While many areas of the country are still digging out from spring snow and cyclists are dusting off their race legs, the racing season is in full swing in Oregon.
I kicked off my first season as a Cat. 3 racer in February 2007 with a top-20 finish at the Cherry Pie Road Race and had a strong series of time trials throughout April. So when it came time to race the Eugene Roubaix, our local tribute to the Paris-Roubaix (the spring classic cyclists have lovingly dubbed the "Hell of the North"), I thought I had the legs for a good race. Besides, numerous test runs on the Eugene Roubaix course--which includes a much easier, smaller section of gravel than Paris-Roubaix--left me confident that I had the right gear and had the requisite toughness to handle the dirt.
Race day. The morning Pro/1/2 race had plenty of flat tires but no carnage, despite the breakneck speeds across the dirt road section. At 2 p.m. the Cat. 3 group rolled off the start line under blue skies and an unusually warm April sun. The race kicked up over the first climb, a quarter of a mile from the start--no easy roll-out today. The first one-man break scooted away on the downhill, but with 64 miles to go, no one was concerned.
As we rolled along, and my legs where begging to go fast. I watched a friend from Portland shoot off the front as we hit the rollers on Petzold Road and couldn't contain myself; I knew I had the legs to help make a small breakaway stick. So I powered off the front and chased Brian down. After catching my breath, we began to work in short, quick rotations. But Brian's pulls got shorter, and he struggled to stay on my wheel. I knew he wasn't feeling it, so we sat up and waited for the pack. It wasn't long before we were back in the peloton, fighting for position at the front. (The dirt section was ahead, and no one wanted to get caught behind a crash.) We hit the dirt at more than 25 mph, and the pace did not let off. Strung out single-file, we powered across the gravel to the loud pings and hollow thuds of rocks bouncing off our frames. The dust clung to our sweaty arms and legs. The saliva in my mouth grew thick and gritty as I gasped for air.
Then it stopped. We were through the gravel section and the start line was just ahead. One lap down and four to go. Break away? What was I thinking on that first lap? Even though I had pre-rode the course many times, it hadn't prepared me for the speed and intensity that we carried through the gravel section.
For the next three laps not much happened. Attacks were quickly reeled in. Nothing was going away today (except for that lone rider, still off the front). We rode on cruise-control across the chip-sealed asphalt sections, and then attacked full-on in the gravel. Each time I managed to stay in the front group and out of trouble across the gravel.
But as we hit the gravel before the last lap, my legs gave up on me. I willed myself to turn the pedals over faster, but I was going backwards instead. As we blasted back toward the climb, I blew up. It was over. I watched the peloton move over the hill and away. With another rider who looked like I felt--detonated--we gave meager chase down the backside, but once the group hit the flats they cranked up the speed again. Later, I learned that the group finally caught that lone rider on the last lap. Each pedal stroke over the gravel felt as if someone was hitting the bottom of my feet with a hammer. I struggled to hold on to the bike as it bounced across the road and eventually limped across the finish line.
The next day, I had bruises on the bottoms of my feet and a new understanding of why the Paris-Roubaix really deserves to be called the Hell of the North.
Next year: More training, and padded socks.
-Jay Middleton
Notes:
This race route near Eugene pays homage to the Paris-Roubaix, the flat-inducing, mud-flinging, collarbone-breaking spring classic across notoriously nasty cobblestone farm roads in northern France. Oregon’s version is shorter and kinder, but the route still includes a mile-long stretch of dirt road bracketed by rough chip-sealed roads. With some punchy little rollers thrown in for good measure, Eugene Roubaix is a tough but fun route. And it’s much more accessible than its Parisian cousin. The 2008 Eugene Roubaix will take place on April 26. Check with the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association for more details.
Directions from Eugene
