You've Been Cooked: Cascade Cycling Classic Stages 1-3

(We catch up with Matt Cooke in Oregon, halfway through the Cascade Cycling Classic. Matt raced locally as an amateur with Lateral Stress Velo and in 2006 was the Elite National Road Race Champion. For 2007 he landed a pro contract with Navigator's Insurance, and this year is racing for the Health Net Pro Cycling Team. He'll be contributing regularly to GamJams as he follows the NRC Calendar around the country.

Questions for Matt? Ask away in the comments and he'll get back to you. But probably not until after his massage.)

You've Been Cooked: Cascade Cycling Classic Stages 1-3
by Matt Cooke
Health Net Pro Cycling Team, presented by Maxxis

I’m in Bend Oregon at the Cascade Cycling Classic.  We are three days in, I think, and we have two more.  Today was a time trial in the morning that Levi crushed and then a crit tonite that just ended a few hours ago. 

Tonight was some crazy racing.  Just really fast with guys taking all kinds of risks just to move up a few spots.  In the last half hour there were like 4 bad crashes, two Bissel guys I’m sure stacked it and also one Rock guy, who was on the ground for a long time.  For me I was just hanging in the middle of the field trying to stay as safe as possible.  I would have loved to have gotten into a move but Rory got into the first and only move of the day.  And really you have to be sitting like top 6 if you want to try and break away.  In the end Toyota lined it out and their man Dom Rollin won but our guy Kyle Gritters took a very close second.  Nice job Kyle.

The TT this morning was pretty damn hard.  I don’t know what I placed but it was pretty far down.  I didn’t even make the first page of results!

Yesterday was a little more interesting for me.  It was another 80 mile road race with a mountain top finish.  A break with Kyle and Corey went away in the first 20 miles or so and stayed away.  Rock Racing had the leaders jersey but the team they had here was pretty weak so it was left up to BMC to control the front.  There were some pretty windy sections where we were all in the gutter, and I totally hate that stuff. 

As the race got closer to the finish the gap to the break came down but not that much.  On the final climb Horner from Astana led the group up the first pitch and then pulled off.  I was in that main split with Levi and Botero and all the other GC guys but I was a little too far towards the back.  My teammate Roman came up to me, told me to get on his wheel and took me all the way to the front and dropped me off on Phil Zajicek’s wheel.  So I was sitting 4th wheel behind Cesar from Rock, Levi from Astana and my teammate Phil.  At some point Levi attacked and there was no reaction, so of course I ride right up to his wheel.  I’m there for like, well I don’t know how long, but not very long when Botero comes right up pushes me off Levi’s wheel and then the lights go out for me.  I just stopped pedaling.  Trying to go with Levi is pretty much suicide but I figure I tried and I figured out one way that I can’t beat him.  Maybe there’s some other way, I don’t know, but I’ll keep trying.  The good news is Corey got 3rd for the stage and he’s got to be stoked for that because he has spent most of the year working for his teammates. 

Comments

[HarryF]

Matt,
Good effort these past few days. I've been following the results every day. It was great to see you putting on a show at Reston. Levi must be an animal as he just crushed everyone in the TT yesterday. Guess he's getting the frustrations out of not riding in the Tour on you guys.

One last thing.. the fines the officials are handing out are pretty interesting. You got nailed...

Best of luck!
Harry Fang
Harry Fang

[Donna Collier]

Hey Matt, Donna here (Corey's sis-in-law). I was searching the web for Health Net stuff (specifically pics of Big'n in the Tour of Utah), but instead came across blogs by you, Rory, and Matt Crane. Very interesting stuff! I enjoyed reading all comments about Corey best, of course. Anyway, good job in Utah and best of luck in Nationals. I will be closely watching the results to see how you guys do and will be cheering you on from home.

All the best, Donna Collier

P.S. I tried to watch your friend Matt in the Olympics triathlon, but it never came on as promised. Looks like he did well though!