Volcanoshire

Better late than never, my update on the 2nd weekend in Oregon..... I needed another 200 mile weekend to compensate for missing the Etape du Dales.

Friday after work I got ready and set off to the Skyline again. This was a quickish 40 miles with a 860m metres of climbing. Saturday I had had advice from cyclists in the office about routes to do in the Columbia River Gorge and the area around Mount Hood. Mount Hood, shown here, is one of 5 or so 10,000ft+ mountains that dominate the landscape around Portland since they stand alone. The most famous being Mount St Helens which erupted in 1980 causing widespread devastation, killing 57 people. All these volcano mountains sit in the Cascade Mountain range on the pacific rim 'ring of fire', the tectonic plate boundary that has so often caused eruptions and earthquakes over the last several hundred years.

The Columbia river is Mississippi sized, a huge river formed when glaciation retreated and a massive inland lake was unplugged and the floodwater headed south and west. Many of the rock formations are similar to the Giant's Causeway in Ireland, basalt columns and the like. I was told it was always windy in the gorge but during my visit it was dead still ! This was a mixed blessing, there would be no wind to ride against but it was due to be over 90 deg F, over 30 deg C in new money !

I parked at a place called Mosier at the end of a 5 mile stretch of 'historic' highway 30. This stretch has been converted to a cycletrack / footpath with a super smooth surface. 5m later I was in the town of Hood River.

I was looking for a long climb and found one, the profile is shown here, doesn't reach as high as Ventoux but I ran out of road at 3,600ft, so all in all it was probably an 1,100m climb over 20 miles much less of a gradient to Ventoux of course. It was interesting, very quiet once off the main Mount Hood Highway. Hot, hot, hot ! I needed to fill up at roadside streams twice. The run back down was quite fast, found my way back through the town of Mount Hood and onto the old highway cycletrack back to Mosier.

I was back in Mosier at 68 miles and wanted to push the distance to near 100m and the climbing to over 2,000m. I had been advised to travel the road to Dalles as scenic and interesting. It certainly was, often riding high above the Columbia river gorge, great views. I had a circuit planned back via a route called '7 mile hill'. I was tired with the heat and starting to cramp so I decided to simply re-trace my steps. I arrived back at the car with 96 miles on and just over 2,400m. That was enough for the day. I needed about 65m Sunday to reach the 200m for the weekend. See http://connect.garmin.com/activity/5633928 for the details.

Sunday I rose late, battled through the large people in the breakfast area of the hotel and eventually set off towards Sauvie Island north of the city. Sauvie Island I was told was an Indian settlement. For my part it was flat so I planned a fast, flat route around the island and then a finish on the Skyline again. It was so hot again, like well over 30c. I stopped at one point to assist a couple with a puncture and no tube, them sorted I continued on my way. I ascended the skyline via Cornelius Pass this time. Rolled along the Skyline and hit the Pizza shop for some sustenance with 61m on the clock, see route on http://connect.garmin.com/activity/5633921. That was 197m for the weekend. Time to rest.

That was the end of my Oregon cycling trips, it was 4 more days in the office and back to the UK. I managed 3 visits to the gym in the week before my trip home. Got back with the family on Saturday 23rd May fully intending to go cycling in the afternoon but jetlag got the better of me. Sunday I teamed-up with Thomo and Ciaran and attacked all the local hills, 72miles and 1,500m.

The Bald Peak Challenge

So it was up early, hotel breakfast and off by 08:30 weaving through the grid pattern street of Portland trying not to get my tyres stuck in the tram lines ! The first climb was up to the top of the Skyline along a road called Lovejoy. Quite a good climb, a couple of miles at 10 - 12%. Then out long and flat to a town called Hillsboro. Having to stop quite often to route check against the 24 A4 sheets I'd printed in the office. Turned south (I was doing the route anticlockwise - there was no wind to speak of so it didn't really matter), heading toward the hills. The maximum elevation I was to reach was 510m so quite similar to the forthcoming Wicklow I considered.

The hills soon came on, the climb up Bald Peak went on and on, good comparable gradients to France, just what I wanted. Reached the top of Bald Peak, stopped to photograph the snow covered peaks (as previous post) and off again. Reached a complicated junction and turned, still climbing then a descent. Got carried away and descended 400m to Scholls Ferry only to realise the error. I thought about it, the climbing was good training so back up I went ! Found the road I was supposed to take called 'Mountain Top Road' (rather imaginative !), to my horror it was unmetalled, yes gravel ! Good job the hire bike had Kevlar tyres. The gravel (or grovel!) lasted about 2 miles then sanity was restored, asphalt again....

Has to negotiate Highway 99, the one that runs all the way to Vancouver BC, Canada and on to Whistler, then the climb up Parret Mountain. This was steep, as in Lake district steep, took it easy then after many switchbacks, it turned to bloody gravel again, on a 12% incline. I tried and tried to keep the traction by keeping seated but I only had a 25 sprocket on the rear and I had to stand and when standing the rear wheel spun. So I had to walk about 100m - bugger !

The descent on the gravel was tricky, little control over direction but made it to asphalt again. I was 65m into the ride now and aside from going back over the Skyline, most of the climbing was done.

I got back into downtown Portland 16:00 ish and headed straight for the pizza shop for a pizza and a couple of beers. See http://connect.garmin.com/activity/5242504

The day totalled 84 miles (or thereabouts) and 2,400m of ascent, a similar rate to the forthcoming Etape so I was pleased, especially with over a 100 miles in the legs from the previous 2 days. A total of 190m in 2.5 days. Looking forward to the next weekend and what Mount Hood can offer.

Oregonian trails

Did the last spin classes at David Lloyd, Chorley. I have to say these have been fantastic base training through the winter. There were 2 of us in the classes preparing for the Etape, Eugene being the other. Regards to Ann and Ann and the instructors Kay and Paul in particular. Kay amused us with stories during the classes, quite how she learned to talk and ride I don't know, I couldn't speak most of the time. On the last Monday we were treated to the 'dead dog' story. It goes something like this, if you are squeamish, look away....

A work colleague of Kay's (let's call her Ms. X)reported this on the Monday morning. Separated from her previous partner who had buried their dog in the garden some 4 months previous. A neighbour gets a new dog, seemingly with a keen sense of smell, well keener than usual I would say. You can see where this is going..... The new dog decides to dig-up the dead dog, which ex partner had buried seemingly in a shallow grave (about 9 inches). Well new dog, pleased with its achievement and unaffected by the putrid stench couldn't have began to imagine what followed. Ms X tried to move the dead dog with a view to re-burying but the stench was too much (you can imagine, vomiting etc.....well maybe not !) Then in a flash of inspiration 'why don't we burn it' ( I think Ms X had a helper). So off to the local convenience store / garage for a couple of tins of lighter fluid, no questions from the counter staff. The lighter fluid was applied, ignited, a bit of smoke and out. Someone suggested the carcass was still frozen from the winter !! hey this is Wigan not Yellowknife British Columbia - permafrost. Did I forget to say this all took place in Wigan ? maybe it was still frozen in some kind of freak geological ice age recurrence. We cycled through Wigan during winter training and come to think of it, it was colder than anywhere else ?

Anyway, back to the garage / store for a couple of gallons of unleaded. These were applied, singed eyebrows, lots of smoke and stench and out it went. Apparently the fire brigade were in contact at this point, someone having reported the smoke plume. Fire brigade's concerns addressed, Ms X was now faced with a part decomposed, part burned carcass of a dead dog. The neighbour inquired as to the colour of the dog having noticed a brown paw poking out from the funeral pyre ! The situation was put on hold with an upside-down dustbin placed over the carcass pending development of a further action plan. The following Thursday we were treated to an update, some kind people offered to assist Ms X in digging a 18" deep grave for the dead brown dog. That's what friends are for. Thank you Kay for this pleasant story !

Back to my world.... Departure day eventually came, arrived Portland, OR on 5th May 2009 for 2.5 weeks of induction and introduction to my new employer. I had pre-arranged a bike hire from Sellwood Cycle Repair (http://www.sellwoodcycle.com/). The owner Erik Tonkin dropped the bike at my hotel at 07:00am on Thursday, a brand new Kona alloy frame with carbon front and rear forks. Brand new, great ride, very comfortable, no back or neck pain so it's sized just right. Fantastic service from these guys if you are ever in Portland, OR, well you never know !

Portland is a fantastic city, really picturesque, set on a river with many old and new bridges, nice pace of life, so much space and really cycle friendly. The first ride I did was Friday after work, about 38m on the NW Skyline route. Fantastic views of Mount Hood (above) and Mount St Helens. See http://connect.garmin.com/activity/5054085 for details if you are at all interested !

Saturday, I went down the Sellwood Cycles to pay my bill and get some ride suggestions from them. I wanted to do about 50m but ended-up doing 72m, I had little else to do so no problem. This ride was actually quite remote, I got a feeling of being in the middle of nowhere, just the odd ranch / house / farmstead. I'd ride for an hour without seeing a car. It was warm too and I underestimated how dry it was. The terrain was similarly dry, I think this is typical, they get dry and wet areas. Fortunately, the terrain was forested, so about 50% of the time under some shelter from the hot sun. I don't know the temperature but in the early 20's I would say. See the route on http://connect.garmin.com/activity/5135188. There is some issue here with the elevation profile on the Garmin, seemingly I spent some of the time 154 feet below sea level ! Maybe NASA's satellites needs calibrating ?

So Sunday it's the Bald Peak Challenge, 75m with nearly 6,000 ft of ascent, I guess 1,800m. The biggest problem is getting out of the city, it can be complicated. This should see 185m in the bag this week which all things considered I'm quite pleased with. On a final note, still no taker for my Etape du Dales entry, shame this is a fantastic event, c'mon you cyclistes.....