Echo Red to Red Mountain Bike Race

Quick summary for the ADD among you, I am pretty solid pack fodder.  I finished basically dead center of my category (cat 3) and age group (45+).  Thirteenth out of 24 riders in that demographic is not too bad for my first cross country mountain bike race.

For anyone still reading here is my more detailed breakdown of my perception of the race:  My fitness level is pretty competitive for a Cat 3 mountain biker.  Legs and lungs were never the issue, most of my progress through the field was made on the climbs, the longer the better.  Descending is another matter altogether.  I know how to go downhill, I just  don’t do it well.  I foresee lots of rides down the bottom half of Hide and Seek at Sandy Ridge to get the muscle memory dialed in.

For months I have been hearing about what a great course Echo is, and now that I’ve experienced it myself, I have to agree.  Cat 2 and 3 road a 22 mile loop, 28 miles for the Cat 1, Pro, and single speed riders, almost all of it on private property owned by Sno Road Winery

(www.snoroadwinery.com) on dedicated mountain bike trails.  A one mile neutral roll out from downtown Echo, about a mile on gravel road, then pure single track until you hit the gravel road again to return to town and the finish line.  After spending the winter looking for single track that is dry enough to ride on the west side of the state, some sweet eastern Oregon dryness was heavenly.  No so heavenly was the eastern Oregon winds, which were out in force during the race.  The best thing I can say about the wind is that is sucked equally for everybody.  On some of the exposed faces, it was hard to stay on the track on strait, level ground just due to the crosswinds, and some of the down hills required hard pedaling in to the wind to maintain forward momentum.

As I was busy racing, photographer duties were turned over to my lovely wife.  Here is a sample of what she got- sorry, no race course shots, but some good stuff of Echo.

Registration happened at the historic Koontz building, which is also owned by Sno Road Winery, and is undergoing restoration.  There is some beautiful woodwork, sculpted tile ceilings, and prism glass tiles to go in the front.  I can't wait to get back and see this when it is nearer completion.

The population of Echo is just north of 600 people.  We added an extra 527 racers, pretty much filling up the streets.  The town seemed to welcome the racers, as they have done for four years now.

Coach Brian of Brihop Cycling rocking his Bike Central kit.  Brian is mostly a track guy, so this was the last we saw him smile for the day.

Yours Truly, waiting for both the start and the arrival of his team kit.

Rolling out of town behind the pace truck.  22 miles to go.

New Bike Announcement!

Better late than never, here it is, the New Bike Announcement!  Except I am slow enough at posting to this blog that it is about a month in my possession now.  The simple truth is, as much as I enjoy writing, riding my bike is even more fun, and Coach has me on the bike a lot as I ramp up for Tour Divide 2013.

Enough with the excuses, on to the Bike!   

There she is, the steed that will carry me through the 2745 miles of the Tour Divide, after we both survive many times that in training miles and shorter races.  2012 Redline D680, the top of the food chain for Redline’s mountain bikes.  I started my bike shopping with a list of features and components I wanted, rather than a particular brand.  I knew I wanted a 29er hardtail in either steel or alloy, with SRAM X9 or X0 drive train and a 100mm travel fork with a through axle, rather than a quick release. The one feature I had hoped for and did not get was either dropouts or a bottom bracket that would allow easy conversion to single speed.  I guess I will just need to build up a SS out of parts if I really need one.

I went to a lot of bike shops, surfed a lot of bike manufacturer’s websites, even talked to a couple of frame builders, and found a lot of good options, not only from the big names but a lot of lesser known brands as well, and of course a custom build could have gotten me anything I wanted, but at a budget somewhat outside my comfort level.  What finally made the decision was not anything specific to this bike, but the dealer.

Portland Bike Commuter is, as the name would suggest, primarily oriented toward commuter and practical riding.  I had been in the shop before, purchased some stuff there, but I can say that about a number of the Portland area bike shops.  What sealed the deal for me was the level of excitement when I told Eric, the owner, what I was going to do.  He is not only familiar with the race, but wants to ride it himself.  Since having a family and a business make that difficult, he is willing and eager to make sure it happens for me.  Other shops had seemed mildly intrigued by the notion, but no more than that.  Eric not only promised to help a bit on the purchase, he went to Redline on my behalf and convinced them to sweeten the deal a bit as well.  How could I not do business with Bike Commuter?

For the bike geeks:  2012 Redline D680, aluminum alloy frame, Fox 100mm fork, SRAM two by ten X9 drive train with an X0 rear derailleur and Ritchey cockpit.  I added Shimano XT pedals and swapped the stock tires out for WTB Nanos, because that is what most of the Tour Divide finishers ride on.

So far, I love it.  The 21” frame fits me perfectly, the geometry works well for my riding style, and some intangible quality of the bike makes me want to push harder and faster than anything else in my stable.  This is my first experience with the two by ten (two gears up front with a ten speed cassette in the rear) drive train and I am sold on it.  I haven’t had a climb yet that has forced me in to the lowest gears, and anywhere that I can push the tallest gear I am probably going to want to coast anyway.

Tomorrow (3/3/2012) is the Echo Red to Red mountain bike race, so we will see how the Redline and I do in a short 22 mile race.

finally, a new post

Okay, this is my official announcement to the world of my next venture into insanity.  After years of dreaming about it, reading about it and talking about it, the time has come to put up or shut up.  “It” in this case is the Tour Divide, a 2745 mile mountain bike race from Banff, Alberta to Antelope Wells, New Mexico along the Adventure Cycling Association’s Great Divide Mountain Bike Route.  Unlike most long bike races, this one is a single stage with no support vehicles, no authorized feeding stations, no cheering crowds, just the riders, their bikes, and the gear they need to survive the ride.

I am riding in the 2013 race, which is the year I will turn 50.  Seems like an appropriate way to celebrate surviving half a century in this crazy world.  This gives me 18 months, a short year and a half, to prepare myself physically and mentally.  I will be racing alone, but already a number of people have stepped up to help get me ready to roll up to the start line.

First of course is my wife, Shelley, for supporting me in whatever crazy notion I come up with, and this one especially. Planning, preparing for and executing a ride like this is not cheap in terms of money or time, and she is unstintingly allowing me what I need of both to make this a success.  My boss, Mike, and the management of Sunstone Circuits for allowing me to schedule a big chunk of vacation time out this far, and for being the sort of company that supports chasing a dream like this. Tank and Brian of Brihop Coaching are faced with the task of teaching a middle aged bike nut how to ride both hard enough and smart enough to make completion a reality.  Eric and Aaron, owner and mechanic at the Sellwood Bike Commuter belongs on the early thank you list as well.  When I stopped by his shop to ask about availibity of one of the bikes that were on my list of potential steeds for the race, Erik, more than anyone in any of the shops I visited, got excited about the idea and immediately wanted to get involved.  I will be riding a nicer bike than I thought I could afford thanks to his support and the added support he procured from Redline Bikes.

As the preparation progresses, there will be more people to thank, and I will be able to tell more about what they have done for me.  For now, here are a few links to more information on the race and my supporters.  You read, I’m going to go ride!

The race website:  http://tourdivide.org/

My bike shop sponsor:  http://www.pdxbikecommuter.com/

Brihop Coaching:   http://brihopcoaching.com/