snooseville pre-ride report

The Snooseville 100k Populaire, the first organized ride of the Oregon Randonneurs 2009 season, is six days away. (on March 14)

Yesterday, four of us pre-rode the course (which is identical to last year’s). The weather cooperated better than we thought it would. And for me, it’s quite an improvement to have the help (and company) of volunteers this year.

Three of us (Joshua Bryant, Gregg Berkholtz, and I) took the Max out to Hillsboro, then rode up the couple of miles to the Cornelius Pass Roadhouse. Ken Mattina joined us at the nearby Starbucks at the scheduled 8:00 departure time, and the ride commenced.

start
Originally uploaded by tangobiker

‘Twas a bit blustery at the outset, but entirely manageable. A few street signs appeared to be missing, most notably Meek Rd at its intersection with Sewell. (Be mindful of your mileage at that point, and turn left at the T.)

Gregg ...
Originally uploaded by tangobiker

We scouted new info control questions at Greener Road (the Snooseville turnaround) and later at Jack Road (where it intersects Cedar Canyon Road). Between the two, we stopped briefly in Banks (where I ate most of my pbj sandwich). We were also on the lookout for a new secret control location, and Joshua eventually found what I believe will be an excellent one.

We took a long (25-minute) break in front of Maggie’s in Forest Grove, during which time Gregg posted a photo of us on Twitter from his I-phone.

Joshua, with his personally built bike with fairly wide 650b tires, was the fastest rider amongst us. Ken, Gregg, and I fell in at various distances behind him. Joshua, though, didn’t appear to be in too big a hurry, as we all arrived back at Imbrie Hall within 15 minutes of each other.

I’m planning to have the finish check-in at Embrie Hall. When you arrive at the Cornelius Pass Roadhouse off of Imbrie Drive, please continue to the end of the parking lot, where a nice path will then take you to the restaurant.

While the route is the same as last year, I think the ride will be improved, thanks to the volunteers. In particular, Gregg will be on hand in Forest Grove to help riders get through the control there.

My photos from the pre-ride are here on Flickr.
Gregg's photos from the pre-ride are here on Picasa.
Photos from last year's ride are here.

Looking forward to seeing you next Saturday.