Elkhorn Stage Race-Day 3

7th Place Dooley Mountain Road Race Elite 3

The race started at 8:30 and we had to get everything packed and in the van and all of the hotel cleaned out because we needed to check out before our race. Well that was all a hassle and I was happy to be on the start line with everything else done and only having to race. We started again from the High School and headed out for a big loop and the finish was on an 8 mile climb. The race would be 101 miles and I was excited. I never had done a ride, let alone a race that long before so I was unsure of how I would be doing near the end, I just knew that I needed to keep eating throughout the day and hope that it all came together. Well we rolled out of town with a police escort and at mile 10 a break went and the Davis team who had the leader sent their boys to the front to try and chase it down. Ethan bridged up to the break and so I was glad to know we had someone up there, and I was hoping that he was sitting on because we had a long way to go. Well we kept the break in sight for a while and Ethan let up and dropped back into the field because the break had only a 50-second gap after about 7 miles of riding hard. Well my legs felt terrible and I was just gritting my way through it wondering how we were going to keep this type of pace for 100 miles. Well I pulled out a Clif-Bar and got a few bites into my mouth just as we hit the first hill~ what good timing. Well I choked that down and eased up the hill. My legs felt a lot better going up the hill then on the flats actually so that was a good sign I thought. We continued to roll at a good pace, but the break was flying and they were well out of sight. From what I had heard the break was always caught at the base of the final climb in previous years so I was not too worried. Well up some rollers my legs felt terrible and I began to feel so bad it felt like my rear wheel was flat, it wasn’t though. We got to the feedzone and I grabbed a bottle. I kept on sitting in the middle of the pack and then my legs started to come around. I felt good up the climbs and we were cruising. We finished the last of the climbs at about mile 60 and there were about 35 miles of flat and then the final climb. I just sat in as the group started flying. There was a paceline in the front and near the back there were guys just hanging on. I didn’t want to work so I just sat near the middle and I was just knocking down as many Clif-Shots as I could. I knew that these shots would give me the energy that I needed so I ate about 6 of them along that flat section and I drank a ton of water. We got to the final feedzone and I got another bottle. We got to about mile 90 and I started to move up and I was a bit discouraged that we had not caught the break, but my legs felt good and I would see what I could do on this important climb. I sat about 3rd wheel up a false little climb and then when we got to the major final climb I drilled it. The group was already spread out from the false climb, but then there were only about 25 of the 80 guys remaining and I continued to drill it and it got down to about 7 guys. I let the guy with the leaders jersey pull through then soon after I attack the group and there were just two that caught back up to me. Well I just kept going with them on my tail for a while as we passed guys who had been in the break. I let the leader- Greg Gambetta of Davis Bike Club pull through and he looked back and then right when he looked forward again I attack hard. I really wanted to put some time into them, especially the leader but they were able to catch back onto me. I was having fun at this point and I just kept on going. It felt great to have such good legs at this point in a race. Well we got to the 3k sign and I attacked hard, but not hard enough, then we got to the 1k sign and I attacked again but I knew I couldn’t hold them off to the line so I let them catch back up and got behind them and then I sprinted out them both at the line. I took 7th place on the day and was happy with my result, but I really wished there had not been a break because I believe that I could have won that stage if there had not been. I felt great about my ride though and I was happy to see that I got 10th overall at the Elkhorn Stage Race. I was definitely pleased with that and it wasn’t first, but top 10 is not too bad.