Crew member “Dad” decided that he should come over at least once a month until RAAM so we can pick away at some of the logistical details while I am out training. This works great for me – it means I can go some places that I normally wouldn’t go on my own.
So Sunday I took my new Infinito for an epic ride down into Oregon. Riding buddy Larry came along – he figured that worse case scenario he could just climb into the support van and take a ride home. We headed down the Hwy to Walla Walla, and the Infinito flew along flawlessly. Smooth, comfortable, and a real pleasure to ride. Walla Walla came and went, then Milton-Freewater. Our crew – Dad and Brandon, finally caught up with us on the first climb of the day outside of Milton-Freewater. Larry was doing well, though I was easily outclimbing him. This was obviously due to two factors: I am a a lot lighter than he is, and of course the bike.
Anyways, the great thing about riding with Larry, is that he can smoke me on the flats. He just has a higher average speed when not climbing. So he always caught up with me after the climbs. I figure the only way to beat the guy to the recovery beverage dispenser will be to have an uphill finish.
Pendleton arrived in front of us, after a pleasant descent, and we turned due south down Hwy 395. Very scenic, it was warming up enough to start shedding layers, and it was getting pretty uphilly. Turning off the 395 onto the Race Across Oregon course only brought back dim memories of what we had gotten ourselves into. Suffice it to say that our little loop included nearly 2 vertical miles of climbing. I finally managed to dump Larry for good on the climb up to Franklin summit – I knew he would eventually catch up – so I plunged over the top. This is a really fun descent with sharp turns, great views and high speeds. It’s steep enough that I did touch the brake pads to the rim just a little.
The rest of the section into Heppner is anything but flat – as I was clilmbing up yet another little “roller” my crew caught up to refuel me and let me know that Larry was a few miles back but riding strong, so I continued on.
We stopped in Heppner for a few minutes, then bucked the headwind down to Lexington – and my crew got to see the famous ”Lexington Sheepdogs”. Fortunately we were moving a shade faster than they felt like running – plus I think that two riders together looked less like a lost sheep. Cause they will really give you a workout if you’re out there solo. The headwind was a pretty welcome development, by the time we topped out the climb onto the plateau above Lexington it was a solid tailwind.
And then I got to find out what it’s like to ride with a guy who has realized the hard part is over, he made it through, and is now heading for home. I was starting to max out proving that my Bianchi was faster than his bike, and the 42 miles to Umatilla flew by.
After a little bout of the same damn stomach issues at about the same damn time of the ride all that was left was the little jaunt over the plateau. We opted for the Interstate/Bofer Canyon road option – it’s a better route for a follow vehicle – because when you plunge over the top it’s a fairly straight stretch of road.
All in all a great way to get a few miles on a new bike.
Day two found my crew chief heading off to school, but Dad was more than happy to come out and play.
Riding long on the second day is great fun: it’s really great to find out that once the aches and pains get warmed up and go away, it’s still a great day to go riding. We had a little filtering rain on our way out of town, but by the time Dad caught up to me with a Starbucks sandwich it had stopped.
We had a fairly typical downwind run to Kahlotus – looked around for a postcard for my nephews, then turned into the wind and headed home. The Infinito again complied, and I was pleasantly surprised to be moving at a fairly brisk pace through the rollers and into the wind. The wind kicked up a tad bit as I plied my way through a little canyon, then after that it’s just a long stretch of road, with the cable bridge just visible past all the orchards.
I decided to stop and take a ride to the refreshment center after a very pleasant century, mostly so I could take the bike in and have Scott’s do a quick tune up on it.
Yesterday found my 928 arriving back from it’s little journey, so I suppose it’s time to quit whining and go learn how to climb.