The last stage of the Tour of Eagle is a road race course similar to the district’s course we’ve used in years past. The difference is that the climb is a bit longer and more rolling. I rode out and pre-rode the course earlier in the week so I would know what to expect. I was at the feed zone during Heather’s race and she was riding well. The weather was beautiful and the temperature was perfect by the time I started later in the day.

With Matt Weyen in the leader’s jersey, team Title One just got to the front and rode tempo the whole race. Even so, I still had difficulty on the hill. By the third lap (of four), I was getting antsy and wanted to see what I could do on the flats. I mentioned to Ted from Lost River that maybe we should get something going. If anything, we would get a good interval workout, rather than a tempo workout. I attacked on a downhill and Ted was right on my wheel and we got a gap. We traded pulls for about 5 miles before getting caught on the hill. If anything, it saved me from having to go up the hill harder than I could handle. So the next lap I tried to sit in but the last time up the hill, I popped. All this racing was just too much without a good base. I was able to get back on but with the crosswind it was difficult. Then I just stayed out of the wind to the finish and tried for the sprint even though the time bonuses wouldn’t have made much of a difference for me. Well, I only got 7th or 8th in the sprint and ended up 8th overall in GC.