Good friends, albeit from different teams, took the spoils on Friday in the 87-mile men’s Cascade Lakes Road Race. Burke Swindlehurst (Navigators) won stage 3 of Oregon’s Cascade Cycling Classic while Jeff Louder (Health Net-Maxxis), his Salt Lake City friend and training partner, moved into the overall lead.

In the 75-mile women’s race, which was staged at the base of Mount Bachelor, 12 miles down the road from the men’s start, Kristen Armstrong (Lipton) won a sprint finish from Dotsie Bausch (Colavita-Cooking Light) and Mara Abbot (Rio Grande).

Men
The action in the men’s race started early, as the racecourse began to point upward soon after the field left the Bend city limits. The course first took the racers up the more gradual Eastern side of Mount Bachelor, before descending the steeper western side, making a loop around the scenic Crane reservoir, and finally, climbing back up the western side of the mountain to finish at the top.

At only 10 miles into the race, eight riders escaped from the field. In that group were Gordon McCauley and Daniel Ramsey (Successful Living); Burke Swindlehurst and Valeriy Kobzarenko (Navigators); Jeff Louder and Doug Ollernshaw (Health Net-Maxxis); Todd Herriott (Colavita-Sutter Home); and Peter Hatton (Jittery Joe’s).

With Louder sitting third overall heading coming into the stage, the move was dangerous for leader Chris Wherry and his team, Toyota-United.

“When I went away, Chris Baldwin stood up like he was going to follow me, but then he sat back down, “said Louder.

As the group worked together cohesively, the gap gradually grew to more than three minutes on the long rolling loop around the reservoir.

Finally, with the racers approaching the ultimate ascent of the snow-capped Mount Bachelor, Toyota-United, with some help from Priority Health, began to bring the gap down. The lead group, now whittled down to only the Health Net-Maxxis and Navigators riders, held a 90-second lead as they began the climb.

In the field, Navigators began attacking, shattering the field and leaving only a select group up front: Wherry, Scott Moninger and Nathan O’Neill (Health Net-Maxxis), Sergey Lagutin and Cesar Grajales (Navigators).

But Louder wouldn’t give up. As Swindlehurst and Kobzarenko sat on him, protecting the placing of their chasing teammates, Louder rode swiftly up the climb. Within the last few hundred meters Swindlehurst and Kobzarenko surged past him to take first and second on the stage, but Louder gained 22 seconds on Wherry and seized the overall lead.

With three more races to go in only two days, Saturday’s six-mile time trial will play a major role in deciding the overall winner.

“If history shows, I’ve always time trialed well against Chris. And wearing the leader’s jersey adds some extra motivation.” Louder said. “Nathan O’Neill is probably my biggest threat. The lead could change hands within the team tomorrow.”

Women
A breakaway in the women’s race failed to form until well after the descent of Mount Bachelor. At about 30 miles into the stage Amber Rais (Webcor-Platinum) and Kele Murdin (Velo Bella-Kona) took off, eventually gaining two minutes over the chasing Lipton team before heading back up the Mount Bachelor climb.

As the field began to grind up the ascent, a small split formed in the field with Lipton rider Kristen Armstrong at the front and overall leader Kristen LaSasso behind in the second group. From there Mara Abbott (Rio Grande-Sports Garage) set a tempo that increased the gap, leaving only four riders, Armstrong, Abbot, Dotsie Bausch (Colavita-Cooking Light), and Rachel Heal (Victory Brewing) at the front. With LaSasso fading, obviously taxed from the previous day’s long breakaway, Armstrong attacked, setting herself up for the eventual win.

“It’s kind of a fun game, it’s called the ‘hanging on to Kristen’s wheel’ game,” said Abbott.

At the summit, Armstrong easily came around Abbot and Bausch to take the win, with her teammate, LaSasso, finishing not far behind in a group of about 10 riders to maintain the overall lead.

Armstrong, now sitting second overall, says it’s nice having LaSasso, who typically plays a support role, wearing the leader’s jersey.

“It’s her turn and I couldn’t think of a better person to work for,” said Armstrong. “It’s also really fun for me, because I really get to really race my bike instead of having to conserve all the time.”

Cascade Cycling Classic
Cascade Lakes Road Race
Men
1. Burke Swindlehurst (Navigators), 3:33:57
2. Valeriy Kobzarenko (Navigators), at 0:04
3. Jeff Louder (Health Net-Maxxis), at 0:06
4. Scott Moninger (Health Net-Maxxis), at 0:16
5. Sergey Lagutin (Navigators), at 0:27
6. Nathan O’Neill (Health Net-Maxxis), at 0:30
7. Chris Wherry (Toyota-United), same time
8. Cesar Grajales (Navigators), s.t.
9. Glen Chadwick (Navigators), at 0:52
10. Tom Zirbel (Priority Health), at 1:02

Women
1. Kristen Armstrong (Lipton), 3:37:14
2. Dotsie Bausch (Colavita-Cooking Light), s.t.
3. Mara Abbott (Rio Grande), s.t.
4. Rachel Heal (Victory Brewing), s.t.
5. Nicole Evans (FFA Architects), at 0:44
6. Kate Sherwin (Victory Brewing), s.t.
7. Marisa Asplund (CPT-Colnago), s.t.
8. Brook Ourada (CPT-Colnago), s.t.
9. Betina Hold (Webcor-Platinum), s.t.
10. Beverly Harper (Touchstone Climbing), s.t.

Overall
Men
1. Jeff Louder (Health Net-Maxxis), 10:05:21
2. Chris Wherry (Toyota-United), at 0:05
3. Sergey Lagutin (Navigators), at 0:12
4. Scott Moninger (Health Net-Maxxis), at 0:17
5. Nathan O’Neill (Health Net-Maxxis), at 0:29
6. Cesar Grajales (Navigators), at 0:45
7. Trent Wilson (Jittery Joe’s), at 1:39
8. Chris Baldwin (Toyota-United), at 2:00
9. Glen Chadwick (Navigators), at 2:30
10. Tom Zirbel (Priority Health), at 2:54

Women
1. Kristen LaSasso (Lipton), 7:31:49
2. Kristen Armstrong (Lipton), at 1:39
3. Dotsie Bausch (Colavita-Cooking Light), s.t.
4. Mara Abbott (Rio Grande), s.t.
5. Rachel Heal (Victory Brewing), s.t.
6. Kate Sherwin (Victory Brewing), at 2.23
7. Betina Hold (Webcor-Platinum), s.t.
8. Nicole Evans (FFA Architects), s.t.
9. Brook Ourada (CPT-Colnago), s.t.
10. Beverly Harper (Touchstone Climbing), at 2:38