Pain on the Peak: Aptly Named (the short version)
Wow.
Talk about a challenging cyclocross course. I spent half the race today choking on powder-fine dust and the other half huffing up the run-up from hell. I didn’t feel good. I didn’t feel fast. And, to be honest, I didn’t really have that much fun.
The best part of my race was when Dave from Ironclad gave me a push up the endless grinder of a hill that followed the runup. I swear to god, I’ve never been so happy. (Props to him and his crew for winning the team competition and taking home the trophy plus a handy envelope of cash)
From the Heidi-centric perspective, this race was mostly a disappointment but full of good beginning-of-season lessons. From the Portland Velo perspective, it was a raging success.
I think the day probably came to a climax when Ryan Trebon showed up to race. No one expected him. No one knew he was coming and no one in the A field knew what to do with him. He lapped everyone except for Eric Sheagley (high five, Eric!). The guy was turning in 4:30 laps and riding up the “run-up” in classic Trebon style.
He has femurs of glory, man. I mean that kid’s legs just go on and on and on and on. It’s sort of ridiculous.
We were honored to have a racer of his calibur. Of course, he shrugged and said, “I just needed some training.” But perhaps the greatest gift he gave me this time around was when he said that Pain on the Peak was one of the hardest ‘cross courses he has ever ridden in Oregon.
Ok, so it’s not just me. Thank god.
More tomorrow, Stone Russian Imperial Stout calls.
Beautiful course! I new as soon as I pulled into the field it would be tuff, but I was still very bummed that I could not race this one! Kudo`s to you and your team mates its an incredible location, could only imagined if it had rained!
Rain on that course would have been scary! I’m not sure what powder-dust becomes when it gets wet, but I’m sure it would have been slippery as crap. We can only hope for such good fortune next year!
Heck-yes-it-was-hard!
It hurt me lots. Glad it hurt you, too, because I know you’re in much better shape than I am!
Oh Heidi -
It’s hard to feel fast when you are slogging through 6 inches of dust! A brutal way to start the season. Very good job to you for going out and doing it. It’s never fun to balance race promotion and racing, but you pulled it off.
RC