New time trials for Cascade Classic

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The women making their way through the rollers along the back side of the course.(Image credit: Jon Devich/Cyclingnews.com/epicimages.us)

The Cascade Cycling Classic in Bend, Oregon will unveil two new time trials for the 33rd edition the National Race Calendar event that runs six days in July, organizers announced this week.

The race opens Tuesday, July 17, with a brand-new five kilometer opening prologue time trial course on the slopes of new development by the Tetherow Golf course on the southwest edge of town. The short loop, with a limited amount of climbing, was previously used as part of the 20km time trial course for the 2009-10 elite nationals and will set the pecking order for stage one. The men start at 6 p.m. and the women follow.

The stage 1 McKenzie Pass Road Race on July 18 is back for the third-consecutive year. Both men and women will tackle 123 kilometres with two significant climbs starting about two-thirds of the way through the race. The first ascent brings riders from about 1,800 feet to nearly 5,400 in just over 20 miles on a road that's closed from November through July and which prohibits large trucks and motor homes because of the tight switchbacks near the top.

"I think we're going to see a bit more balance," Sperry said. "There was enough elevation in the old Skyliners course that the climbers could do their damage on McKenzie and Mount Bachelor and still be kind of in contention (in the time trial that followed). But now it's going to level the playing field a little. The big guys are going to have a bit more advantage than what they've had in the past. But they still have to work their butts off over McKenzie Pass. It's going to be a real interesting dynamic."

Following the time trial test, the stage 3 Cascade Lakes Road Race course is back again for 2012 with a slight change for the men, who will start and finish at Mt. Bachelor – making two clockwise loops around the mountain – rather than starting in Bend and riding to Mt. Bachelor as in previous years. The men will race 150 kilometers, while the women tackle 68. Cesar Grajales took his second stage win here in 2011, and Rushlee Buchanon (Colavita-Forno d'Asolo) won the women's stage.

The Saturday evening criterium returns for stage 4 with the familiar rectangular course that slices through the heart of downtown. The 1km course features straightaways that span five blocks, with a single block separating them on each end. The south end of the course, which transitions from a wide, smooth road to a single lane, draws some of the biggest crowds. Chipotle's Robert Bush took the men's race last year after lapping the field with five other riders. Lauren Hall (Colavita-Forno d'Asolo) grabbed the women's win.

The 2012 race concludes Sunday, July 22, with the traditional Awbrey Butte Circuit Race, a 26 km loop on the edge of town that rolls though farmland to the northwest and then climbs through a residential neighborhood on the edge of town. The course and its infamous Archie Briggs climb is a familiar favorite for the stage race and has also been used for multiple national championship events. The men tackle five laps for 138 kilometres, while the women race four laps for 111 kilometres.

Growing up in Missoula, Montana, Pat competed in his first bike race in 1985 at Flathead Lake. He studied English and journalism at the University of Oregon and has covered North American cycling extensively since 2009, as well as racing and teams in Europe and South America. Pat currently lives in the US outside of Portland, Oregon, with his imaginary dog Rusty.