The Dalles

East of the rain line.


Featuring the Columbia Gorge, the Cherry Blossom Stage Race is a four race event promoted by Chad Sperry and his crew of famous promoters, including Cross Crusade's Brad Ross.




With thousands of feet of climbing and descending, and a peloton filled with teams from San Francisco to Seattle, and Idaho to Mexico, this event is the next step up in caliber from standard Portland area racing.



Our racers, across the board were new to the competitive level they were racing in, including our Cat 4's Sandra Clark, and Isaac Potoczny-Jones, and Jake Hansen in his first Cat 2 race at this event.




Winds blew in a permanent bluster carrying an underlying chill while the sun shined back an innocent warmth.



Travelling to another world of weather and another level of

competition helped Cyclisme Racers practice an intense focus on

everything in their racing. Rest, food, and warm up, all became

more important.

One day included two races - monstrously
windy ITT,
and a
super fast tight Criterium.

To warm up for the big race of the moment,
all the muscles
were activated
with yoga,
abs, and rollers.

While focus brought success, such as Jake's early 3rd place in the first road race, and Isaac's final lone overall finish for Cyclisme in the G.C. We mostly used the event to learn and get tougher.

Sandra and I volunteered and were part of the event's promotion.
Around our job we brought quality.
Sandra was key to making sure an under marked corner kept racers turning the right way safe. I heard radios squawk appreciation for her effort.
I was kind of asleep when key events transpired, but when I awoke, I got to work! - like feeding a bonked Stephen Beardsley or plucking an exhausted Jake Hansen off a climb.