Gran Fondo Leavenworth - by Dwaine

I had confidence in my fitness going into this year's GFL. I had confidence in my race strategy and how it is dictated by the geography of the course. I had confidence I could finally set a new personal record around this eighty mile sufferfest of a race.

From a high level the course is pretty easy to generalize. Three thousand feet of climbing, descend down to the Columbia river, three thousand feet of climbing, and then descend back to the start. But the details of those climbs and descents create strategic opportunities for those of us who care to find them. I've done this route enough times to think I understood where all the seconds could be shaved. I was wrong.

The temperatures were mild. I started with arm warmers and a vest over my summer kit. The neutral roll out was pretty lax and I drifted back a bit to avoid the surging near the front. As we approached Eagle Creek road I moved near the front to hear the 'toot toot' of Jake's BMW GS1150 indicating the race was on. The pace of the lead group remained in my wheelhouse well past the turn onto gravel.

When the pitch really increased I dialed into a wattage I hoped I could hold to the top. This meant I dropped out of the lead group and then saw quite a few riders roll past. The gravel climb is about 45 minutes. By the half way point I was content as my legs were feeling good and I was still holding my power target.

Adding to my confidence was the company I was keeping. I briefly chatted with two cross racers who I know to be strong. Craig Undem said 'Hi' as he went by early in the climb. And I was amazed to catch Ian Tubbs at about the half way point of the gravel climb. (Editors note: Until this day Dwaine had _never_ passed Mr. Tubbs in a competitive event.)

As I neared the top I noticed my front water bottle cage swaying side to side under loose screws. I moved its full bottle to my pocket. I did not have a 3mm allen wrench with me. I asked other riders if they could access their tools without stopping but none could oblige. I guessed and hoped that an empty cage could survive till the aid station in Entiat.

When I crested I felt good that I had nailed the pacing on this first climb. I went hard enough to hurt but not so hard I would fold on the Swakane Canyon climb later in the day.

The descent down NFS-5800 is always a bit hairball. The top half is fast and fun with some boulders sprinkled in. My confidence in the corners allowed me to pass a handful of riders in this section without having to burn any matches.

The bottom half of the descent is more open and is littered with tooth rattling stutter bumps. In all my years I've never figured out how to get through the stutter bumps well. My bike and I felt like the stutter bumps were at their worse this year. Although I didn't notice it till later, the shaking allowed the stem to rotate twenty degrees on the steerer.

When the descent smoothed out I noticed one water bottle cage screw has jumped ship leaving my cage and frame pump to rotate on the remaining screw. This was causing problems. I ripped the pump off it's mount which allowed me to pedal again. When I reached the pavement I took 30 seconds to remove the remaining screw and stow the cage in my pocket. And also kick my front wheel back into alignment with my bars.

Riding down to Entiat is best done with a group. As I completed the maintenance my new friend Christian caught me. He complimented my descending skill and then we immediately got to work. Christian was way stronger than me. But I kept taking the best turns I could. I expected we would get caught by a larger group. And we did. But not until we were most of the way to Entiat.

Ian Tubbs was leading a strong group of about eight riders. I was happy to be in the larger group. I wished they had caught us sooner. (Editors note: Mr. Tubbs passed Dwaine at this point and then extended his gap over Dwaine by another twelve minutes before the finish.)

One of the techniques I employed at GFL was to sprint into the aid station. This allowed me to fill my two bottles quickly and not miss the paceline train before it leaves. To my surprise I missed the train. Because most of the Tubbs group did not stop. My tactical mind was blown.

It turns out on a mild day GFL can be completed on two bottles and a hydration pack. Dwaine got schooled on aid station tactics.

Fortunately Christian also stopped for water so I wasn't riding the ten mile stretch of the Entiat Highway alone. He pulled hard and hoped to bring back the Tubbs group but they remained just out of reach. My pulls were satisfactory at best.

When we turned onto Swakane Canyon Road I complimented Christian on his strength and thanked him for his mighty pulls. I usually take a minute or two pedaling at endurance pace to reset after the highway. I also use this time to get some carbs and liquids in. I let Christian ride away and he put in a solid performance on Swakane to finish seven minutes ahead of me.

As I resumed the grind I was pleased to see some of the Tubbs group just a few minutes up the road. This gave me some motivation to get back on the pedals. For the next one hour I put my head down and ground down the miles. Where the trail was steep I pushed as hard as was necessary. Where the trail gradient was shallow I capped myself at tempo wattage. And I took tiny rests when the trail angled down.

I felt confident in my performance. Catching and passing Craig Undem on the Swakane Canyon climb added to that confidence.

When I reached the final aid station I filled one bottle. I had caught a few riders. Just as importantly I was still maintaining my power target.

After the aid station there is a short flat sectuer and then come the final 800 feet of climbing. This last climb was emotionally brutal. Despite what felt like a great ride on great legs I was ready to be done. I was in the hurt locker during that final push.

The roads of the descent back towards the finish had changed a bit since I saw them last. Many were more rutted. One section was way smoother. I kept the rubber side down and looked forward to being done.

As I reached the pavement I was joined by two other riders. They were not keen on pulling down the hill. After coasting down the long gravel descent my legs were ready to work again. I lead most of the way back to Chumstick highway before finally flicking the elbow. They were willing to do some work but not as willing as I was. Because I was racing the clock I took some extra pulls to get us there as quickly as possible. I pulled them to and through the final sketchy turn and then let them sprint for 22nd and 23. I was happy to straggle in for 24th.

At the line my Garmin indicated I was pretty close to a personal best time for this course. The finish results did not support that conclusion. Nor did my Strava segment times up the key climbs. My legs were good in 2024 but that wasn't enough. Because my legs must have been spectacular in 2021.

After a day of reflection I am both disappointed and satisfied with my ride. I did ride a solid race. But solid wasn't enough. If I really want to set a PR  it's time to look back and discover some of that 2021 training magic.