How great has the weather been this last month? Makes living through the NW winters with 3.23 hours of daylight worth it.
NRR has been out in force all throughout August, but we’ve been a little slim on posting updates here. Every Tuesday at PIR we’ve been duking it out with the usual suspects (Ironclad, River City, Team O, etc etc) and having a blast. After our July assult our PIR goals have been pretty loose, and we’ve been having fun sprinting, breaking away, and generally causing trouble whenever possible.
We raced Bend Omnium Crit, spectated at Twilight Crit (the Ben-Hur Crit?), raced Sunset Crid, got burnt to tender crisps at Swan Island Crit, and tried to recover in time for the Crid Championships. August was all crits, all the time!
Speaking of weather, the Swan Island crit goes down as the hottest race I’ve ever personally raced in. The temps were over 100 degrees and the racing was unrelentingly fast in the 3s that I came very close to fainting in the porta-potty after the finish, which probably would have been the end of me between the fumes and the heat. Then, in a weather cycle only the Northwest can dish out, I had my bar-none wettest race ever (even wetter than CX) only a few days later at Tuesday PIR. Within 20 seconds of starting every article of clothing was drenched to the bone. To re-hydrate all you had to do was open your mouth and slurp the rooster tail of the rider in front of you. I was suprised at how many guys showed up for that race. Scott and I represented NRR while questioning each other’s sanity while Ironclad had at least five guys out there (and I think they were vetting another recruit!). Here’s to you Mr. PIR Aquaracer Men:
If this pattern continues I expect either a hurricane or a snowstorm to assult us at the OBRA hillclimb championshipscheerio.
Summer is a great season to be a teacher or a student. It allows one the freedom to do such things as sleep in, watch TV, or ride up to Timberline Lodge midday on a Thursday. Thus, in an effort to take advantage of the last few weeks of summer break, Jeff Harwood, Colby, and myself (David Monnig) represented North River Racing and The Vancouver School District on a hill climb field trip.We parked in Rhododendron for the 4000 ft climb up to Timberline. For Colby and I it was going to be a chance to check out the course for this years hill climb time-trial taking place next week.We were riding by 11 am and the heat was already fierce. On top of that, there was a head wind all the way to Government Camp. As we took turns leading into the wind, I became perplexed by the fact that the wind was blowing down the canyon. This seemed odd, because generally as the temperature rises, so does hot air, resulting in wind blowing up the canyon. I suppose by simple understanding of weather, gained mainly by watching Fox 12 news can not explain today’s headwind phenomenon.Upon reaching the Timberline road we were drenched in sweat. I assume Colby was pleased that he purposely left his fleece NRR jacket in the car. After a quick snack and stretch break we started the second portion of the climb. It was great to ride the old Timberline road, no traffic, and switch backs that inspired images of the Alps. At the top I assume we looked like real pros to some of the photo snapping tourists. Decked out in our team attire and shaved legs we welcomed the opportunity to fill up our water bottles. The descent was fast. I was blown away by Jeff’s coasting ability. Both Colby and I had to pedal hard to keep up with his 40 mph tuck. I’ve decided next time I’m in a race with Jeff, and there’s a descent, I’ll be sure to hop on his wheel. In no time at all we found ourselves back in Rhododendron eating ice cream at the DQ. It was a nice way to finish up a sweaty climb. Jeff, Colby, and I all agreed that it was a good day out. -David