Goldendale Gravel 2022

Wind, cold, and the threat of snow greeted racers on the morning of the 2022 Vicious Cycles Gran Fondo Goldendale this year. We had read the weather forecast. Yet the first step outside on Sunday morning drove home just how miserable this race might become.

The Goldendale route is not defined by it's climbs. I has only 6300 feet of gain over 90 miles. Goldendale is defined by the wind. The reliable Westerly becomes a headwind for most of the route's middle twenty miles. Goldendale race strategy always includes finding friends for this sector. This year the extra chill and extra wind strength added unseen challenges.

Kitting up pre-race brought more consternation. The forecast had pivoted a few degrees cooler and I was second guessing my clothing options. Adam offered space in his drop bag which gets delivered to the half way point via the promoter's drop bag program. My cooler kit options would be waiting for me via the drop bag and would offer the option to change out of the warmer kit.

My pre-race jitters were running full steam. I was nervous about re-aggravating my overuse injury. I was nervous about the weather. I didn't know how much my fitness might have slipped. And I was not alone. Lots of chatter about the wind and the cold and just how long the race could become. Jake, the race promoter, did nothing to quell these concerns when he offered over the loudspeaker that any rider having second thoughts about the long course should switch  to the medium length course.

As the race got underway I contemplated my job for the day. As the only two Fell Swoop representatives on the long course I would be supporting Adam. We discussed some specifics for the first ten miles but the biggest question was whether or not the peleton would set a pace over the first climb that I might be able to sustain. Three years ago they did.

We rolled slowly through town behind Jake's neutral rollout pickup truck at a pace that was doing nothing to build body warmth. Once free the pace started mellow to moderate.When the climbing started the pace slowly built. Those first ten miles were into the wooded hills North of Goldendale and we were largely shielded from the wind. We watched as occasional snowflakes clouded the sky. At mile seven point five there was a noticeble surge in pace and it was my turn to pop. I sent a silent sorry to Adam as he pedaled away.

Adam matched the lead group's effort to the top where the climbing ended but the pace making did not. He was pretty disappointed when he noticed that a rider ahead had let a gap open on the flats and that bridging up to the lead group of about twenty five was not feasible. At about that same time I was finding friends. Before I hit the descent I was one of seven and we were ready to work.

The first descent was also the first sector of gravel. We knew this section of road and it would constitute test number one for our tire choices.

Adam's deep research landed him on Continental's Terra Speed in size 35mm. This tire rolls fast and has small knobs. Few tires offer both. Adam didn't expect his tire to hook up as well as a full knob 40mm choice but it was good enough down that first fast gravel descent.

Dwaine's tire choice was risky. My calculus was that a tire that rolled more efficiently over the majority of the course might mask my lower threshold power. It was less durable. It offered the least tread possible. I rolled the dice and ran my Continental GP5000TL 32mm slicks. The first descent confirmed that my choice was a wild handful on fast gravel.

Mile ten to mile thirty sees a drop of about 500 feet over flattish roads with occasional rolling hills. The route alternates mostly between sectors that are due South for a solid crosswind and due West for a headwind. Adam did not have a great group to work with. Dwaine did.

My group of seven needed no introduction to pacelining. We all took our turns. When the wind turned cross we fanned into a proper seven rider echelon that often filled the road from gutter to gutter. Everyone knew that ending a pull in the echelon required falling back on the windward side of the road. It was sweet. And it was working.

An unseen challenge revealed itself, however. As our group worked further South we found certain geographies with stronger winds. I'm Ok with riding echelon formation on some gravel roads. But the crosswinds were increasing the risk of that formation. We soon realized single file was required for safety. Not long after a gust moved me four feet off my line. I was lucky to have four feet of road to leeward. Gravel crosswind sections found us searching for a smooth line, battling the gusts, with no way to share the work.

By mile twenty five our well working seven rider group caught some riders and doubled in size. At about this time we enjoyed a short Eastward leg with smooth pavement and a strong tailwind. Heavenly. I stripped a layer, ate, drank, and prepared mentally for more work.

Around mile thirty the course started climbing up to Windmill Ridge. It got even windier. Group riding was off the table as the crosswinds and loose gravel left every rider for themselves. I was lucky to get near the front for this section. I could choose my own pace and choose the best line.

As we crested the ridge we were rewarded with an expansive view to the South over the great rolling Columbia River. The view came with a cost, however. This section of gravel road was the narrowest, chunkiest and least friendly of the entire course. It was a short down and up into a stiff, stiff headwind. On the final pitch I was pedaling over threshold, in my lowest gear, barely moving forward, and getting a substantial draft from the rider in front of me. Crazy.

As the road flattened I looked up and saw Adam. Yay! Adam knew he needed to make lots of friends before the twenty mile trek into the wind and had been pacing himself to get caught by my group at just the right time.

Before we could realize that goal we needed to survive the gravel descent off Windmill Ridge. One section had both sketchy gravel and that stiff crosswind. This was tire test number two. First I noticed Adam fade out of my left peripheral vision. His tires were appropriate for the job and he chose to slow a bit to guarantee survival. Next I saw an unknown rider get blown out of my right peripheral vision and heard him engage the ditch. He saved it, stayed upright, and rode it back onto the road.

I forged ahead with the wind shoving me to the right. I countered by leaning left just to ride straight. The gusts started to gain the upper hand and I put my cyclocross cornering techniques to work. Weight centered, bent elbows, right leg bent, left foot ready to catch the slide. And slide we did as both ends took repeated turns getting loose and then regaining traction. The rubber side stayed down and as the road bent left I knew that the liabilities in my tire choice were now all firmly behind me.

Windmill Ridge left my previous group in tatters. We wanted lots of company as we got started into the worst of the headwinds. We rode together, displayed our Fell Swoop team colors, and let a group of about twelve assembled itself around us. A few minutes of working into the wind stripped some chaff and we were soon down to ten. This group of ten worked together amazingly well. When appropriate we were able to transform from single file into a rotating paceline. There was no drama except for the occasional light snow fall. We stayed focused on the work and pushed towards the descent into the tiny town of Lyle. And the main aid station stop for the route.

The Lyle aid station was the source of many pre-race tactical discussions. Especially after The Ephrata Affair.

An aside about The Ephrata Affair. Adam and I are strong pedalers. But not the strongest. We accept that we will get out powered. We are also strong racecraftsmen. And we don't accept getting out maneuvered in this domain. At Gran Fondo Ephrata Adam was in a large group approaching the aid station. He had to stop for water. He hadn't realized most of the group didn't need water. They rode on and when Adam rejoined he was relegated to a smaller and slower group into the headwind on Palisades Road. Outplayed. We vowed there would be no repeat.

Before the Goldendale race started we had contingencies in place. But plan 'A' worked well for us. As we approached the descent into Lyle Adam verbally confirmed with a number of riders in our group of 'ten friends' that we would make a 'quick stop'. And it was quick. Just a minute or two.

Once we were back under way towards Klickitat we had fifteen miles of false flat before the final climb. This was easy compared to the headwind section. We continued to work well as a group. We had plenty of time to contemplate the final climb to Horseshoe Bend. The group of 'ten friends' slowed near the base of the climb. I told the riders around me thanks for being my friends for so much of the day and that I'd likely fade and see them after the finish.

Adam had received his team orders the day before. He was never to look back for me. Not on the first climb nor the last. His job that Sunday was to find the best wheel to work with, teammate or not, and earn Fell Swoop's best finish. On the final climb he shadowed the fasted two climbers for much of the climb eventually having to back his effort down near the top.

During the minutes before the climb I felt lucky to have stayed near Adam as long as I did. I hoped to ascend mid pack but that aspiration was blown when I felt a cramp starting just two minutes in. I stopped immediately and took the opportunity to visit nature. When the task was completed my legs said there were ready to try again. I remounted and resumed my previous level of effort with no further cramping. It felt good to be able to climb at a Zone 3 effort and my spirits were lifted. Soon I was pushing not quite to threshold for the steepest pitches and eventually passed on of the 'ten friends'.

Near the top I spotted two more of the 'ten friends' which motivated some threshold plus efforts and they were eventually caught. I was hurting and sat in for a few minutes. When it was my turn at the front I initially pulled too hard. They were hurting too.

Tire test number three occurred over the final twelve paved miles into the finish. This test was about pure speed.

When we turned off the final gravel sector we found pavement and a tailwind. Our speeds doubled. My two friends stayed attached until I upped the effort on the first roller.

I repeated the protocol over and over. I put in strong but sustainable efforts up and over each roller. When my descending speed was high enough to feel wind in my face I tucked and rested. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Lots of time using the eleven tooth cog. I was flying and loving every second. Occasionally seeing and then catching riders kept my motivation high.

Up the road Adam was riding similarly strong. The two stronger climbers stayed away and Adam had no other 'friends' to catch. Adam did not know one of the 'ten friends' had him in the cross hairs. For many miles the trailing rider was watching from afar and working. Wittling away the seconds. Repeatedly measuring the slowly shrinking gap against the miles remaining.

The catch was made just a mile out of town and I gave Adam a warm greeting as we worked up the penultimate roller together. Adam wasn't looking back much and I 'caught' him off guard. I told him that if he had to be caught I was the one he wanted to do the catching. Three minutes later we zipped and smoothed jerseys for the finish line paparazzi, team orders were reiterated, and he took 26th with me behind in 27th. After 88 miles and five hours we crossed the line separated by one second.

The drive home from Goldendale gave us plenty of time to collect and organize our thoughts and lessons from this race. Three of the big ones deserve to be mentioned.

Tires. Unless you aspire to wild bronco riding, slick 32mm road tires are not the wisest choice for Gran Fondo Goldendale. They allowed me to save a few watts. They helped me gain back a few seconds on smooth pavement. But my choice came with significant liabilities on the gravel. Adam and I would both recommend something closer to his treaded 35mm gravel tires.

I was able to perform surprisingly well despite my lower FTP. I could not push the pedals hard enough to get over the first climb with the lead pack. But my style of training gave me the endurance turn the pedals for every one of the 300 minutes.

Adam was strong enough to finish the first climb attached to the lead group. This is a guarantee of nothing but still very encouraging. It is the first requirement to finishing in the lead group. In addition to climbing well he was able to sustain. His average weighted power for the race set a new personal best of 240 watts.

We are optimistic as we train towards two more gravel races this year in Leavenworth and Quilicene. We look forward to expanding the Fell Swoop presence into the gravel racing scene. Expect to read about it right here.