Cascade Gravel Grinder Omnium (Part 4): Sunday - "Three Creeks"

 Author:  Dwaine Trummert

This is part four and is best after reading "Part 1" and "Part 2" and "Part 3" of the Cascade Gravel Grinder Omnium recap.

Race day came early for me. I was out of my sleeping bag and breaking camp before my alarm thought it wise. My nerves remained calm. I was heeding my own advice and 'trusting the plan'. I knew the day would be long and hard. We planned to 'do what we do' and which was going to put some hurt into my legs and soul. But, unlike Friday and Saturday, I knew exactly what to expect and exactly what we were capable of. The knowledge gave me comfort.

The Three Creeks course  had us up and down the hills in and around Sisters Oregon. The town takes its name from the nearby Three Sisters mountains. The elevation profile for the ride looked more like "five sisters". With the exception of the five mile run in and out of the hills we would be climbing or descending the majority of the day. We rationalized that the five climbs and 5500 feet of elevation would be, more or less, equivalent to five trips up our local training climb.

The start of the Women's race was sunny but not yet warm.

With my pre race jitters in check, I was able to socialize a bit before Sunday's start. I also wondered a bit with my camera and gravitated towards a certain vintage vehicle. My affinity for coffee and  Volkswagen vans drew me in. The best part was the asking price of zero dollars for a cup of coffee. Thank you Autobahn Coffee.

I could not look away. Fresh coffee and vintage VW van. I was smitten.

 

Sunday's start was chilly, but warming was forecast as the day and climbing progressed. Adam and I agreed we would hang with the lead group for at least the run in to hills. The course gradually shifted from flat to climbing in the first ten miles and we found the pace to be acceptable until about mile twelve.

Our on course roles have evolved over time. I am likely to utilize the map feature on my Garmin and make sure the team experiences no navigational surprises.  Adam is likely to utilize the profile feature on his Garmin and his power meter and coach us on climbing pace. We settled on a sustainable pace and let the lead pack climb away from us. But they didn't. They put in a surge to create a gap but did not follow through to pull away. We continued to climb with them in our sights. This left us just outside the top ten and feeling good about our chances of success.

The middle miles of the race were not noteworthy. We climbed at our pace and slowly displaced a rider here and a rider there. We bombed down the descents. We also lost a few positions. My choice to stop at the first aid station for water let a few riders sneak by. We also lost a position at aid station number two although that stop was not planned. My rear water bottle choose to become a trail torpedo on a bumpy descent. This forced me to stop and beg for a donor bottle.

The middle miles also brought some mental fog. All of my being was concentrating on sustaining the climbs at my upper power limit or descending at pace or navigating the course. I was communicating poorly enough that Adam took note. When he attempted to share ideas with me, I responded that he needed to use smaller words. I was using all my synapses getting around that course in the fewest seconds, and there was no mental capacity left for auxiliary use.

Adam was in charge of pace, but he kept tabs on me. I used the word 'OK' if I could sustain the pace for the duration. Adam chose the word 'hot' to indicate the pace was over threshold when it was my turn climbing at the front.

'Trust' was my favorite. As we've trained and ridden and raced together, we've learned how to get around a gravel course. There are times when extra effort is well rewarded in fewer seconds. If Adam was leading and surged for no obvious reason, I responded with 'hot' and 'trust'. This meant he was pushing me over my threshold, but I trusted his reasoning and could sustain on for a while. This usually occurred in the final minute or two before cresting a climb.

If Adam was leading and surged with a rider ahead I kept mum. At these moments, it was our job to spin right on past showing nothing but strength as a signal that we were uncatchable. Each of of these efforts hurt the legs. Each of these efforts netted another position at the finish line.

Our race turned upside down at mile 56.1. We were two thirds up the final climb. We were riding in a group of about five. Not all were in our class. The lead rider made a right turn onto a narrow two track road right and was surprised as it turned to sand. This rider failed to negotiate the sand from the saddle. I used my cross skills to slip by. I put in a surge to create the fifteen second gap I needed to find the perfect tree and make water. A passing rider then informed me Adam had dropped his chain and was struggling to lift it.

I soft pedaled for thirty seconds as I studied my mirror and hoped. In those thirty seconds my mental fog was replaced with clarity of purpose. I needed to prepare to solo the next thirteen miles to the finish.

Before I hit the top of the climb at 57.0 miles, I had created a mental checklist and started ticking off the boxes. My Garmin display was changed to elevation profile so I could time my push over the top. I took inventory of water and nutrition to discover that my donor water bottle was empty and my front bottle had also chosen to trail torpedo. The third aid station was just a few miles ahead and I would have to stop.

I charged down that hill towards the aid station and my water bottle refill.

My frantic entry into the aid station sent the message that I was in a hurry. A helper quickly filled my single bottle while I found two Goos. As I began to pull away from the table I thought to take one last look back for Adam. But there was no need. He had chased me down and was patiently waiting on the opposite side of the road. I was dumbstruck that he had closed the gap and my remark of surprise was met with laughter by the aid station workers. I was pleased that we were back together, just ten miles from the finish, and providing levity to those within earshot.

Adam did a lot of work to close that gap, and I returned the favor by taking long turns on the front. As the miles ticked off we caught sight of a single rider up the road. We were stronger but had let him slip by during the dropped chain affair. We watched the gap shrink and the miles tick off. Adam started doing more work at the front.

Just after the 3k to go sign, we were left with our last navigational challenge. We needed to turn right onto the gravel Edgington Road which would be the finish straight. Adam was leading. His plan after the right turn was to pull me a ways down Edgington and then send me off to finish the deed. It almost worked.

We slowed enough to see that there was no traffic. We did not slow enough to see the ditch. Adam straightened up and hopped but sacrificed the fast line. I unclipped and took the turn and ditch with one foot out moto style. I looked reckless. My wheels skidded in and out of line and my foot was swinging wildly. But I was able to hold my line and exited the corner with momentum. I put my head down and set my resolve to close the 100 meter gap to that next rider.

Over that last two kilometers I was closing. It was unclear if I would make it. With just a few hundred meters to go, he looked over his shoulder. My proximity motivated him to find a few more watts, and he stayed ahead by four seconds.

Adam rolled over the line just moments after me, and we congratulated ourselves on a race weekend well done. A bucket list event well done. There was a finish line cooler. In it I found the most satisfying can of beer I can remember.

The clock says I raced 69.1 miles in 4:24:39 for an average speed of 16.0 mph. I was scored 14 of 45 in my class for Sunday's race. This also earned another seven points on omnium scoring where my final result was also 14th. We did not win. We did not finish on the podium. We did put in a solid effort against a strong and talented field of gravel racers.

The remainder of our time in Sisters Oregon was filled with warm and fuzzy thoughts.

We set off slowly towards Village Green City Park for boxed meals and the awards presentation. As we left the finish line, Tim informed us that Jen had won the Masters Women's class. We gave her a grand cheer when we met up with her on the way to the park. The four of us found a sunny patch of grass to eat and chat. Halfway through our pulled pork sandwiches Tim shared the most rewarding compliment Adam and I might ever receive. He told us how impressed he was with how strong we have become and how well we rode together. That comment made every minute of suffering and preparation worthwhile.

This photo was taken before the race. I was excited to see Tim and Jen and their new adventure van. I did not know Jen was on her way to victory.

I am filled with gratitude towards the many people who made this bucket list race weekend possible.

Adam gave in many ways. As my teammate, he has supported my cycling in a direct way for a number of years. His guidance allowed me to build the strength to compete near the pointy end of the race. His camaraderie provided the motivation to stay true towards our shared goal.

My wife Deanne initiated this adventure over a year ago with the idea of a bucket list event. Then she allowed me the time and space to train. I couldn't have done it without her support.

Adam and I also wanted to say thanks to: Kelsey and Joey at Cascadia Wheel Company for equipment support, Mike and Les of the Cyclopaths for camaraderie and encouragement, Chad at Breakaway Promotions for exercising patience and diligence as this event was repeatedly disrupted by Covid-19, and the Sisters High School wrestling team for volunteer support at the on course aid stations.