Race Report: 2026 Regalado Road Race Men’s P/1/2

Race: 2026 Regalado Road Race P/1/2

Date: 5/30/2026

AVRT racers: Andrew Ernst

Top Result: Andrew Ernst (1/9)

Course: Four laps of a 17 mile clockwise loop made up of rolling hills and a few short washboard gravel sectors where many riders drop chains or bottles. 500’ elevation per lap. The eastbound stretch along the top of the course tends to be fast with a tailwind. The gravel sections aren’t particularly technical and come at the end of the southbound stretch. The westbound section is the hardest with headwind and a few decent kickers. The finish line is on a slight uphill after a gradual downhill.

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/18719331633/overview

Nutrition: Extra carbs in the days before the race, big bowl of cereal and a pot of coffee morning of the race, and another 150g carbs in the hour before the race. Had planned 100-120g per hour during the race in the form of Gatorade mix, maltodextrin, and gels, but lost my bottle containing 100g so just had gels and water. Feedzone is just after the start/finish line.

Report: The course profile is suitable for a breakaway with the rolling hills, gravel sections, and crosswinds. Given the size of the field, an organized chase from the main group would be challenging. With this in mind, my plan was to initiate a break and avoid a sprint finish.

From the whistle I accelerated and found myself off the front. Noah Shelton and Aubery Longeau joined right away, and Peter Bock bridged a few minutes later. We kept it quick through the tailwind section into the gravel, gradually building a 45-60 second gap. We lost Aubery to a mechanical in the gravel but Gavin Blair managed to bridge solo and take the place as the fourth rider in the break. I’ve never lost a bottle in a race but managed to eject both simultaneously at this point. One bottle had 100g of carbs. Fortunately I had five gels, full glycogen stores, and a fairly short race ahead. Drew Matthews’ hand-up device with neutral water was a lifesaver!

We motored along for the first lap before easing off a bit on laps two and three. Overall we worked well together with everyone taking pulls, though Noah was taking considerably longer pulls than the rest of us. I was more than happy to let him work, knowing he would be the biggest threat at the end.

Seeing as I was the biggest guy in the group, they attacked me a bit in the hills on the last lap but fortunately the headwind allowed me to stay in touch. After that I stopped taking pulls. Our pace dropped significantly as nobody wanted to drag the group through the headwind before the finish.

I took my last pull just before the final corner and then eased off. Fortunately Noah took the front and kept the pace up with the tailwind to avoid any long attacks. He pulled off at the 1km sign, likely expecting a bit of cat and mouse. With Noah now out of position I figured this was my chance and attacked over the final rise and into the gradual descent to the finish. Their moment of hesitation was enough for me to get a gap and hold it for the win