Mt Hood Cycling Classic (Ouch!)

[Davnel]

On the start line of the first stage the race organizer thanked all of us Cat 4 Men for coming to such a tough event. He went on to describe it as a massive challenge.... and four stages later I know he wasn't kidding.

Quail, Jenn, Tannille, Monica and I travelled to the Columbia Gorge in northern Oregon for the Mt Hood Cycling Classic this past weekend and it was brilliant.

Stage 1: 100km Road Race, 5050 feet of climbing, excellent course.
The first selection was on the first climb, I know I was well rested because by the time I came off the back I was at a HR of 180 which is 25 over BP. The rest of the day I was working in one small group or another. My plan was to simply stay racing. This became a challenge when a low speed crash in front brought me down about 15 km from the line. I had to laugh through the cramping that locked me up as I hit the pavement because my shoe had twisted right off my foot and gone shooting down the road. Spectators helped me up, and riding again unlocked the legs. I managed to keep the cramping at bay with E-discs and worked steadily as I soloed to the finish. It all payed off when the group chasing me didn't catch me until 30 feet past the line!

Stage 2: 17 km TT, Loop course, pretty much flat. Awesome.
After the drama and cramping of Stage 1 it was a challenge to see good HR numbers but my 12th place was better than the previous day and a lot better than my TT finish at Walla Walla earlier this year. Great coaching from Chris and Andrew easily the reason for this.

Stage 3: 30 min Criterium, downtown Hood River in front of the Full Sail Brewery. Great course with a wicked downhill hairpin corner. Wide but still fast.
I stuck with the basic plan of staying in position and managed to sprint for 6th. Got a good look at the back end of the winner and feel a twinge of regret but I'm happy with the result and the execution of the plan.
By the end of the second day I was sore!!!!

Stage 4: About 100 km and 6270 feet of climbing. Epic. They actually pave logging roads in Oregon! Miles of 13% climbing and ripping descents. Just how I imagine Europe except way off in the bush.
Not much to report here. I was so blown, I hung on for the first 40 km and came off the group once we started the biggest climb. I don't think I respected the fueling enough and didn't push the E-load early enough considering my fatigue level and probable glycogen depletion. Riding my own pace I came around in about 15 minutes and my HR started to rise as I could manage a better effort. I got in with a quality group riding for Cucina Fresca from Seattle and we worked all the way in to the finish. This time I used some E-discs before I cramped and avoided that unpleasantness entirely!

Overall: An amazing experience. So much to learn. Such a great challenge and really wicked event. BPR was fantastic with riders in 4 different categories. The Quail was a fabulous leader. Really good team dynamic; Supportive, competitive and fun.
Maybe a bigger crew next year!!!! 

David

[GinnySellars]

WOW, great read David. I'm so glad you got to experience that iconic cycling event. Very cool to hear of the new course. Your crash sounds dramatic! Way to put it all on the line, and finish every stage so strong. Pure grit.

[Andrew]

David...wow. Losing a shoe, cramping on the pavement, and still finishing off with a strong climb to stay ahead of a chase pack. Unbelievable. I really would like to travel down with a team next year, and support those willing to take part in such a huge event. The challenge that was laid out sounded very similar to what we faced at Nimby...well beyond what I thought was on the menu, and very deserving of our full efforts. I find it really does feel like you have lived after an event like that, with the huge adversity every rider faces, and the small triumphs that each person will achieve along the way.

I am really proud of the whole group that went down. The positive spirit, the great support for each other, and the stories you have all brought back to inspire those of us that could not make it down this year.

Definitely a MUST for the team in 2012!!!

[Schulzy]

Yes, the Hood is a definite must for ALL next year!!!!!!!! It was an epic trip with a fantastic crew! I am still laughing about The Nelson Shoe incident! Funny enough, Monica Nelson lost a shoe in a crash at BCBR last year! I will post my official report soon but thought I would share a super mega funny link! Reminds me of myself! It's important to laugh at yourself every once in a while:

http://kennettron.wordpress.com/2011/06/03/mt-hood-cycling-classic-2011-prologue/  
 
Apparently I am not the only person that has problems on the TT bike! Did I mention I came 44/50 in the prologue (was hammering like a demon!!!!!!!)I also tied for last in the TT! Seriously!! I hammered about 3/4 of the way and do admit I gave up a little... but still!!!! I even felt really awesome during these 2 events (no excuses!) I need to attend a TT camp of sorts.... I know I need more practice but I did ride the TT bike for 2hr/week all winter and expected a miracle to take place!! HELP!!! Oh.... and the Quail and I were having a good laugh about my TT skills on the way home ie: how I looked fast, made sure my TT helmet straps were perfect in order to avoid any tactile sensitivities that I may be obsessively susceptible to etc... I even joked that I don't need a TT bike!!! So, karma bit me in the ass when my bike fell off the car on the I-5 in downtown Seattle in rush hour traffic!!! Seriously!!! The Quail and I almost got killed trying to save the stupid bike! Mega Adrenaline Rush.... Too much for Big Ring Schulzy to handle!!! Scarier than descending at 80 km/hr during the last stage of the race!!!! Unfortunately, the damage is not too serious and I will have to keep the bike!!!  More race reports to follow re: The HOOD!!!
 
Jen

[GinnySellars]

OMG Jen!! You have me peeing my pants laughing. That link is HILARIOUS! It sounds like YOU wrote it. I did check the results after your TT, and thought to myself....crappy, she must have had an 'episode'. Seriously, how could the Nimby 50 WINNER be second from last. This is the girl that towed the 2010 Hood winner to the line last year. This is the girl that can bonk half way through a race, then time trial up to lead group and put a hurt on. So yeah...pretty funny. Don't throw that bike away yet. We may have to give you a season of triathlon to force you into TT dominance. Ooohhh, that's an idea....if you don't improve your TT skills, we'll make you do IM 2012 as punishment.

[StephenU]

I tried my best to ruin the TT Bike for Jen.. ->  It was, however, great punishment for a TT bike that does not seem to work.  Dragging it down the I-5 will teach it!!

[Andrew]

Now Jen, that is no way to treat a beautiful machine made with the strictest instructions to help you go fast. I can understand the desire to throw your bike under a moving vehicle after your TT results in the Hood, but give Ginny a chance to show you how its supposed to be done. Certainly it is NOT a fitness or strength issue. But most probably a biomechanical issue. I am not sure if you had a chance to visit Chris in the clinic to fine tune position and let him help with getting you to get the same power out of the TT position as you do on the MTB. If not, then book a time with him...CO2 monitoring AND TT positioning should be the focus. Then a couple of Tuesday night TTs with the Kelowna crowd to try out some of the ideas. It will all come together.

[Monica]

Mt Hood was an amazing long weekend!  Great friends and teammates, amazing location, beautiful weather and epic racing!
 
Stage One – Road Race – 28 miles (50km)
The first stage wasn’t very long, but had two climbs of some significance.  I had no idea how fast the girls were going to be, so I rode conservatively in the first 10 of the group.  The first climb was a twisty, scenic climb.  The pace was actually comfortable and I stayed near the front.  About half way up, Tannille went to the front and brought the speed up a little, just enough to make a difference so that no one would think of attacking.  Apparently some women couldn’t hold on, and our group of 24 dwindled.  Next was a nice twisty downhill which let me recover nicely for the next climb.  This climb started out with a bit of a jump around a corner, girls were standing and going hard.  I heard the crunching sound of chain suck, looked back and saw that Tannille’s chain had come off!!! I had to stay with the group and we were climbing again.  A few minutes in, a couple of girls brought up the pace, and I couldn’t quite hold it.  I was off for a couple of minutes when 3 other girls came by and we worked together to catch the group!  Back into town was uneventful.  We had 11 girls in the group.  I was thinking “It’s a flat finish, Wow!  I could win this thing!”  At about 200 meters to go, a girl jumped, I went with her with another girl and we were 1, 2 & 3 (me)!  Unfortunately after the race I learned a new word – relegated!  Apparently we weren’t yet at 200m to go, and we had crossed the yellow line!!!  The three of us were relegated to the back of the group and were 8, 9, 10(me)!!  Luckily we weren’t disqualified and we received the same time as the rest of the bunch.  Overall, the stage went well and I was looking forward to the next day!
 
Stage Two – Time Trial – 11 miles (17km)
I was really excited to do the TT!!!  David, Tannille and I pre-rode the loop as our warm-up and I was pumped about the mostly flat course!  My equipment set-up for the race was perfect!  I had borrowed Andrew’s Cannondale Slice with Token wheels, and I had a new Giro aero helmet from Kelowna Cycle.  I felt pretty good out on the course.  My focus on the TT’s has been to think about increasing cadence and smoothness rather than pedaling harder or to “go faster”.  I was really happy with my effort!  I was honestly disappointed to see that I was 8th, but there were only 34 seconds separating 2nd from 8th, so in retrospect that is a respectable finish.
 
Stage Three – Crit – 30 minutes
The crit was fun!  A technical, twisty course with a gentle into steeper climb.  I rode well, stayed near the front out of trouble.  On the finishing straight away, I went as hard as I could, but it wasn’t enough.  I finished with the bunch in 11th.
 
Stage Four – Road Race – 57 miles, (95 km)
The most epic road race I’ve ever done!  Two major climbs! The course seemed like a paved BCBR stage!  We went off the start down a long descent (about 20k) and then started climbing gently over the rollers.  I stayed with the first 13 girls on the first section of real climbing, until the pace picked up a bit.   The group started breaking up ahead of me, and I really fought to get back on, with no success.  Just before the KOM, Tannille caught me.  We finished the climb together, passed a girl, and then the fun started!  We team TT'd along the flats on the top, and then descended! OMG - a closed road for the downhill was sooooo fun!  We passed the GC Leader in yellow, and then another girl!  With our spirits up, we went into the last climb (10km) with a bit of tempo, and passed another 2 girls!  I finished 9th on this stage.  I had good endurance for this stage, felt good most of the time, with the exception of some back and hip flexor discomfort on the climbs.  My limitations on this race were not enough race pace efforts in the past few weeks, and my power-to-weight ratio.  I will definitely improve both before the next time I do this race!

Overall a super-awesome race weekend that I'm looking forward to doing next year, hopefully with more of the BPR team!

[GinnySellars]

Thanks for the race report Monica. What a strong weekend you had! Bummer about the 'relegation' but very cool that you went for it, and otherwise had a super strong finish. It's pretty interesting to hear how you and Tanille descended better than everyone else. Was it a technical problem, or do you think they were just recovering slower after the climbing?
Well, you guys have done a brilliant 'sell' job. It'll be hard to pass up this race next year.
Gin

[Andrew]

I had a great time hearing the stories at the Crit last night, and reading the details here. Mt Hood definitely sounds like it should be on the calendar for the team next year, whether we are racing Masters or the lower Cats, or for those who have stepped up to the top rung. I am proud of everyone's efforts, and very impressed with the way everyone handled the adversity of racing such an epic event.

I am really happy to see both David and Monica showing off their strength after a long year of training, and I can only look forward to more improvements with their great dedication to riding.

Congrats to everyone who took on the Hood!

[tannille]

Thanks for that link Jen. I just waisted an hour reading that guys blog when I should have been writing race reports! The dude is SUPER funny.... great vocab.

I, too, spent the weekend in Hood River, Oregon.  I had such an amazing time it will take hospitalization to keep me out of Mount Hood Cycling Classic 2012. Big words, I know, but that's just how good the trip was.

Hood River, Oregon is a lot like Nelson, B.C.  Appealing downtown community with trendy shops, great cafes, and nice art work.  The town was described by one local as "Hood River doesn't have anything spectacular but a lot of things that are really good!". People really seem to be into the lifestyle there (windsurfing, ski touring, biking, mtn biking) so I instantly felt a connection. 

Ultimately I think it was Steve, with help from Monica, that deserved praise for our accommodations. A rental house in White Salmon, Washington just a bridge ride and a quarter away from Hood River, Oregon. Perfect! Absolutely perfect!  A huge house with open space for socializing, three bathrooms, walk in closets, a massage chair, a huge kitchen, a garage for the bike and maintenance! oh, and a view! All cheaper than what we would have paid in hotel fees.  I'll say it again - PERFECT. 

Now the races...

Stage 1 - Road Race, 28 miles (50Km), climbing 2200 feet (670m = approx 3 x up knox!)

Heart breaking is the only way to describe this road race.  Having driven the road racecourses the day before with the Nelson's and knowing my strength is not climbing, I was really nervous at the start line.  My plan was to ride conservatively and dig deep to ensure I was with the break at the top of the climbs. Racing in Walla Walla this year I learned little gaps become huge gaps when it's windy. And Hood River is a windsurfing meca... NO GAPS, DIG DEEP was my mantra.

Warmed up for 20 minutes, decided one bottle with eload Heat Endurance Formula for the race would be suffice, and headed for the start line.

We rolled a somewhat slow pace for the first five km's. It was clear that some of the woman would have no problem with power to weight ratios on this climb and the pace did allow for attacks over the top from the well rested.  I was feeling better than usual on the climb and moved to the front to put in a harder effort, possibly lessening the opportunity for attacks over the top and blocking the riders that looked strong.  I knew Monica was with me in the group but had no idea we lost half the pack by the time we reached the top. I was excited to not get dropped on the hill and I didn't have to barry myself to do so.

Descents are great and there was a long one after this climb. There had been some elbow rubbing and lack-luster bike handling skills displayed on the climb and I knew what wheels I didn't need to be on.  In going around that wheel I ended up on the front of pack, led the descent into the little town. I felt FANTASTIC at the bottom.  Mentally prepared myself for next climb (similar to the one up Mackenzie on the Sunday ride), geared down for sharp left corner and stood to climb.....  Insert noise of chain grinding on carbon between crank and bottom bracket. Visualize me standing on steep pitch, yanking chain out of bb/crank area, and race officials staring at me wide-eyed from the car.  HEARTBREAKING

Moment of panic. What do I do?  That's right - KEEP RACING!  I was caught by a group of five on the climb and we held a steady pace on the climb.  They were terribly unorganized across the flat on the top so I let the strongest rider know we should make a move at the top of the descent.  The descent was a crazy, twisty, rock wall and was a TON OF FUN.  I ended up 51 seconds behind the lead pack and was terribly disappointed with the mechanical. My disappointment was erased when I saw Monica and she informed me she was 3rd.  That was fun for 10 minutes until we learned about "relegated" and then we were back to disappointed - times 2!

David made us ride for 20 minutes when he got back to the car. He was very convincing that it would be more beneficial to us than anything else we had planned.  I had already consumed a bottle with emend and a boost shake to take care of nutritional recovery.

Stage 2 - Time Trial - 11 miles (17km)

The TT was in Trout Lake, Washington, 4 minutes north of Hood River. We drove out early and pre-rode the course.  Mostly false flat for the first two thirds with all the elevation gain in the final third.  Little to no wind when we pre-rode.  Some sharp corners to make note of and the course was sandwiched between Mount Hood and Mount Adams - try not to look at with aero helmet on as that would not be aero.   

Warmed up for 20 minutes on the trainer, ate a gel, drank some water and headed for the line up.  Started about mid-pack thanks to Stage 1.  The girl in front of me missed her start therefore I had a minute rabbit in front of me verses 30 sec. 

Made a mistake on the first and third corners trying to obey centerline rule.  We had asked before race start if centerline rule applied to corners and never got a solid answer.  Saved some effort for the final long climb and gave it all I had - I think...

Finished 9th, seven seconds behind Monica! We are perfectly matched for these things.  It's exciting to have someone else to race this closely with. I quickly consumed a bottle with emend and a boost shake. Cooled down on the trainer for 20 minutes and packed up to head back to White Salmon. A good lunch, some bike work and a nap were on the agenda.

Stage 3 - Hood River Criterium

Wow. Fun course with a crazy downhill 180, fast corner.  There was a fare share of uphill, including the finish line.  On the third lap, a girl went down in the corner in front me. With nowhere to go but over her, I hollered to let her know I was going to hit her.  I did, and for a brief second I thought I might go over the hay bails lining the course as well. I also had a second to think "Oh no, I put my father as my emergency contact and forgot to tell him where I was and what I was doing". UGHGHHH! Stupid. 

Moment of panic (millisecond actually).  KEEP RACING!!!  Getting back on the bike was the only thing that mattered. I passed the mechanical tent in my frantic attempt to get back onto the pack, not realizing the damage done.   I chased for a full lap and just as i was getting back on I realized my bike needed some attention. It seems the elbow needed more attention than bike and it was swelling fast and bleeding a lot. I pulled into the pit, explained I was pretty jacked up on adrenaline the first time I rode by and my bike needed some work.  The official assured me they would get me back in the race.  The mechanic straightened my shifters out, ensured the bike would shift and then asked me to get back on so he could launch me back into the race. This was quite fun.  They hold onto your saddle like a TT start and count you down as the pack approaches.  With about 5 seconds to go the guy starts running, still counting, and then with 3, 2, 1... he throws you into the pack as it passes.  Next thing I know, I'm right beside Monica going 35km's and hour like I was never gone.  WOW!!! I highly recommend taking a mechanical lap if you crash; the re-entry is exhilarating.

AND, I had to promise the official i would seek medical attention when the race was over.  I spent a few laps cruising the pack and trying to recover from the crash and the adrenaline.  I came around and managed to hold a position near the front for the rest of the race.  I can't figure out when prime laps are at races with lots of noise so I didn't sprint for any of those (only because I can never hear when they are).  I held a position of 5th into the final corner but had a huge pain shoot through my elbow when I stood to sprint.  I had to remain seated for the sprint had a few girls sneak by me. I was 8th and glad I managed to get back into the race after all the emotions of crashing.

The medics were great. A very nice lady dug the gravel out of what skin I had left on my elbow.  After getting cleaned up i hopped on the rollers for 20 minutes, had a bottle with emend for recovery and a boost shake to ensure I topped up the calories for stage 4.

We hung out and had a beer and some food at the race venue.  Watching the pro men and woman was fantastic.  The men had a crash in the crazy corner and I watched as the guys calmly trot to the mechanic pit, take a lap, and get back in the race.  I guess that's how you do it if your not too injured.

Stage 4 - Road Race - 57 miles (97 km) - climbing 6270 feet (1900 meters)

EPIC!!!

We had driven the course so I had some idea where the race would turn into a chase for me. 

I had my elbow re-wrapped before the start of the race. We were early enough that the preparation did not get frantic.  The race started out smooth and controlled.  A long descent was then met with rolling hills, some gravel and construction, and then with a paved forest service road that led to a killer climb.  Monica and I were with the lead pack of 16 at the start of the killer climb.  I knew i didn't want to exert myself too much at the bottom of this climb because we would be climbing for about an hour.  There were three steep pitches of 13% at the bottom and I put in a hard effort over each one, leaving a little to increase that effort on the gentler parts of the climb.  I could see the group getting strung out and had Monica a few hundred meters ahead of me to keep me trying.  I caught Monica at just before the KOM and we went over the top together. A sighting of a man on the climb, miles from anywhere, in his TT helmet lifted my spirits. We passed through the feed station and I almost took out Monica - we looked less than professional for a moment.

We got down to business and TT'd across the flats at the top.  We passed a girl and this gave us hope.  The descent was extremely fast and I think Monica and I made the best of it.  We passed a couple of girls on the descent.  I dropped my chain as we exited the descent and began to climb.  We were just sneaking up on three more girls when this happened. Monica waited for me. Then, not five minutes down the road she wants me to leave her – “You go” she says.  Like I’m leaving her after she’s waited for me!! Plus, I couldn’t leave her if I tried, my legs were cooked and we had a 15km climb to the finish line!  Leave her…. I had another gel.  She had eaten a cliff bar when I dropped my chain and it obviously hadn’t kicked in yet.

We made good and steady time up the climb to the finish line.  We passed three girls on the way up to end up 9th and 10th.  My legs were COOKED!!!!!  It was wicked to have been riding with Monica all day.

I quickly had a bottle with emend, a boost shake, and hoped on the trainer for 20-minute spin.  Knowing we had 8 hours in the car ahead of us had me motivated to try anything to avoid cramping.  Steven joined us and we finally ate the team watermelon that had been with us all weekend.

On the way home we commented on how much better we felt after this stage race then Walla Walla, 6 weeks earlier.  Was it improved fitness, was it racing in a warmer climate, are we getting better at recovery? Are we managing our nutrition better? Any comments would be welcomed.

The girls racing Cat 3 /4 in US are super friendly. The race was very well organized. Every stage was epic and worth the money.  The team house was a perfect platform to unwind at night, share stories, meals, and maintain bikes. The members of the Balance Point High Performance Team that travelled to Mount Hood Cycling Classic were amazing to share that experience with.  If you go, and you have people racing in different categories, take two or three cars.

THE END!

[Andrew]

Looks like the Hood needs to be an A Race for BPR IN 2012! We will talk with our sponsors and get the trailer lined up, and hopefully convoke Brock to make the trip. Perhaps we can convince Manuel to join us, and recruit a few more serious road riders to step in line with BPR to make a strong showing in a number of different divisions... I am already in training for it!

[GinnySellars]

Wicked race report Tanille! You are one tough chick. Funny to hear what went through your mind in moments like the mechanical or in the milliseconds of the crash. Ok...you have all sold me. I'm going back to the Hood 2012!

[StephenU]

Well I guess I better get this post in before Christmas comes!  Nice post's everyone!
..

Mt Hood Cycling Classic - Pro/1/2 Stage Race for a very nervous Mr. Quail.

Prologue (5km) - Had a great warmup for over an hour on thr trainer as I had not ridden in for 3 days before the event. (My attempt @ rest)  Wind and rain was blowing through the area and lucky for me my time was near the end and the rain stopped.  I just had the wind to contend with.  No problem!  I hammered out of the start tent and up the first hill one gear too big..  I was mashing out a low, powerful cadence but it definately got my HR up and my legs going.  As the road levelled out, so did my cadence, breathing, and HR..  (Around BP +10 - 15) for the whole effort and this was my MAX effort.  I thought I killed it obviously as it was as fast as I could go...  103rd place out of 150.. Alright!

Stage 1 - 130km's, 7800ft of climbing..  (this was described on paper as the sprinters stage...  yeah right)  Poor preparation for this as I arrived late to the start and without my numbers!  The awesome people there created some new numbers for me and I rushed to pin them on 5 mins before the start.
I lined up next to my friend Jason and we looked at each other and said, "here we go!"  I chose not to wear my HR Monitor today as it was not going to help me decide when and where I needed to hammer my brains out.  The peloton would decide this.
There were attacks right from the start as the field ripped down the hiway toward the first snaking climb.  I was pinned for the first 30 mins as we ripped up the climb at a ridiculous speed.  Jason said to me, with some hope in his voice, "Once the breakaway is selected, it should calm down"  Well, it never did calm down..  After the first climb I was still in the main group but as we started another climb through a small villiage, the road narrowed and I was stuck near the back..  we basically stopped and the front riders hammered away!  Eventually I would have to latch back onto the peloton through the race caravan of team cars and officials, etc twice!!  My breaking point came on the first of two climbs up 7 Mile climb.  (a very open, long climb up to a ridge overlooking the valley).  It was steeper than I imagined and I just could not hold onto the group ahead of me.  I ended up coming back to a group of riders behind me and summited with these guys and did the descent and up we went again.  This time I was dropped from this group and summited alone.  I would ride alone for over 30km and would be joined by 15 riders 10 km from the finish.  We rallied together and limited our loses on the day.
**My limiter today was my inablity to position myself in the group and my apparent lack of power on the shorter, punchier climbs.  This put me in the red too much and by the time I hit the big climb, I was already suffering too much.  The heat was also a factor for me.
103rd on the day again and I solidified my 103rd on GC!!

Stage 2 - 17km TT
This was a wonderfull TT course!  gently rolling hills with a 5km uphill grind to the finish.  Everything was tired from the RR the day before but I warmed up as best I could.  Tired legs, I could not reach LBP during warmup.  AS normal, I started out pretty quick and got to LBP -5 (Not bad considering on the trainer I could only reach LBP-10)  I stayed tucked and aero, passed a couple of guys and then was passed by my 30 second guy behind me about 200 meters from the finish.  Without knowing my results, I was happy and left it all out there!  I was able to warm up to LBO +10 for the final 9kms.. 
FInished 100th, still @ 103rd on GC..

Stage 3 - Downtown Crit (60mins)
Mega 140+ rider field squished onto the startline...  Chaos...  Well I tried my best and lasted 34 mins before getting dropped and pulled.  I needed to be spot on with positioning and stay out of the wind on the back stretch, which I did for a long while before a couple of crashes splintered the field and left me unprotected for a 4 or 5 laps.  I was getting cooked from sprinting out of the corners..
Limiter - not enough power to push through the wind when I needed to..

Stage 4 - Mega 150km RR with over 10,000ft climbing... 4 major Climbs...
I was advised to get to the front of the group at the start and giver' on the starting descent..  Well everyone else had the same tactics and it was super fast and scary decsending with 140'ish guys ripping down a mountain..  Attacking down the mountain!  The attacks kept coming after it flattened out and again as the bunch started the first of 4 climbs.  Crazy paved fireroad type road through the bush..  narrow, snow, gravel, everything...  I was able to stay with the main bunch over top of this climb and onto the descent.  After descending at break neck speed, the Cat 1/2 field would do the same climb again..  The field would stretch out on the down, so when we got to the climb again, I was in the back 1/3 of the main bunch, guys were getting dropped and I was in danger as well.. eventually a third group (I think, but I am guessing) would form and we climbed fast again.   I would find that the steeper slower speed climbing was easier for me than stage 1's faster climbing.  I was able to stay with most of the riders who dropped me on Friday, even feeling like I was climbing ok...

Nutrition was a bit of a worry for me because it was such a long stage..  To start, two large bottles of Eload (mix), 8 gels, and a bar would hopefully do it, along with neutral water..  I took a water each feed zone, plus an extra on the second of the three feeds.  The "un-crampable" Quail cramped after the third climb!  I immediately slammed the rest of my eLoad and pounded some water plus I started to "spin".  The quads responded and I was ok and able keep riding @ speed required to stay with the ever growing group of riders dropped from the main bunch.  As we made our way down to the base of the final climb, I knew I was "DONE" .  All I could do was ride BP -20 up the final climb to the finish...  Dead, but happy to have survived the Monster day...  Best road race I have ridden and seen in my life..  Nothing could describe the climbing, roads, scenery, and epic descents..  An added bonus was that I was able to ride most of the day near Jason Killmartin..  We suffered this Beast together and have some great stories to share as we both lived it!

70th on the day and 84th overall..  Not that I cared at this point!!  Just happy to finish and complete this test of survival.  I am thinking maybe some actual hill climb training might be required for next year!

[kiwichris]

WOW - I am super impressed with all of the attendees at the Hood. Your race reports are great and continue to show a deeper level of understanding as you train and race more with an open mind. Your preparation and recovery plans sounded great - spinning post race - getting in some calories and protein! Well done!
The paved forest road climb sounds AMAZING!! The course descriptions you all give instill excitement and a little bit of fear too!! I love those sorts of descents.

Anyway - hats off again - here's looking to the next challenge

Chris