The 2012 Nevada City Bicycle Classic...
A small break early on during the Men's pro/1/2 race starting the climb
along Commercial Street
What a day - what a race!
I say that every year, whether I am there or not.
Lucky me, this was one of those eyewitness years.
Alright, so lets get this thing going. If you have never been to Nevada City, it is summer vacation now, so make your plans soon. The town is one of those old gold rush towns with historic buildings, colorful gardens, friendly people, all in a beautiful setting. Everywhere you look there is something to take a photo of. Every time I go up there I find myself determined to move. If you are interested in some of the non-racing scenes, this first album might be for you; click to view random scenes from around town.
bikes on display in Nevada City, California
The Juniors (14/15 and 16/17) were the first racers to take the course, for the John Miller Junior Grand Prix, a 45 minute race which, really, was quite exciting to watch. There was a lot of action taking place at the head of the race. The Ritte juniors showed up in force and rode a tactically brilliant race, launching one of their strong riders (Skyler Taylor) off the front, and then completely taking command of the chase, effectively smothering all attempts to bring their man back into the fold. I was up near the top of the course Taylor hard gone clear; a Monster Media/SC Velo rider tried to get some help chasing, but when he looked back there were only Ritte jerseys, and the race was done. At the end it was not just 1st, but 2nd (Tobon Ortenblad) and 3rd (Matt Schaup) for the Ritte guys as well. Here is a photo from the Junior race, plus link to the rest.
How many Ritte riders can you spot amongst the leaders in the Juniors race? At this point, I think there were five.
Following the Juniors came the Masters 35+ and 45+ in a combined field, scored separately. This race had a 2:00 start so you know the heat was on. On this course, attrition played a big factor throughout all the day's races, and no less so for the Masters. Capitalizing on the tough conditions was Chris Phipps of the Iron Data/Thirsty Bear Masters Team, who rode clear of everyone else to cruise down the finish for a nice solo win in the 35+ race. Coming across behind him were Kyle Dixon (Velo Reno) in 2nd, and Andres Gill (Michael David Winery) in 3rd. The 45+ race was won by Dirk Himley (Echelon/Charity of Choice), with Robert Pasco (Safeway) coming across in 2nd, and Kevin Klein (HDR Racing) in 3rd. Click for all photos from the Master's race.
the eventual Masters 35+ victor, Christopher Phipps,
at a somewhat earlier point during the race
the neutral feed on the backside of the course was a happening place
Following the Masters came one of the premier events of the day, the UPS Store Women's Pro/1/2/3/4 race. Yes, all categories combined. Two well-known teams, Metromint and Now and Novartis for MS Society, were represented by a number of racers. Tibco, Vanderkitten, and many local and regional teams rounded out the field. Katerina Nash was the sole representative of the Luna Chix Team. After the heat and hills had done their worst to shred the field, only two riders remained at the front, Nash and Flavia Oliveira of the Kovarus/Wells Fargo Team. Nash proved just a little faster to the line as both women threw their bikes in a tight finish. Rounding out the podium was Amy Thornquist of the Stevens Team. Of the finish Nash had this to say: “I tried to shake her off, maybe three, four times up the hill. She was strong, always on my wheel. Then I let her go ahead on the second half of the last uphill. [I] rested up a little bit on the top and then attacked on the very last section before you drop into the finish.” The win is Katerina's third consecutive at Nevada City. Incidentally, just the day before the NC Classic, Nash was busy winning the Ute Valley Pro XTC mountain bike race in Colorado. That is a full weekend. Link to all photos from the Women's Pro/1/2/3/4 race.
Katerina Nash on the start line
Molly Van Houweling, of Metromint
tricky light and shadow on the back of the course
Sandwiched in between the women's and the men's pro races was the Charlie Allert Senior 3/4 Men's race. It was also break time for me as I sat on a shaded cafe patio with the family. We could see the race go by, but they were moving with so much speed that taking photos was almost pointless; in other words I don't have as many photos from the 3/4 race. But there are some, click to see them.
The Men's Pro/1/2 race finished up the day, and did not disappoint, capping off a full afternoon of hard, fast action. Among the top teams represented were California Giant/Specialized, Kenda/5-Hour Energy, the Wonderful Pistachios and Team Clif Bar. The Livestrong/Bontrager Development Team had a rider in the thick of things, as did Full Circle Cycling, a Claremont-area based pro team. The latter turned out to be Kirk Carlsen; it is always fun to find people from home at distant races, it gives you someone to cheer for. The first half of the race was marked by numerous break attempts, but it wasn't until about the half-way point that one pulled away for good. This was the duo of Nate English (Kenda/5 Hour Energy) and Stephen Leece (California Giant/ Specialized). The two continued to pull away, building a gap of about two and a half minutes with five laps to go. At the end English and Leece caught a group of racers containing Leece's teammate Chris Stastny who helped to set Leece up for the sprint win. English took second, and Chuck Hutcheson (Marc Pro Strava) rounded out the top three spots on the podium. James Oram (Bontrager Livestrong) beat out Carlsen for fourth in an amazingly fast sprint. Click for all photos of the Men's Pro/1/2 race.
A lot of you reading this are likely to be familiar with the Nevada City Bicycle Classic, but some may not be. The Classic is the second oldest bike race in the nation, this year celebrating its 52nd running. Some years the race will attract many of the top names in the sport - Greg Lemond, Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer have all won here in the past. Many American racers have used the NC Classic as a stepping stone in their career, gaining national recognition, while others have been well established before taking their wins here. I did a post about the race on my old blog last year. There are a couple factors that continue to bring racers back to this event year after year. First is the great community support; this is a home-grown race with the town and residents pulling together to put on a first-class event. The finish street will be filled with spectators, balconies, porches and stoops along the main commercial street occupied to capacity. Along the residential streets in the backside of the course, families will set up in their front yards or along the street, cheering the racers each lap, ringing cowbells, selling cold lemonade to weary passersby.
The second factor making this race special is the course. This is not your flat four corner criterium. It is a challenging course in all sense of the word. Starting and finishing in the heart of downtown Nevada City the racers shoot down Broad Street before going into two tight and fast left turns at the bottom of the street. From there they start heading up along Commercial Street, before racing along through a residential neighborhood on the backside of the course - York, North Pine, Cottage, and Main Streets all tilt upward and challenge the racers with varying degrees of steepness. It is very difficult to find any kind of rhythm along this part of the course. In fact this is not a rhythm race - you must continually rise out of the saddle to respond to attacks, or simply keep from falling behind. Near the top of Main racers reach the neutral feed where they can take on more water. One family turns on the garden hose so riders can pass through a cool spray to help hold off the 90º heat. A left turn at the top takes racers onto East Broad, slightly rolling terrain which transitions into the wickedly fast descent along Broad Street and back to the finish line. Lap after lap it can be a brutal challenge which takes its toll. Attrition is the name of the game, and it does not take long for the fields to become fragmented. The strongest will win the day.
This ain't cyclocross, but you might find a beer hand up anyway (last lap).
Only at the Nevada City Bicycle Classic
Check Norcal Cycling News for additional account of the Womens and Mens pro races.
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