike posture (I sometimes feel as if I’m the cycling version of a “fixer-upper”- there is always something new for me to work out to improve my cycling). When Karen and I came into the last turn, she took the last pull to finish her final lap and I crossed the start/finish line with the win. Joy came in a well-earned second place, Suzanne came in third after working hard to protect Joy, and PC came in fourth after sprinting around the other members of her group. As a team, Bonnie, PC and I executed our plans perfectly and most importantly, we had fun! The women’s 1-2 field showed camaraderie and reminded me how fun So Cal racing can be (especially with a long course and a hill- sorry PC, but you love it!)

7/22/2012 Cascade Cycling Classic - Stage 5

22 July 2012 - Written by Guest Rider Melina Bernecker Cascade Cycling Classic - Stage 5 Circuit Race The last Stage of the tour (and by reputation one of the hardest) this year the Circuit Race had been cut to 3 laps instead of 4 which was a welcome change by all. The 81km (51 mile) circuit race started and finished at Summit High School before heading out onto Schevlin Park Drive where the circuit started and descended its way into the Tumao Reservoir Park before heading up the first climb (approx 1.5km) to the Feed zone> The second climb was Archie Briggs Road which is a 1.6km climb with a short very steep section at the start (approx 200 meters) with a max gradient of 18% before flattening out to about 3-4% before the last little kicker (200m) at the KOM which has a grade of about 10%. From there road offers only a few more little rollers before either turning right (and downhill) onto the next lap of the circuit or straight through the roundabout and the final 2km to the finish line. Excited to have made it to the final stage of the race we waited in the shade for the start. It was a very hot day with temperatures around 38 degC (104 degF) so staying as cool a possible was important prior to race start. The Pro Men’s race headed out at 1pm and the Women’s Pro race only 5 minutes later. Standing at the start line ready to go many of the girls had ice packs in their jerseys in an attempt to keep them cool. As we rolled out in neutral until the circuit started there was already a lot of pushing for position as nerves began to take their effect prior to the first descent. People stood on the side of the road with water hoses spraying us down with cold water (which was a fantastic relief). The peleton stayed together for most of the first lap until we hit the second climb at Archie Briggs Road and the field began to dwindle and tired legs were taking their toll! I managed to hang in there for the first climb (counting the meters of suffering I had ahead of me). Surprisingly I got over the KOM and I was still with the group. Lap two was a similar story as each climb I just hung in there trying to ignore the burning lactic building up in my legs and trying to stop my heart from exploding in my chest! I saw Jenny and Lisa ahead of me in the group and as we suffered together over each of the climbs as we hung on (amazingly each lap seemed to hurt a little less (this could be because I was suffering heat stroke) but amazingly I was still with the group on the final climb as we crossed the KOM mark. From the KOM I knew it was only 4 km to the finish line and I mustered up all the effort I had left (and some I didn’t know I had) to move up in the group as girls began to fall off the back. Through the final roundabout the pace picked up with only 2km to go as we seemed to sprint at full pace to the finish line. Jenny was next to me in the peloton and we both rode as fast as our legs would take us to finish. The feeling of relief and exhaustion at crossing the line was in sharp contrast with the surprise and excitement I felt with finishing in the front group as Jenny and I had big smiles on our faces as we headed back to camp. Kristen McGrath (Exergy) won the final stage in a solo sprint in 2.11.30, the bunch was only seven seconds behind with team mate Theresa Cliff-Ryan (Exergy) taking second in 2.11.37 and Alison Powers (Now) taking third. SC Velo did well with all the girls finishing despite a mechanical mishap with Amber suffering a flat in the final lap. I finished in 12th place with Jenny Rios finishing 14th in the front bunch in a time of 1.11.37. Lisa Campbell who had ridden an amazing tour finished only a few minutes behind in 52nd place in a time of 2.17.32, Holly Breck finishing 72nd in 2.36.43 and Amber Gaffney finished in 73rd place after suffering an unfortunate flat in the last lap and having to wait for a support vehicle to eventually bring her a new wheel. Note; A big thank you to all the support provided by James, Charlie, Sharon & Jakcob each day in getting us to the races on time, setting up our equipment each day, listening to our woes, supporting and feeding us through each race and just generally being there and providing a smile along the way! It makes such a difference to have a support team at a stage race such as Cascade and your work was very much appreciated. Thank you also to the girls and SC Velo for inviting me to ride with you, I had a fantastic time despite some personal trying times throughout the tour… The team camaraderie was second to none and I am humbled by the friendships I have formed form racing with you.

7/21/2012 Cascade Cycling Classic - Stage 4 Criterium

21 July 2012 - Written by Guest Rider Melina Bernecker Cascade Cycling Classic - Stage 4 Criterium The Stage 4 Criterium was staged in Downtown Bend. The four corner 50 minute Rectangular course crit has only 1 technical section with corner 3 narrowing into a tight turn leading up a small rise, before the 4th turn took you onto the finishing straight which was a long wide run approx 300 m to the finish line. On arrival the crowds were already in place watching the armature and master crits that has been taking place throughout the day. The atmosphere was amazing. The women’s pro crit was scheduled to start at 5.45 and the temperature was still nice and warm. Starting position was essential with a big field of 90 women, The SC Velo girls managed to get relatively good position in the first couple of rows. Kristen Armstrong (yellow jersey tour leader) had left the tour to head to London for the Olympics so the yellow jersey had been passed down to Alison Powers (Now) who was 2nd on GC. As the rolled out for our race the pace was on from the whistle. We all had tired aching legs at this point but that didn’t seem to stop the girls as each lap seemed to just get faster and faster with an average pace of 42kph (26 mph). Both Beatrice and Jenny managed to get a cash preem sprinting to the line ahead of some stiff competition. Trying to follow Jenny’s wheel to move up the peloton and trying to position myself around the Yellow Jersey I managed to stay in the front third of the field. Despite some scary moments around corner 3 in particular the race was incident free. The final few laps of the race were particularly scare as the front group surged and slowed like a harmonica and I had to dig deep and use up all my energy in an effort to move up the field. I managed to catch the wheel of an Exergy girl to make up about 20 spots following her wheel around the last corner before sprinting home as fast as I could. The crit was won by Carmen Small (Optum) in a field sprint, second was Theresa Cliff-Ryan (Exergy) and third Loren Rowney (Stevens Bikes). The SC Velo team did well with all girls managing to get through the race unscathed. Jenny Rios came home 13th in a monster sprint, Beatrice Rodriguez finished 23rd, I finished 26th, Amber 32nd, Lisa Campbell 45th and Holly Breck 67th. As always our support team was amazing helping us prepare for the race and yelling support from the sidelines. Where would we be without you!!!

2012 Cascade Cycling Classic - Stage 3

20 July 2012 - Written by Guest Rider Melina Bernecker Cascade Cycling Classic – Stage 3 Cascade Lakes Road Race Starting at 1951m (6400 ft) elevation at the Mt bachelor Ski Resort Parking Lot today stage would take us on a long descent through the Deschutes National Forrest for the first 19 km (12 miles) to 1340 m (4400 ft) elevation. Once at the bottom there were only a few big rollers that would challenge us but mostly just flat roads with just the elements to contend with and some of the most scenically beautiful landscape I have ever ridden through. The 77 km (46 mile) marker was the start of the climb back up Mt Bachelor and also the last feed-zone. The climb started very gradually and slowly building to a steeper pitch before easing into a false flat and another steeper climb for the last 5 or so km (3 miles) of the race before turning back into the Mt Bachelor Si Resort Parking Lot where the finish line was located. Arriving at the top of Mt Bachelor car-park it was freezing cold with snow still lying on the edges of the car-park . We all sat in the cars with the heaters on trying to stay warm until it was time to warm-up. Rallying up every last piece of clothing we had (in July) we feebly attempted to warm up (knowing it would be freezing cold during our long descent). One of the Tibco Coaches felt sorry for us standing around shivering and offered us some Embro Cream to rub on our legs to keep warm… in our moment of extreme weakness we accepted with glee (except Bea who rubbed herself down with Vaseline) Feeling a slightly warm glow now we rode a few laps of the car park before heading out to the starting chute. Due to the still big field of 88 girls we all wanted to make sure we were towards the pointy end of the field for the descent giving ourselves plenty of space as the roads were still slightly slick in shaded areas. I was glad to be wearing a wind vest and arm-warmers as the air temperature on the way down was very cold, I could barely feel my finders at the bottom. Once we hit the flats we all stripped down ready to dump our gear in the feed zone which was coming up on the next little climb about 12km (8 miles) away. The pace was fast with girls attacking even on the descent. Our average pace on the flats was over 42km (26 miles) per hour. For the next hour or so we flew along the highway through the forests and past the cascade lake network. Attacks were constant which resulted in the fast pace. The Tibco and Optum girls were doing a lot of the pace making whilst the Exergy 21 girls focused on protecting their leader in Kristen and chasing down any breaks. At about the 65 km (40 mile) mark there was finally a successful break with 5 girls getting up the road (one from each of the big teams). At that point things finally settled down a bit with the break gaining about two and a half minutes on the peloton, which was mostly still intact. Our legs were on fire from the Embro cream, it felt like someone was ripping off the skin, I think in some ways though it was distracting me form the pain my legs were feeling from riding though. Once we hit the climb and the second feed-zone the pace picked up again. Kristen was not in the break and could not afford to loose too much time so the Exergy Team picked up the pace to ensure minimal time was lost and Kristen would retain the Yellow Jersey. The next 16km (10 miles) started to hurt as the pace picked up along the climb, there was only one short section of about 4.5 km (3 miles) where the gradient got steep and the legs began to hurt before the road flattened out 5km and we hit the 10km to go marker. The peloton stayed mostly together until the last 5km climb where the road gets steep and the group splintered apart with the gradient between 6 -8%. Before is flattened out again and made the final turn for the finish line. My legs hurting (and burning from the Embro Cream) with my heart about to explode, I stomped down on the pedals determined to keep any time lost to a minimum. With Jenny & Lisa just up ahead I managed to stay with the group until the last 3km at which point both Jenny and I propped back a few seconds with a couple of other girls. The 1km to go sign came as a huge relief as I mustered up any last energy I had to make it to the finish line. Lex Albrecht (Optum) crossed the line in first place in a time of 2.53.26. Andrea Dvorak (Exergy) was second and Beth Newell (Now). Kristen Armstrong (Exergy 21) managed to hold onto the yellow jersey overall on GC with a marginal lead. THE SC Velo Girls did really well with Amber Gaffney managing to hold onto the leaders group the longest crossing the line in 25th place in a time of 2.55.14, Lisa Campbell finished 42nd in 2.55.52, myself in 44th place in 2.56.38, Jenny Rios 46th in 2.56.38, Beatrice Rodriguez 69th 2.57.54, and Holly Breck 80th 2.59,57. Post race we all hopped around trying to get the damn Embro cream from our legs without much success, we covered them in ice but as soon as the sun hit the skin it felt like a blowtorch… we tried washing it off in the bathroom (much to Bea’s amusement) but nothing seemed to work! It took 12 hours and 3 washes with dish-soap to get the cream off – major rookie error!!! Thanks to Team SC Velo support (Charlie, James, Dennis & Jake) you guys were awesome out there!!!

7/19/2012 Cascade Cycling Classic - Stage 2

19 July 2012 - Written by Guest Rider Melina Bernecker Cascade Cycling Classic – Stage 2 Crocked River Time Trial Hoping to redeem myself from yesterdays Road Race, I approached the day as a new race. The course was a 27km (16 mile) mostly flat out and back course with a few little rollers along a quiet little country road next to a little river. Conditions were favorable with a light head wind on the way out and relatively good road conditions. There were going to be some fast times today!!! We got to the race early with plenty of time to warm up and get ready. I had a front flat tire which I needed to tend to prior to warming up, one of the men’s teams full circle racing had borrowed my TT bike the during the prologue so they very kindly lent me a disk wheel set and repaired my wheel for me. Feeling like I had run out of excuses why not to do well I made sure I got a decent 1 hour warm-up on the trainer. Start times were posted in reverse GC order so most of our team was off pretty early. The Women’s TT started at 12 noon and Beatrice, myself, Holly and Jenny were off just after noon. Amber and Lisa were allowed to have follow cars (very Pro) to yell at them to go faster. With all of us having had a thorough warm up we nervously lined up in the starters chute, with tired legs form the previous day we all knew this was going to hurt. Bea was off first, as I got into the starting position I could just see her disappearing over the little hill in the distance. Only a minute behind Bea headed out on my TT, riding a little more conservatively than I wanted at the start, I headed down the road. I had broken the TT into quarters building up speed in each sector and careful not to burn too much fuel for tomorrows Road Stage. Happy to see the turnaround a quick U-turn and I headed back to town and the finish line!!! With a slight tailwind the way back seemed much quicker. Seeing my teammates heading out was also nice as it spurred me on to go harder and faster. With the last hill about 5km from the finish line I powered up it out of the saddle and gave it all I had left for the finish run. One little slight lump just before the finish ensured a fast downhill finish. Heading back to camp the girls all felt happy with their efforts, which gave a good outcome for the day. Kristen Armstrong (Exergy 21) once again took out the stage with a win by over a minute in a very fast time of 34.40, Alison Powers (Now & Novartis MS) finished Second in 35.57 and Carmen Small (Optum) finished Third with 36.07. The SC Velo Girls did well finishing 24th with Amber Gaffney (38.38), 44th Melina Bernecker (39.38), 49th Lisa Campbel (39.55), 81st Jenny Rios (41.40), 82nd Holly Breck (41.47) and 87th Beatrice Rodriguez (42.34) As always big thanks to Dennis, Charlie, James & Sharon for your encouragement and all your hard work supporting us.

2012 Cascade Cycling Classic - 7/18/2012 Stage 1

18 July 2012 - Written by Guest Rider Melina Bernecker Cascade Cycling Classic – Stage 1 Mc Kenzies Pass RR This was the stage that I was most nervous about, having ridden it last year and suffering through the 48.2km (30 miles) of climbing up 1768 vertical meters (5801 feet) and 120km (74 miles) of racing. The good news at least is that when one does get popped from the group it is scenically beautiful rides, which takes you up and over McKenzie Pass (a volcano) and down into the town of sisters before heading up the final climb to Three Creeks Snow Park. Because the race is so long (approx 4 hrs) it was a relatively early start of 10.05 am. The race started at Maxwell Snow Park in the Deschutes National Forest, which was about an hours drive from our host House. We arrived a couple of hours early to allow us time to get ready and relax before the race. We didn’t really need to warm up as the race started with a descent (with a few little rollers) for the first 42km (26 miles). It was fairly chilly to start the race and we all decided to wear arm warmers and vests for the start of the race, which was a good move as it was freezing during the descent. We started the race in a low-key manner and rolled out onto Highway 20. We rode in Neutral for about the first 5km (3 miles) once we were off racing we zoomed down the mountain at wharp speed hitting over 80km (50 miles) per hour. Being the first stage of the race there was a lot of switching and shoving in the peloton as we screamed down the mountain…. It was a miracle no one crashed! Once we hit the bottom and things flattened out for a few miles we hit the first feed zone, and yes the first crash shortly after as girls started stripping off their arm warmers and vests ready for the climb. Having gotten stuck behind the crash we chased back on (which took all my effort as the road was turning upward) with my hear rate already in the red zone the girls started attacking as soon as we were back in the peloton…. This is where things went so horribly wrong for me!!! I stayed with the back for about the first 8km (5 miles) of the climb at point, which my heart was about to explode and I decided to slow down and ride at my own pace. I then spent the next 24km (15 miles) climbing in solitude as I slowly peddled past (very few) competitors for the next hour and a half. The climb seemed to go on forever and I had run out of water by the time I finally hit the KOM with only 1 km to the next feed zone I sat up and enjoyed the scenery (it was the only thing I could do to take my mind of the pain I was feeling in my back and legs) There were small patches of snow amongst the volcanic rock and the air was surprisingly warm. Finally I got to the feed zone and stocked up on water ready for the descent. At this point I also caught up with two other girls, which was good for the descent and slat section through Sisters. The downhill was a welcome relief after the long climb but with so much time to catch up there was no taking it easy. I descended with a group of three but we quickly dropped the third girls as we rocketed towards sisters. Once on the flat we worked hard taking turns and time trialing it into Sisters. From the town of Sisters the roads turned rough and cracked which after a long day in the saddle was not ideal. A headwind was blowing in our faces and there were cracks and lumps in the pavement every few meters, which felt like craters and my every increasing back pain was slowly creeping into my legs in the form of cramping! Finally I reached the last climb and hence the last 10km of the race, the road once again turned upwards and the 5% average gradient soon felt like 20% as I began to really suffer. I found my teammate Bea pulled over by the side of the road cramping only 5km form the finish, I pulled over to check she was ok and as she got back on her bike I gave her every last bit of food I had but nothing was helping and her pain made mine seem insignificant as we stayed together as I tried to help her reach the finish line. In the end I had to leave her as I was concerned about time cuts and she assured me she was ok so I battled on the last 3km to the Three Creeks Snow Park where the finish was located. Finally rolling over the line I was hugely relieved and exhausted to have finally finished. Bea rolled in shortly after me still cramping and not feeling very well at all. Kristen Armstrong (Exergy 21) won the stage in a impressive time of 3.24.42, second was Megan Guarnier (Team Tibco), with Andrea Dvorack (Exergy 21) third. The SC Velo Team did not fear as well as we had hoped, but with such a high level of competition the field was blown apart, Lisa Campbell finished 31st (3.31.55) having ridden a smart race resulting in a fantastic finishing time. Amber Gaffney finished in 38th place (3.34.33) working hard and covering several moves for a break. Jenny Rios finished 78th (3.49.07), Holly Breck 81st (3.52.03), Myself 84th (3.55.52) and Beatrice Rodriguez 85th (3.58.03). The feelings of self doubt and disillusionment was hard for me to overcome on this particular day having posted what I felt was a disappointing time, however I will dust myself off and try to redeem myself in the next stage which is the Individual Time Trial at Crocked River. Again a big thank you to our wonderful support team in Dennis, Charlie and James for your encouragement and helping out in the support zones.

2012 Cascade Cycling Classic - 7/17/2012 Prologue

17 July 2012 - Written by Guest rider Melina Bernecker Cascade Cycling Classic – Prologue Having ridden the course several times in the morning I felt comfortable with the corners and route. We (the team) decided to go early and get a good spot to set up our trainers near the starters chute and allow plenty of time to get ready and warm up. The race start was at 6pm and located as the top of the little hill on Meeks Trail Road and the 2.8 mile / 4.5km TT route took us around a gold course… not that we had any time to enjoy the scenery! The first half third was downhill, the second third flat and the last third slightly uphill. Just for a change I managed to get in a decent warm-up and felt ready to go. Jenny Rios was off first at 6.12, Holly Brecht was next followed by Bea Rodriquez, Lisa Campbell, myself and last was Amber Gaffney. We were approximately 6 minutes apart in start time. As we lined up at the starting chute each of our bikes was checked in the jug for UCI fit ruling, luckily none of us had any issues and we were all set to go. Conditions were favorable with only a little breeze and warm air temperature. Feeling a little nervous at the start chute I took several deep breaths as the started counted down 5,4,3,2,1… a deep breath and I was off, pedaling my little heart out. The first km of the race went down a fairly steep hill with several gentle turns, (the road surface at the bottom was not great but I have seen a lot worse). There was a sharp Left hand turn right before the 2km mark and then a flat section with another slight downhill before hitting the roundabout which made another left turn up the first little hill (I say little but at this point my legs were starting to feel the lactic acid)… getting out of the saddle I powered over the hill and settled into the false flat that took me to the last and final climb (at his point my legs were feeling totally trashed and I fought them with every inch of my conscious mind trying to convince them to turn faster, harder, stronger!). As I made the last turn and the finish line came into view I managed to muster up the last bit of energy and strength to propel myself over the line. Kristen Armstrong (Exergy 21) won the prologue in a thundering time of 5.24, second was Alison Powers (Now Novartis), with Jacquelyn Crowe (Exergy 21). The SC Velo Team feared well in the high standard of completion with Amber Gaffney finishing 27th in a time of 6.03, Myself finishing 47th in a time of 6.17, Lisa Campbell was 50th with 6.19, Holly Brecht, 75th in 6.36, Bea Rodriguez 83rd in 6.41 and Jenny Rios 95th in 7.3. Our team finished 9th in the team standing out of 13. Big thanks goes out to our wonderful support team in Dennis, Charlie, James and Sharon, you guys made life so much easier for us.