Cheney-Rock Lake RR and Riverbend Crit

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

Bend Don't Brake

This past Memorial Day weekend, Molly Blust, Whitney Griggs, and Kaler Marshall (a local Walla Walla rider) headed to Bend, OR to race Bend, Don't Brake, a local OBRA race. Because Molly lives in Sisters, OR, only a short distance from Bend, her family was kind enough to offer their house as a homestay for Whitney and Kaler. Upon arriving late evening on Friday night, Kaler and Whitney were treated to the first of several home-cooked meals. The next morning, after getting up at 6 AM, a late-start by normal race weekend standards, Kaler and Whitney prepared to head to Bend for the actual bike race. Although Molly smartly decided against racing due to issues with asthma, she came along with Kaler and Whitney to spectate and help out as needed.

Upon arriving in Bend, it was a slightly chilly 55 degrees with little wind. As Kaler's Category 1/2 race approached, the sun started to come out along with a mild wind. Because Kaler's race was approximately 90 miles, Whitney and Molly volunteered to hand Kaler bottles and food at the feed zone. Although Whitney had to leave the feed zone early to go get ready for his race, Kaler managed to stick with the Cat 1/2 field for 6-7 laps. After his 8th lap, Kaler lost count of his laps and accidentally left the course, resulting in a DNF. Despite this, Kaler said he had a good race, especially for just upgrading from Cat. 3.

Before Whitney's race, there was a beginner's talk at which Whitney was reminded of important race strategies, such as don't attack off the front too early, take turns to reel in breaks, make sure to stay well fueled and hydrated, and ultimately just have fun.

When Whitney's race finally started, the sun had retreated behind some clouds and the wind had picked up significantly, leading to an interesting race. Although Whitney attempted to stay towards the front of his Cat 4/5 field, he was quickly relegated to the back due to overly-aggressive riders forcing him backwards. Despite this, Whitney stayed with the pack for an hour and a half of his 2:16 race (35 miles out of 49.5) and finished 31 out of 56 starters. In addition, Whitney was happy to just finish the race because as he said, "The Cat 4/5 field was SO sketchy." There were 3 crashes which Whitney managed to avoid, but supposedly there were also interesting road handling skills demonstrated by other riders such as skidding a rear wheel when a sudden braking maneuver was needed and riders purposely riding cross-wheeled (resulting in inability to react to sudden swerves or other dangerous events).

Ultimately, the race was a success for Kaler and Whitney, with no one crashing.

The following two days, Molly, Whitney, and Kaler explored the rides near Sisters, OR, going on a ride up and over McKenzie Pass and on another ride at the base of Black Butte. On these rides, Molly, Whitney, and Kaler were joined by Tom Blust, the dad of Molly. The bike rides were amazing weather, with clear skies and plenty of sun. On the McKenzie Pass ride, several miniature snowball fights evolved as they passed through 15 ft high snow banks. There was also a nice descent with multiple switchbacks.

Thanks again to the Blust family for the homestay. We were spoiled by all of the food that you provided us. Whitney also wanted to thank you in particular for learning how to slackline, because that was something he has wanted to learn for several years now.

Hope to see you on the road,
Whitman Cycling

Summer Days

Hey everyone,
The school year is now officially over with Whitman graduation occurring yesterday and we are sad to see our graduating seniors (David Hancock, Elana Congress, and Rachel Hoar) leave us and enter into the "real" world. They were all valuable presences on our team and their presence and advice will be sorely missed.

Alberto helping out at mountain bike race

Although the road racing season is over for many of our riders as they enter the summer and enjoy a well earned vacation, several riders are ramping up their training again, unencumbered by classes and homework.  Alberto, our mountain-bike expert, has already jumped back into the mountain bike scene by helping out at a local mountain bike race in California. For those in Washington and Oregon, there are a series of races (Bend Not Brake, Inland Race Series, and others) which our Washington riders are looking forward to participating in. Our collegiate season was filled with great memories for all involved.

As the summer progresses, look for updates to the team webpage.

See you on the road.

Whitman Cycling

5-Mile Scenery

As promised, here is a photo from my ride today over 5 Mile Hill. Although it is starting to get hot, the scenery more than makes up for it.

Yesterday, there was a ice cream ride hosted by Wheatland Wheelers. As usual there were three different rides, cruiser, social, and training ride. I went on the training ride thinking I was in better shape than the ice cream ride ~2 weeks ago. Somehow I managed up 2nd wheel back from the start of the ride. After I started my pull (we were in a double paceline), the person next to me, a rider for Audi, picked it up slightly and I started to suffer under the pace. Eventually I cracked and had to drift to the side. Although I tried to catch onto the back, I didn't have the energy and I got dropped within 2 miles of the start of the ride. :) Luckily the group slowed down and waited for me. I was very tempted to just turn around and go home at that point. After that, I avoided pulling and was able to stick on until a break group took off and we formed a chase group, at which point I got dropped off the back again. Luckily there was a regroup point within 800 meters of where I was dropped, so I caught on once again. After that, I was able to stick with the pack for the rest of the ride (~12 miles). It was my first pack finish with Wheatland Wheelers/Allegro Cyclery training ride!! I was quite ecstatic AND I got free ice cream even!

Hot Days

Walla Walla has finally started to warm up. Over the past couple of weeks, we have been blessed with lower temperatures and cooling rain. Today was the first time that I biked mid-day, and ironically there was a high of 89.5F today. I have been joining in on the Allegro Cyclery/Wheatland Wheelers rides, and those start at 7:00 AM, 7:30 AM, or 6:15 PM, in order to avoid the heat. When I started my ride today, I quickly realized how hot it was going to be, but luckily the person I was riding with wanted to go easy, so we just cruised up Mill Creek, enjoying the trees and shade once we hit the slow, gradual hill to the turn-around point. My biking partner was actually biking to a Chemistry July 4th potluck, so I got a nice 2.5 hour break before I headed back by myself in order to avoid biking at twilight. It was very nice to have a 2.5 hour break where I could stock up on food and (attempt) to satiate my ever-hungry body. Because my riding partner challenged me to a time trial of sorts, where he was going to come back the next day and attempt to beat my time down Mill Creek, I started off hard and finished harder. Over my past XC seasons and cycling season, I have noticed a trend where I seem to get lazy when its hurts or gets hard. I didn't use to be that way, but as I get stressed out and tired, my body physically shuts down and I lack the mental energy to rally. Over the past 2-3 weeks, I have started to see a reversal in this. Although it hurts, I now have the mental drive to push myself beyond the pain. On the way down Mill Creek, I only briefly dipped under 20 mph before rallying and bringing my speed back up to 22-25. This was SUPREMELY satisfying, just like the 56 mile ride 2.5 weeks ago. Although I haven't gotten any pictures of the amazing wheat fields yet, they are incredible on every ride, and next time I post, I promise that I will post some breathtaking pictures.