This will be short, since I posted a detailed description of the course and race strategy after last year's race. It can still be read here.

Stage 1. 3.8 mile hill climb. Last year it took me 16:00 to climb; I finished in 4th place, 38 seconds off the leader (Lindsey Blount, an ex-pro now living in California). I figured if I could cut 30 seconds off my time, I would be in the mix. Analytic cycling predicted I would save about 15 seconds due to lighter body and bike weight this year, so I needed another 15 seconds to hit my target. I decided to drop the hammer from the beginning and see if I could survive.

The course actually starts out downhill for about 1/4 mile, then flattens for maybe another 1/4 mile, then takes a hairpin turn and climbs the rest of the way. I was panting by the time I hit the hairpin, but refused to back off. I caught my 30 second man just past the hairpin, which gave me a mental boost. I kept the pressure on, and about halfway up the climb I passed my minute and 1:30 men in quick succession. Now my legs were really burning and my stomach was starting to cramp. However, I had been racing for 10 minutes, so (hopefully) I only had around 5 more minutes to go.

I begin to pay for my overly aggressive start - my stomach was cramping and it was tough to get my breath. I had to take a couple of pedal strokes off to let my stomach relax, then got right back on it. I was closing on two more riders as I hit the 1K to go sign. Either they picked up the pace, or I slowed down, because I couldn't catch them in the last kilometer. I finished - gasping for air - in 15:33. I had taken nearly 30 seconds off last year's time - that should put me in the mix.

They get results posted very quickly at San Dimas. I rode down the hill (great descent!), then warmed down for 15 - 30 minutes and rode back to the starting line. Results were up - once again, I was in 4th place. Once again, Lindsey Blount won - this time by 37 seconds. Talk about Deja Vu...

Stage 2: This 7 mile, rolling road course (closed to traffic) may be the best road race course I've ever ridden. It's certainly the fairest test of overall cycling ability. You have to be able to climb - but they are short, power climbs, and there are KOM bonus points on every even numbered lap (we rode 8 laps). You have to be able to sprint - there are sprint bonuses every odd numbered lap. You have to have endurance - the pace of this race on the rolling course is brutal (note that I averaged over 250W for 2.5 hours - that includes a good amount of time sitting in the peleton). The first two laps were at a torrid pace, and it never slowed down. The leaders team was a group of climbers, and they would attack on every KOM lap. The second place rider was a good sprinter - his team would attack on every sprint bonus lap. On the fifth lap, the leader attacked on the KOM hill, and we all chased. I crested the hill with a small gap, but wasn't very worried. I should have been. The leaders were all in front of me, and nobody who was left (except one other guy) was interested in chasing. The two of us chased all of lap 6 - we caught on just before the climb, and got dropped again. We chased all of lap 7 until I flatted at the start of lap 8. I got a wheel change from the neutral Mavic support car, and Art hung back and helped me back to the peleton. When we got there, they were going so ridiculously slow that any hope of catching the break was gone. I went to the front to limit my time loss, and pulled nearly the entire last lap. I ended up losing 2:45 anyway, and dropped to 9th place.

Stage 3: Downtown San Dimas crit. The first half gradually uphill, the second half gradually downhill. Again, the pace was incessant. We were supposed to ride 40 minutes, but since we started an hour late they were pinching all the races short - we raced 32 minutes (but covered over 15 miles). I finished in the pack, right behind Art. I opted for pizza and beer instead of waiting for the results - big mistake; they missed me in the results and I didn't get a GC place. However, since I was 1:00 behind 8th and 30 seconds ahead of 10th, I'm pretty sure I should have gotten 9th place (unless somebody didn't show up for the last day).

Overall, this is a great race. I highly encourage all to go to this race. There is something for everybody - climbers, sprinters, all-arounders. The organization is excellent.

-Craig Long