Sisters Stampede with cowboys and all

Ahh, there is nothing like camping and bike racing on Memorial Day weekend. Just think, no work for 3 full days, a few cases of Ninkasi Beer, a new team tent(from Biota Sciences), and a teammates birthday. What more could someone ask for? This would be the sentiment for the weekend had the weather cooperated. Saturday night was accompanied with 2-3 hours of nonstop hail that looked like Mordor from the Lord Of the Rings and got down to the low 30s. And the weekend had lots of rain and wind(which may or may not have damaged the new team tent, which I promise to fix)

Race day I have the routine down for my energy needs. I Drank a protein shake 3-4 hour pre-race, followed by eggs, bacon, toast and hashbrowns and 4 cups of coffee. Decidedly a lite breakfast for me. The bike gods did listen to our weather concerns and cleared the skies during our race but left us with strong winds and 50 Deg temps for racing.

This was my first Sisters Stampede and I can say that it was a blast but not designed with me in mind. The cat 1 race was 27 miles only a mile further than the cat 2 race. But that mile was the best part of the race and the only mile that was suited to my riding style.

The race started as a flash with Chris Sheppard and Carl Decker leading the charge behind a cowboy on a horse shooting a gun in the air. I was hanging on for dear life with my 1 x 10 gearing on the flat jeep roads for 5 miles before hitting the singletrack and did an amazing reverse breakaway. If you aren't familiar with a reverse breakaway it is an amazing race tactic in which you ride as hard as you can, but everyone rides away from you like you are standing still.

So after reaching the singletrack 5 miles into the race, I finally got to do what I do best most of the time. Railing turns and dropping people in the rocky sections. I worked my way up through the field passing whenever I got the chance. The Peterson Ridge trail network is super fun, flowy, with lots of twists and turns and is really flat. In my case too flat. That being said I had a good loss of judgment after passing a group right before a small descent and washed out my front tire during a full speed descent. I laid there and with my left knee bloody and tried to stand up. But whenever I did my whole calf cramped up into a ball.

I finally got back up with my whole body hurting and my ego a little bruised. That wreck cost me atleast 2-3 minutes and a bike seat as my rails twisted(So I am in need of a new seat). I starting ramping up my speed again this time a little more reserved but found that I was able to catch every single person who had passed me while I was on the ground. Then we came into my favorite mile of the course the "cat 1/pro only" hill. It is a sweet section of the trail that is all tight rocky switch back climbs that are rideable if everyone infront of you doesnt stop, which they did. That was frustrating so I decided to do a little early cyclocross practice and shouldered the bike and ran past a bunch of guys that were walking uphill. I powered through that section and just tucked my head and dug deep all the way to the finish passing another cat 1 a few hundred meters from the finish.

Don't I look happy to be running uphill

I finished the 27 mile race in 1hr 59 min and 33 sec finishing 12th with a big wreck. Not too bad, maybe I will actually place well if I keep the rubber side down. To add to my strong finish, Loren Mason-Gere from Hood River whom I had beat in the last two races in the last mile or two confronted me. He told me that I crushed his soul coming by so quickly and dropping him at the end. For his great compliment he earned a Ninkasi beer from the team.

Loren Mason-Gere Ninkasi recipient(victim)

Lindsay raced and got 14th in the cat 1 women and Ryan got 9th in the Cat 2 men. Ryan also had to give a Ninkasi beer as a an offering to a local bike shop mechanic in Sisters. Ryan was sitting at breakfast before the race to realize he left his shoes in Eugene. He rushed off to the local bike shop and was ready to drop 100 dollars on shoes and cleats when one of the mechanics offered his own shoes, pedals and cleats for him to use. So that goes to show, you treat Tensegrity riders well, and beer will come your way.