Course: The Cherry Pie course starts at the top of a small hill and goes through two 90 degree right turns, a sweeping right turn, a 90 degree left turn up to the finish line and finally a 180 degree hairpin down the start stretch again.
Course Description: The climb to the finish isn't very steep and is almost always ridden in the big ring. In fact, an old team mate of mine won the Master 30 district championship by sprinting in his 12! I personally wouldn't recommend using your 12, but you get the idea.
Distances: The races are timed with most races being about 45 minutes and the Sr. 1/2 being about 60 minutes.
Road Surface: The roads are mostly good, with bots dots.
Gearing: A 12x21 should be more than enough, even while riding the finish hill in the big ring.
Facilities: Plenty of porta cans. The promoters usually supply water and sometimes sell soft drinks. The city of Napa is just a short ride or drive away for more services and food.
Weather: In February, don't come looking for a sun tan! Usually it's pretty nice though. Pray for sunny skies.
Feeding: N/A
Rules Specific to this race:
Race Advice: From the start: Be a little careful in the first 90 degree right turn. If you are on the outside you could get "pushed" out into the median if you're not careful. After the second 90 degree right turn watch for a head wind than becomes a cross wind as the road swings right. Try and stay up front because the group will form an echelon with most riders not in the top twenty stuck in the gutter, exposed to the wind. You'll also want to be near the front as you go up the finish hill. A good tactic is to start the climb near the front and slowly drift back as you go up the hill. This will allow you to save energy for later in the race. Lots of people attack on the hill, but most of the time the attack doesn't really go anywhere. Perhaps a better place to attack is coming out of the hair pin back down the hill. The pack will usually be stretched out and less inclined to chase after the effort expended on the climb. Be careful about attacking before the climb because you might get a small gap, but you'll also go slower up the hill and maybe get caught.
Lodging: There should be plenty of places to stay in Napa if you are so inclined.
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Corrections and additions, please email me!
Kevin Metcalfe
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