May 12, 2013
Here I am back in Oregon for another event, this time the Kings Valley 400 km brevet. The weather forecast was near perfect with a predicted 80 degrees inland and 60′s on the coast. The route looked like a nice loop on quite, low traffic roads with only moderate climbing. This would not all prove to be true!
Cruising into Amity, early in the ride.
April 22, 2013
Forest Grove Oregon was the start location for this ride which is one of the most popular events on the Oregon Randonneurs schedule. 50 or so riders started in Forest Grove and headed over the coast range towards Tillamook on the coast. From there the route turned south and followed the coast south and past Cape Mears, Cape Lookout and Cape Kiwanda which together give the route its name.
The forecast was for partly cloudy but fair weather with temps expected to be in the upper 50′s on the coast. In Oregon however you have to use the weather translator when you hear a forecast. A 30% chance of rain means it will rain on you 30 % of the time! After all, it’s more like low clouds, not really rain.
For desert rats, bicycling on the coast is an invigorating change. I had ridden some of this route before on different events and was expecting a wonderful day on the bike. I was not going to be disappointed. Oregon scenery can be spectacular and this route is no exception.
I finished the ride just after dark in 15 hours and 2 min in spite of some minor mechanical issues. Thanks ORR for another great ride!
Here is a link to the route:
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Three-Capes-300km-Brevet
April 7, 2013
Riding the road is great but to keep you skills sharp you need to broaden your cycling experiences. Riding the MTB in Utah is perfect for that! Here are a few pics from my ride yesterday on a fun local loop, the Goulds Rim - JEM Trail – Hurricane Rim combo. It is a 21.5 mile mostly singletrack loop with lots of climbing. The pictures prove it was a perfect day to ride!
Climbing out of Hurricane on the Goulds Rim
March 25, 2013
My Pegoretti Palo Santo (Ms. Peggy) is my tried and true middle distance bike. I have ridden it since 2002 and use it mainly for 200 mile events and shorter brevets. I originally built it with a set of Campy Neutrons, an asymetrical rim design with bladed spokes. After doing some rim damage to the Neutrons I sold that wheel set and replaced them with some polished Campy Record hubs on Mavic Open Pro’s. These have made a great and durable wheel set and I have ridden them for many miles. After I wore out this first set of OP’s I simply rebuilt the wheels with a new set of Open Pro rims. Now, with this last rebuild near done I am rethinking what to do next. I will keep the Campagnolo Record hubs so the real decision is, what rims should I use?
March 3, 2013
Riding in Davis California is like riding on my home turf, I have ridden here so often over the years! I wouldn’t normally travel this far for a 200 km brevet but my travel schedule had me in the area so I thought why not? I threw my bike in the car just in case the timing worked out.
February 17, 2013
This ride was new on the calendar last year and I enjoyed doing it then. I’ll be in the area again this year so I thought why not? This time I will be riding one of my new favorite bikes, a 1991 Sancineto. It comes from a third generation family of builders in Cuneo Italy and are considered by collectors to be among the “Holy Grail” of bikes. For me, it is just a wonderful bike to ride in the real world!
February 3, 2013
Okay, I am back in Arizona again! I haven’t done this event since 2010 and I kind of like the route so here I am. The weather forecast looked good with forecast temps in the mid-70′s and there are 44 riders signed up for the event; it should be a good day!
