RAO 04 Observations

So now that I’ve had a few weeks to let things settle it’s about time I got around to my rider/team observations. I’d wanted to do this sooner so sorry for the delay. A while back I gave a brief pre-race summary about our racers. So how close was I in my predictions? This will take a few days so please bear with me.

Solo Field:

Graham Pollock – 1st place men’s solo division. What a stud. Graham rode smart and stayed calm. He had a complete combination of speed and endurance. He was able to ride a steady pace for much of the race but was able to ramp it up when necessary. I think what impressed me most about Graham was the fact that after leading the race for so long he didn’t get rattled when he was passed outside of Prineville. It’s such a mental strain to know you’re being caught. Graham not only answered Bruce Carroll’s challenge he fought back…and then did it again when Gregg Geser closed on him. A truly deserving champion. I’d seen Graham race once before so I knew he was fast. However, during that race he had a lot of off the bike time. I was thinking Graham would place around 5th. Nice job of proving me wrong Mr. Pollock!

Gregg Geser – 2nd place men’s solo division. The defending champion from RAO 2003 had a couple of tough races after his superb ‘03 ride. I was happy to see Gregg return. He said he hadn’t been training as much as the previous year and entered with the goal of finishing. Where as in ‘03 he was one of the first racers through all the time stations, in ‘04 he held back at the beginning. Gregg got stronger as the race progressed. It was fun to see the competitive fire coming out on the Monument climb. Gregg was in the midst of a great ride. Prior to the race I thought Gregg would be a top 10 finisher. When he reported in at Prineville I thought he had as good a chance of winning as anyone. Gregg caught the leaders but played it smart and held back waiting for them to tire each other out. Great strategy but Graham refused to be beaten. An amazing race between these two riders.

Chris Grealish – 3rd place men’s solo division. My pre-race favorite. Chris was out to win and almost pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in RAO history. Grealish was really hampered by the rain at the beginning. Talk about bad luck – Chris was leaving nothing to chance and sent all of his cold weather/rain gear/cycling clothes to Portland two weeks in advance. Problem was they didn’t show till about a week after the race. Chris was left with hardly anything to wear. This was also Chris’s first race of this format (no drafting and pace vehicles). He had prepared well but his lack of proper clothing left him chilled at the start. Once he recovered he rode like a maniac and moved all the way through the field for a solid third place. Chris told me after the race that he was more than happy the Timberline finish was dropped. However, I think he may have been one of the racers that would have benefitted from the final climb.

Cassie Lowe – 1st place women’s solo division, 4th overall. Another pre-race favorite. Cassie was the name that came up most frequently when discussion over who would win took place. Cassie may have been more affected by the temperatures than anyone. She’d been training in the Austral summer and arrived in Oregon a few days before the start of RAO. Unfortunately, her acclimatization occurred during the wonderful spell of 80+ degree temperatures that sandwiched RAO.

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