Portland USGP

The Portland USGPs were a great way to erase a horrible drive from my memory. Bergy and I left Victor on Thursday in the early afternoon in a snowstorm, overnighted with pals in Boise and were up and at 'em early on Friday to finish what should have been a 6 hr drive to Portland. After 8 endless hours of black ice, thick fog, fishtailing, lots of semis and cars off the road and too much white knuckle driving, we made it to the venue, grateful to have survived the drive.

Mud in the teeth. Must mean I was going hard.

Photo @dcmackintosh

The preride on Friday revealed a great course filled with mud, mud and more mud. I opted for multiple laps on the track seeing as it was going to be my only opportunity to ride a moving bicycle since Jinglecross before race day. It was fun. But, I made the call to walk around the course Saturday instead of doing recon laps so I could keep my bikes clean and functional. Nate was in Colorado Springs taking the USA Cycling Mechanic's course, so I wasn't at liberty to trash my bikes pre-race as usual.

I approach every USGP thinking that I belong in the top 10. It's just a matter of getting myself up there. It's no secret that my greatest weakness in cross are my starts. No matter from which row I start, I end up going from 2nd, 3rd, 5th or 10th row almost straight to the back. Ugh. I think it's the ultra endurance neuromuscular memory in me....I just haven't trained my brain/body to go ballistic at the gun. I inevitably therefore always end up trying to make up all the spots I loose in the first 100 yards of the race. Saturday was no different. Gun went off and by the 2nd corner I was in the last 3rd of the race.

Late, last lap surge. Photo @dcmackintosh.

I was getting splits from my pit crew and friends on the course telling me I was in the 20s....then 18th...then 15th. By the last 2 laps I had gotten into a slightly strung out group of the gals who were in 10-16th position. I tried to go after each one, one at a time totally in the hunt for a top ten. By the last 1/2 lap I had passed Devon for 10th. I was making up my time in the deep muddy sections, being able to ride a lot of what others were walking and suffered for each pedal stroke, evidenced by this photo:

Photo @dcmackintosh

That's me in the back of this pile up in the 2nd corner. Kind of made my Sunday race a bit harder than I would have liked. Photo @ Dave McElwaine.

I held the chasers off for 10th. I was stoked.

Sunday was a much faster course, definitely favoring the roadie-speedsters. I again didn't do myself any favors, as I missed my pedal 3 times at the start, then got caught in 2 major crashes in the first 1/3 lap, then in another right in front of the pit. I again found myself in the 20s and again had to play catchup all day. Although Sunday's conditions made it way harder to chase people down. I rode my heart out though luck wasn't really on my side and finished the day with a good, but not great, 15th.

I packed up the car, took the dog to the dog park, got dinner at New Seasons and then hit the long, dark interstate to Seattle. Nate flew into Sea-Tac last night and we're here chillaxing at the Murphy's place until we head to Bend on Wednesday. We had a lovely urban assault on Seattle's lovely bike lanes to Seward Park along Lake Washington. Wow, it may be dreary but Seattle sure is purdy!