Although this year’s edition of the Tour de France soap opera will no doubt be exciting to follow, I’d like to turn your attention to the 2009 Race Across Oregon (this weekend, July 11 & 12), which will include a 4-man relay team of some of Seattle’s best.
The 2009 Race Across Oregon (RAO) follows a 527-mile route from Hood River around eastern Oregon and finishes at Cooper Spur Ski Area. Although this year’s route is new, it retains the intimidating 40,000′ of climbing it’s had in previous years.
I was on a 4-man relay team that raced RAO last year, and although I’m still in rehab from it, RAO 2008 was the most fun I’ve ever had on a bike. Based on that first-hand experience I can report that the race is an exhilarating blend of all-out pedaling, recovering, staying cool, staying warm, eating and hydrating properly, and efficiently choreographed rider exchanges.
Event promoters George Thomas and Terri Gooch do a great job of providing play-by-play commentary on their web site (especially considering most of the course is incommunicado)–check it this weekend to follow the team’s progress. Blastoff is 9AM Saturday.
“Koenig’s Kronies” (team 402) is:
1. Chris Ragsdale
2. Brian Ohlemeier
3. Ian Luttrell
4. Mick Walsh
Their basic plan is to follow this racer rotation with each rider on course for 15 minutes followed by a roughly 45 minute rest. They feel that by taking short pulls (in contrast, last year my team took ~30 minute pulls until the last 40 miles or so) they will better be able to maintain their speed.
Depending on race and course conditions they may experiment with putting 2 racers on course to get the benefit of a draft.
In an event like this, a skilled crew is just as important as the guys on the bikes. The crew are:
-Urs Koeing
-Eric Vigoren
-Mike McHale
-Miles Matsen
The team is especially excited to have Urs Koeing as crew chief since he brings a depth of ultra racing experience to the mix.
The team will be divided into two mini-vans with Chris (racer #1) and Ian (racer #3) in one van and Brian (racer #2) and Mick (racer #4) in the other. The two vans will leap-frog down the course setting up their racers for each exchange–which means constant work for the crew.
As of press time, the crew assignments for each van had not been determined.
The team’s goals are to have fun, go fast, and to that end they have a target time of around 24 hrs. For each racer that time goal works out to a 21.95 mph average over about 132 miles with 10,000′ of climbing. Broken up into ~15 minute chunks. Grueling.
Racer Profiles
Ultra phenom Chris Ragsdale
Chris Ragsdale
Cycling background & highlights:
-5 years of ultra distance racing
-4 time national 24 hr winner and current record holder (502.6 miles)
-Winner & record holder of Sebring 24 hr (502.9 miles)
-2 time finisher of Furnace Creek 508
-Finished Cascade 1200k & Boston-Montreal-Boston (BMB) 1200k
-RAO 2-man winner and record holder (2007, with Urs)
Which bike will you be racing?
Cervelo RS
What special gear will you be using?
Zipp disc, 1080 front and an aero helmet
How did you train for RAO?
Two 24 hr races this year so far, the Northwest Crank training camp and a few SIR brevets
What are your individual goals for the race?
Race hard and have fun
How do you plan to handle nutrition, hydration, and the heat (or cold)?
Eat lots of real food, cold drinks. I will use ice socks over the neck in the van to cool down.
Randonneur Brian Ohlemeier
Brian Ohlemeier
Cycling background & highlights:
This will be my first race ever.
I started riding mountain bikes in 2002 at age 40 to loose weight that I had gained from being a traveling consultant for too many years. After dropping 55+ lbs in 9 months, a friend who commuted to work decided to do a 2-day STP and talked me into trying it. I bought a road bike and prepared for STP which we actually did in one day. Later that same month I tried RAMROD and didn’t have any problems riding that either. Through friends I had met on the STP training rides I hooked up a member of Seattle International Randonneurs (SIR) who talked me into trying their Brevet series. I started in the spring of 2004 where Chris Ragsdale and I hooked up on the 300k ride. I rode the 2007 Paris-Brest-Paris 1200k in 57:40 and have done many other Randonees.
Additionally, for the last several years I have helped lead “Cycle Tuesdays” that ride out of Coulon Park in Renton every Tuesday and Thursday.
Which bike will you be racing?
2009 Madone 6.5
How did you train for RAO?
Only my normal rides and Brevets. I did the Oregon 600K in May that was on several of the same roads as RAO, and it was extremely hot.
What are your individual goals for the race?
To have fun.
How do you plan to handle nutrition, hydration, and the heat (or cold)?
I’ve been using Hammer Nutrition Products the last several years on the SIR Brevets, and there is no need to change for this race. Riding brevets prepares you to handle any weather extreme. I will have the luxury of packing the necessary clothing and having available in the van, unlike the brevets where I try to keep everything at a minimum since I don’t want to carry the weight.
Rookie Ian Luttrell
Ian Luttrell
Cycling background & highlights:
I started cycling in college in 1998 after a close friend got me interested. That friend Colby Brooks and I bicycled across the country in 1999, an experience I will never forget and one every cyclist should aspire to. Since then I have just enjoyed riding my bicycle and have really tried to make the bike a lifestyle. I commute every day by bike, I lead a Cascade Bicycle Club ride called Wednesday’s Bends which is focused on tough climbing, and I’ve really started focusing on trying to get more people at my campus to start biking to work.
Ultra distance cycling and racing is a new thing for me and I hope I’m up to the challenge.
What bike(s) are you using in the race?
I’m using my locally made custom Rodriguez S3 light weight steel road bike.
How did you train for RAO?
In addition to the weekly ride I lead, which is an intense climbing-focused ride, I also tried to get some long, hard miles in on the weekends for the past several months culminating with my first 200 mile ride which included 3 passes (thanks Chris!). Early on in training I also did some running to change things up.
One of the most important things I’ve done for the last 9 months is yoga where I worked on flexibility and core strength all of which has had an incredible impact on the bicycle. Yoga! I really believe that all athletes should do some sort of core and flexibility training. (Amen Ian–see my article in the July issue of the Cascade Bicycle Club’s newsletter and this blog post.)
What are your individual goals for the race?
I just want to make a real contribution. I know I won’t be the fastest guy on the road but when the fast guys are resting I want to be out on the road working hard. I really hope that I can fight off the fatigue that will come in the night and try not to have a bad moment where I have to skip a rotation.
How do you plan to handle nutrition, hydration, and the heat (or cold)?
This seems like a common theme for our team but I’m going to use Hammer products mostly, and supplement with some solid food like PB sandwiches. Heat is a challenge for me and my 200 mile ride revealed that I’m going to have to work hard to keep my electrolyte levels at optimum level and will use Hammer Endurolytes to do this. Chris also taught me a great trick to keep your body temperature down when you’re pedaling in the heat, which is to wear a long tube sock filled with ice around your neck. For the cold we’ll just have to keep warm clothes in the van so we can adjust as necessary. Our crew is going to play an important role in pushing us to keep up with the nutrition and fluids.
Mick Walsh has been racing for such a long time that there are no known pictures of him not in racing kit.
Mick Walsh
Cycling background & highlights:
-Meeting my wife (Martha) on a bike tour I was leading 🙂 Now she races too.
-I have been racing since I was 15…makes 31 years now and makes me feel old! (Mick is in fact Old as Dirt.)
-Hawaii Ironman Oct 1983….I finished, that’s all I have to say 🙂
-2nd Irish Championship 1989.
-Washington State Road Champion 1999
Which bikes will you be racing?
-Colnago CX-1 road bike with Campy 11-speed and Zipp 404 wheels
-Kuota TT bike (if I get any downhill pulls….there are NO flat sections in this race!)
How did you train for RAO?
I pre-rode the course in May. I also did the Lewis and Clark Ultra 12 hr race (aka the “Lacultra”) along with the Mt Hood Cycling Classic and the Elkhorn Classic Stage Race, in the masters division.
What are your individual goals for the race?
It’s a team race. I just want to contribute, and help my teammates get through it.
How do you plan to handle nutrition, hydration, and the heat (or cold)?
I started using Hammer Products this year and that has helped me a lot. At the Lacultra I used only Hammer and it worked really well.
I plan on bringing plenty of warm clothes for the cold. The heat is a bigger issue for me, so I’ll have to make sure to drink plenty when I’m of the bike.
I think our crew will make sure we stay hydrated.
Crew Bios
Urs Koenig: Crew Chief
Urs is an experienced ultra distance racer whose accomplishments include:
-Cascade 1200 Finisher and record holder
-BMB 1200
-Ring of Fire 24hr winner and record holder
-RAO 2-man winner and record holder (2007, with Chris)
-Team RAAM official finisher
-Solo RAAM attempt
Urs will ensure sure the team shows up to the start line ready to race and give them the peace of mind that will enable each racer to give an all out effort on the bike.
Eric Vigoren: Navigator
Is a major part of the Seattle Randonneurs and Randonneurs USA organizations. Not only has he organized countless Brevets but he’s ridden even more. Eric has both crewed and participated in multiple ultra racing events. Although Eric will help out however he is needed, his main role will will be to keep the team on route.
Mike McHale: Driver & racer support
Mike is the organizer of the Northwest Crank and an avid member of the Seattle Randonneurs. Mike is a long time cyclist and general bike enthusiast. Mike brings a ton of enthusiasm and energy to the team, which will be critical in the later hours of the race.
Miles Matsen: Driver & racer support
Although new to bicycling, Miles is a life-long athlete and adventurer. Miles is a former football player who took up rowing in college and competed at the collegiate level. Miles is currently a baseball coach at Nathan Hale High School, and the team will benefit from his coaching abilities.
