This year’s Echo race had a later March 12th start date, so it was nice to leave the cold rainy westside and head east for a dry warm sunny race. The team bus was loaded up and we set off to start the mountain bike race season. The course was the same as last year with the exception of the one trail being revamped after getting washed out due to winter flooding. The newly cut trail was very rough and muddy as it ran along the banks of the Umatilla River.
I went backwards on the long two mile gravel road start, and hit the first trail stuck in traffic. After making a few passes, I settled into what I thought would be a comfortable pace. That’s when I realized that by not doing any intensity training prior to the race, my heart rate was through the roof and it was going to be a long day on the very fast and twisty trails that Echo is known for. I tried to relax and ride a manageable pace for 30 or so miles. Although my result wasn’t what I had hoped for, I did manage to improve on last year’s time on the longer and harder course.
The team was represented in four different classes to start out the early season racing. Evan Plews was struck with an untimely flat tire while riding at the front and finished in 14th place in the pro class. Trevor Pratt finished sixth in the Cat 1 19-34 class with Paul Zwiegart riding in on a flat rear tire in the Cat 1 35-44 class. I finished in 13th place Cat 1 19-34 class with my bro Brandon Eisele finishing in 5th place Cat 3 35-44 class in his very first mountain bike race ever!
The innagural event of 2011 is in the books, and I’m looking forward to an exciting year racing mountain bikes in Oregon.
Thanks for reading, Ryan Eisele.
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