Road Cycling in Oregon

"Marty" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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How is it?

Great!

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From: "Marty" [email hidden]

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How is it?
--
Marty

http://www.obra.org/index.html
Looks pretty good to me and when I was in Washington I heard good things about
racing down there.
Bill C

"TritonRider" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

From: "Marty" [email hidden]

Quoted message said:

How is it?
--
Marty

http://www.obra.org/index.html
Looks pretty good to me and when I was in Washington I heard good things
about
racing down there.
Bill C

The road racing is much better in Oregon than it is in Washington. There
are at least 4 great stage races there, (Columbia Plateau, Mt. Hood,
Elkhorn, and Cascade) and all have some really great, long climbs.

As far as training there, well Oregon is a big state, so that would depend
on which part of Oregon you are talking about.

Horner says that Bend is not a good place for training. At least in an
interview I read with him he said this:

http://www.dailypeloton.com/displayarticle.asp?pk=7383

But with that being said, I have a friend from college who lives in
Bend and extoles the virtues of riding around there. The mountain
biking especially, but he says the road riding is pretty kick ass as
well.

Tom

"Suz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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"TritonRider" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

From: "Marty" [email hidden]

Quoted message said:

How is it?
--
Marty

http://www.obra.org/index.html
Looks pretty good to me and when I was in Washington I heard good things
about
racing down there.
Bill C

The road racing is much better in Oregon than it is in Washington. There
are at least 4 great stage races there, (Columbia Plateau, Mt. Hood,
Elkhorn, and Cascade) and all have some really great, long climbs.

As far as training there, well Oregon is a big state, so that would depend
on which part of Oregon you are talking about.

True, sorry about that lack of info. The area would be Portland.
--
Marty

You would hard pressed to find a better city to live in if you enjoy riding/racing road bikes. I live a little south of Portland but you can race almost every night of the week and both days on weekends in and around the Portland area. There are a bunch of great clubs and group rides so it is easy to learn your way around the area for training rides. Check out the Oregon Bicycle Racing website at www.obra.org for all the latest info about racing, clubs etc....

Marty said:

"Suz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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"TritonRider" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

From: "Marty" [email hidden]

Quoted message said:

How is it?
--
Marty

obra.orgindex.htmlOpen ↗
Looks pretty good to me and when I was in Washington I heard good things
about
racing down there.
Bill C

The road racing is much better in Oregon than it is in Washington. There
are at least 4 great stage races there, (Columbia Plateau, Mt. Hood,
Elkhorn, and Cascade) and all have some really great, long climbs.

As far as training there, well Oregon is a big state, so that would depend
on which part of Oregon you are talking about.

True, sorry about that lack of info. The area would be Portland.
--
Marty

How is it? It's swell. Corvallis, Oregon is the best place in all of
Oregon for road riding and for mountain biking too. It's between the
Williamette Valley and the Coast Range. You can ride from Corvallis out
through Peoria Road to Harrisburg and through Junction City for a nice flat
2 hour ride and then head back through Alpine for a 22 mile roller coast
back into Corvallis. Then there's Mary's Peak and Kings Valley. Corvallis
it the home of Ryan Trebon and Barry Wicks who recently finished 2nd and
4th, respectively, at the recent U.S. Cyclocross Nationals held in nearby
(approximately 2 hours away) Portland, Oregon. By the way, Portland Oregon
is vyinig for the 2009 Cycloscross World Championships. Corvallis is also
the home of former Oregon State Road Champs (i.e., Richard Kirby and Harry
Phinney) and formly the home of Cory Domingues (former US National Road Team
Member). I believe that Doug Ollerenshaw still lives in Corvallis too - I
think he's still with Jelly Belly, but I could be wrong. Like I said, it's
swell.

That's because Horner probably didn't know any of the back roads.
Oregon is a great place to cycle IF you know the best routes. But most
of their roads don't have a lot of shoulder and the Oregon drivers who
are displaced Californians drive like fools.

Tom said:

Horner says that Bend is not a good place for training. At least in

an

Quoted message said:

interview I read with him he said this:

http://www.dailypeloton.com/displayarticle.asp?pk=7383

But with that being said, I have a friend from college who lives in
Bend and extoles the virtues of riding around there. The mountain
biking especially, but he says the road riding is pretty kick ass as
well.

Dumbass -

Horner likes to ride 100 miles/day. Your college buddy probably
averages 10.

An area which is good for 20 mile rides may suck for 100 mile rides.
K. Gringioni.

"Tom Kunich" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

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That's because Horner probably didn't know any of the back roads.
Oregon is a great place to cycle IF you know the best routes. But most
of their roads don't have a lot of shoulder and the Oregon drivers who
are displaced Californians drive like fools.

Oregon doesn't have a lot of shoulder? Try riding in Pennsylvania sometime.
Oregon is freaking paradise.

"Kurgan Gringioni" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Tom said:

Horner says that Bend is not a good place for training. At least in

an

Quoted message said:

interview I read with him he said this:

http://www.dailypeloton.com/displayarticle.asp?pk=7383

But with that being said, I have a friend from college who lives in
Bend and extoles the virtues of riding around there. The mountain
biking especially, but he says the road riding is pretty kick ass as
well.

Horner likes to ride 100 miles/day. Your college buddy probably
averages 10.

An area which is good for 20 mile rides may suck for 100 mile rides.

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Map of Bend, OR<br></a></center>

Bend is a GREAT place for 100 mile rides.

"Tom" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Horner says that Bend is not a good place for training. At least in an
interview I read with him he said this:

http://www.dailypeloton.com/displayarticle.asp?pk=7383

But with that being said, I have a friend from college who lives in
Bend and extoles the virtues of riding around there. The mountain
biking especially, but he says the road riding is pretty kick ass as
well.

Tom

Yeah, I have a racer friend who lives there too, she's really strong, but
she does a lot of skiing in the winter, so her early season form is not so
great. But she's really rockin' by August, and unstoppable in September.
The elevation (~3500 ft?) can't hurt too much either.

"OKpro" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

You would hard pressed to find a better city to live in if you

enjoy

Quoted message said:

riding/racing road bikes. I live a little south of Portland but

you can

Quoted message said:

race almost every night of the week and both days on weekends

in and

Quoted message said:

around the Portland area. There are a bunch of great clubs and

group

Quoted message said:

rides so it is easy to learn your way around the area for

training

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rides. Check out the Oregon Bicycle Racing website at

www.obra.org for

Quoted message said:

all the latest info about racing, clubs etc....

Just some highlights: we have Alpenrose velodrome, the steepest
banked permanent track in the U.S., IIRC. Cyclocross is huge and
so are the packs. Throughout the summer there is a weekly race
at the Portland International Raceway, a two mile lap, flat race
that progressively increases in length and ends the summer at
about 50 miles. Ride to PIR from downtown, and you can do almost
70 miles on a work day and be home in time for (late) dinner.
Note that races in Oregon are not generally USCF sanctioned and
that winning here usually does not mean moving up, except within
the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association. We also have a lot of
good bike shops, and two Performance stores for cheap tubes
(everything else is out of stock).

The only drawback to Portland as compared to my old stomping
grounds in California is the lack of really long climbs. Close
in, nothing exceeds four miles at 7 or 8 percent. There are
some killer short climbs (I can climb almost 1,000 feet taking a
fairly direct route home from work) and you can accumulate a lot
of elevation over successive climbs, but there are no long, 15-20
mile climbs until you get to Mt. Hood or McKenzie Pass. You also
have to acclimate to the rain and learn how to race early season
with zero visibility in the pack. The rooster tails are a real
problem for those of us who wear glasses -- Jay Beattie.

"Jay Beattie" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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The only drawback to Portland as compared to my old stomping
grounds in California is the lack of really long climbs. Close
in, nothing exceeds four miles at 7 or 8 percent. There are
some killer short climbs (I can climb almost 1,000 feet taking a
fairly direct route home from work) and you can accumulate a lot
of elevation over successive climbs, but there are no long, 15-20
mile climbs until you get to Mt. Hood or McKenzie Pass.

Being from MN, 4 miles at 7 to 8% is a nice climb. Most of our climbs are
short and steep. The best climbing that I've ever done was in Custer State
Park in SD. So, the climbing you write about in OR would be an upgrade for
me.

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You also
have to acclimate to the rain and learn how to race early season
with zero visibility in the pack. The rooster tails are a real
problem for those of us who wear glasses.

This is not year round, is it? Is this the rainy season from November to
March?

Thanks.
--
Marty

"Marty" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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"Jay Beattie" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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The only drawback to Portland as compared to my old stomping
grounds in California is the lack of really long climbs.

Close

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

in, nothing exceeds four miles at 7 or 8 percent. There are
some killer short climbs (I can climb almost 1,000 feet

taking a

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

fairly direct route home from work) and you can accumulate a

lot

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

of elevation over successive climbs, but there are no long,

15-20

Quoted message said:

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mile climbs until you get to Mt. Hood or McKenzie Pass.

Being from MN, 4 miles at 7 to 8% is a nice climb. Most of our

climbs are

Quoted message said:

short and steep. The best climbing that I've ever done was in

Custer State

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Park in SD. So, the climbing you write about in OR would be an

upgrade for

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me.

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Quoted message said:

You also
have to acclimate to the rain and learn how to race early

season

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

with zero visibility in the pack. The rooster tails are a

real

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

problem for those of us who wear glasses.

This is not year round, is it? Is this the rainy season from

November to

Quoted message said:

March?

We start getting spotty rain in September. Winter is wet and
cold, but not usually below 30 degrees -- we had snow on the
ground in Portland for maybe a week total last year. Spring is
very wet, and we typically get a "sucker summer" in March/May,
then it starts to rain again and dry out in June. There is no
guaranty that it will be dry in the first part of July. Sorry
man, it rains a lot up here -- but that does not mean the spring
races are all wet. I dropped out of racing a while ago due to
advancing age, depressing results, a real job and a family -- but
in my seven or so seasons up here, the spring road races were dry
maybe half the time, with serious variation from year to year
(there appears to be a drying trend -- ooooh global warming! All
I know is that the snow sucks this year). -- Jay Beattie.

Quoted message said:

We start getting spotty rain in September. Winter is wet and
cold, but not usually below 30 degrees -- we had snow on the
ground in Portland for maybe a week total last year. Spring is
very wet, and we typically get a "sucker summer" in March/May,
then it starts to rain again and dry out in June. There is no
guaranty that it will be dry in the first part of July. Sorry
man, it rains a lot up here -- but that does not mean the spring
races are all wet. I dropped out of racing a while ago due to
advancing age, depressing results, a real job and a family -- but
in my seven or so seasons up here, the spring road races were dry
maybe half the time, with serious variation from year to year
(there appears to be a drying trend -- ooooh global warming! All
I know is that the snow sucks this year). -- Jay Beattie.

And here in MN... Last week, we were below freezing (before wind chill of
course). Today, it's raining and 46. This state has serious personality
issues.

I see that Ski Bowl has still not opened. Is this the first bad winter in a
while for skiing at Hood or is this becoming the trend? Of course, you
still have Timberline and Meadows, though Meadows seems to be suffering as
well. Then their is skiing in WA and areas South of Portland in OR. So,
with a little bit of driving you have options (for both skiing and cycling).
Yes?
--
Marty

"Marty" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

We start getting spotty rain in September. Winter is wet and
cold, but not usually below 30 degrees -- we had snow on the
ground in Portland for maybe a week total last year. Spring

is

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

very wet, and we typically get a "sucker summer" in

March/May,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

then it starts to rain again and dry out in June. There is

no

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

guaranty that it will be dry in the first part of July.

Sorry

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man, it rains a lot up here -- but that does not mean the

spring

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

races are all wet. I dropped out of racing a while ago due

to

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

advancing age, depressing results, a real job and a family --

but

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

in my seven or so seasons up here, the spring road races were

dry

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

maybe half the time, with serious variation from year to year
(there appears to be a drying trend -- ooooh global warming!

All

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I know is that the snow sucks this year). -- Jay Beattie.

And here in MN... Last week, we were below freezing (before

wind chill of

Quoted message said:

course). Today, it's raining and 46. This state has serious

personality

Quoted message said:

issues.

I see that Ski Bowl has still not opened. Is this the first

bad winter in a

Quoted message said:

while for skiing at Hood or is this becoming the trend? Of

course, you

Quoted message said:

still have Timberline and Meadows, though Meadows seems to be

suffering as

Quoted message said:

well. Then their is skiing in WA and areas South of Portland

in OR. So,

Quoted message said:

with a little bit of driving you have options (for both skiing

and cycling).

Quoted message said:

Yes?

This is the worst I have seen it in ten years, although Ski Bowl
frequently opens late because it is at just under 4K elevation.
Meadows is getting new snow today, and Timberline, too. Mt.
Batchelor in Bend is about three to three and a half hours by
car depending on route and traffic. Batchelor is the best skiing
in Oregon. Ski Bowl is my favorite local resort -- lots of
steep stuff in the upper bowl and cruiser runs for the kid, cheap
lift tickets (and cheap, slow lifts). I try to ski ten weekends
during the winter/spring, and I usually get that -- so there are
a lot of options for skiing and cycling. There are also a couple
of nordic resorts for cross-x/skating with a pretty active racing
community. Bend is the hot spot for cross-x, though. -- Jay
Beattie.

Hmm, Mt Bachelor - is that the ski resort where the end of the main run
ended 10' above the parking lot with a shear dropoff into the lot?

"Jay Beattie" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

This is the worst I have seen it in ten years, although Ski Bowl
frequently opens late because it is at just under 4K elevation.
Meadows is getting new snow today, and Timberline, too. Mt.
Batchelor in Bend is about three to three and a half hours by
car depending on route and traffic. Batchelor is the best skiing
in Oregon. Ski Bowl is my favorite local resort -- lots of
steep stuff in the upper bowl and cruiser runs for the kid, cheap
lift tickets (and cheap, slow lifts). I try to ski ten weekends
during the winter/spring, and I usually get that -- so there are
a lot of options for skiing and cycling. There are also a couple
of nordic resorts for cross-x/skating with a pretty active racing
community. Bend is the hot spot for cross-x, though. -- Jay
Beattie.

Thanks Jay and others for the excellent information.
--
Marty