CYCLE OREGON Day 3 - Prospect to Ashland

The start of the day was COLD. We had frost on our tent and we had to get an early start to cover the entire route with the amount of elevation that was in store: 6,800 feet! Over 88 miles.

The 5:45 wakeup wasn't bad until we got on our bikes at 7:15 and we were happy to have feet warmers, even though they were not completely doing the job! I failed to wear tights over the shorts I had and that was a serious problem.

It warmed up after the first 15 miles, but that was a slow start due to the numbness in our extremities.

One more fun note was that as I was packing up the tent I realized it was going into the bag more easily then the previous days. Well that was because the rain fly was still on the ground.  Oops!  And that was where all of the ice was! Two options: unroll the tent and repack or stuff the tarp in on the side. Option 2 was chosen and let me just say that the nearest experience of doing this that I can think of is rooting around in a cooler for an ice cold beverage for 2 minutes solid. My Hand was Fuh Reez Ing!

We made the trip to the Crater Lake Rim Drive with 45 minutes to spare, so we were safe to continue our riding. Apparently, the permit limited access to the early hours and 11:00 a.m was the cutoff.

Crater Lake was as advertised,  I had a hard time pulling my eyes away from the deep blue of the Lake. The terrain posed a challenge and the elevation took us to 7,700 feet.

Pictures to come.

CYCLE Oregon Day 2

Great day,  long and rolling terrain that suited us just fine as we looked forward to the big climbing day of Crater Lake.

The stretch of the route on Highway 97 was not very nice from a pavement smoothness perspective, but ODOT did do CO a favor by lowering the speed limit to 40 for the day and coming off a 2-mile section for us to use a complete lane. That didn't stop a wicked crash from happening though as someone crashed at a high rate of speed at the end of the downhill section.

At mile 60, we latched on to a guy and his wife (in a paceline) that were jamming along at over 25 mph. I wasn't sure we could hold the wheel at times because of the grade and the passing cars.  We went along at that pace for 15 miles and lost them a mile or two from the rest stop. We caught up with the couple and I could not believe that this fellow was probably in his early to mid 60s and he kind of scoffed when we thanked him for his efforts, saying it wasn't much effort. This guy was a monster and I will look forward to future CO years when I can carry that sort of pace. (Turns out he has ridden in Race Across Oregon,  look it up.)

The town of Fort Klamath was very happy to help out with our fun. We stayed at ranchers property that had lots of room for the entire CO community.  Susan had a piece of peach pie and we shopped at the local markets that were set up for us.

The entertainment for the night was David Wilcox, who is also riding the route.  I have heard him on a KINK Live CD and enjoyed his lyrics that I find very clever. He is also preparing an original tune for us each day at Announcements for the participants.

Lots of Pictures coming - no way to get camera shots to the tablet for posting

Cycle Oregon Journal Day 1

First day of Cycle Oregon and just 490 miles to go! This would start us off with theaverage amount it took to get around the loop! Yet as anyone who rides knows, it is not always how far but also how much climbing there is.

It was a day that was a warm up for the challenges ahead.  70 miles and a bit further tomorrow but less climbing,  so not a day that I had concerns about.

The weather today was great, almost cold enough for arm warmers,  but not bad after a cold morning where I thought it would be good to get the legs covered.

Last night, Cycle Oregon had a tribute to the 9 that have been on every single day through these many years. Our tent is actually next to one woman who was honored and it is a nice recognition of the group and the commitment that takes.

The cycling community is a nice one, it has been fun to see so many people that we know.  Susan's involvement in Sorella Forte means that there are usually people who know her, that I would not otherwise have any connection to.

We remarked throughout the day how this was a great way to celebrate our anniversary.  I wondered whether we could do this again on the 50th running of the event. It could be tough to top this route, but I am not speaking from a position of authority on this topic, having reserved most of our riding to the Portland metro area.

Abby bikes and Amelia Rides Through the Streets of Delft

A bike box in Delft prioritizes bikes over right turning traffic.
In the Netherlands, right turn on red isn't allowed.

Abby and Amelia joined us on the third day of the class, which would end up 36 miles later going from Delft to the North Sea and back. It was all day trip with stops at a greenhouse control system company, a greenhouse, a central market along the way, and the beach. Leaving TU Delft (the University), we wound our way through the streets of Delft which are chaotic at times and really fascinating when you're able to wander through them. When you are on your bike, the facilities seem like a joy and you want to bring them back to the U.S. When you are on your bike beside your 8 year old, they seem too narrow, with scooters zipping by and cars that are still too close for comfort.

Since Abby is an accomplished rider, all in all they are pretty good facilities.  
On this trip to the beach we added a stowaway in the form of Amelia. Where is she in this picture you ask?
She's on a tag along rack, riding on a pillow. We saw the Dutch do this on so many occassions, we thought we would try it. It turned out it worked with some modifications. Later, we took Susan's backpack off which gave her a little more room to look around. It was also clear that we needed to slide up on the seat of the bike to make sure she wasn't leaning back, but that wasn't so difficult.

All in all, a good day and a nice way to get from the beach and back. 

Condon to Heppner By Bike

On our Memorial Day weekend we joined the Schultz family out in Condon. We got out on Sunday morning for a bike ride  and got most of the Cycle Oregon III ride from Day Two.

Day Two: Heppner to Fossil, 62 miles

A 57-mile day will take us through Condon, a center for birds, deer and elk in the autumn.  We then begin entering the Fossil Beds National Monument, where you can actually witness Oregon’s geological history.Everyone will camp at Fossil, where you will find fossil exhibits of saber-toothed tigers, giant pigs and three-toed horses.  Fossil will also host a homestay program as an alternative to camping.

Bike Snob Book Review: Use Lights

I am currently reading Bike Snob and I have been surprised with how well reasoned some of the chapters are. I am finding I can actually apply some of the ideas he has and it is pretty funny at the same time. I haven't laughed out loud while reading for awhile.

His characterizations of the different types of cyclists was spot on. In the chapter, Velo-Taxonomy: The Various Subjects of Cyclists, he describes The Roadie, The Mountain Biker, The Loan Wolf, The Messenger, and so on. The Chapter on "Why is Everybody Trying to Kill Me" features how to survive on a bike and discusses his approach to embracing conflict on the road. My experience has been limited since I am on the Springwater Trail, but the chapter is helpful to think about the responses of a cyclist when a motorist doesn't see a cyclist.  Rather than get angry, he suggests saying "Do you know you almost killed me back there?", hoping that the driver will than be conciliatory as opposed to escalating the argument.
He gives tips on Riding in Traffic

• Be Confident
• Don't Ride Next to Cars at Intersections
• Watch Out for Doors
• Use Lights

The Use Lights bullet reminded me of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance's clever video encouraging people that lights are an important part of the bike. He also makes a good point on the bicycle industry's failure to put lights on bikes, comparing this to the only other fast moving objects that don't use lights include missiles, bullets, and bombs.

There is some clever marketing around his book and how he released it.

Breakfast on the Bridges

A great way to start a Friday. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=je4hzlw5K8g , VERY Portland!

I attended this month's and the camera crew must have gotten there after I left. I didn't get a late to work slip.

Ronde PDX - http://www.rondepdx.com/

I did the Ronde PDX ride yesterday. Was nervous getting ready. Left Sellwood about 9:15AM after a quick stop at the Ugly Mug. Caught up with the Sellwood Club and was ready to ride at 10 AM at NW 31st/Industrial. After >7,000 feet of climbing and nearly as many calories on a 5+ hour ride, we made it to Council Crest.

I went out like a lion and finished like a lamb with about 7 miles to go. I was surprised they took us over trails and some that didn't seem like a very good idea on my carbon fiber skinny tire steed.

Couldn't make the SW College hill climb, but did manage to finish the one with 23% grades. I don't even remember the name of the street because I don't ever want to go back there. Okay it was Brynwood. As Drew said, we should go back and slay the dragon which was SW College... he didn't make it either.

In my defense (for being called a whiner) and not obeying Rule 5 (harden up), I did spread barkdust and was really sore.

Funny post on the ride from Old Nevermore

Here's a video of the ride: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=cbvQqssD_jI

The Rules of Cycling with the Guys

Started biking with a group in Sellwood and there was a fun post on the email list about the Rules.

Here they are! http://www.velominati.com/blog/the-rules/

Bike Ride for March 19th

I went out with the Rapha charity ride for a bit and found NW Newberry Road off of Highway 30. It was a bear, but ended up with a nice long trip on NW Skyline. Here's the map link.

Amazing to think about what mother nature can do.

Map link was too large, so here's the google map I created.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=4637+N+Albina+Ave,+Portland,+OR+97217&daddr=45.56991,-122.67684+to:45.6155027,-122.8148647+to:NW+Skyline+and+Northwest+Germantown+Road,+Portland,+OR+to:NW+SKyline+and+Fairview,+portland+to:SW+Salmon+St+to:45.5166518,-122.6781131+to:W+4th+%26+Burnside+to:45.52286,-122.65159+to:45.52215,-122.63929+to:45.52498,-122.620811+to:45.53512,-122.62128+to:ne+42nd+%26+Sandy+blvd+to:600+se+morrison,+portland,+or+to:913+SE+Lexington+St,+Portland,+OR+97202&geocode=FRoktwIdDyCw-CkbQzAkE6eVVDF3USLPwRDYCw%3BFXZXtwIdmBmw-ClrycMiCKeVVDG1j3okJkF2Yg%3BFY4JuAIdcP6t-CnVrz9JdAeVVDEvpfT1KkSH2Q%3BFX6KtwIdpzqu-Cm7d-e02geVVDFXXww05SbEBg%3BFdGAtgIdlFSv-Ck_OrAJgQmVVDHq7tIOi62nnw%3BFTCRtgIdUvCv-A%3BFWuHtgIdnxSw-Cl9ABb2DwqVVDFqj6kmtkOwzw%3BFVmgtgIdMSOw-Cn1tWDVBgqVVDEcVbiojAgNTA%3BFayftgIdOnyw-ClZDw7WpKCVVDF40tOOi8NyEg%3BFeactgIdRqyw-Cl9Nz-YvqCVVDFDwOTXU_14MA%3BFfSntgIddfSw-CkXcbiIwqCVVDFPbkluyNlr8Q%3BFZDPtgIdoPKw-ClnytNX16CVVDFOUTT4d0bNaA%3BFXnTtgId-Pew-ClZaw1v16CVVDHAlAi_Lyrxqw%3BFZaJtgIdd1yw-Ck1FCnMoKCVVDEmkxYHM4-bWA%3BFUTGtQId-2iw-Cmz01jz3AqVVDHA3O7mEVCd7Q&hl=en&mra=ls&via=1,2,6,8,9,10,11&dirflg=b&sll=45.462298,-122.670937&sspn=0.133884,0.308647&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=11&lci=bike

Reading List: Brew to Bikes

Sheila got me a great book for Christmas and I am over half way through it. The book is Brew to Bikes: Portland's Artisan Economy by Charles Heying. It's written by a Portland State University professor and nearly 15 colleagues that go in depth on how the City has benefited from the growth of industries associated with handmade or carefully crafted products. The chapters include coffee, food, beer, bikes, zines, among others and I have enjoyed it thus far. The author describes Fordism and Post-Fordism which highlights the contrast of mass produced versus more handmade goods.

Grace's Birthday and Cyclocross Nationals 2010 in Bend

We went to Bend for Grace's Birthday and it was the same weekend as the Cyclocross Nationals.
It was a wet weekend in Bend (pretty rare) and windy which made for tough conditions for the cyclists and good conditions to watch the race. A lot of mud puddles and slippery conditions.
We had a great time checking out the activity at the race grounds near the Old Mill. Abby was dressed warmly and was very curious about the bikes and the competition having been in the Kiddy Cross a few months earlier. She also had a good time running around the various sand mounds that the City uses for keeping the streets passable during the winter months. Amelia had a good time at the start until she did a face plant into a puddle and got muddy.
We got to the start of the race and managed to catch a huge pile up. Yes, those are bike tires in the air. Someone in the front of the pack took a spill and it caused chaos throughout the pack. The rider with the wheels in the air, tried to pick up some ground by sending his bike aerial and getting past some of the competition instead of having the problem of the bike getting caught up.
The conditions were very difficult and there was some pretty significant ponding that resulted in changes to the course throughout the week. I had a hard time believing that there puddles would be a good line, but many of the racers seemed to embrace it to avoid getting tangled up in the fencing, which we saw later in the action. It was a bit daunting to consider the course as we saw it, but I think it would be fun to try next year at the start of the season.

Peter's First Century

Yes, 100 miles by bike. I was pretty excited for the challenge and didn't take my camera, but luckily this person did.

http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=775635&code=69503206a037f2de8a5d29c2e10a8c82

Cycling through Delft

  Delft was a beautiful town with a central square (Markt) that was really quaint and large for as small a city as it is. This particular shop is where we picked up a few pieces of Delftware for the grandparents as a thank you for watching the kids.
We had a nice day cycling through Delft with the Northeastern University class that was spending a month in the Netherlands completing a college course. I was speaking to the class about traffic signals in Portland and how we were learning from European practice.
The cycling through the countryside was fantastic. We were getting a lot of nice information from one of the local regional planners from the area as a part of the first classroom lecture.
 
This picture of Susan is not even behind the biggest landmarks in the square, but I enjoy it anyway because it provides perspective on the cafes, the shops, and the chruches in the background.
We came across this gentleman in the community just crusing through. I had a chuckle becuase we were in the man's way and the group stopped him on his everyday trip to the store.  
 

I loved all of the train station bike parking areas. The number of bicycles at these locations was beyond consideration and seemed like every possible rack was full to the point where it was futile to add more racks because additional bikes would be added. Amsterdam and The Hague have structures for bikes both three stories high, which is quite an expense for infrastructure.

Tour de France, Delft Sunset, World Cup... is this in the Top 10 days of all time?

 
On the ride back to the hotel (from Rotterdam) after the prologue, we had a nice ride back with the sunset greeting us as we entered the city. It was a lovely end to a great day. Finished off by watching the World Cup and seeing a great goal by David Villa of Spain to advance. This day might have cracked the top 10 days of all time, which got me thinking. So you have to have the wedding day, the birth of your kids, graduation from college (especially for Dad), probably an OSU Civil War victory in there (when we beat Joey Harrington at home), visit to South Africa has to be in there, and then there's this (what a great day). It would have been better with the kids and more friends & family to enjoy it with, no doubt.

at Tour de France

 
So much fun at the Prologue and looking forward to Stage 1 tomorrow. Got a nice photo of Chris Horner that seems worth sharing.

Susan and Peter at Tour Start

 
Well, this is where the prologue begins. The riders shoot out of the Festina launch pad (right on time of course)! Mr. Festina himself counts down with his fingers, which is kind of funny when you think about it.

Copenhagen This Week, Next Week TDF Prologue & Stage 1

There is so much in Copenhagen to see, I find my mind wandering to the bike boxes, the Copenhagen left turns, the neighborhood bollards, the cycletracks, it's all so interesting and different to what we're used to back in the states. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the fact that there are more bikes than cars at most intersections. Amazing!
 

But the Tour de France is calling right around the corner and I got a message about the Tour preview guide from Bicycling Magazine, so had to steal the route maps and post them here for fun. It is a bit odd that we'll be watching the Tour de France from the Netherlands, but alas, just another reason to come back to visit in the future.

 

LGRAB Summer Games, Part II: Learning Experiences

There's this great contest on a blog that I have read (after reading Portlandize.com) and so I am blogging about a blog. What's this world coming to?

Anyhow, here are the tasks for this session:

June 7-June 27: Learning Experiences
Perform a maintenance task — big or small!
Decorate your bike
Read a book about cycling
Carry a load on your bike — groceries, etc.
Test ride a different type of bike than you normally ride

This was an easy one for me. I switched pedals onto the new bike and took pedals off Susan's since she had the fall in February and didn't want to be clipped in all the time.

We decorated our bikes for the Grand Floral Parade. My bike and the kids'. I am reading the Time Crunched Cyclist by Chris Carmichael, but I haven't gotten through half of it, so I am not sure that's fair to list that one. Then finally, we competed in the Fiets of Parenthood at Clevercyclces on Saturday and carried a mock load on the bike. We took 2nd place in the fiets event and even got captured on flickr.

Since we own nearly every bike known to mankind, I had better not test ride another bike. I will leave that to Susan, who wants a new bike!

Grand Floral Parade

This Saturday, we rode in the parade with the Mayor's contingent of biking staff. The announcers didn't really call us staff probably because that might sound like we were "on the job" as opposed to just there having a good time. We rolled in and the first float we came across was this one from the Vancouver/Washougal folks and their princesses. It was pretty neat and the girls really liked it. There were lady bugs on it and that definitely caught her eye. We arrived with enough time to get sunscreen on and decorate our bikes with red ribbon and flowers provided by the organizers. The girls got a kick out of the flowers on their bikes, although Abby didn't like the rose that attached to her helmet (it was poky).
Susan is noticeably absent in the pictures because she was at the beach with Sheila enjoying some time away. The 4 mile ride was pretty slow going with lots of stops for the trains and the performances of the various bands that were in front of us. All in all a good experience, one I hadn't done for almost 20 years.

The Alaska Airlines / Horizon Air float was pretty neat, it had the Made in Oregon, White Stag sign as well as the Portland sign that signifies the Theater on Broadway.