Originally Posted by furiousferret

Patterson Pass Road Race 4/5 45+ (2nd out of 21)

When we preroad the course it looked concerning; high winds on the descents and with my small frame (and being a terrible descender) I was 'concerned'. It also wasn't a climbers course; descenders had 10 miles to catch as the climbs were early in the laps.

On to the race. I wanted to feel out the course on the first lap (mainly to get a feel for the 1st descent). Luckily, no one took off on the first lap and was able to descend with the lead group. On the second lap I realized my only play was to bank time on the climbs and hope the pack doesn't catch me, so when another rider took off at the beginning of the Pass, I went with him and we traded pulls up that climb and the next (Flynn Rd). Unfortunately on the descent I cooked a corner and he got a gap and took off. I chased but couldn't get close than 5 seconds and he'd take off. I cruised in alone at second place.