OUCH CAN BE A GOOD 4 LETTER WORD

There is nothing like getting up at 4:30 am, hitting the road at 4:55 for a 3.25 hr drive for a 16 mile hillclimb in record setting heat and smoggy conditions, then driving back in bumper to bumper traffic and getting home at 5:15 pm. Let me tell you the cold beer and even colder shower felt so good.
OUCH stands for the Oregon Uphill Championships, not to be confused with the Oregon State Uphill Champs. The race starts in Corbett, Oregon, just 30 minutes north of Portland in the Hood River area, or 3.25 hours from Issaquah, WA (including a stop at a Jack In The Box Drive Thru at 5 am for a Steak & Cheese Burrito (the perfect pre-race food:)) The race is put on by Ernie, the brain trust behind the Elkhorn Classic (a 4 stage 3 day race held in Baker City, OR in early June, which includes 2 LONG road races, a tt and a crit, and I was the proud Lanterne Rouge in 2007 (pre-53x11coffee days). I even earned a $20 cash award for my staying power. It was my first and so far ever stage race. I plan to go again in 2010).
OUCH is about 16 miles long and is held in tt format with riders going at 30 second intervals. I was in the Masters 45-49 cat and started about 1/2 way thru the order. There were 10 in mcat and I finished 9th. Riders can choose between a traditional tt start on the top of a ramp or a starting position on the ground. I went for the standing start and lost time getting clipped in.
I could not go all out for 2 reasons even though I felt good. First I did not know the course as I have never ridden the climb. A friend has and the only advise he could give was that "you will enjoy it." The website for the link includes an elevation chart and course description but they meant nothing as I have to experience a route first hand to know what is what. The 2nd reason was the heat. It must have been in the 90s with little or no wind.
I started sweating badly at 4 miles and experienced right eye irritation again. What is up with that? I did not stop though like during last week's training ride on Sunrise, but poured lots of water over my eye. I rode very even and finished in around 1:16:20, which I said earlier was good for 9th out of 10th in Masters Mens 45-49. Overall I was about 98th out of around 150 riders. The youngest was about 9 and the oldest in his early 60s. Yes I caught both:) I know I can go under 1:10 now that I know the route and given that MOST years the weather is more "saddledancer" friendly:)
The route started with a flat 1/2 mile followed by rolling 7 miles, with the last 6 or so a steady grade in old growth forrest. It was hard to tell I was on a mountain, as compared to the Crystal Mtn/Washington State hillclimb champs (held in late August), or the Mt. Baker Hillclimb (held in early September), or the Cougar Mtn 2 mile hillclimb (next week). The finish, meaning the final 200 meters, was a steep section into the parking lot at the top of the mountain). I finished strong after being passed by a guy who started over 16 minutes behind me (I heard him say he rode under an hour).
By the way, I inadvertently wore my Washington (WSBA) number on my jersey rather than my Oregon (OBRA) number. I heard the wrong number called out at the finish. However, I did have the correct OBRA frame number despite the fact that frame numbers are not required in Oregon. I had to clear up the confusion at the finish.
Despite that embarrassment I did get to spread the word about our team before the start while I talked to a few riders about my "plain wrap" titanium frame I bought 3 years ago on ebay. So many opinions on the brand.
They also gave out nice water bottles full of cold water at the finish and a "finishers" medal. , something to add to my collection of 51 marathon medals. I am thinking of making a wind chime out of them.
Not only was I the ony rider for 53x11Coffee, I may have been the only rider from Washington state.
In any case, I highly recommend this fun and low key event for anyone in the Pacific Northwest area in early July.
All the best to Evan, Owen and my fellow teammates.
Ty (aka Saddledancer)