Cherry Pie was a blast. Phil and I carpooled to the race. On the ride down we talked about the team strategy. We both knew I had a shot at winning it based on the miles and training I've put in this winter. It was tough to come up with a plan since we did not know how our fitness would stack up against all the other riders. We decided on a few things that we would do; 1) ride together, staying close, 2) communicate with eachother, and 3) stay near the front. It was a nice surprise to see Ian May at the start.

I won't give a play by play of the race, since I think it's already been done quite well by Ian and Phil. What I will say is that Team Oregon rode a great race. We stayed up front, close to each other, if not right next to each other for the whole race. When it was time to reel in the break Team-O went the front and organized the chase. Phil put in heroic efforts on the front, which inspired others to join in. With 3 green jerseys up front, we managed to hide the fact that I wasn't working as hard as the others.

The teamwork between Phil, Ian and I resulted in me getting 2^nd. It would not have happened without them. Thanks guys.

-Rob A