Cat 5 Race Report 2/19/12
Wriiten by Platinum rider Jeff Stern
Pine Flat Road Race, 62 miles - Already satisfied with my unexpected and dominating finish on Saturday I went into this hilly road race with no expectations; I just wanted to finish as strong as I could. The course and the scenery at Pine Flat Lake were awesome. We stayed in a hotel that was a 5 minute bike ride away from the start which was awesome. The weather however, was horrible. Super overcast with tons of low fog that reminded me of being at home in the San Francisco Bay. It was also freezing cold which taught me lesson #2 of the weekend: how to dress and layer properly. My gloves sucked, I wore no shoe/toe covers, the wrong arm warmers, no base layer, etc, etc. I was extremely uncomfortable the entire race. I could barley find my jersey pockets to eat or feel my nose to blow all the gnarly snot that was accumulating. Throw into the equation that I had to pee from mile 5 onward and it really did suck. The race started with a little neutral climb and then a 20 mile out and back rolling, curvy section alongside the lake with tons of cattle guards. After the turn around I thought I would try to drop to the back of the pack and pee. I asked the official if it was alright and he said, "Just don't pee on me." It was nearly impossible in the cold and with the constantly changing grade of the road to try and get anything out, so I gave up and settled into the fact that I would race the next 3 hours having to go to the bathroom. I could not kick the thought for virtually the whole race. That being said, I did not have to work very hard. There was one guy with no leg warmers, no arm warmers, and short finger gloves working the entire time. He was on the front for 52 miles! I could not believe it. More power too him. Absolute animal. He must have been training for something else because he was very strong, but once the climb hit, he was no where to be found. There were lots of sketch little kids all over the road. One guy even got pulled over by the judge less than 10 miles in for blatantly breaking the center line rule. It was hard to let loose on the descents because it was so cold and riders were all over the place. Right before the end of the long straightaway and the start of the climbing I let loose to do a little pulling in an attempt to warm up. It only made me realize how cold I really was. I decided it would be best to try and stay near the front to keep the blood flowing so I did that for the rest of the way. We made one final right hand turn and the climbing was on. The fog got so thick I could not tell the grade of the road, which riders were actually around me or how far we had to go. It made the suffering that much worse. I definitely came close to redlining as a group of 4 riders surged into the thick tule fog and completely out of sight. I realized top 5 was the best I could do. When I made it to the top of the first climb I was with one older guy, a kid my age and a middle age guy who I actually met at my first race ever (San Bruno Hill Climb, 1/1/12). We worked together to try and chase down the top 4, but to no avail. Eventually the younger guy dropped, the SBHC guy (Ron) took off with the older guy and I was left thinking 7th was mine with ease. As we hit the last pitch, the older guy started to really suffer and I knew I could jump one more place. I persevered and passed him with no problem and even shot past a racer from a different category who was dropped long ago. Again, another strong finish even with all the things I could have done better. After today I realized that as long as I finish strong I am happy with my race.
Cat 4 Race Report
Written by Platinum rider Andreas Malovos
Alfredo Gallegos and Andres Malovos learned the Pine Flat Road Race is given a deceptive name given its 4k+ ft of climbing.The course features a rolling out and back portion followed by a descent onto the flat orchard roads. From there rollers, and small climbs give way to a 3 mile stair step climb with many steep pitches. We previewed the course with fellow Platinum riders and race veterans John Echeveste, and Ben Ellenberger the previous day for tips, and a sense of what was in store on race day. It was clear this race was going to be a war of attrition given its length, and steep climbs. The race morning was cold gloomy making proper clothing essential. Luckily the gloomy skies stayed dry, so the cold and fog sacked climb were the only weather adversities we faced during the race. After the neutral start the race picked up in pace with two riders going off the front almost immediately. The pace of the out and back made conservation an even more important goal in this race. The descent and flats gave an opportunity to take in the sights, and feed before the rollers and main climb. Constantly moving forward over the rollers we were in good position as we approached the climb. The pace was tremendous from the base and never let up. Eventually after a hard fight we were both dropped from the leaders, and began plan B. Plan B was to make it over the climb and work with others to bring back anyone we could, or prevent any others catching up. Doing so allowed Andres Malovos to finish 11th, and Alfredo Gallegos 15th. A very demanding race with hard fought positions from a 56 man field.
Results
John Edwards --- 15th Cat 3
Andreas Malovos --- 11th Cat 4
Alfredo Gallegos --- 15th Cat 4
Jeff Stern --- 6th Cat 5
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 5:45AM 
