Metromint Cycling at the Elkhorn Classic Stage Race

9/15/09
by Evan Pickett, Metromint Cycling Team

As the summer fog began to settle in mid-June, ten intrepid Metromint Cyclists set off for the sunny and typically bone dry Baker City, OR—home of the Elkhorn Classic Stage Race.  Elkhorn is a three-day, four-stage race consisting of a 75-mile road race on Friday afternoon, an 11-mile time trial Saturday morning, a downtown criterium on Saturday afternoon, and a 101-mile road race—complete with a Tour de France-style summit finish on top of Dooley Mountain!—on Sunday morning.

After a lengthy drive fueled by the surprisingly satisfying marriage of Metromint and PB&J, we convened in Baker City on Thursday evening and headed out to scout the time trial course.

In addition to the crew from Metromint Cycling, Bev Calder, owner of Bella's Main Street Market (one of eastern Oregon’s most enthusiastic retail-suppliers of Metromint), also entered the race.  Not only was this Elkhorn Bev's first-ever bike race, it was also her first-ever athletic competition!  And because every category of racer rides the same distance at the Elkhorn Classic, Bev was going to be riding just as far as the professional men.  Not only that, she was racing in the same field as the professional women! Nice!

Walking into Bella’s, it’s readily apparent that Bev is a huge fan of locally grown, artisanal, and extremely high-quality products. She stocks everything from jam made in her own back yard to wooden kitchenware crafted by Baker City woodsmiths. The store even has an espresso maker (for when you need that little pick-me-up before a three-day stage race) and an entire wall dedicated to photos from local and professional bike races across the US and Europe. It was pretty cool to see pictures of my teammates and me competing at the Elkhorn Classic over the past two years right next to Lance Armstrong racing up L’Alpe d’Huez… apparently Bev’s been watching the team and felt our photos were worthy of the wall (and the company). It’s always a pleasure wearing the dots and stopping by Bella’s because we not only get to see the shop, we get to hear how happy she is that Metromint has a cycling team and always sends a good crew to support Baker City!

Bev describes her first race: “I've always loved riding for fun but was so inspired by the women I've met at the Elkhorn that I challenged myself to ride the race before I turned 50. At 48, this is my first ever sporting competition as well as my first ever bike race.  I was soooooo nervous at Friday's start and then a little amazed by the pace of the first 20 miles but when the rain hit, and the peloton ratcheted UP their speed at North Powder, I was caught wondering (just for a few moments) why I thought I could do this.  Shortly into the next climb, I hooked up with Zan Gibbs (Sorella Forte) and my race story got lots better! We rode together for the better part of 50 miles, I learned a lot from her and had someone to share a belly laugh with near the crest of the final climb of the day when I realized I was in my BIG RING!  I'm still chuckling about that!”

What’s amazing about Bev was that when she wasn’t racing, she was happy to follow along as a spectator. Bev's support for the Metromint Cycling Team was apparent from street level, with dots painted on the sidewalk and an active cheering section for our riders every time we passed her shop during the crit. The enthusiasm had its effect, with time trial and criterium specialist Phil Mooney putting on a good show and spending much of the downtown race off the front of the pack.

Part of why Bev is so enthusiastic about both the race itself and the team (other than the fact that she simply loves the Mint) is that the Elkhorn Classic has had a distinctly positive impact on Baker City.  Says Bev, “Small communities try a lot of different things to build and sustain their downtown—I personally believe the Elkhorn Classic is one of the best things that has ever been given to us.  Cyclists come all this way to climb our mountains, deal with our weather and so graciously illustrate the beauty of the sport, healthy lifestyles, team work and camaraderie-and they seem to have so much fun doing it!” We bring hundreds of hungry (and I mean hungry), thirsty (and I mean thirsty), early to bed & early to rise folks looking for quiet local hotels for the weekend—come on, what small town wouldn’t love us? But in all seriousness, Bev and others view the race as promoting a lifestyle devoted to nature, simplicity, and healthfulness—all of which the locals hold dear. Don’t believe me? This year, Baker City started “Baker <3 Bikes,” to promote bicycle safety and the health benefits of cycling. I don’t think it’d be a stretch to suggest that this initiative and the Elkhorn Classic are related.

With many of us having done this race before, we knew the odds for Baker City being hot and dry were high … and so we had plenty of cold Metromint at the ready for after each stage.  In all honesty, Metromint's lightness—not to mention MetroElectro's electrolytes! - are a welcome change after going through bottle after bottle of sugary sports drink during races. Some ice, a good stretch, maybe a massage or two, and a few cold bottles of Metromint were just what the doctor ordered for our post-race recovery!

Of course in bike racing the weather almost never does what you think it’s going to do, and, true to form, the last stage pummeled us with a stiff, cold rain—so much rain that the stage was actually shortened due to concerns about rider safety. Although it was tough getting up the final climb, finishing the race was made easier by seeing Bev at the finish line with cups of hot Chai and cookies for all the riders. Thanks, Bev!

Thrilled but exhausted from yet another Elkhorn Classic, the team piled back into their respective carpools and headed back to the Bay Area. It was great seeing the Baker City folks come out in strong support of the race yet again, and we’re already looking forward to heading back next year. Hopefully Bev will put her cycling kit back on in 2010 and join us for another slog up Dooley Mountain! It’s truly inspirational to see someone who so perfectly embodies the slick, adventurous, active lifestyle that we (the team) and Metromint (the product) work towards. We’ll be back for sure.