Vuelta rider, Jade Wilcoxson, rode away with the win in Sunday’s Giro di Portland criterium in the Pearl District.
“I was feeling good,” Wilcoxson said when asked about the race. “And then we stopped for about 20 minutes, and my legs just didn’t quite feel it when we started back up again. So I was kind of nervous about the finish. That’s why I went so early, because I didn’t feel like my legs were that good.”
Her legs were good enough for a win by several bike lengths over Sue Butler, who rode in next for second. Walle and Lopez-Otero decided the last podium spot with a rematch of their OBRA championship battle the week before, with the Ironclad rider getting the advantage again.
We’ve always know that Vuelta rider Jade Wilcoxson can mix it up with the “Big Girls,” but Jade’s blistering performance at last weekend’s 2011 Sea Otter Classic left no doubt that she can do more than mix it up. Keep in mind that the venerable Sea Otter (has it really been 21 years…my joints are creaking) is the season opener where the big teams showcase their Pro riders for the season and test their talent against the national competition. Along comes independent Northwest gunslinger Jade Wilcoxson. Although having no team to back her up, Jade road like a screaming banshee to take 1st place on the event-climaxing Circuit Race. That first gave Jade 2nd overall after having bagged 7th in both the Road Race and the Crit.
