Michael Wolfe’s “UGB” 200k permanent is the closest-in randonneuring route to where I live in SE Portland. So when busy February abruptly arrived, I decided to ride it again (the second time in 6 months) on the 6th of the month.
Like last September, David Parsons joined me (I think this is his favorite route.) But instead of riding his Xtracycle, he brought along a more conventional Soma. Also joining us was Edward Groth. Last time I rode a brevet with Ed, he rode a fixie for 300k. This time ‘round, though, he had multiple gears.
Unlike last September, this February's trio rode mostly together for the entire 125 miles. From the East end of the Hawthorne Bridge, we rode out the Springwater Corridor to Boring, traversed some hills beyond Barton Park on our way to Canby, rode the freshly-paved bike path through Champoeg Park, and enjoyed a coffee break at Chapters Bookstore in Newberg. We continued on North Valley Road to Gaston, returned to Skyline via Helvetia, the Rock Creek Tavern, and Old Cornelius Pass, then descended Thompson Road to Cornell. By this time, it was dark and starting to drizzle as Michael’s route meandered cleverly through a non-driveable transition between Cornell Road and NW Raleigh St. Once on Naito Parkway, we ended up having to wait for a long freight train, after which we crossed the Willamette River to finish at Root’s Brewery (on SE 7th Ave). There Ed's friend Stephanie and a few other friends provided an excellent welcoming committee.
The most encouraging thing about the ride was not our overall time (11 hours, 10 minutes), but rather my actual on-bike time (9 hours, 20 minutes), which was a couple hours less than the same route last September.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Skyline - Vernonia 200k
The biggest question about riding the 200k Skyline-Vernonia permanent last January wasn’t the route, but rather whether to continue riding monthly 200k’s at all. But I can’t say the answer was ever seriously in doubt. Monthly 200k (or longer) rides have become a cornerstone of sorts of my training-for-PBP program. So rather than take a break (which in retrospect might have been a good idea), I went ahead and scheduled the 200k in mid-January that started and ended in the St. Johns neighborhood of Portland. The cool thing about St. John’s is that it’s only 10 or so miles from my place, which meant 1) I could ride to the start, and 2) I could hang out at a friend’s place in that neighborhood after the ride.
Ed Groth and Rob Anderson offered to ride along for the first third of the permanent (out to Forest Grove), and were already at the start (at the Starbucks in St. Johns) by the time I got there. Ed flatted on Hwy 30 (St. Helens Rd) shortly after the ride commenced. Of course, Rob & I didn’t discover this until waiting for him at the Burnside entrance to Washington Park. By then, Ed had decided to return home and get ready for his later-in-the-day commitments.
Rob rode a bit faster than me, but waited on Skyline and Old Cornelius Pass Rd. After that, I didn’t see him again till Forest Grove (at Maggie’s Buns). But he said he didn’t arrive there much sooner than me. Sure could’ve fooled me (if he had wanted to).
The ride from Forest Grove to Vernonia (via Timber) has become quite familiar. It’s territory shared with other rando routes. The nice thing was that the weather (and roads) dried up a bit by this time (after a rather misty/drizzly morning).
Vernonia has a new local brew pub inside the Blue House Mediterranean Café. I sampled their porter, which tasted okay and felt good at the time. Eventually, though, that small amount of beer probably contributed to a rather sluggish climb over the hills beyond Vernonia before the descent into Scapposse.
There’s some rural farmland between Scappoose and the Columbia River, and in that farmland there’s a house, the color of which needs to be observed and written down on the brevet card. The challenge was, after dark, the orange-ish streetlight in front of the home thoroughly disguised the actual color. It felt invasive to get close enough for my Edulux headlight to help identify the house’s real color. But I managed.
Ah … Highway 30 after dark by bicycle. Even though the shoulder is mostly generous, it feels a little too much like riding on a freeway. So I was happy to finally get to the St. John’s Bridge. After collecting a receipt from an ATM in St. John’s, (to document the end time), I headed over to friend Amy’s home for some delicious chili and beer. It was like a personal little 200k chili feed, two months earlier than the much larger one put on by the Seattle Randonneurs.
Ed Groth and Rob Anderson offered to ride along for the first third of the permanent (out to Forest Grove), and were already at the start (at the Starbucks in St. Johns) by the time I got there. Ed flatted on Hwy 30 (St. Helens Rd) shortly after the ride commenced. Of course, Rob & I didn’t discover this until waiting for him at the Burnside entrance to Washington Park. By then, Ed had decided to return home and get ready for his later-in-the-day commitments.
Rob rode a bit faster than me, but waited on Skyline and Old Cornelius Pass Rd. After that, I didn’t see him again till Forest Grove (at Maggie’s Buns). But he said he didn’t arrive there much sooner than me. Sure could’ve fooled me (if he had wanted to).
The ride from Forest Grove to Vernonia (via Timber) has become quite familiar. It’s territory shared with other rando routes. The nice thing was that the weather (and roads) dried up a bit by this time (after a rather misty/drizzly morning).
Vernonia has a new local brew pub inside the Blue House Mediterranean Café. I sampled their porter, which tasted okay and felt good at the time. Eventually, though, that small amount of beer probably contributed to a rather sluggish climb over the hills beyond Vernonia before the descent into Scapposse.
There’s some rural farmland between Scappoose and the Columbia River, and in that farmland there’s a house, the color of which needs to be observed and written down on the brevet card. The challenge was, after dark, the orange-ish streetlight in front of the home thoroughly disguised the actual color. It felt invasive to get close enough for my Edulux headlight to help identify the house’s real color. But I managed.
Ah … Highway 30 after dark by bicycle. Even though the shoulder is mostly generous, it feels a little too much like riding on a freeway. So I was happy to finally get to the St. John’s Bridge. After collecting a receipt from an ATM in St. John’s, (to document the end time), I headed over to friend Amy’s home for some delicious chili and beer. It was like a personal little 200k chili feed, two months earlier than the much larger one put on by the Seattle Randonneurs.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
2009 in review
7500 cycling miles ... an ambitious photography project ... the completion of 10 years of the Sunday Afternoon Tango Practica ... and a lot of coffee
It was déjà vu all over again. Last day of the year, and I’m thirty some-odd miles shy of my annual (rather arbitrary) cycling mileage goal. And just like the previous year, it was wet when I left work, and soon to be dark.
The 2009 goal was a modest 7 percent more than 2008. And if I hadn’t been within 40-50 miles of 7500 on December 31st, I would have most likely abandoned it. But as it was, I decided to ride Eastward (from work in Beaverton) to the Riverview Cemetery, and then along the Springwater Corridor as far as necessary to reach 33 miles by the time I would get home. As far as necessary turned out to be downtown Gresham. A tour of the ‘burbs, so to speak.
After getting home and soaking in the tub, I biked an additional mile or so to the New Years Eve tango party at the PPAA on SE Alder. That made it 7504 miles for the year.
Another goal I had in 2009 was photographic, a picture-a-day project, a visual journal of sorts. This project was harder than it sounds. I tried to start one in mid ’08, but abandoned after three or so months. It sucks a lot of time out of one’s schedule, which makes me very happy it’s done! It’s also something I have no intention of repeating.
Because of all the pictures and all the miles (in addition to my job), I cut back on Argentine tango quite a bit. Nonetheless, I still hosted my Sunday Afternoon Tango Practica almost every week (which is now 10 years old!), and managed to take a private lesson from both Luciana Valle and Jorge Torres.
Oh, and one last thing. My friend Amy and I have been researching Spanish coffee in Portland, and now have enough information and photographic raw material to start a blog. Maybe we’ll finally put it up in 2010.
2010 should be busy. I’ll be putting more emphasis on working out … and less on Flickr! I’ve hired a coach to help increase my speed, which will involve going to the gym twice a week, as well as participating in various training rides and such.
Once again, here are some annual cycling stats (for 2009):
~ Total logged miles (including commutes): 7,504
~ Rides of 100 miles or longer: 17
~ Longest ride: SIR 600k (376 miles)
Randonneuring:
~ 2009 RUSA total: 3,907 km (2,427 miles)
~ Super Randonneur award (2nd consecutive)
~ R-12 award (2nd consecutive)
~ One DNF: 228-mile fleche attempt in April
Cumulative odometers:
~ Mountain Cycle Stumptown: 15,543 miles
~ Lemond Buenos Aires: 5,424 miles
~ Ideor Asso (fixie): 4,727 miles
One organized ride:
~ VineRide Century
OBRA participation (Oregon Bicycle Racing Assn.)
Road races: 1
~ Sublimity
Time trial: 1
~ Jack Frost TT (Vancouver, WA)
Track races (Alpenrose Velodrome): 17
~ Fast Twitch Fridays: 5
~ Masters/Juniors (Wednesdays): 11
~ Other: 1
Cyclocross: 9
~ Cross Crusade : 3
~ Blind Date at the Dairy (Alpenrose): 4
~ OBRA Cross Championships (Salem): 2
Happy New Year, everyone!
It was déjà vu all over again. Last day of the year, and I’m thirty some-odd miles shy of my annual (rather arbitrary) cycling mileage goal. And just like the previous year, it was wet when I left work, and soon to be dark.
The 2009 goal was a modest 7 percent more than 2008. And if I hadn’t been within 40-50 miles of 7500 on December 31st, I would have most likely abandoned it. But as it was, I decided to ride Eastward (from work in Beaverton) to the Riverview Cemetery, and then along the Springwater Corridor as far as necessary to reach 33 miles by the time I would get home. As far as necessary turned out to be downtown Gresham. A tour of the ‘burbs, so to speak.
After getting home and soaking in the tub, I biked an additional mile or so to the New Years Eve tango party at the PPAA on SE Alder. That made it 7504 miles for the year.
Another goal I had in 2009 was photographic, a picture-a-day project, a visual journal of sorts. This project was harder than it sounds. I tried to start one in mid ’08, but abandoned after three or so months. It sucks a lot of time out of one’s schedule, which makes me very happy it’s done! It’s also something I have no intention of repeating.
Because of all the pictures and all the miles (in addition to my job), I cut back on Argentine tango quite a bit. Nonetheless, I still hosted my Sunday Afternoon Tango Practica almost every week (which is now 10 years old!), and managed to take a private lesson from both Luciana Valle and Jorge Torres.
Oh, and one last thing. My friend Amy and I have been researching Spanish coffee in Portland, and now have enough information and photographic raw material to start a blog. Maybe we’ll finally put it up in 2010.
2010 should be busy. I’ll be putting more emphasis on working out … and less on Flickr! I’ve hired a coach to help increase my speed, which will involve going to the gym twice a week, as well as participating in various training rides and such.
Once again, here are some annual cycling stats (for 2009):
~ Total logged miles (including commutes): 7,504
~ Rides of 100 miles or longer: 17
~ Longest ride: SIR 600k (376 miles)
Randonneuring:
~ 2009 RUSA total: 3,907 km (2,427 miles)
~ Super Randonneur award (2nd consecutive)
~ R-12 award (2nd consecutive)
~ One DNF: 228-mile fleche attempt in April
Cumulative odometers:
~ Mountain Cycle Stumptown: 15,543 miles
~ Lemond Buenos Aires: 5,424 miles
~ Ideor Asso (fixie): 4,727 miles
One organized ride:
~ VineRide Century
OBRA participation (Oregon Bicycle Racing Assn.)
Road races: 1
~ Sublimity
Time trial: 1
~ Jack Frost TT (Vancouver, WA)
Track races (Alpenrose Velodrome): 17
~ Fast Twitch Fridays: 5
~ Masters/Juniors (Wednesdays): 11
~ Other: 1
Cyclocross: 9
~ Cross Crusade : 3
~ Blind Date at the Dairy (Alpenrose): 4
~ OBRA Cross Championships (Salem): 2
Happy New Year, everyone!
Friday, December 25, 2009
Scio Covered Bridges 200k Permanent
Last November, I completed my 23rd consecutive monthly 200k (or greater) randonneuring bike ride. But I hadn’t figured out what to do in December…until…Don Boothby of Seattle announced his intention to ride the Scio Covered Bridges permanent on Saturday the 5th. “Cool,” I thought, as Saturdays generally work much better for me than Sundays. Plus, Don chose the route with which I started all this R-12 business (with Cecil and Lynne back in January ’08).
The weather turned out to be a bit beyond “cool” on that blustery Saturday morning. There were six riders who expressed interest in participating, but predictions of icy temperatures convinced two riders not to make the trip down from Washington. That left Don, John Vincent, Sam Huffman and me at the Starbucks in Wilsonville for a 7:30 AM start. But because the sun had yet to melt the layer of early morning frost, Don elected to delay the start one hour. Even then, John thought better of embarking on the ride, and decided to drive himself and his recumbent directly back to Olympia.
That left Don Boothby, Sam Huffman, and me. After 8:30, the three of us rolled out to I-5, and gingerly rode the interstate bridge that crosses the Willamette. The Eastward decent down Miley Road looked problematic, enough so that Don and Sam elected to ride back to the Starbucks. I, on the other hand, continued on slowly, but was concentrating so hard on road surfaces that I missed the right turn to Airport Road (hence a bonus mile or two).
Once on Airport Road, things improved significantly. Roadside gutters still contained intermittent patches of ice, but the roads for the most part became rideable. The sun even made a brief appearance, but then went away again until the afternoon.
In Silverton, I visited briefly with tango friend and ex-landlady Ann Shams. I’m glad that stop was brief, because low and behold who shows up at Water and Main as I’m exiting the town…none other than “ready to roll” Don Boothby!…on his 20-year-old Raleigh mountain bike with moustache handlebars and studded tires! He mentioned back in Wilsonville that he had studded tires, but I didn’t realize they were mounted on a backup bike is his pickup.
With company for the rest of the ride, my pace picked up (although Don’s probably decreased some). I wasn’t confident of being able to pedal up the second (very steep) grade on Cole School Road, but barely managed. From there, we continued to the Schimanek Covered Bridge, where I dropped my old Nikon CoolPix. My picture of Don exiting the bridge is the very last one taken with this camera (as the lens housing is irrepably bent). From the Schimanek Bridge, we rode on to Scio, the Huffman Covered Bridge, Crabtree, and the Gilkey Covered Bridge.
Before reaching Jefferson, the route heads North towards Parish Gap Road. Oddly, I didn’t remember Parish Gap from this ride 23 months ago, but I did remember it from the Alsea Falls 400k last August. I have to admit, it’s a little easier 70 miles into a ride rather than 170 miles.
Don and I wound our way to Salem by dusk, took his picture in front of the state capital (where he was once inducted into the Marines), stopped at the local Safeway for some fuel, then continued on a nocturnal 40-mile journey back to Wilsonville. The bike paths exiting Salem were pleasantly clever. But the most remarkable part of this segment was how in-the-middle-of-nowhere we felt, despite the fact we were roughly paralleling I-5 for much of the way.
Don was anxious to get checked in, so we used the Plaid Pantry is Wilsonville for the final contrôle. After that, we finally warmed up at Starbucks.
I’m glad Don scheduled this permanent, and ultimately rode it, thereby providing good company, and helping me ride a bit faster than I otherwise would have. Plus, I got my second R-12 out of the way just before Oregon was deluged with a week of colder, freezing weather.
My pictures are here on Flickr.
Don's account of this ride is blogged here.
The weather turned out to be a bit beyond “cool” on that blustery Saturday morning. There were six riders who expressed interest in participating, but predictions of icy temperatures convinced two riders not to make the trip down from Washington. That left Don, John Vincent, Sam Huffman and me at the Starbucks in Wilsonville for a 7:30 AM start. But because the sun had yet to melt the layer of early morning frost, Don elected to delay the start one hour. Even then, John thought better of embarking on the ride, and decided to drive himself and his recumbent directly back to Olympia.
That left Don Boothby, Sam Huffman, and me. After 8:30, the three of us rolled out to I-5, and gingerly rode the interstate bridge that crosses the Willamette. The Eastward decent down Miley Road looked problematic, enough so that Don and Sam elected to ride back to the Starbucks. I, on the other hand, continued on slowly, but was concentrating so hard on road surfaces that I missed the right turn to Airport Road (hence a bonus mile or two).
Once on Airport Road, things improved significantly. Roadside gutters still contained intermittent patches of ice, but the roads for the most part became rideable. The sun even made a brief appearance, but then went away again until the afternoon.
In Silverton, I visited briefly with tango friend and ex-landlady Ann Shams. I’m glad that stop was brief, because low and behold who shows up at Water and Main as I’m exiting the town…none other than “ready to roll” Don Boothby!…on his 20-year-old Raleigh mountain bike with moustache handlebars and studded tires! He mentioned back in Wilsonville that he had studded tires, but I didn’t realize they were mounted on a backup bike is his pickup.
With company for the rest of the ride, my pace picked up (although Don’s probably decreased some). I wasn’t confident of being able to pedal up the second (very steep) grade on Cole School Road, but barely managed. From there, we continued to the Schimanek Covered Bridge, where I dropped my old Nikon CoolPix. My picture of Don exiting the bridge is the very last one taken with this camera (as the lens housing is irrepably bent). From the Schimanek Bridge, we rode on to Scio, the Huffman Covered Bridge, Crabtree, and the Gilkey Covered Bridge.
Before reaching Jefferson, the route heads North towards Parish Gap Road. Oddly, I didn’t remember Parish Gap from this ride 23 months ago, but I did remember it from the Alsea Falls 400k last August. I have to admit, it’s a little easier 70 miles into a ride rather than 170 miles.
Don and I wound our way to Salem by dusk, took his picture in front of the state capital (where he was once inducted into the Marines), stopped at the local Safeway for some fuel, then continued on a nocturnal 40-mile journey back to Wilsonville. The bike paths exiting Salem were pleasantly clever. But the most remarkable part of this segment was how in-the-middle-of-nowhere we felt, despite the fact we were roughly paralleling I-5 for much of the way.
I’m glad Don scheduled this permanent, and ultimately rode it, thereby providing good company, and helping me ride a bit faster than I otherwise would have. Plus, I got my second R-12 out of the way just before Oregon was deluged with a week of colder, freezing weather.
My pictures are here on Flickr.
Don's account of this ride is blogged here.
Monday, November 30, 2009
thanksgiving day fixie ride (with food)
David Auker has been hosting a Thanksgiving Day fixed-gear bicycle ride for as long as I’ve been cycling (which isn’t that long). And the last three Thanksgivings, he and his wife Sarah have served a pre-ride breakfast consisting of huevos rancheros, potatoes, cinnamon rolls, fruit, and of course, coffee.
Attendance was down a little this year, perhaps because of the gray wetness that persisted all day. Nevertheless, I knew some of riders who showed up, including Bryan Curry and John Forbes. (David’s a veteran racer, and therefore knows a lot of guys I don’t.)
The ride took off from the Auker home in the hills of SW Portland, and immediately headed up to the Fairmount loop. After 1 ½ laps, we rode Humphrey Blvd. over to Sylvan Hill. Both Bryan and John had gone their own ways before this point. I said goodbye to Dave at the Scholls Ferry – Skyline intersection, and after warming up a bit at the Sylvan Hill Starbucks, continued on Skyline clear over to Newberry Road (past Germantown). Newberry probably wasn’t the best road to descend to Hwy 30 on a fixie in the rain (constant grittiness between my brake pads and rims), but I made it, and then continued to Sauvie Island.
On the island, I rode “lower” Sauvie Island Road, which ended at a protected Wildlife Area. By this time, I knew I was far enough along to reach 100k by the time I got home.
I stopped at my friend Amy’s parent’s home in St. John for some delicious Thanksgiving leftovers and some fun games before finishing the ride. And the distance once I arrived home was 66.6 miles (or 107 km). Must say, I was a bit sore after this many miles of no coasting on a single-speed (the first half in the hills). But it was good to get in my annual Thanksgiving workout … and dine so well in the process.
All eight pictures from the day are here on Flickr.
Attendance was down a little this year, perhaps because of the gray wetness that persisted all day. Nevertheless, I knew some of riders who showed up, including Bryan Curry and John Forbes. (David’s a veteran racer, and therefore knows a lot of guys I don’t.)
The ride took off from the Auker home in the hills of SW Portland, and immediately headed up to the Fairmount loop. After 1 ½ laps, we rode Humphrey Blvd. over to Sylvan Hill. Both Bryan and John had gone their own ways before this point. I said goodbye to Dave at the Scholls Ferry – Skyline intersection, and after warming up a bit at the Sylvan Hill Starbucks, continued on Skyline clear over to Newberry Road (past Germantown). Newberry probably wasn’t the best road to descend to Hwy 30 on a fixie in the rain (constant grittiness between my brake pads and rims), but I made it, and then continued to Sauvie Island.
On the island, I rode “lower” Sauvie Island Road, which ended at a protected Wildlife Area. By this time, I knew I was far enough along to reach 100k by the time I got home.
I stopped at my friend Amy’s parent’s home in St. John for some delicious Thanksgiving leftovers and some fun games before finishing the ride. And the distance once I arrived home was 66.6 miles (or 107 km). Must say, I was a bit sore after this many miles of no coasting on a single-speed (the first half in the hills). But it was good to get in my annual Thanksgiving workout … and dine so well in the process.
All eight pictures from the day are here on Flickr.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Nehalem River 200k Permanent
(Another delayed report)
For the 11th installment of my 2nd R-12, I chose to ride Marcello Napolitano’s Nehalem River 200k permanent (from Vernonia to Astoria and back). Initially, it was Ray Ogilve who scheduled this ride for the 14th of November, but he backed out due to a brush with the H1N1 virus.
That left David Kamp, Ken Mattina, and me. None of us got to the start in Vernonia early on that cold Saturday morning (except maybe Ken), so our 7:00 rollout time got delayed about a half hour. The temperature as we departed Vernonia was a few degrees below freezing.
The cue sheet for Marcello’s Nehalem River 200k is the shortest I’ve ever seen. It’s actually memorizable, as there are only a couple of turns, a couple of highways (numbers 47 and 202), and one mid-route contrôle (at Birkenfield, each way) for the entire 200 kilometers.
I hadn’t met David before, but enjoyed chatting with him about his experience at PBP in 2007. Clearly a seasoned rider, he made much quicker work of the Birkenfield contrôle than me. (I couldn’t turn down real hot chocolate in a ceramic cup.) I would see David once more during the day, and that was a few miles outside of Astoria as we waved while passing in opposite directions.
Ken fell back a bit early, about half way to Birkenfield, so I would see him only once more during the ride as well. Like with David, it was again a few miles outside Astoria, only this time after my turnaround.
While the weather threatened to rain during much of the ride, it (for the most part) stayed dry. I did end up putting booties on at the first Birkenfield contrôle, but that was more for warmth than dryness.
I “did lunch” with Colonel Sanders at the KFC in Astoria (near where Astoria-Megler Bridge crosses the mouth of the Columbia River over to Washington), and then headed back over the Coastal Range. It’s 40 miles between Astoria and Birkenfield, but at times during the return it seemed longer.
The sun set while I snacked in Birkenfield, but my now-trusty Edelux lit up the last 20 miles to Vernonia just fine. And while my official time was 11 hours and 50 minutes, my on-the-bike time was barely under 10 hours. Guess I needed those sit down breaks in Birkenfield and Astoria.
Complements to Marcello for putting together this nifty 200k “permanent” (ride).
Photos at Flickr.com
For the 11th installment of my 2nd R-12, I chose to ride Marcello Napolitano’s Nehalem River 200k permanent (from Vernonia to Astoria and back). Initially, it was Ray Ogilve who scheduled this ride for the 14th of November, but he backed out due to a brush with the H1N1 virus.
That left David Kamp, Ken Mattina, and me. None of us got to the start in Vernonia early on that cold Saturday morning (except maybe Ken), so our 7:00 rollout time got delayed about a half hour. The temperature as we departed Vernonia was a few degrees below freezing.
The cue sheet for Marcello’s Nehalem River 200k is the shortest I’ve ever seen. It’s actually memorizable, as there are only a couple of turns, a couple of highways (numbers 47 and 202), and one mid-route contrôle (at Birkenfield, each way) for the entire 200 kilometers.
I hadn’t met David before, but enjoyed chatting with him about his experience at PBP in 2007. Clearly a seasoned rider, he made much quicker work of the Birkenfield contrôle than me. (I couldn’t turn down real hot chocolate in a ceramic cup.) I would see David once more during the day, and that was a few miles outside of Astoria as we waved while passing in opposite directions.
Ken fell back a bit early, about half way to Birkenfield, so I would see him only once more during the ride as well. Like with David, it was again a few miles outside Astoria, only this time after my turnaround.
While the weather threatened to rain during much of the ride, it (for the most part) stayed dry. I did end up putting booties on at the first Birkenfield contrôle, but that was more for warmth than dryness.
I “did lunch” with Colonel Sanders at the KFC in Astoria (near where Astoria-Megler Bridge crosses the mouth of the Columbia River over to Washington), and then headed back over the Coastal Range. It’s 40 miles between Astoria and Birkenfield, but at times during the return it seemed longer.
The sun set while I snacked in Birkenfield, but my now-trusty Edelux lit up the last 20 miles to Vernonia just fine. And while my official time was 11 hours and 50 minutes, my on-the-bike time was barely under 10 hours. Guess I needed those sit down breaks in Birkenfield and Astoria.
Complements to Marcello for putting together this nifty 200k “permanent” (ride).
Photos at Flickr.com
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Bikenfest 2009 200k
It took me forever to start chronicling the Bikenfest 2009 200km ride … but here it is:
I always look forward and enjoy John Kramer’s brevets, and this one was no different. New starting place. New (to me) roads. Good scenery. Challenging yet doable route. And now another notch on my 2nd R-12 belt.
Alan Woods graciously offered to drive me to the start in Hood River, and collected my bike and me in the wee pre-dawn hours of Saturday (October 3rd). My friend Amy had already offered to meet me at the finish that evening and take me back to Portland, so it was cool to get a ride to the start and not worry about Alan having to wait around at the finish. (His 200k time is almost 2 hours less than mine.)
Alan had also ridden the Mt. Adams SxSW 200k a few months earlier, where I volunteered at one of the secret contrôles. Interestingly, he remembered two things from that contrôle: 1) the funky old motorcycle I had ridden out there that day, and 2) Amy’s colorful flowing scarf. It’s funny the things that linger in our memories.
The Bikenfest brevet started eastwards from Hood River and took us on the scenic bikeway that heads towards Mosier. From there, we rode over Sevenmile Hill to The Dalles. From that summit, one could see a storm a’brewing in the vicinity to which we were heading.
For the first half of the ride, I felt sluggish, with none of the alacrity I had felt a week earlier on the 1st 2/3 of the Barlow Trail 300k. It felt like my tires were under-inflated. But in actuality, it probably had more to do with the strong ale I enjoyed at Madison’s Bar and Grill the night before. The end result, though, was that I didn’t see any other riders for most of the first half of the ride.
It took a while to grock how to get out of Hood River, because my mind’s eye was convinced that the Maryhill portion of the route (on the Washington side of the Columbia River) was gonna precede the rural farmlandy Oregon portion. (I tend not to do much research beforehand on these kinds of brevets.) But once I figured out that I needed to cross under the US 197 overpass, I was good to go … right into that nice little rain storm I had seen a’brewing about an hour earlier.
The “towns” in this area of Oregon amount to little more than intersections with a few signs and buildings scattered around. Such was the case at the info contrôle “in” Fairbanks. Between Fairbanks (OR, not AK) and the next contrôle (which was literally just a signpost at an intersection) I momentarily wished my booties had made the trip. But the rainstorm passed by the time I returned to The Dalles, as did the need for protective rain gear.
My sluggishness abated a bit during the second half of the brevet, which was basically an out-and-back on WA Hwy 14 to the Maryhill Museum. By this time, I caught up with John Hughart, as well as the trio of Lesli Larson, Peg Winczewski, and Tom Bonamici (who had all made a brief stop in The Dalles). We all leapfrogged to Maryhill, where Paul Whitney, John Kramer, and some colorful peacocks were “manning” the contrôle. [Thank you Paul for the double-bagged black tea!]
The route passed through The Dalles for a third time on the return portion of the ride. It was here that I made a caffeine stop at the Union 76 Mini Mart. The cashier there was quite a character, and was memorably impressed by Cecil’s Sweetpea. (She must have passed through about ½ hour earlier.) He couldn’t understand why none of our bike had kickstands! “You’ve got bags, lights, beautiful fenders … but no kickstand?!”
I ascended up to scenic Rowena Crest (overlooking the Columbia) alone, but shortly afterwards joined up with Peg, Tom, and Lesli for the final 14 miles. After Mosier, Peg’s and Tom’s headlights failed, so we rode as a quartet along the darkening scenic byway and on to Hood River.
‘Twas an enjoyable ride that featured a lot of Oregon territory I had never seen before. Thank you John!
I always look forward and enjoy John Kramer’s brevets, and this one was no different. New starting place. New (to me) roads. Good scenery. Challenging yet doable route. And now another notch on my 2nd R-12 belt.
Alan Woods graciously offered to drive me to the start in Hood River, and collected my bike and me in the wee pre-dawn hours of Saturday (October 3rd). My friend Amy had already offered to meet me at the finish that evening and take me back to Portland, so it was cool to get a ride to the start and not worry about Alan having to wait around at the finish. (His 200k time is almost 2 hours less than mine.)
Alan had also ridden the Mt. Adams SxSW 200k a few months earlier, where I volunteered at one of the secret contrôles. Interestingly, he remembered two things from that contrôle: 1) the funky old motorcycle I had ridden out there that day, and 2) Amy’s colorful flowing scarf. It’s funny the things that linger in our memories.
The Bikenfest brevet started eastwards from Hood River and took us on the scenic bikeway that heads towards Mosier. From there, we rode over Sevenmile Hill to The Dalles. From that summit, one could see a storm a’brewing in the vicinity to which we were heading.
For the first half of the ride, I felt sluggish, with none of the alacrity I had felt a week earlier on the 1st 2/3 of the Barlow Trail 300k. It felt like my tires were under-inflated. But in actuality, it probably had more to do with the strong ale I enjoyed at Madison’s Bar and Grill the night before. The end result, though, was that I didn’t see any other riders for most of the first half of the ride.
It took a while to grock how to get out of Hood River, because my mind’s eye was convinced that the Maryhill portion of the route (on the Washington side of the Columbia River) was gonna precede the rural farmlandy Oregon portion. (I tend not to do much research beforehand on these kinds of brevets.) But once I figured out that I needed to cross under the US 197 overpass, I was good to go … right into that nice little rain storm I had seen a’brewing about an hour earlier.
The “towns” in this area of Oregon amount to little more than intersections with a few signs and buildings scattered around. Such was the case at the info contrôle “in” Fairbanks. Between Fairbanks (OR, not AK) and the next contrôle (which was literally just a signpost at an intersection) I momentarily wished my booties had made the trip. But the rainstorm passed by the time I returned to The Dalles, as did the need for protective rain gear.
My sluggishness abated a bit during the second half of the brevet, which was basically an out-and-back on WA Hwy 14 to the Maryhill Museum. By this time, I caught up with John Hughart, as well as the trio of Lesli Larson, Peg Winczewski, and Tom Bonamici (who had all made a brief stop in The Dalles). We all leapfrogged to Maryhill, where Paul Whitney, John Kramer, and some colorful peacocks were “manning” the contrôle. [Thank you Paul for the double-bagged black tea!]
The route passed through The Dalles for a third time on the return portion of the ride. It was here that I made a caffeine stop at the Union 76 Mini Mart. The cashier there was quite a character, and was memorably impressed by Cecil’s Sweetpea. (She must have passed through about ½ hour earlier.) He couldn’t understand why none of our bike had kickstands! “You’ve got bags, lights, beautiful fenders … but no kickstand?!”
I ascended up to scenic Rowena Crest (overlooking the Columbia) alone, but shortly afterwards joined up with Peg, Tom, and Lesli for the final 14 miles. After Mosier, Peg’s and Tom’s headlights failed, so we rode as a quartet along the darkening scenic byway and on to Hood River.
‘Twas an enjoyable ride that featured a lot of Oregon territory I had never seen before. Thank you John!
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