Feedback Sports racer Ross Delaplane was out in Bend to test his form against the best in the country. Ross raced in the Category 1 40-49 field, which was the largest of the day, and also contained a number of ex-NORBA Pros and current or former National champs. Ross rolled-out an awesome race, as he finished in 2nd place in the power packed field! He had to work hard to hold-off former Pro Don Myrah, who ultimately finished in 3rd place, a minute behind Ross.
Here is Ross' race report:
"At the start line there was a chilly wind blowing under a cloudy sky - perfect. I lined up in the back row with the other unranked riders - goofing a bit with Mike Hogan who was called up as #1 and seemed so far away. No matter - the race started on pavement and call ups would be completely inconsequential. I rode in dead last the first 5 miles hiding from the wind in what was quite a lackadaisical pace. Somewhat surprisingly, I was able to ride easily from last into the top 6 as the field made the left turn onto the first singletrack. Lucky for me too, as race adrenaline got the most of some riders, there were a couple of crashes immediately on this section.
After a short run-up, a selection had already been made and a group of 8 was away on a dirt road climb. The group included Dario Fredrick, Don Myrah, Mike Hogan, Joel Mischke and few other riders I did not know. Dario and Don (D&D) quickly took over and blew the race open on the climb and the tone for my race on the day was set. I would dangle off the back on the climbs and then roll back-on on the descents or technical sections. At the top of the technical section of "Funner" we were back to a 5 man lead bunch, but D&D were quickly off again. Passing slower riders became an issue on the upper course loop, but everyone was super cool about letting you pass. I gave a big effort on the flat road section at the top of the course to keep Don in sight, who was aggressively chipping away at Dario's 30 second lead.
At the second aid station the three of us were almost all back together again with me less than 10 seconds back of D&D. At the next singletrack downhill I rode back up to Don, but Dario was long gone. The highlight of the whole race for me was riding down "Homebound" (just a blast of a trail!) with Don Myrah - we had a big poster of this guy in the bike shop I worked in 20 years ago! Don made two fantastic saves to avert a nasty ambulance ride - I wish I had video of them. I was still hopeful that the two of us working together would be able to bring Dario back on the long road into town. Oops! There was no long road into town as the course took us alternately onto singletrack and road - pretty much nullifying any two-man advantage. I slipped away in the last 5K to ride across the line for second uncontested.
In general, the course was both great fun and a fair contest for marathon nationals. The only negative being the dust of biblical proportions, which is pretty much unavoidable in volcanic soils. Some people have asked me if the Tour Divide helped or hurt on this ride. The quick answer is both. I was certainly strong for the duration from the massive base of miles, but my max heart rate still hasn't completely recovered and seems to be missing that next level of climbing ability required for a race of this quality. "
Most likely, Ross is the only person who has completed the Tour Divide and finished on the podium in a National Championship event in the same year. Now that's versatility. Congratulations. Click here to view photos from the race.
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