Man-oh-man if you can pull yourself away from the final stages of the Tour de France, it’s a weekend full of racing and general cycling mania around here: From road to mountain there is something going on for everyone.
If racing isn’t your thing, Friday night is the Cascade Bicycle Club‘s Cyclefest & Bikemania which includes on the bike activities as well as Tour de France viewing on a big screen.
The 32nd Annual Cascade Cycling Classic stage race is underway and runs through Sunday. This is probably the biggest event of its kind in the Pacific Northwest and it attracts pros, local hot shots, and even recreational racers who have the constitution to recover from the demands of a multi-day race. If you are near the Bend, OR area, check it out, and be on the lookout for the guy who hosts the “illegal feed zone.” Beers and more for folks who’ve popped off the back of the main group and are in a state of misery that can only be cured with a mid-race beverage.
If you are into racing mountain bikes you may be headed to the High Cascades 100 also in the Bend area. Sounds like a great singletrack day in the sun: 100+ miles and over 11,000′ of climbing.
In Redmond, track racing fans can watch some of the best at the Marymoor Grand Prix. Given the recent weather pattern race organizers have been a bit concerned, but it’s looking like we’re in for some gorgeous Pacific Northwest summer weather over the weekend.
There is still time to sign up for the Midsummer Nights Cyclocross race at the Suncadia Resort on the Nelson Dairy Farm in Roslyn. Yes, it does seem a bit early for cyclocross, but this may be just the jumpstart you’ve been looking for to get motivated for the upcoming cross season.
And it looks like there is still time to enter OUCH, aka the Larch Mountain Hill Climb which starts in the town of Corbett, east of Portland, and climbs 3816 feet over 16.53 miles. I’ve ridden Larch several times and it is a gorgeous ride on a recreational outing; not sure how much scenery you’d notice pedaling at your limit. If you race this, do take in the scenery on the descent and consider a side trip to Crown Point, and if you are feeling frisky wander out to Multnomah Falls.
The Keller Rhorback Road Race is part of a race series that includes the Boston Harbor Circuit Race and Ronde Ohop (and Glenwood Grand Prix?), which are based on the Belgian tradition of short, fast summer races. I think this event in particular goes a long way towards addressing complaints about the lack of road races during the summer months. Details here.
I’ll be at what I consider to be the main event this weekend–the ~515+ mile Race Across Oregon (RAO). I’ll be crewing in support of Mick Walsh who will be attempting to make it his 3rd win in as many attempts. This year he’s rolling solo after a nearly disastrous Race Across the West (RAW) in June. Mick has a tendency to suffer in hot conditions and at this year’s RAW his crew temporarily pulled him out of the race and into a an air conditioned motel room for a cold shower and a nap. The forecast for central Oregon this weekend keeps changing with temperatures on the rise, so it will be interesting to see how the hard Irishman fares this time around. The women’s solo race includes Leah Goldstein who was the first women’s finisher in this year’s Race Across America (RAAM). The 4-person team competition includes several teams from the Vancouver (WA) Bicycle Club, a Seattle-based 4-man team led by ultra speedster Chris Ragsdale and three of his speedy Randonneuring buddies, and defending champions and course record-holders Woodinville Bicycle.
RAO organizers Terri Gooch and George Thomas have compiled a great profile of the competitors here.
Mick’s support vehicle will be transmitting GPS data here and we’ll periodically post text updates at the brand new Ultra Mick Blog. In case it’s not obvious, you should bookmark both of those links and religiously check for updates during the weekend. Solo racers go off at 5AM Saturday morning and the 4-person teams go off at 9AM.
Have a great weekend of cycling!
