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Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder – day 5

With the fatigue in the legs from the past 4 hard days of riding, I was worried if I can do another 84 miles with 6,500 feet of elevation. In addition, the route had a major climb later in a day and that would be in more than 100 degrees heat without any shade.

The event organizers again gave a choice of starting early so I joined the group of riders that left the camp at 6:30am. The first section of the ride was on a paved road in a big group so it was easy. Then the dirt and sand roads started and it became a slow hard grind for me. But the highlight of that section of the route was that I got passed by the leading group of the racers that started at 7:30am. That was pretty cool as it is not very often that I am passed by an ex-World Tour rider and pro racers.

There were lots of sandy and rocky roads during this day which made the ride very challenging. At some point a woman rider asked for help to fix the flat tire on her bike. There was a big puncture that the sealant could not seal. I helped her to install a tube and re-inflate the tire.

Dirt road with Mount Bachelor in the distance

Prior to the last monster climb, there was an aid station and a river. To cool off I submerged my jersey and my feet in the cold river water and that made me feel better. Also I took lots of ice cubes at the aid station and put them in my helmet and under the jersey on my back. All this helped me to reduce my body temperature and made the climb more tolerable. The top of the climb was the highest elevation point during this event – 6,700 feet.

This last ride was the hardest ride of the event for me. This was due to the combination of difficult roads, heat, lots of climbing and the overall fatigue. It took me more than 8 hours to complete 85 miles with 6,900 feet of elevation gain.

All in all, the event was organized really well; the staff and volunteers went out of their way to make sure everyone was well supported and safe during and after the rides. There was lots of food at the camps, medical and mechanical support during and after the rides, showers, beer, etc. Also there was a “shuttle of shame” for riders who decided that this race was too much for them and wanted to get back to their cars in Sisters, OR.

I consider myself an experienced cyclist and I’ve done long and hard rides before, such as Seattle to Portland, Seattle to Vancouver, RAMROD, High Pass Challenge, etc. But this event was by far the hardest one for me. I am glad that I was able to complete it and I am glad that it is over.

Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder – day 4

The rides on day 4 and 5 were going to be the hardest ones. Both routes cover big distances with lots of elevation gain. On top of that the heat wave was going to be at its maximum with day temperatures reaching 110 degrees.

The race organizers decided to offer an option for all riders to reduce the exposure to the heat. Instead of a planned start at 7:30am they allowed people to chose an early start at 6am. Also they allowed to switch from Pioneers’ route (94 miles, >9,000 feet) to Settlers’ route (84 miles, 7,000 feet). As I was starting feeling the fatigue I decided to switch to an early start and a shorter route. That meant that my total timing for the race will not be tracked anymore, but the timings for the individual stages will be still tracked. That was OK with me as at this point I just wanted to survive and complete all 5 days.

Even the shorter route was pretty hard. First there was a long climb to cross the mountain pass and enter the eastern side of the Cascade Mountain Range. Then the later sections of the route were going through the dry and exposed areas during the day time heat.

The early start definitely helped and I got to the next camp around 2pm. The camp was in a local park in the town of La Pine, OR.

Overall I felt OK during the ride and was able to complete 84 miles with 7,000 feet of elevation in less than 8 hours with an average speed of 11.7 mph.

Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder – day 3

According to the event web site the 3rd day was supposed to be an “easy” ride, which meant 53 miles with only 5,400 feet of elevation gain. But the good part about this day was that it was a loop ride and we would return back to the same camp. That meant that there was no need to pack and unpack all the camping gear.

Instructions about the route at the start

The route consisted of one huge climb (3,200 feet in 10 miles), then a couple of smaller climbs and then a long downhill section. Here are the pictures taken during the ride.

I completed the route in less than 5 hours with an average speed of 11 mph.

Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder – day 2

The second day route included two big climbs: first one gained 2000 feet in 5 miles and second one gained 1000 feet in 3.8 miles. The first climb was pretty challenging with the grade often exceeding 10%. Here is the view from the top of the climb.

The camp place was at the park in the town of Oakridge, OR. The camping spot was very nice – it was in a shaded area near the river and with a good breeze. This helped to cool down as the heat wave was starting and the day time temperature started to reach high 90s.

The second day I felt pretty good and completed the course of 61 miles, 5,170 ft in 5 hours with an average speed of 12 mph.

Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder – day 1

Last week I participated in a 5-day gravel bike race in Oregon state. It is called Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder and it goes around the forests and mountain passes of Central Oregon. It is 350 miles with a total elevation gain of more than 30,000 feet. In a few upcoming posts I’ll share my experiences and pictures from this event.

At the start of the first day all riders drop off their stuff in the plastic totes that will be transported to the first camp in Blue River, OR. That will be the procedure for the most of the days: riders pack the tents and sleeping bags and drop off the totes in the morning, ride to the next camping spot, unpack, eat, rest and sleep to ride hard the next day.

Riders gather at the start line to listen to the instructions for the first day route.

There are two groups of riders in this event: Pioneers and Settlers. The Pioneers group consists of many famous racers and pros. They ride longer and harder courses and compete for the podium. The Settlers group does not compete but they get timed anyway. Also the Settlers’ courses are a little easier on the first and fourth day. On all other days they ride the same course as Pioneers. I registered in the Pioneers group with the plan to see how I can handle it and then switch to Settlers if it becomes too much for my abilities.

As the race started I realized that the gravel roads in Oregon are very different from roads I usually ride in Washington. They are not made of gravel but instead are dirt, sand and volcanic rocks. This became apparent on the famous Santiam Wagon Road, which is approximately 7 miles of 4 inch (10 cm) deep sand.

That was the most difficult section of the first day ride for me as I had no experience riding in the sand. The rest of the roads were more rideable and very scenic. Here is the scenery from the first day.

Overall it took me more than 7 hours to complete this course (73 mi, 6,500 ft of elevation) with an average speed of 10 mph. Interestingly enough it took only 3 hours 33 minutes for the stage winner Peter Stetina to complete it with average speed of 18.1 mph. That clearly shows the difference between the pros and the average people.