03-19-2023 - Ephrata Gran Fondo Race Recap

 Author:  Dwaine Trummert

I had a good day at Ephreta this year. My race recap will not cover
every detail but instead the key moments.

I positioned myself near the front as the neutral roll out ended so that I
could sag the climb a bit. I chose to push the climb a little harder
than previous years and was flirting with blowing up at times. I
maintained a respectable pace but could see many riders floating up the
road without me. I finished the final climb with my heart rate pegged
hoping I could hide in the wheels of the good sized group I was with.
Nope. I dropped myself from these riders to get my heart rate under
control and latched onto the next wheel that came by.

The downhill Baird Springs Road gravel was fast and dry. My group had
grown to four, and we took turns pulling down the hill and were making
good time.  Along the highway, our group eventually doubled in size as we picked up a
few more riders including my teammate Alan.

No one in our group pulled off for the rest stop at the base of
Palisades Road. Another group latched on and we were soon numbering
nearly 20. Our paceline was long as we took turns pulling into the
slight headwind up the false flat of Palisades road.

Our group of 20 gentlemen was blown to bits on the first pitch of the
Three Devils. Some riders dropped anchor, and some flew off the front. I
ended up near two riders who had shown they were strong and consistent,
and the three of us ground our way to the top. We chatted a bit once we
were back to flattish ground. I introduced myself to Lindsay and Graham,
and we took turns into the wind for the next ten miles or so. We also
agreed on a one bottle stop at the "mile 60" aid station.

About 20 miles from the finish and just as we turned back onto gravel, my
legs started barking. I told the guys I had to skip a turn - then
another. Soon, it was all I could do to hold the wheel. The next 45
minutes, I was head down and full suffer.

Amazingly I didn't get dropped on the final climb. We had picked up two
more riders, and all five of us shared the work back to the finish line.
We crossed the line in a group, and I was scored 27th out of over 200
riders.

With the help of many strong riders in good sized groups, I was able to
lower my personal best finish time by about 10 minutes. I set many
Strava segment PRs along the way including up the first set of climbs. I
also felt that this event was the most work I've ever done. There were
no lulls in the pace. It felt like it was 'Go, Go, Go' all day long. My
legs were rubber.

The weekend was capped off with an unofficial Fell Swoop team dinner in
Ephreta where five of us told our stories and filled our bellies with
Mexican food. Good times.

Race Photo (Dwaine second from right)