After another short night playing bikes, it was a long drive and early morning to get to Echo Red to Red the first race of the Oregon MTB Series. The conditions were ridiculous–32 degrees and raining when we arrived, but improved as the precipitation stopped and the temperatures moderated slightly. The course was very difficult–never up or down for long, and never straight or smooth. It was so demanding that many of us were struggling just to stay on the single track and keep the locals in sight! I was able to reconcile a sizeable gap and re-join the leaders–Matt Russell (Capitol Subaru Cycling), Cody Peterson (Dedicated Athlete), and James Williams (cannondale) just as we exited the last loop of singletrack for a short gravel/paved road ride back to town. James opened a gap and Matt couldn’t follow as I closed it down. We each took a pull, but I was able to drop Cody and James with about 1km to go and managed a close but decisive victory!

Three different races, three emphatic wins, a February to remember–for sure.

Capitol Subaru Cycling brought a strong contingent of riders and placed four in the top ten of the PRO category. David Hill placed second in the 45+ Cat 1 and our newest rider, Kurt Haas, held on for 3rd place in the SINGLESPEED to round up three podiums for our team!

It was a great way to kick of the season and I am so excited that our team will continue this year. Thanks to our sponsors we have another shot at being the number one team in Oregon. Working with my teammates is a great motivation for me and their ambition and hard work inspires me to ride on. In any case, we are going to break a lot of legs this year and have fun doing it!

Thanks for reading…

After a week off the bike resting and spending time with family in from out of town, it was time to get back on after my victory at 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo. Unfortunately, I had some work to do on my road bike and spent little time sleeping the night before!

I had also just received some positive news from our teams’ title sponsor, so I was happy to show off our kit just minutes up the road from their dealership.

It was a chilly, but clear Willamette Valley morning as I drove across town to the Sublime Sublimity Circuit Race. We rolled west onto a brutal course with relentless short climbs, some rough roads and even a little winter wind. The race was five laps for a total of 63 miles and finished with a super-steep 20+% kick! With little time for warm-up the talented local field immediately raced hard and I hung on to the back of the group after dropping my chain on the hardest climb of the circuit. Things began to settle down midway through the second lap and I rolled to the front to see how things looked. The brisk early pace seemed to have tempered the groups’ ambition, so I pressed a little and opened a sizeable gap.

I bridged across to the lone leader and immediately dropped him on the next climb. After a lap I had 50 seconds lead, and assumed an aero position to see how long I could stay out front. I maintained a comfortable tempo and increased my advantage to nearly two minutes. At the end of the fourth lap, the now motivated chasers trimmed my advantage to 50 seconds. With a lap to go, I became focused on making the break stick and increased my pace. With less than a half-lap to go, I was up but nearly 90 seconds and cruised in for easy win–thankful not to have to sprint on that final hill!

It was my first CAT 1 race, my first victory on the road in over 10 years, and nice to win so close to home! Sublime indeed…

Photo Credit: Pat Malach, www.oregoncyclingaction.com

It is President’s Day weekend and my traditional time to start racing bikes. This year I decided not to travel to Texas for Mas O Menos, but rather try something epecially ridiculous–24 Hours of Old Pueblo! My first ever 2-4 SOLO starts Saturday at 12pm local time, 11am Pacific. Tune into: http://www.epicrides.com/twofour/24.htm For live results and to start your own VAN cheering party on my behalf.

We are on site, the course looks good and there are plenty of folks here to ride with. Fun, fun, fun! Of course I will offer up a full report once the damage is done so stay tuned for that. Now time for a test of the legs, body, and spirit–will I measure up? Time will tell…

Thanks for reading,

VP