The Sublime Sublimity Circuit Race, which took place on rural roads about 20 miles east of Salem, was blessed with blue skies and warm temps for the second year in a row Saturday.
Cyclepath's Ryan Carlson won the men's Pro/1/2 race.
SUBLIMITY – Ryan Carlson (Cyclepath) celebrated his recent return to cycling after a 10-year absence by taking a solo win Saturday in the men’s Pro/1/2 event of the Sublime Sublimity Circuit Race. MacKenzie Madison (Therapeutic Associates/GNR8) survived a shattered four-rider breakaway to take the women’s race.
The endless rollers and exposed wind sections of the Sublimity course took their toll on the racers again this year. Thirty-six riders started the 53-mile men’s Pro/1/2 race; only 16 finished. Eight riders had dropped out just 20 miles into the race.
Carlson, who took up racing again in 2009 after being away from the sport for a decade, broke away from the main field on second of four laps. Seattle’s Sam Johnson (Hagens Berman), fifth at last week’s Cherry Pie, quickly joined Carlson up the road and began supplying most of the power for the two-rider breakaway.
The strategy initially paid off as the pair of riders was able to stay from the decimated field going into the final miles, but Johnson paid the price for his workload before they made it to the finish.
“Going over one of the hills I started feeling like, uh oh, what have I done to myself here,” Johnson said of impending implosion. “We only had like 35 seconds on those guys, so I gave it one more good hard effort to make sure the gap ballooned back up. And then …”
Carlson soloed away for his second-ever pro/1/2 win. Johnson struggled with the closing miles but held on for second.
“The way he rode away from me, he didn’t really attack,” Johnson said. “He just rode uphill and the lights went out for me. I was glad we both had a minute and a half, because I used every last second of it just keeping the pedals moving. That last 200 meters I almost came to a stop. I thought I was going to have to get off and walk my bike.”
Team Oregon’s Chris Swan crossed the line next for third. Galen Mitterman (bicycleway.com) finished fourth ahead of Steven Wilssens (bikesale.com) in fifth.
MADISON WINS BATTLE OF ATTRITION
MacKenzie Madison endured Sublimity's wind and rollers for the women's Pro/1/2/3 win.
The Pro/1/2/3 women’s field suffered the same fate as the men’s, with the added bonus of increased winds to make the course a little tougher for the three-lap afternoon race. Things came apart quickly as the crosswind sections leading up to Basil Hill — course’s major climb – had already made the first selection halfway through the first lap. The climbing took care of the rest.
Madison joined Veloforma’s Rebecka Hartkop, LifeCycle’s Heather Hill and Cucina Fresca’s Jessica Cutler off the front of the race as the remnants of the field battled the elements in small strung-out groups.
Over the next two laps more riders bridged up to the group and dropped away, but the original four break riders found themselves together again as the leaders bore down on the final miles and the special vertical detour reserved for the finale.
That’s when Madison emerged from the group as it began to shatter behind her with about three miles to go.
“It wasn’t even like an attack,” Cutler said of the winning move. “She just started pulling away from us. Becka (Hartkop) from Veloforma was trying to chase, and she wasn’t making any ground. I tried to chase, and I couldn’t get her. I kept trying to get her and she kept riding away from me.”
Madison, who finished second last week at Cherry Pie, cruised in for the win. Cutler finished second after dropping Hartkop, who crossed the line third. LifeCycle’s Heather Hill finished fourth.
Seattle’s Cutler will remember Sublimity for more than just her second-place finish here.
“It was absolutely the hardest course I’ve ever done in my life,” she said. “With the wind and everything; I’m a climber and I thought this would be a great course for me. I wanted to cry by the end.”
Be sure to check Cycling Action later for MORE PHOTOS.
UNOFFFICIAL RESULTS (partial)
Sublime Sublimity Circuit Race
Saturday, Feb. 20, 2010
Sublimity, Oregon
Men Pro/1/2
1. Ryan Carlson (Cyclepath)
2. Sam Johnson (Hagens Berman)
3. Chris Swan (Team Oregon)
4. Galen Mitterman (Bicycleway.com)
5. Steven Wilssens (Bikesale.com)
Women 1/2/3
1. MacKenzie Madison (Therapeutic Associates/GNR8)
2. Jessica Cutler (Cucina Fresca)
3. Rebecka Hartkop (Veloforma)
4. Heather Hill (LifeCycle)
5. Lindsay Kandra (Hammer Velo)
Men Cat. 3
1. William O’Donnell (Westwood Velo)
2. Stephen Bedford (Word-RCB)
3. Angelo Roman (Hammer/CMG Racing)
4. Mitch Lee (Portland Velo)
5. Trevor Spahr (Ironclad Performance Wear)
Masters Men 40+
1. Jeffrey Otto (Portland Velo)
2. Scott Goldstein (EWeb Windpower)
3. Mathew Salter (Echelon Gran Fondo/ZteaM)
4. Richard Albrows (Bend Bike ‘N Sport)
5. Ivan Meadors (United Finance)
Men Cat. 4/5
1. Brendan Gallant (Willamette U./Capitol Velo)
2. Chris Ward (Oregon State U.)
3. Azul Dahlstrom-Eck (LifeCycle)
4. Austin Boswell (Hot Tubes Jr. Development Team)
5. Lee Ordonez (University of Oregon)
Women Cat. 4
1. Anna Christiansen (Ironclad Performance Wear)
2. Molly McGraw (Oregon State U.)
3. Susanna Julber (Bend Bike ‘N Sport)
4. Maire Osborn (LifeCycle)
5. Stephanie Croy (Ironclad Performance Wear)
Pat,
Just a few small details. I once won the P1-2 Pear Blossom Omnium. My last full season before 2009 was 1997. Thanks for the write up.