After a great year in Wenatchee I wanted to at least attend one familiar race in Oregon this season so I left work early Friday and pointed my Liberty south toward Oakridge. I have blogged about this quaint little former logging town between Eugene and Bend on HWY 58. It sits in the foothills of the Cascades on the west side and began to embrace mountain biking over 20 years ago and is now home to one of the most committed cycling communities anywhere.
My objective was to race the Cascade Cream Puff, a storied race that is known world wide for its majestic single track and soul-crushing difficulty. I have had the good fortune of finishing first twice in the 100 mile version, once single-speed and most recently last year on my geared Ibis Ripley. This time I would actually only race 50 miles in what is now known as the “Fritter 50″. As I have for most of the races so far this year, I chose to test my new Ibis Tranny 29 on this seemingly endless ribbon of Oregon single track.
I also recently decided to make the trip back to North Carolina in September for the Pisgah Stage Race. Since I haven’t been officially “training” for two seasons now I felt like it would be prudent to ride some longer races prior to jumping back into the fray for a five-day sojourn on some of the most wicked single track in the world. My August training plan included my normal dose of North Central Washington big-mountain bliss plus the Fritter 50 and a visit back to Capitol Forest for my only hundred miler of the season.
The Fritter started of early of course as we rolled out before the sun even crested the seemingly endless sea of mountains that stretch north, east, and south from Oakridge. I felt comfortable and chose to stay at the front and follow local Eugene Cathcart (promoter of the FAT55) into the single track. He set his usual pace but I was smooth and breezed through this section more easily than in years past. We began the familiar long, gravel climb and chit-chatted about the by-gone year as we cranked upward toward the sun-soaked heights above. Before long a larger group of riders joined us and some of them seemed interested to push on at a faster pace. I obliged and soon there were just three of us at the front.
The tempo was comfortable but since I began to have health problems in 2009, I have become less and less confident in my ability to lift the pace and recover from any hard efforts so I was reluctant to open the gap despite knowing that I could ride faster even if only temporarily. I didn’t know the other riders well–David Olson was visiting from the Midwest and racing the 50, while Craig Etheridge is also from Washington and racing the 100 but they seemed comfortable so I looked forward to seeing how they faired on the trails to come.
Soon we passed the second aid station and began the first big section of high Cascade single track. I led the way and immediately felt sluggish on the rough and rutted climb. I was just missing a little but I knew that I was going to be at the mercy of the mountains that day and so I could only hope my companions were also in trouble. As we exited the trail and began the rolling traverse back to aid station and the next sector in the woods. David was smooth and I was ragged, soon Craig was there and then they slowed stretched me out. As we entered the trees and began climbing and earnest I hit my limit. Just like so many times in the last five years the wave of fatigue surged up my legs and I couldn’t respond. Frustrated and already beaten but no one but my own body I pedaled on doing my best to enjoy the day.
Of course that is what it is all about regardless of which end of a mountain bike race you find yourself and Oakridge is a place where we can easily get lost in the moment. That moment was over two hours long and consisted of legendary ribbons of lovely dirt with names like Alpine, Cloverpatch, and Tire Mountain. The only interruptions were the looks of disbelief and words of encouragement offered by the aid station volunteers as they saw me beaten and broken–not triumphant… or so they thought. The further I rode, the more the disappointment ebbed and like so many times recently, I realized that it really is all about the ride and not the fleeting glory that can be had in a few breathless moments at the finish line.
This time the finish line was 50 miles sooner for me which is really just about the right distance! I’ve had my time in the sun at the Cascade Cream Puff 100 and finishing second place in such a beautiful race is REALLY just awesome. I’ve spent most of my cycling career chasing mirages of fitness and accomplishment. While the physical limitations I have now can be frustrating and it is easy to be bitter about having 15 years of training and fitness slip away with no real explanation or solution, I feel like I’ve “turned the corner” or I am now “on the next climb”–there is so much more to this sport than pure fitness and there is so much more to be gained than just a momentary victory!
Thanks to Michelle Emmons and her crew at the Cascade Cream Puff and all the citizens of Oakridge and the surrounding community who have embraced mountain biking and invested in world class trails and events so fellas like me can come play and make memories that will bring joy for a lifetime!