It’s over…6 days of racing against a tough competition. 2mi prologue, 74mi Road Race, 14mi TT, 71mi Road Race, 50min crit, and 67mi Road Race without a rest day.

Bend is great! The weather was gorgeous and the scenery is incredible. The residents are very supportive of the race. We stayed with a host family, which made it even more fun! You had a choice of 50 neutral bottles in the feed zone, where do you get that! The town is small so no matter where you go you run into other racers. I loved it!

The races were tough! We had all sort of National Champions in the stage race.We started with 105 racers on Tuesday and ended up with 64 by the end of Sunday.

Those girls are no joke! When I thought I have some sort of advantage in a race, I was proven wrong within the first few miles of the race! Any minor weakness became immediately apparent and the list is not short.

But hey, that was the perfect way to see how much training I got to do during the winter. So I am looking for a place somewhere warm, a lot of mountains, and a great cycling scene. (Any recommendations are highly appreciated)

I know what to expect at Cascades and I am coming back next year with a bigger goal in mind.

Thank you, residents of Bend, for your support, especially thanks to Sami F., Liana O., and Chuck M. for host housing and race support!