This past weekend, Whitney Griggs headed to Spokane to race in his first set of Inland Race Series races. On Saturday, out of Cheney, WA, Whitney was set to race in the 4/5 field for 38.5 miles over gentling rolling terrain. On Sunday, out of Post Falls, ID, the Riverbend Crit was a 1.1 mile loop with a gentle incline and short descent. Heading up with Allegro Cyclery, Whitney and the Allegro Cyclery riders (Kaler, Samantha, and Steve) were lucky enough to have a kind homestay that opened his house to us for Friday and Saturday nights.
On Saturday morning, the riders woke to rainy downpour with temperatures in the mid 50s, but by the time of the first race start (10 AM), the weather had cleared and the temperatures had increased mildly to low 60s. With a low headwind, the Category 4/5 field started and was lead on a quick warmup lap around the block before the lead car made the correct turn and the race actually began. For 8 miles Whitney was able to hang with the field, but due to a tactical error and lack of strength, Whitney got dropped off the pack and was forced to chase for several miles. At mile 14, Whitney quit the race due to a knee issue that had been bugging him since January. Patrick Lewis, a CWU rider in our collegiate conference, also made an appearance and had an excellent race, finishing 4th overall.
Of the other riders, Kaler Marshall, racing as a Cat 1/2/3, managed to make it into a 8 man break that eventually shrunk to 4 people and managed to stay off the front from 40 miles to the finish (78 miles total). With about 2k to go, there was a jump in the 4 man break, and Kaler managed to react in time to become part of a 2-man break. Although Kaler sprinted for the win, he came in 2nd, a very good result for having just upgraded to Cat 2 and racing against veteran Cat 1/2 racers.
Steve had a good race, sticking with his Masters 60+ field until late in the race, when there was a sudden kicker and some of the riders in his field rode off the front.
Samantha completed the 2nd road race of this season, but due to an upset stomach and rebellious legs, she was not very satisfied with her race.
On Sunday morning, the riders this time woke to sunny weather with promise of good weather all day. After a couple of wrong turns (what race weekend is complete with these?), the riders eventually made it to the course, which circled around a Buck Knife manufacturing/retail center. After a couple of warmup laps, Whitney decided his knee was feeling good enough to race, so he registered and got ready for his race. In his 45 minute race, Whitney stuck with the pack until 3 laps to go (of 22 laps total), when he decided to attack for a prime. After failing to win the prime (got 3rd), Whitney pulled off but failed to catch back onto the end of the pack and was forced to chase back on for the next 3 laps. By the end of the chase, he had almost managed to catch back up with the main pack, but due to the final sprint, failed to finish with the pack. Despite this, Whitney said he had a good weekend and was happy to just not have crashed or had knee pain. He was also excited for Patrick, the CWU racer, who managed to take 3rd in the crit and get more of those much-desired upgrade points. In addition, Patrick managed to win several primes and get lots of swag, including a cool bike decal, coffee, and at least one t-shirt.
Hope to see you on the road.
Whitman Cycling
