2011 Cascade Classic race report from Katie Donovan

I'll fill in some blanks from Lisa's and Pam's reports.

Tara Whitten won the prolouge for the second year in a row.  They added a parking lot section to the course which made me super dizzy and sad, but I think some of the girls loved it.

The first stage got going on the first long climb. I was in a group that chased a break that had gone off earlier.  We gained minutes on the climb , but nobody really worked together in the valley. Andrea Dvorak attacked for the KOM on the first climb and attacked again on the second climb. By the time we caught her our group had dwindled down to four girls. Kristin McGrath and Andrea went for the sprint. I tried , but couldn't jump that hard. Kristin Lasasso was the fourth girl and after that girls came trickling in.
It seemed like the race for GC didn't play out until after the time trial. Clara Hughes won by 20 seconds to Kristin Armstrong.

Stage 3 was another road race. A break got away but I think everyone thought we'd catch the break on the final climb. We caught half the break. There were tons of attacks in the final 5k and a select group of about 15 rolled through behind the winners. Kristin and Clara were in that group.

I can't tell you what happened in the crit. I tail-gunned the whole thing. At one point I think I heard Thurlow yell at me to start riding my bike.

By the last stage my health was fading and I barley hung on.  My legs still felt strong but my head and lungs were suffering. Meredith Miller attacked on the second lap. I bridged and brought about 6 girls with me. I drove it hard until the break was established. Not all the girls were strong enough to work so the stronger girls kept attacking. I was not on that day and kept finding myself missing the jumps and having to chase. Janel attacked on the third lap. Robin and Anne went with her but I didn't have the legs. Tibco wasn't working and kept looking back so I figured they had girls bridging. They did, but the pack was right behind those girls and soon caught us all. The pack was a lot smaller by this time. I couldn't hang on the final climb and finished slightly behind the group.  I'm not sure who won , but Janel ended up winning the  GC. Overall , I would say that Colavita raced really well. Watching their team tactics play out in a race is a real eye-opener.

Bea, Dennis, Thurlow and James were amazing throughout the entire race. Dennis took care of our host really well too.

I enjoyed getting to race with Lauren. She fit in really well and was a great teammate. NOW should be proud to have her representing them so well.

2011 Cascade Cycling Classic Stage Race - Lisa Campbell

This  year’s CCC stage race definitely had its ups and downs for the SC Velo/Empower Coaching System’s team. Before we even left our team of 8 became a team of 7 as our teammate Ruth had to drop out to be by her mother’s side. Last year we had Dotsie managing us for this race, and we got spoiled…and whipped into shape a few times too. This year we had Dennis (of Dennis and Bea), the world famous Thurlow Rogers, and my husband James helping us out. Thurlow was designated acting team manager at the race meeting and he was a HUGE help to us, as was little Stevie…Pam’s son.

We started out with 7 riders, Pam, PC, Bea, Katie, me, and two guest riders, Lauren Liscinski from NOW and Kimberly Turner. By Stage 5 there were just 4 of us…and this is that story:

Prologue

For some reason the promoters  at this race see fit to torture us all with a short 2 mile prologue at 6pm the night before our first big stage race. It’s basically an out and back sprint with a little hill. We all had our “prologue cough” for the rest of the week since you feel like your lungs are on fire and bleeding after the 4 minute effort. Unless you are one of the women who finished it in under 4 minutes. (No, none of us did that.) But we all gave it our best and headed off to get some rest for stage 1 the following morning.

Stage 1 – McKenzie Pass Road Race

This stage is a remote start about an hour and 15 minutes outside of Bend. 73.5 miles with almost 7000 feet of climbing.  The start of this race has a very long downhill, which tests  everyone’s already jittery nerves. One hundred and four of us shoulder to shoulder going downhill at speeds approaching 50 miles an hour (my Garmin said 48.5 mph and PC’s said 49.5). There was an early crash but we all avoided it and the girls that went down were okay. The first climb was at a moderate pace thanks to a break that went off early (with SC Velo’s Katie Donovan in it). At the top of the climb there was some separation and we all got a bit strung out. The last climb up to the finish is a leg buster and when I came in I got the great news that Katie had taken 3^rd. An AMAZING job in what I think is the hardest stage. Everyone finished intact, tired…and in pain….lots of pain. Did I mention the pain?

I should note here, that we had Bea and Dennis staying with James and I (and my two crazy terriers) for the trip. Since my parents couldn’t go we had an extra bedroom and since the host housing was cozy it worked out perfectly to have Bea and Dennis with us. My husband James got to experience Dennis’s command of carnivorous cooking…something he doesn’t get at home since I’m a vegetarian. 

Bea and I took advantage of the Turkish soaking pool across from our rental house at the local McMennamins (it’s kind of a huge Epsom salt bath). On our way back from our soak Bea got the news that she didn’t make the time cut for stage one. A real bummer and just bad luck because Bea is one of the strongest racers both mentally and physically.  Remember that 6pm prologue…well Bea had a great finishing time. Our awesome sponsor Gu provided us with tons of nutrition and Bea took advantage of that by shooting a few caffeinated Gu’s. Good for the legs, bad for trying to sleep. This is how we learn so much stage racing. 

Stage 2 – Skyliners TT

Stage 2 is a 14 mile out and back time trial with about 1000 feet of climbing. As we were all warming up Bea, who had all the right in the world to feel bummed and sorry for herself,  was instead wrenching on all our bikes. She cleaned Katie’s bike, changing out her wheels to an awesome disc wheel in back and a deep dish in the front (courtesy of Thurlow). She had her stand out and was getting her hands greasy, making sure everyone was set up. She was the definition of teammate. Katie had Thurlow following her in the team car and I had Bea and James following me. James wanted to honk to let me know when to turn left into the finish, but thankfully Bea told him that probably wouldn’t be a good idea…see…great teammate. She saved James from my wrath because if he had honked at me while I was at heart rate of 185 into that last finishing stretch I would NOT have been happy.

Everyone was appropriately tired and in more pain after the 14 mile effort.  We all were a little bit worried about time cuts because the winners time was amazing. That’s the problem when you have two Olympic Gold Medalists time trialing out there. Luckily they extended the time cuts a bit and we all made it through safely except for our guest ride Kimberly. 

And then there were 5…

Stage 3 – Cascade Lakes Road Race 

Stage 3 is yet another road race with lots of climbing, but this one has more flats. Last year they took off like firecrackers at the beginning of this race. Maybe that doesn’t sound so bad, but the first 2 miles is uphill. This year they hit it hard again and we all managed to push through our pain to stay in the peloton. This stage was great for us as a team. We all stayed together and up front for the most part. Speaking for myself. I can say that I was just so star struck to actually be riding next to Clara Hughes, and Kristen Armstrong. I was feeling mighty  grateful (but still in pain) to this great team for giving me the opportunity to be doing this amazing race. A small  break got away and the peloton attacked just before the final  climb, but couldn’t quite pull them in. We all finished strong and I think the mood was lighter at the end of this stage. We had little Stevie handing out water bottles to his mom Pam, and he did a stellar job. We also have video of little Stevie having a conversation before the race with the yellow jersey (Clara Hughes) about  Earth years versus Venus years. Did I mention that he was wearing a Gu box on top of his head during this? 

Stage 4 – Bend Downtown Criterium

To be fair, I have to preface this part of the report by saying everyone knows that criteriums are not my favorite type of race. That being said, this team has helped me get a gazillion times more comfortable and confident in them. As expected this race was fast. Almost 27mph average on my Garmin. A break did get away and hold off the field, but the part where they were chasing the break down was wearing me down. My teammates always tell me to stay in front, so that’s what I tried to do. I didn’t find out until after the race that our very own “not so” PC had gone down hard early in the race and took a nasty blow to her head. She was in the medic tent, more worried about the scrape on her new tattoo, than the state of her head…so I knew she was going to be okay. She did, however, have a concussion and was definitely having trouble remembering things for a little while. Understandably, everyone was a little down after this stage. Crashes are never good, and when it’s someone you care about, it’s even worse. But after some Advil and a huge plate of pasta cooked by Dennis, she was feeling better. I think the Reese’s peanut butter cups helped too.

And then there were 4…

Stage 5 – Awbrey Butte Circuit Race

Did I mention that we are all tired and feeling some pain at this point? But it is the last stage and with that comes some much needed motivation. We were seeing the light at the end of the stage race tunnel. Our weather up to this point had been perfect. Low 80’s, not too hot or too cold. Today was the first hot stage. It’s a 4 lap almost 17 mile circuit with some steep stair stepper power climbs and lots of room for high speed breaks and powerful surges. Unfortunately, I can’t provide a lot of info on this stage because I was off the back from mile 8 until mile 71. But this is a 68 mile race.  Well, I made it 71 miles when, after having to dismount twice and get neutral support’s help for a chain that wanted to keep dropping, I put my head down and missed a turn. When I got DOWN to Hwy 20 I had that sinking feeling (worse than the sinking feeling I had when I watched the peloton ride away) of knowing I was never going to be able to catch back on. So I climbed back UP (yes, my detour involved a climb), found the turn, yelled at the volunteers for not keeping me on course and time trialed for about 30 miles before it really sunk in that I  was out of this race. By the way, when they say “know the course” in the race bible…they really mean it.  The first time I passed the feed zone I was so far off the back no one was out to hand me a bottle (can’t really blame them, no one knew I was gapped) so I did lap 2 without any water. I tried drinking my tears, but that didn’t work. (Just kidding, I wasn’t crying…yet). On lap 2 I got caught and lapped by the men’s pro peloton and couldn’t get over to my team, luckily I grabbed a bottle from neutral. On lap 3 I had the pleasure of being mooned by PC, which kept me going for lap 4. Which I finished, way, way, way off the back. Like 40 minutes off. I am happy to say that I did get that last place finish, and not time cut. Also I am happy to say that my team sat in the parking lot and waited for me to come in. What  I remember most from this stage is hearing Pam ride by me saying “Oh no”..as my chain dropped and dangled off my crank…Hopefully others can fill you in on the activity of this stage.  I’m sure it was exciting, but for me it was humbling. As I rode through the small crowds along the course…all alone…I heard one person whisper…”she’s last”. It was so quiet, I could hear a fan whispering those two words. There were no cowbells ringing, no whoosh of tires going by…just me, all by myself. You know what I thought about for those 62 solo miles. I thought about how lucky I was to be able to be out here riding my bike, racing with all these amazing women, even if they were in front of me. I couldn’t think of a better thing to be chasing. Oh, and with about  1 mile to go I heard this noise behind me. I turned around and James was behind me, hazard lights flashing giving me a thumbs up. That helped me limp my way home.

The 2011 Cascade Experience - By Pam Schuster

Cascade Classic through the eyes of the elderly brought back many memories of traveling, eating, resting and racing harder than one can imagine.  The scene was the same, however, all the names except for 2 had changed for me.  Clara Hughes and Anne Sampolonius were still out there and hadn't skipped a beat finishing on the podium in the end.  Each day was filled with excitement highs and lows.  The first day was a 2 mile prologue which paved the way for the future pain to come.  Day 2: the plan was to stay up in the front of the peloton and see where we were after that.  Katie had great ride and finish 3rd in the stage! Looking forward to her report for the details.  Day 3 was the 14 mile time trail, and you guessed it more pain and challenge.  Day 4 was another challenging road race where we all moved up in standings.  Day 5 was the downtown criterium with a zillion fans cheering for us followed by the final day when once again our limits were tested and finishing was the prize for the day.  The whole team learned and bonded with our hearts never giving in to the pain of the day.  Now that I have mentioned pain 60 times did I will mention that we all are coming home more fit and experienced than one week ago!  I must also mention that the support we recieved from our volunteer staff was amazing.  They even taught my 8 year old son Stevie how to hand me up feeds.  I guess the table has turned, time for him to start feeding me after all these years of feeding him.  He provided the staff and team with constant entertainment!  I feel very grateful to still be able to race with these young women professionals who many are less than half my age and let me know it each day!  None of it would be possible without our great sponsor support which we are very thankful for!

San Pedro Grand Prix – Father’s day June 19, 2011

For this race we had just me (Lisa) and Pam. Helen’s had a full team out as did SDBC, and the young, and strongTibco team of sisters Kendall and Alexis Ryan. A few other solo riders were out and the field was pretty decent. I was sad that more of us weren’t there…and I tried to bribe PC and Bea to show up…but it didn’t work.

Our pre-race meeting (which I eat up like candy…hanging on every word) was basically Pam telling me that there is only two of us, and our job is to cover things…and save our energy by letting someone else make the first move when covering an attack and then getting on that wheel. So my question “what about us attacking”…was met with a resounding “No”…not when there is only two of us.

The beginning of the crit was fairly uneventful. I think everyone was just trying to get a feel for the course which does have a nice hairpin uphill turn after the finishing straight and then a long  back straightaway that leads into a steep turn layered with some cobblestones. Attacks would happen here and there, with some making a bit of a gap. Pam’s instructions were to not chase one person down…so I (for the most part) let those go.  However there was enough activity that I felt like I was always on the gas…chasing something…bridging to something…and luckily Pam was there doing her share of covering attacks and I had some gentle reminders from some of the Helen’s girls “not to chase Pam down”. I got so excited a few times I forgot to calm down. We had Tibco go up the field, we had  few Helen’s attacks, SDBC was doing some work too.   But nothing stuck…and I tried to chase what I could… and hoped it ws the right move I was making!

The only thing that made my tired legs feel better was that I could hear everyone else breathing hard…except for the Ryan sisters…who I think, had the same plan as me and Pam. Sit tight, and cover attacks if necessary. However, they were cool as cucumbers and I never saw them make the first move on an attack so I knew they were just waiting to go. SDBC launched a way too early attack that took some energy out of me…and then it was suddenly one lap to go. It’s no secret I am not going to win a field sprint…and I definitely did not want to go into that last turn with the pack all bunched up…so into that hairpin uphill turn I went as hard as I could and kept going until that darn last turn, when the Tibco girls went around me and in my state of feeling like I could vomit at anytime…I looked for Pam…one, two, three four girls…then I saw Pam…and I thought “crap”…but of course Pam is Pam and she easily (well, she made it look easy) took that line for 2^nd. (Kendall Ryan won, she had a good gap into the cobblestone turn). Yay! Thank you Pam for your awesome finish!

My parents have lots of picture with me in what I call my “ugly face”.  I was fricking beat!  I always learn something from our races..and in the post race pow wow I was happy to hear Pam say that it was a-okay to go out like that on the last lap because it kept the race safe (another favorite of mine, the words ”safe” and “crit” in the same sentence.). I also learned how much I have become  dependent on my teammates. Not just because I watch and learn from them in the races…but because I gather strength, confidence and calmness from them before the race and on the line. I missed having all my girls there…but boy was I grateful that Pam was there to mentor and support…as she always does.

The Bakersfield Weekend...journal from the inside! 6/4-6/5

This isn’t so much of a race report…but a report about being at the race and all the exciting and dramatic events that happen behind the scenes. I was lucky enough to be rooming with Bonnie and Pam on Friday night since we were the only ladies doing the “granny” (otherwise known as Masters) race on Saturday.

I knew I was in a bit of trouble when Pam called me just as I was leaving and told me her and Bonnie were already there. Because the next words were….”we are getting ready to break open the wine”…In my head I saw the bottles of 2 buck Chuck being corked while Pam and Bonnie jumped up and down on the beds…with Bonnie’s dog Rusty watching…

Sure enough, when I got there…I was right! In the trash was a bottle of 2 buck chuck and there were Pringles, a loaf of Tillamook Cheddar, and various candy wrappers scattered about the room.  Pam left  to go to Del Taco for some pre-race carbs. It seemed like it was taking Pam awhile to get back from Del Taco…then, lo and behold Bonnie gets a phone call from her. Her room key was not working…or maybe she was at the wrong room. We’ve all done that before..you know there are no numbers on those silly key cards. But actually Pam was just across the way at the wrong hotel…

When Pam got back to the right hotel…she walked in smiling…carrying a big fat burrito and said “I was sliding the card in every door, going up and down the hallway, thinking, why isn’t  this working”.

Opting for something that wasn’t going to cause me severe GI distress (and an unenjoyable race for anyone behind me on the bike Saturday) Bonnie and I went to get pizza. I have never seen someone who can eat, get ready for bed and be asleep before I even sat down with my food…but Bonnie did it..she got in bed, her dog crawled under the covers and they were out like a light. I hate sleeping, but after Pam put her eye mask on and was out too…I had to do the same. I had no one to talk to. Even the dog was ignoring me.

I will spare you the details from Saturday…I’m sure Bonnie’s report will have all the info..but let’s just say that I learned a lesson about NOT chasing after your teammate’s wheel and bringing the damn peloton with you…sorry about that Pam. Yes, I did shed a few alligator tears after the race, but I did it in the privacy of some back lot somewhere after the race. Then Pam and Bonnie cheered me up and entertained me for the rest of the day. Actually, Bonnie pretty much slept the whole  day, as did her dog Rusty. Pam…well…Pam helped me re-hash that race over and over until I finally stopped feeling bad about it. By the time dinner rolled around I was ready to focus on Sunday and stop worrying about Saturday.

Speaking of dinner, when I left the room in search of somewhere to buy Epsom salts for my aching “granny” legs Pam was breaking into the Doritos’s…or the Pringles, not sure which. Never have  I seen someone so strong and consistent a racer as Pam…and now  I saw the “fuel” she used... I was even more impressed, and frankly, a little scared…I was reminded of something Pam said right before Barry Wolfe, when we were talking about warming up. I believe it was something like, “The only time I ever warmed up before a race it was the worst race I ever had.” See…scary.

Sunday was definitely a better day for our team. PC, Bea and Dennis had arrived late Saturday night. I know what they ate for dinner because PC texted me pictures of Chicken and Waffles. I don’t really understand that whole combo…but I did wake up James (who had arrived later on Saturday) to show him the pics and he mumbled something like “yum” and that was the last I heard from him til the next morning. Dotsie and Ruth arrived early Sunday and we were ready to rock and roll!!!!!

Again, I will spare you most of the details of the race, but I can’t leave out one part…(sorry PC). After having several awesome moves throughout the entire day, PC was off the front again coming into the hill. About half way up we could see her…then she took a right hand turn, where there wasn’t a right hand  turn. At least not on the course we were on. I heard a few ladies, kind of laugh and say “Oh, PC, that silly girl”…However…I really didn’t think she was taking a wrong turn on purpose.  I yelled her name…but she kept climbing…the wrong way. We had some fun in the peloton…figuring out if PC was kidding or not..but when I looked back, I swear the look  I saw on her face did not look like someone who was kidding. Well, at least she had a nice downhill to get  back on the course. And as we all know, the race went beautifully for us, and we won! When I saw Ruth go, and get over 20 seconds…I knew she was going to TT her way home…

What did I learn this last weekend? Pam has the strongest GI system of anyone I know and something other than blood must run through her veins…Bonnie’s dog LOVES to sleep. (He slept on the front seat of James’s car throughout the whole race), PC needs a compass…Bea and I had really sore asses and need a constant infusion of chamois cream supplied to us throughout the race…Dotsie knows more people than God and Ruth can fricking fly!!!!

Disclaimer: No names have been changed to protect the innocent…all joking is done with nothing but love and admiration for all of you

Southern California/Nevada Elite Road Race Championship - 6/5/2011

It has been said “Everyone has the will to win, but few have the will to prepare to win.”  Coach Bobby Knight

We prepared to win the State RR in our meeting lead by Pam and that's what we DID!!!  Every SC Velo rider on the course did their part to deliver Ruth to the finish line and this is how it played out:

Lap 1 - The attacks started very quickly with Bonnie and NOW rider up the road and when that came back, Pam was up the road with another NOW rider.  Then Lisa went with NOW….followed by PC on a solo break.  Bonnie attacks just as PC is being brought back into the pack so NOW, Bonnie and La Grange are up the road.

Pam away with NOW rider

Ruth capturing the "bear"!

Dotsie taking the field sprint for 3rd with Bea and Pam following (4th and 5th)

Lisa covering critical moves!

Lap 2- Lisa attacks and Melina from La Grange follows, this break comes back and PC goes like “Hussein Bolt”, she holds it 2/3 up the climb where she decides to carve out a more difficult route to the top.  The pack decides to play it safe and stay on course where Coryn Rivera attacks three times, Dotsie covers them all to then do her own attack towards the top of the climb.  She gets caught on the decent.  The group splits a bit on the decent where Lisa and Ruth stay back with La Grange while Pam and Bea get up the road in a small break.  Lisa and Ruth let the La Grange girls' chase on and just as they catch the lead group ahead……… Ruth takes a flyer on the inside and gets up the road.  Melinda from La Grange tries to catch on the train but chases to the finish line to capture 2nd.  Meanwhile, in the pack the fireworks are ensuing with Kendall Ryan, Coryn Rivera and Julia from NOW shooting off the attacks.  The TEAM covers them all which sets Dotsie up nicely to win the field sprint with Pam and Bea right behind.



What a day……

Southern California/Nevada Master’s Road Race Championship - 6/4/2011

This year’s Championship Road Race once again took place on the same course in Bakersfield as the previous three years.  The course consisted of a challenging 31 mile loop with an estimated three mile climb, screaming decent, with some rollers to the false flat finish.  What differed from the past years race was the cow sized pot holes located on the back side of the course that lead up to the climb.  The race officials gave fair warning prior to the race start, however, I had no idea the road would be as debilitated as it was.  Fortunately Masters Racers tend to be wise in their years and more often than not choose safety over stupidity, and none of our field was casualty to the road conditions.

The Women’s race was approximately 40 riders deep with categories of 35+, 45+ and 55+ all combined for the start.  The race started out with a comfortable tempo for the first five miles until we made the first right turn which lead us toward the climb.  The pace remained steady yet comfortable as we crossed numerous cattle guards and dodged land mines in the pavement.  At the base of the climb the pace picked up slightly, but the main field remained in tack.

After the screaming decent, our plan was to launch a number of attacks to tire the competition, which consisted of riders from Helen’s racing team, La Grange and Colivata.  Pam Schuster served the first of several blows to the field.  Once Pammy was reeled in, I took a turn with the whip, all while our faithful Lisa protected the front of the peleton and chased down anything that chased us. 

Once we made the final right turn onto the finishing stretch, the field was completely strung out for the dash to the finish line and those who played their cards right and who were patient were the ones who found victory today.

Melina Bernecker from Herbalife/LaGrange won the 35+

Linda Stark from Dude Girl won the 45+

Linda Schnepf from Simple Green won the 55+