Pete's story: Winters Road Race

BaseCamp athlete Pete Chargin shared his experience at the 2026 Winters Road Race in California.

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My second ever road race, about a month after my first road race. This course was somewhat flatter, and I decided to enter the category 4/5 so there would be a bigger field and fewer on-the-road close calls. I hoped that it would be evenly split between cat 4 and 5.

The starter asked all the cat five riders to raise their hand. Mine was the only one to go up. Well, I thought, this should be a fun day! It turned out to be great for the first part of the race. We were in the 23-30 mph range for the first twelve miles. It’s exciting to be in the front third of a paceline (with the normal times at the front of the line) and moving along at a pretty good clip.

Once we hit the hills, the front part of the pack splintered off. I was able to catch a rider, and we formed a small group, working well together for the rest of the race. I still have a lot to learn in road racing, but I think the bug has bitten.

Thanks to my coach, Brian Hammond, and to BaseCamp for getting me to a place where road racing is even a possibility for me!