Location: Bend, Oregon
Date: July 30
Written by: Josh Dillon
Result: 23rd
http://usacycling.org/results/index.php?year=2009&id=2100&info_id=18850

This is the year that we win the elite national title, for sure.  I have twice been in the top ten in my first two attempts, but this year I held off on racing early so that I would have peak form for the end of July.  As verification of the training, we took out the win at the Tour de Quebec just 2 weeks prior.  On top of that Bend offered up a terrific course with 6 laps of a true rouleurs' parcour with just over 1000 ft of climbing per lap.  And we had the opportunity to preview the course at the Cascade Classic the week prior...but there in lies the catch.  I had never raced at an altitude much higher than sea level before.  I once raced up Mt. Washington which is just above 6000', but started around 2000'.  And a couple of stages of the Mt. Hood Classic went up above 3000' and 4000' but we always went back to sea level to sleep.  The highest road race climb around here is Ap Gap and that is only 2375'.  The reality of sleeping at 4000' all week really slapped me in the face on the stage 4 of Cascade where I was going out the back of the race on the first KOM of the day when there were upwards of 100 riders still in the peloton.  What?!  That sucks.  It was very humbling to come to terms with riding my own race, rather playing out the tactics on the road.  The hope for the the Elite Road Race was that 10 or so days is about when the body starts to make some headway in the physiological adaptations at altitude.  As always I had phenomenal teammates, Weller and Schildge, laying it on the line for me trusting that I would deliver the goods at crunch time.  And I definitely felt better than I had at Cascade throughout the first 3 laps of the race.  But it was clear as day when the race was to be made on the 2nd to last lap and I was still off the mark, and had to settle into the 2nd chase group on the road.  Oh well.  Fortunately there is still Green Mountain Stage Race and Univest Grand Prix to seek redemption.