Eugene Roubaix: Finally, a race goes "according to plan"

For as many pre-race plans as we make, they rarely, if ever, work out.  Today was a little different.

I always really like this course but never seem to do really well down here.  I had a 7th place finish in the 4s two years ago and a 9th in the 3s last year but my main goal was to avoid last year's fisaco where I jettisoned both bottles on the first time through the gravel, resulting in a hot 50 miles without water.

The solution to retaining your bottles:  rubber bands

This year the fiasco was different but at least we planned for it.  With a smaller squad (just Scott, Robin, David and myself) the plan was simple; David and/or I was to get in the early break and take the pressure off the other guys.  Robin's job was simple:  sit around, look like a badass and in the event of a sprint finish, lead out Scott.  Scott was free to make the field hurt as he saw fit.

King's Valley RR: Best Road Result in Two Years!!

Saturday I did something I haven't done in almost two years:  I podium'd at a road race.  The last time I did this was in June 2010 as a Cat 4.

close but couldn't close it
photo courtesy of Leonard Johnson

To be honest, I'm still a little shocked but more than anything I'm disappointed with how it all played out.

Review: Gore Oxygen Jacket

Life is full of no-joy purchases; underwear, training tires and rain jackets.  These are all things we need but it's never fun when we have to replace them.  If you're anything like me, replacing any of these things is simply a matter of walking past the appropriate aisle and throwing it in the cart.  No discussion, no second thoughts, I know what I want and that's what I'm getting.

When my rain jacket crapped out this past winter I decided to change it up.  I'd been riding in a Cutter Cyclical jacket (eVent fabric) which I'd picked up at 90% off.  With that, the bar for performance and value had been set pretty high.

I picked up a 25th Anniversary Oxygen jacket by Gore Bike Wear on closeout for 40% off.  I was just looking for a jacket, nothing special, just something that would work.  To say I've been blown away by this jacket would be an understatement.  I wanted to write about this jacket earlier but wanted to hold off until the right moment.  Following Portland's wettest March in recorded history seemed like an appropriate time to write about a rain jacket.