Craig & Decker singlespeed to victory ahead of local Cascade challengers

If you're a pro racer with a weekend off from national-level competition, what do you do? Racers like Adam Craig and Carl Decker don't just sit around waiting for the next NMBS event or World Cup.

In the name of good fun and training, Team Giant's Craig and Decker tackled the 10th Annual Cascade Chainbreaker mountain bike race near their hometown of Bend, Oregon last weekend. As if the race itself would not have been hard enough, the duo elected to race their singlespeeds for a little extra challenge.

"It's good for your legs," Decker told The Bulletin. "It's a better workout.

"I was pedaling at a million rpm's," Craig said. "That was a lot of work. I haven't done an effort like that in awhile. That was some getting in shape - just waiting for the last 20 minutes and going really hard."

The singlespeeds didn't slow either racer down too much. Craig took first place ahead of Decker. The two stayed together for awhile, then Craig stopped for a nature break, he caught back up. With a few miles to go, Craig pulled away for a victory in 2:27:38. Decker followed 44 seconds back. In his trademark fun-loving approach to racing, Craig crossed the line while doing a wheelie.

Ross Schnell (Trek / VW) and local Brig Brandt, last year's winner, were the only two to challenge the Giant riders. They often caught the lead duo on the descents because they lacked the large gears, but they would fall behind on the climbs.

"That was a bit demeaning," joked Schnell to The Bulletin. Schnell is staying with Craig during his visit to Bend.