Back in Baker City OR, for the Elkhorn Classic.....for what must be my 5th year of attendance.
I love this little town, and the sweet little stage race that lies nestled between the Wallowa and Elkhorn mountain ranges,. Being here reminds me of my little house in Teton Valley....The mountains..I want to climb them all and run along the ridge lines from peak to peak bounding from boulder to boulder, free as the wind away from the gravity of life below....wait....did I say run....oops....this is a bike race...sorry....getting carried away.
Lots of snow in the mountains still....I could probably still go skiing....Ok...OK!
On with it.
If your curious about the profile check here www.elkhornclassic.com
The courses are challenging and beautiful...and the support from the people and business's of Baker are second to none.....I look forward to it every year. Over the last 5 years, mother earths cerebral weather station has thrown everything from brilliant blue to impending strike you dead lightning doom. Then for a complimentary garnish spewed a scorching dose of heat exhaustion and brain freezing snow for good measure. This year had a dash of everything including marble sized hail.
Stage one was under almost perfect conditions. Felt pretty rusty, this being my first road race in over a month...lets just say by the end I was happy to make it over the power climbs and super rollers and hold good position for the sprint....It was no surprise when I uncorked my fast twitch kick yourself in the balls drop dead sprint skills that my legs froze. First locked in the extended position and then ratcheted back, stuck in the compressed ready to pounce pose.
I was pounding on the pedals like a rusty tin man binding at one extreme of the pedal stoke and then lunging with all my might only to bind again at the other........It was a case of "Fast Twitch Miss Fire" not pretty but I managed to hang on for on for 7th...
Saturday would prove to be a fun day...with a time trial in the morning and criterium in the afternoon.
report to come.
view from outside our rural rental
Sort of have a lack of pictures from stage 1
try to post some tt and crit stuff soon.
I'll keep ya all waiting for the overall results.
I love this little town, and the sweet little stage race that lies nestled between the Wallowa and Elkhorn mountain ranges,. Being here reminds me of my little house in Teton Valley....The mountains..I want to climb them all and run along the ridge lines from peak to peak bounding from boulder to boulder, free as the wind away from the gravity of life below....wait....did I say run....oops....this is a bike race...sorry....getting carried away.
Lots of snow in the mountains still....I could probably still go skiing....Ok...OK!
On with it.
If your curious about the profile check here www.elkhornclassic.com
The courses are challenging and beautiful...and the support from the people and business's of Baker are second to none.....I look forward to it every year. Over the last 5 years, mother earths cerebral weather station has thrown everything from brilliant blue to impending strike you dead lightning doom. Then for a complimentary garnish spewed a scorching dose of heat exhaustion and brain freezing snow for good measure. This year had a dash of everything including marble sized hail.
Stage one was under almost perfect conditions. Felt pretty rusty, this being my first road race in over a month...lets just say by the end I was happy to make it over the power climbs and super rollers and hold good position for the sprint....It was no surprise when I uncorked my fast twitch kick yourself in the balls drop dead sprint skills that my legs froze. First locked in the extended position and then ratcheted back, stuck in the compressed ready to pounce pose.
I was pounding on the pedals like a rusty tin man binding at one extreme of the pedal stoke and then lunging with all my might only to bind again at the other........It was a case of "Fast Twitch Miss Fire" not pretty but I managed to hang on for on for 7th...
Saturday would prove to be a fun day...with a time trial in the morning and criterium in the afternoon.
report to come.
view from outside our rural rental
Sort of have a lack of pictures from stage 1
try to post some tt and crit stuff soon.
I'll keep ya all waiting for the overall results.
Dude, your fans are dying to know how it turned out.
ReplyDeleteits going to be a slow death.
ReplyDelete