Tag: Cherry Blossom Cycling Classic.

The author cools down in the Columbia River after one of the stages.

By Katy Pranian

THE DALLES — One year ago I had never entered or even considered entering a road race. I had just experienced riding in a paceline for the first time at the Monster Cookie Metric Century and was a brand-new member of Sorella Forte.

And so as my friend and teammate Zan Gibbs was preparing to race Cherry Blossom Cycling Classic and describing to me what a stage race was, I was not only blown away, but thought she was utterly and completely insane. I swore up and down I would never do such a thing, let alone be capable of it.

Then when summer came around I was convinced to race a handful of PIRs, and I just about died “racing” at Silverton. But that was about the extent of it. I did pretty well racing novice at PIR, but I didn’t really give much thought to doing anything beyond that. This past winter, osteoarthritis set into my wrist from an old injury, I was working full time and in grad school, and so I had sort of given up on the whole notion racing at all this year.

But sure enough — leave it to going through a difficult break up — a couple of teammates started in on me, and next thing I know, not only am I convinced to start racing again, I’m actually signed up to race the 2010 Cherry Blossom Cycling Classic and officially joined the ranks of the completely insane.

Summer Camp For Big Girls
Perfect, I thought, something to work toward and look forward to. My Sorella teammate Judy Richardson, the convincing force, said “Cherry Blossom equals cycling summer camp for big girls. Camp schedule: race, eat, sleep, race, eat, sleep, all the while feel like a rock star and hang with the black ‘n blue armada.”

One of the team houses for the duration of the race sat on the banks of the Columbia River near Rowena.

Once I agreed, it was “51 days to peak Moxie, get crackin’!” To get crackin’, I was told I needed to do some races as training for CBCC, so I jumped right in and did the Banana Belt #3, Piece of Cake, a couple crits, and in the meantime soaked up training advice from my teammates. I also just put in as many miles as I could when I could.

Because Sorella is a sponsor of the CBCC and we had large contingent there, we had multiple houses where team members (both racers, volunteers, partners, husbands & kids) were staying. The house I jumped on board with couldn’t have been anymore amazing. All of us could not believe our eyes when we arrived. The house is located in Rowena, about 10 miles west of The Dalles, right on the Columbia River. It has a private sandy beach, attached cottage, gorgeous sprawling deck with twisting wisteria and Japanese maples framing a stunning view of the Columbia River. It was straight out of Sunset Magazine. They even had a Lance Armstrong autographed & framed Sports Illustrated magazine hanging on the wall in one of the bedrooms. Suddenly we felt like we were a professional race team. And we lived like it all weekend long. … Read more…

Today at Cycling Action World Headquarters the research staff has reached into the archives all the way back to last Sunday to come up with these very brief videos from the criterium course at The Cherry Blossom Cycling Classic in The Dalles. Enjoy!

Masters Men

Masters Men

Pro/1/2 Men

The Cherry City Criterium ran Sunday afternoon in downtown The Dalles.

THE DALLES — The Cherry City Criterium Sunday afternoon in The Dalles topped the city’s week-long Northwest Cherry Festival as well as the 2010 Cherry Blossom Cycling Classic, and Rubicon-Orbea’s Patrick Bevin took advnatge of the celebration to add a second stage win to go along with his overall title. Cyclepath’s Melissa Sanborn scored her second stage win, while Robin Secrist held on for the overall in the Pro/1/2 women’s race.

Ironclad’s Trevor Spahr notched his second win of the day after taking the morning time trial in the Cat 3 men’s race, and Anne Linton got the win in the Cat 3 women’s race with an assist from her Sorella Forte squad. Fanatik’s Rusty Dodge pulled off another stage win in the Cat 4 men’s race, and BRIHOP’s Amy Sheppard got the Cat 4 women’s win. Bikesale.com’s Joe Barrato got the win in the Masters 40+50+ race with a lead out from teammate Mark Hinman, who finished second.

Check out the photo gallery for this stage … Read more…

The Eight Mile Creek Time Trial runs on a scenic, twisting course with a false flat on the way out followed by a fast roll back into the finish.

THE DALLES –Former Pro Tour rider Ian McKissick (Lenovo) got his first stage win of the Cherry Blossom Classic with a win over GC rival Sam Johnson and Patrick Bevin, but his winning margin wasn’t big enough to upset the overall. Robin Secrist (Riverstone) racked up her second-straight stage win and added on to her overall lead in the Pro/1/2 women’s race.

Ironclad’s Trevor Spahr cruised to the win in the Cat 3 men’s race, while Jasmin Glaesser (Cycling BC) got the Cat 3 women’s win. Fanatik’s Doug Turnbull won the Cat 4 men’s race, and Ironclad’s Anna Christiansen won the Cat 4 women’s event. Safeway’s Dan Martin won the Masters 40+50+ race.

Check out the photo gallery for this race. … Read more…

The Pro/1/2 women pass through the start finish during the Cherry City Criterium, the last stage of the 2010 Cherry Blossom Cycling Classic, Sunday afternoon.

THE DALLES — Sunday’s Pro/1/2 women’s criterium on a super fast, wide-open course that wasn’t conducive to breakaways didn’t have much chance to upset the top end of the GC, but that didn’t dampen the excitement with a field of riders hungry for a stage win.

Melissa Sanborn (Cyclepath) takes the stage four win with a comfortable margin.

But it was Cyclepath’s Melissa Sanborn who plucked her second stage in a perfectly timed burst for the line that gave her the win by several bike lengths. Robin Secrist (Riverstone Women’s Racing Team) stayed safely in the bunch after taking the overall lead with back-to-back stage wins.

“I just tried to mostly stay in the pack and stay safe,” Secrist said. “Our team set out to be aggressive again. We came here to race this weekend. So I tried to attack a couple times. We would have loved to have another podium, but we did what we could, and we got the overall.”

With the GC apparently all but decided, Sanborn used “plan B” to pluck her second stage win. Plan A was to get away and gain enough time on her GC rivals to climb back into top three overall. But after several animating attacks, getting away on the wide open, fast course proved impossible.

“I didn’t realize I’d be so close to being top three in GC after the time trial today,” Sanborn said. “But I was actually only six seconds off, so I was kind of planning on maybe trying to get away with another rider or two and put some time into the field. But when that wasn’t working, I just wanted to clean up and get some primes and take the win. It wall went according to plan – plan B.” Read more…

Jacobb Rathe (Jelly Belly) shadows race leader Patrick Bevin (Rubicon-Orbea) during Sunday's closing criterium of the 2010 Cherry Blossom Cycling Classic.

THE DALLES — Rubicon-Orbea’s Patrick Bevin couldn’t resist adding another cherry to his overall crown at the 2010 Cherry Blossom Cycling Classic. New Zealand’s U19 rider of the year picked off the Cherry City Criterium Sunday afternoon from a flying field that averaged just under 30 mph for the 50-minute event.

Patrick Bevin (Rubicon-Orbea) wins the field sprint for his second stage win and the overall crown in front of Jacob Rathe (Jelly Belly) and Steven Beardsley (Gentle Lovers).

With his teammate Mike Northey out of the race because of a crash on stage two, and teammate Roman Van Uden missing the entire stage race because of an injury he suffered at the messy NRC Dana Point Criterium, Bevin had just two helpers left in the bunch to defend the jersey. But it was more than enough.

“It went really well with the boys,” Bevin said later. “Quinn (Keogh) and Aaron (Tuckerman) rode really well. I was never really worried. I only had to keep an eye on one guy, and he was kind of hard to find for awhile. I think he was kind of sore. Then, coming down to the money end, it just stepped up real nice. It was quite spread out. There were a few gaps, which is good because I like it quicker. Coming into that last corner I was fourth wheel and just lined it up.”

Jelly Belly’s Jacob Rathe finished second, clinging to Bevin’s wheel but not able to get around, and Steven Beardlsey, (Gentle Lovers) finished third.

“He queued up on my wheel,” Bevin said of Rathe. “I had a sneaky look back with about five to go, because I knew he was looking for me.” Read more…

Eight Mile Creek was the scenic backdrop for the Sunday morning time trial.

Check back later for more time trial photos.

THE DALLES — Lenovo’s Ian McKissick nabbed his first stage win of the 2010 Cherry Blossom Cycling Classic by blasting over the 10-mile out-and-back course in just 20:42.70. McKissick finished 35 seconds faster than Sam Johnson (Hagens Berman), who set the second fastest time at 21:17.70. James Strangeland (Keller Rohrback Cycling Team) was third at 1:00.30.

McKissick started the day third overall, but he was more than six minutes behind race leader Patrick Bevin (Rubicon-Orbea) and more than four minutes behind Johnson in second. Bevin finished 1:12.80 down on McKissick and retained the overall lead with Johnson in second just 1:12 down. McKissick sits third at 4:52.

Robin Secrist repeated her 2009 performance and won the Pro/1/2 women’s time trial, adding 31 seconds onto her overall lead over River City’s Sue Butler, who finished second in the time trial and sits second overall. Secrist set a time of 24:16.80 over the 10-mile course. Butler, the mountain biker who was riding a time trial bike for the first time in competition, covered the course in 24:48.30. Patricia Bailey (Keller Rohrback Cycling Team) finished third at 25:04.30.

RESULTS
Cherry Blossom Stage 3
8-Mile Creek Time Trial
Sunday, April 25

Pro/1/2 Men
1. MCKISSICK, Ian (LENOVO) 20:42.70 0.00
2. JOHNSON, Sam (Hagens Berman) 21:17.70 @ 35.00
3. STANGELAND, James (Keller Rohrback) 21:43.00 @ 1:00.30
4. BEVIN, Patrick (Rubicon-Orbea) 21:55.50 @ 1:12.80
5. O’DONNELL, William (Westwood Cycle) 21:57.80 @ 1:15.10
Pro/1/2 Women
1. SECRIST, Robin (Riverstone) 24:16.80 @ 0.00
2. BUTLER, Sue (River City Bicycles) 24:48.30 @ 31.50
3. BAILEY, Patricia (Keller Rohrback Cycling Team) 25:04.30 @ 47.50
4. GAERTNER, Jenni (Riverstone Women’s Racing Team) 25:05.00 @ 48.20
5. CUTLER, Jessica (Cucina Fresca) 25:10.00 @ 53.

Cherry Blossom Cycling Classic Stage 2 finished atop a small rise, but at the end of the race is was a leg killer.

THE DALLES — The sun shone brightly, but the winds picked up Saturday for Cherry Blossom Cycling Classic’s Stage 2 Orchard Run Circuit Race.

Sam Johnson (Hagens Berman) teamed with overall leader Patrick Bevin (Rubicon-Orbea) and rode away from the field for the win in the Pro/1/2 men’s race. Cherry Blossom’s 2009 Pro/1/2 women’s winner Robin Secrist stole the show Saturday with a successful solo breakaway.

Lenovo’s Justin Rossie took the Cat 3 men’s race in a two-up sprint with Austin Boswell (Hot Tubes Development Team), while Cycling BC’s Jasmine Glaesser got the Cat 3 women’s win. Safeway Bicycles’ Dan Martin won the Masters 40+50+ race. Travis Monroe (Vertical Earth) won the Cat 4 men’s race, while Morgan Cabot (Glotman Simpson) got the Cat 4 women’s win.

Check out the Stage 2 photo gallery. Read more…

2009 winner Robin Secrist rode into the lead of the 2010 Cherry Blossom Cycling Classic Saturday.

Check out the complete Stage 2 photo gallery.

THE DALLES — Last year’s Cherry Blossom Cycling Classic winner Robin Secrist (Riverstone Racing) took control of this year’s race Saturday with a successful solo breakaway over the last half of the 48-mile Pro/1/2 women’s race, gaining more than a minute lead over her nearest GC rivals.

Secrist's Riverstone team spent a lot of time on the front until she got away.

Secrist took last year’s GC on the strength of her winning time trial, and with just a time trial and criterium remaining, she appears to have a firm grip on the overall race reins.

“Tomorrow’s another day,” she said. “It was a long day out there today by myself. But I’ll think about that later and just enjoy this for now.”

Secrist made her move on the tailwind climb before the feedzone on the back side of the course by accelerating and quietly rolling off the front.

“I had teammates on the front, and I was feeling pretty good,” she said. “So I just thought I’d give it a shot. It worked.

It was move that caught then-race leader Melissa Sanborn completely by surprise.

“I honestly didn’t even see her get away,” Sanborn said. “I must have been sleeping on the back or something. So when they said there was a 38-second lead when we went through the feedzone, I said, “who’s off the front?”

With Secrist riding away with the race lead, Sanborn turned to others in the pack for help chasing. Read more…

The men's field is strung out over the gravel climb of Pleasant Ridge on their first lap around the large Orchard Run loop.

Check out the complete Stage 2 photo gallery.

THE DALLES — Sending riders over Cherry Blossom’s stage 2 Orchard Run Circuit Race was like dropping a bomb on the peloton; fields disintegrated early in the race into small groups fighting for survival on the constantly up-or-down roads as the Gorge’s infamous winds blasted through.

Hagens Berman's Sam Johnson powers the breakaway group with Ian McKissick (Lenovo) following.

Despite the carnage behind them, the top two riders from Friday’s Stage 1 simply swapped spots on the podium after Sam Johnson (Hagens Berman) and Patrick Bevin (Rubicon-Orbea) got away with a small group the second time up the gravel climb. They soon whittled the break down to two and then battled to the final steep finishing pitch, where Johnson outgunned his young rival for the win. Bevin finished just three seconds later and held onto his leader’s jersey with a 1:50 lead over Johnson. Lenovo’s Ian McKissick finished third on the day, more than four minutes back, and now sits third overall at 6:05 behind Bevin.

With more than 8,000 feet of climbing in just 70 miles, the new Cherry Blossom course was merciless. Riders circled twice around a short, six-mile loop and then headed off for four laps of a larger 15-mile circuit that included a 1.5 mile gravel climb and a twisting descent back into the orchard strewn valley.

“That’s my hardest day of racing in Oregon — big time,” said Jelly Belly’s Jacob Rathe, who finished sixth on the day more than seven minutes back and now sits fifth overall.

The field quickly fell prey to the efforts the race’s two strongest riders, with Bevin matching Johnson’s attacks on his leader’s jersey, a feat he said was not so easy.

“That was a tough day on the bike,” Bevin said. “We knew with four guys we were going to be up against it, but I think you saw the two strongest guys in the end. Sam was amazing. Actually, the gravel it was something to see; he had me on the rivet, and he did a lot of the work.”

The pair escaped the field by bridging up to early escapees McKissick and Bevin’s teammate Mike Northey on the second gravel ascent. Johnson said he tried to shake the race leader with his attack, and it almost worked, but Northey saved the day and maybe his teammate’s overall lead. Read more…