Above Category Racing: Elkhorn Classic Stage Race

Baker City, Oregon
June 19-21

ACR’s Lunning, Turner, Tuttle, and Van Orsdel took on the Elkhorn Classic Stage Race in Baker City, OR from July 19-21. We left with seven top-10 finishes, a 6th place overall and a 14th overall, out of a field of about 90 pro/1/2 racers. Vicious weather, strong competition, and the warmth and charm of Baker City made this a memorable race.

Stage One: Oregon Trail Road Race

The race profile for this 75-mile stage favors riding a conservative first half followed by an aggressive finish over the tough, rolling terrain. We set out of town with a plan to sit in until the main climb halfway through and then shred the field on the exposed hills leading up to the finish.

The race started in sunshine. An hour later we raced straight into the black maw of a lightning and hail storm. Water stood two inches deep across the road as hail and rain pelted down and the whole peloton shivered through the torrent. At the base of the climb the four of us organized and drove the pace over the top, reducing the field to about twelve riders. On the back side about 20 racers caught back on and attacks started flying off the front. We kept it together with Turner setting tempo through the sweeping hills, keeping it single-file and fast. About 10 miles to go, Bobby Sweeting and Evan Pickett (Land Rover-Orbea and Metromint) broke off the front and established a 15 second gap. Over the final roller, about 5 miles to go, Tuttle attacked to bridge up to the two leaders and Adrian Hegyvery (Hagens Berman) jumped with him. Tuttle closed the gap swiftly and now the lead foursome worked together to stay away to the finish line, where Tuttle took 4th and they all earned a 6 second lead over the next group.

Stage Two: Pleasant Valley Time Trial

11.3 miles, as hard as you can go! Simple enough. Gently rolling course with a fast downtown finish. Lunner smashed it with a 4th place time of 21’42”, just 36 seconds off the leader. Tuttle took 8th with 22’15” and Turner came in 10th at 22’20”. Van Orsdel Eddy-Mercxed it and clocked a 25’48”.

Tuttle sweeps through the last turn into the finish stretch.

Best GC standings after the time trial:

Tuttle: 6th
Lunning: 7th

Stage Three: Downtown Criterium

Last year we got rained out of the crit so we were pleased to see clear skies this time around. Turner took the lion’s share of work in this race, stringing out the field to single-file lap after lap. The announcer was going nuts. Lunner, Tuttle, and Van Orsdel took a few laps at the front too, but at the end it was the fast and furious Turner-Lunner lead-out punch that launched Lunner into 2nd place and Turner into 8th.

Turner peels off as Lunning dashes for the line

Lunning accelerates to the line, taking a solid 2nd place finish.

Stage Four: Dooley Mountain Road Race (abbreviated)

We woke on Sunday around 5:30am to what sounded like a firehose aimed at the roof of our host house. The cows in the pasture next door were going nuts and the rain was coming down so fast it didn’t have time to drain anywhere. Nice. Thermometer read 40 degrees. Very nice. We had a glum breakfast but looked forward to the 102-mile queen stage as our chance to move Lunning and Tuttle up in the overall classification.

We arrived at the start area to learn that due to weather concerns the stage had been shortened to a mere 20 miles. Suddenly the final race had changed from a great opportunity to a messy uphill sprint stage. Entire teams had already packed up and gone home, and we reformed our plan. Turner would peg it on the front, and Lunning and Tuttle would vie for a win, with Lunning and Van Orsdel launching attacks up the climb forcing others in the top-10 to tire themselves chasing.

We rolled out of town, neutral, for about four miles, then on slick wet roads every yahoo with an untried victory salute tried to get up front at once. And in an instant our plan was thrown out the window as the inevitable happened: wheels touched and about 30 riders went down at once, just a mile from the base of the 6-mile finishing climb. Van Orsdel, Lunning, and Tuttle all hit the deck in the pile-up, and Van Orsdel had to pull the plug due to bike damage (cursing all the while about not having a metal bike like the rest of us). Lunning flatted his front and had to wait three minutes for a wheel change. Tuttle was able to get up and out fast enough to rejoin the pack before the climb. Meanwhile Turner looked around to assess the new situation. He posted it on the front into the climb, and then peeled off to let the train through.

With about 5km to go, Kevin Rowe (Team Bobs-Bicycles.com) attacked. Sitting in 4th overall, his move threatened the three riders ahead of him on GC. There was no response. He worked his way out of sight on the twisty ascent. Tuttle marked the other four riders ahead of him on GC, waiting for the acceleration that would quash Rowe’s move. It never came. So with 800 meters to go he attacked and held on for a 3rd place finish, barely passed at the line by Erik Slack (Team Bobs-Bicycles.com).

Lunning, quite frankly, probably rode the fastest ascent of Dooley Mountain out of the entire field of riders. Pissed and injured (with a slice in his calf that needed stitches after the race), he stormed up the climb making up as much time as possible. The wreck and his molasses-esque wheel change cost him a lot of time though, and at the end of the day his misfortune bumped him down to 14th overall.

Turner motored up the rest of the climb to finish soundly mid-pack. He put the lion’s share of work into the weekend, pacing the entire field on day one, stringing out the crit and delivering Lunner to the line on day two, and setting up the climb for Tuttle on day three.

Van Orsdel, after his first shot at the Elkhorn, is ready for more.

A few more pictures: