The newest member of the OUCH Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis took exactly three stages to get his first win for his new team.
Chris Baldwin powered through gusty, 30 mph winds in the Hood River Gorge to win the Stage 2 individual time trial of the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic.
“The wind just kinda rips down the gorge,” Baldwin said. “It’s hard to do a race like that when you feel like a human sail. But everyone had to deal with the same conditions. When it’s like that, the race becomes a mental exercise. You have to keep your focus and not let it break your concentration.
Baldwin held that concentration for 42:44.7 minutes, besting race leader Paul Mach (Bissell) over the 18.5-mile course by a shade over three seconds. While it wasn’t enough to move Baldwin into the lead, he did jump from 3rd to 2nd place, and tightened the gap between them to just 0:15 heading into Saturday’s queen stage, the 92-mile climb-fest known as the Wy’East Road Race, covering more than 10,000 of elevation gain.
“I was really pleased with my ride today,” Baldwin added, “not necessarily physically, but my focus and my pace felt the best it has in a couple years. I felt like I got the best out of myself today.”
Another OUCH Presented by Maxxis rider who also had a good day was Jonathan Chodroff. The elite time trial national champion tackled what’s considered one of the toughest time trial courses in the U.S. in a time of 43:19, good enough for the third spot on the podium today, and enough to move him up to 5th place overall. And though he felt like he had a bad day, Roman Kilun still placed 14th on the stage and sits 12th overall.
With just two teammates, Baldwin knows they have their work cut out for them Saturday against the five-rider Bissell squad.
“I was really impressed with Paul today,” Baldwin said. “He’s riding really well. All their guys are going well. They brought a very good climbing team for this race. It’s going to be a challenge to get away from them tomorrow.”
Mt. Hood concludes Sunday with a criterium in Hood River.