August 28, 2007
Portland Century: Portland's Premier Cycling Event
The lines... very short. The course... beautiful and well marked. The finish line dinner... plentiful and delicious. The Portland Century, the ride that was overwhelmed with cyclists last year, was this year well prepared. The Portland Century stood tall this year and presented itself as Portland's much-needed premier cycling event. "My only comment," said weatherman Dave Salesky, "is don't change a thing."
I know many of you were waiting with baited breath to hear the outcome of this year's ride, and the overwhelming response from riders was that they absolutely loved it. Coming soon: a photo gallery and more response from riders.
Did you ride? What did you think?
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August 25, 2007
Rider Profile: Jaskirat Wild // 100
Jaskirat Wild is one of the most enthusiastic Portland Century riders. "I'm super- excited about the ride!" she says. "Thanks to the people who are putting this on!" Jaskirat is looking forward to biking further than she ever has before. She has been a vegetarian for 17 years, but says "I'm excited for the dinner and I'm actually going to try the salmon."
On a normal day, Jaskirat rides about 10 miles on her commute from NE Portland to OHSU where she's a neuroscientist. "I study how meditation affects the brain, and how it can be used to reduce stress."
Jaskirat is a big fan of Portland. "I love how people are committed to all things local, and really support small business and farming."
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August 23, 2007
Rider Profile: Stasia Honnold // 100
Car-free cyclist ("Have never owned one, never will," she says) Stasia Honnold is one of the brave souls who has signed up for the full century on the Portland Century, but she's not intimidated by all those miles. "I end up bike commuting anywhere from 20-40 miles a day, depending on how many stops and random side trips I take, so if I'm going to do a recreational ride I basically want to go as far as possible to make it interesting. I also did the 100 miles last year and it rocked. There's nothing like a hundred miles to make you feel like you really earned the post-ride dinner!"
Stasia, a seventh grade English teacher, is exited to return her second Portland Century. "My favorite part of these rides is meeting all the other awesome people out there. I love to find people going my pace. There's something about the fact that you're both biking that makes it easier than ever to strike up a conversation with a stranger."
Stasia says her favorite place to take a long ride is the Gorge, and last weekend she tackled Larch Mountain. She also loves riding through Riverview Cemetery, on the 205 path to Marine Drive and through Washington Park. "But really," she say, "as long as I'm on a bike I'm happy."
Stasia likes that the Portland Century is all about Portland. "I really, really, really like how normal it is to bike here, and how easy. I love that I can tell people I don't have a car and they think it's admirable, not absolutely crazy. I love Portland's continuous work to make the city accessible by and safe for alternative transportation, whether it's bike, bus, max, whatever. And unrelatedly, I love how people care about things being local and organic. Yay for conscious living!"
If you're not yet signed up, you can still sign up online, at Saturday's pre-ride check in, or at the event on Sunday. For more info, see the Portland Century website.
REGISTER
Comments (1) | Posted by orbike at 9:09 AM | Permalink | TrackBack
August 20, 2007
Rider Profile: Char Rowe // 25
Char Rowe, a 32-year-old native Oregonian, is one of the hundreds of people participating in the Portland Century. "I only recently discovered how much fun bike riding is," she says. "So I'm riding the 25 mile Portland Century this year to explore more bike friendly paths in the Portland area."
But last weekend Char and a friend went out for a distance ride to see how she could handle it, and she's considering an upgrade to the 50 mile route.
Char is excited to be a part of the event. "I look forward to seeing the city and surrounding neighborhoods from a different perspective."
Char represents the diversity of Portland Century riders, she's not hardcore. "I would classify myself as a vacation/seasonal bike rider, but I hope to finish this year's 25 mile ride knowing I will sign up for the 50 mile next year."
Char has lived in Portland for the last three years and views biking as an integral part of its culture. "I like the appreciation of healthy and sustainable lifestyles."
Good luck out there, Char!
Comments (3) | Posted by orbike at 11:39 AM | Permalink | TrackBack
August 3, 2007
Portland Century - The Full Century
I don't know what it is about centuries, but there's something very rewarding about completing a full 100 miles. It's a nice, round number; a solid benchmark. On the Portland Century, there are three routes, 25, 50 and 100, but it is the full century that affords you the greatest views, most spectacular route and gorgeous scenery.
But all that beauty comes at a small price:
climbing. It's hard to get in a nice 100 mile route without at least a little climbing. And on this route, it's well worth it. You'll wind against tree farms on some of the most quiet rural routes, along fern-lined wooded roads, capture startling views of Mt. Hood, dip into Eagle Fern Park, climb up to Roslyn Lake on more rural roads, and eventually cruise alongside the Columbia River on Marine Drive back into Portland.
You can view the entire route, and the elevation profile, here.
This is an ORbike Member Event. If you're an ORbike member, you'll get a discount on registration and a free massage at the finish line.
Comments (0) | Posted by orbike at 8:29 PM | Permalink | TrackBack
July 16, 2007
Portland Century
The new Portland Century routes are available! This year's full century is gorgeous. It takes riders out to Gresham and down south of Sandy to Eagle Fern Park. Heading out of the park is where some of the most intense climbing happens, but also some of the best scenery. Highlights of this route include spectacular views of Mt. Hood, fern-lined wooded roads, tree farms, quiet rural roads and plenty of wildlife along the way. I drove through the course and it is simply gorgeous. Elevation maps are not yet up but should be shortly.
This year also features a half century and a quarter century. All routes have rest stops along the way every 20 miles or less. Some rest stops feature extensive food like Hot Lips Pizza, Laughing Planet Burritos and cool fruit smoothies.
[ routes ]
Comments (9) | Posted by orbike at 1:11 PM | Permalink | TrackBack
December 20, 2006
Organized Rides go Holiday
I'm a sucker for the holidays, so it's no surprise I get all excited at the thought of Elliot and company flying across the sky with presents in their baskets instead of ET. That's the redesigned Night Ride logo made special for the holidays. Several of our area's oreganized rides transformed their logos to send out with special volunteer holiday cards.
I mean, come on, a guy holding his bike over his head, wearing a Santa hat, and his wheels are wreaths? That's good stuff. Check out the collection. Click the images for larger versions.
Comments (2) | Posted by orbike at 12:18 PM | Permalink | TrackBack
August 29, 2006
Portland Century - 1,300 Riders!
Wow! 1,300 riders came out for the first-ever Portland Century, a ride that celebrates Portland. Thousands of dollars were raised for Hands on Portland, an organization that promotes volunteerism in Portland. This is sure to be an annual Portland tradition.
Groups of riders were armed with cameras and captured the sites and experiences of the course. Check out the photo gallery.
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August 26, 2006
Rider Profile: Kate Moore
Kate Moore is gearing up to ride the full century on the Portland Century. Her mantra? "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can..." The 29-year-old is riding because, "my mother is battling the disease ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, and watching her courageously battle the disease while her body continues to weaken has inspired me to enjoy and take advantage of all that my body can do." Kate is looking forward to being on course with her husband Rawls (see photo) and friends, and reveling in the sense of accomplishment when she's finished. This will be her longest distance ride yet.
The Portland Century is Kate's first organized ride. After this she says she's planning to do the, "bike section of the Black Diamond duathlon (60 miles) in Enumclaw, Washington in September. My friend Caroline will be doing the running and we'll be doing this in honor of my mother!"
Comments (2) | Posted by orbike at 6:59 AM | Permalink | TrackBack
August 25, 2006
Portland Century Riding Group
Here's a fun idea from rider Erin Greeson who is putting together a riding group for the Portland Century:
"I'd be happy to help gather a small group of people who are interested in taking this course at a steady, moderate, slower pace (especially for the hilly miles). This might include fellow full century first-timers, or simply those who are not yet hot-rod quality cycling studs. :)
I will bring a sign to the start line (somehow indicating "first-timers and moderate pacers") and will try to position myself within the middle section of the group (not the very front, but also not the very back). I will be there at 7:30 am, stretching and getting ready for the 8 am take off!
If anyone would like to correspond about this via email in advance, they can feel free to contact me at ering@gradybritton.com."
Comments (0) | Posted by orbike at 11:53 AM | Permalink | TrackBack
Another Century Rider
Laurelin is 26 and she and her dad are riding the full century, or as she puts it, "100-miles, baby!" Earlier this year, she trained for and competed in her first triathlon. At the same time, her dad was training for Cycle Oregon. They teamed up for a few long riders and really enjoyed riding together. She says that now she is, "joining him on what will be for both of us a first century ride. My idea of perfect father-daughter bonding."
Laurelin has a daily 11-mile round trip bike commute and like Nick she tries to get in 30-40 miles of weekend riding. She doesn't ususally participate in many organized rides, but this is a picture of her at Bridge Pedal with her friend Andrew who will be joining her at the Century.
Comments (1) | Posted by orbike at 9:21 AM | Permalink | TrackBack
Who is Riding the Portland Century?
Nick Zuiderveld is a new rider who has decided to take on the Portland Century. The 28-year-old just started cycling this year, primarily as an excuse to get in better shape. He says, "Now I am at the point where riding has taken over my life and I want to start exploring more routes, meet other cyclers, and gain more experience doing longer treks." Nick is riding the 60-mile route options. He adds, "I'm excited that this is the very first Portland Century event, and I hope it will be a huge success so that in 50 years I can say that I was there at the beginning!" Nick is also looking forward to the delicious finish line dinner.
On a typical day Nick rides 6 miles from home to work, but sometimes he adds in another 6 miles riding to the gym. On the weekends he goes exploring in the city and averages about 30 miles per trip. He loved riding the recent Bridge Pedal, which was his first organized ride.
Comments (0) | Posted by orbike at 6:10 AM | Permalink | TrackBack
August 24, 2006
How Bad is Bad? How Steep is Steep?
The number one question for the Portland Century has been "Just how severe is that severe climbing arond Roslyn Lake?" The elevation maps are finally complete and you can view a mile-by-mile guide here. This section of the course incorporates elements of the Torture 10,000, an anual ride known for it's extreme climbing.
We've definitely set up a challenging course, but it's gorgeous out there and an opportunity to head out to the Bull Run area, the source of Portland's drinking water. Speaking of water, there are two water spots in that area, one at the peak of the first climbing and another after the next section of climbing. Details are on the elevation maps.
Comments (2) | Posted by orbike at 8:48 PM | Permalink | TrackBack
Weather Forecast Says A GREAT DAY for a Century!
They weather forecast for Sunday's first-ever Portland Century is 86 degrees and partly cloudy. Pretty great weather for riding a century! I'm sure many of you would perfer 60 degrees, but for this time of year (two weeks after the Hottest Day of the Year Ride), this weather prediction isn't so bad.
Volunteers are still needed and some positions allow you to ride for free (a $40 value). For more information on the volunteer positions available, see the volunteer page of the Portland Century website.
Online registration closes today but you can register on site on the morning of the ride.
Comments (2) | Posted by orbike at 11:54 AM | Permalink | TrackBack
August 23, 2006
The Portland Century - it's About Time!
On Monday, 36 people registered for the first-ever Portland Century. The registrations just keep rolling in . The downtown Bike Gallery called us to tell us their registration book is overflowing with completed registration forms and we need to come unload some of them. So how many people will show up on Sunday? I don't know, but we're placing bets and hoping for 750!
Comments (2) | Posted by orbike at 6:39 AM | Permalink | TrackBack
August 15, 2006
Hit Your Peak Form This Season
Bart Summers says "You still have time to hit your peak form this season". Below is an article he wrote for the ORbike community, filled with good tips.
Roadies: You still have time to hit your peak form this season
If you’re reading this around August or September time and you’re up here in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s likely that you fall into one of two camps. Either you’ve had enough of bike racing for the year and you’re about to pack it in until you begin doing long winter miles later in the year or…
You’re about to make a last ditch attempt to find some form and start placing or even win a race before the season closes out!
If this second camp is where you are right now then listen up because
if you want to win a road race this season or you desperately need some ranking points to retain or move up a category then you’ve still got more than enough time to do it!
Here is why:
By the time you reach this point in the season you’ve probably spent the best part of 7 or 8 months or 200-250 days training and racing. That’s a lot! But here’s the good news:
If you’ve managed to remain mentally fresh over that period of time, taken regular R & R weeks and looked after yourself, even taken a week or two off the bike completely, then you may well be in a position to exploit all that good training to the full! And make what the Italians call a “Salto di qualita” or quality jump in form.
What all that training has given you is the most important bike racing asset of all…
Time in the saddle.
Exactly what builds economy, a powerful aerobic system and a huge level of endurance.
Now that you have built that economy and endurance, you’re in precisely the shape you need to be in order to start the kind of training that will have you winning races again before the season closes out.
And by “that kind of training” I’m talking about intervals!
What it boils down to is this.
What you need to win bike races and what we all want more of is to increase our sustainable power on the bike.
And that comes from having a huge aerobic base optimized by high quality interval training.
Having built the base, now all you have to do is get the intervals right and you’ll be flying in no time at all!
So what kind of intervals should you do to make certain you increase your sustainable power on the bike? Well, try the following two interval sessions- you’ll feel the increase in power almost immediately.
I recommend you do these on the indoor trainer so you can concentrate fully on maintaining full effort throughout the intervals.
V02 Max Intervals.
Ride for 3 minutes at a pace higher than you can maintain in a 10mile TT with full recovery between intervals. Repeat twice more or until you can no longer finish the 3 minutes in the same gear. Ignore Heart rate during these intervals and concentrate instead on pedalling smoothly and sustaining your power output.
One minute Anaerobic Capacity Intervals.
Ride one minute absolutely flat out as hard as you can do it with one minute rest between intervals. Repeat as many times as you can without fading. Stop and warm down as soon as you can no longer maintain the same power or have to change down a gear.
That’s just two sessions that will make a massive difference to your power output on the bike. Make sure you allow at least 48 hours recovery between each interval session.
Good luck with the rest of your season and here’s to you winning a race over the next few weeks!
Bart Summers is an active amateur racer and coach and author of the website 50 Top Bike Racing Tips
Comments (0) | Posted by orbike at 9:36 AM | Permalink | TrackBack
August 2, 2006
Who's Riding the Portland Century?
Kate Lopresti, 34, is one of the 98 riders who have already signed up for the first-ever Portland Century. Kate is using the ride as a way to gear up for her first Cycle Oregon experience in September.
Has Kate ever ridden a century? "Never!" she says. "This will be my first time. YIKES!"
Kate's usual riding includes biking around Portland, starting from her home in Southeast. "I ride downtown, the Esplanade, the Interstate bike lane, Mt. Tabor, over to St. John's and Kelley Point Park, Johnson Creek Trail (not all in the same ride!). My daily commute adds up to about 8 miles round trip: I bike downtown, take the MAX to Beaverton, and bike the rest of the way to the office. When I'm out for a longer ride on the weekends I ride about 20 miles."
This summer is also riding Cycle Oregon and Bridge Pedal, but she's really excited about the Portland Century, a ride that is all about Portland.
"One of the reasons I moved to Portland in 1998 is that I wanted to live in vibrant city, but I didn't want to own a car," she says. "Portland fits the bill on both counts. There's always something going on and I can usually get to it by bike or bus. I've been car-less for nearly ten years because Portland isn't as spread out and car-centric. I'm reminded of that every day I bike Walker road in Beaverton."
Comments (6) | Posted by orbike at 12:06 PM | Permalink | TrackBack
July 25, 2006
The Portland Century - An Incredible Century!
I just finished the route maps for the Portland Century, and it's a pretty awesome route. I mean, how cool is it to ride a century and get to finish by riding along Broadway downtown, past all the city action to a finish line feast of scrumptious local seasonal foods?
It's a Century (and a 40 and 60) filled with some of the best sights in Portland - but it is not for the faint of heart. The 40- and 60-mile routes are totally flat, but the century includes a special tour of Bull Run and Oxbow Park. There is some pretty serious climbing in there, but it's well worth it. If you are one of the many fans of the Torture 10,000 (a ride made famous by the Portland Wheelmen), then you're going to dig this course.
Each route has a series of very Portland highlights, but only the Century includes them all.
Comments (1) | Posted by orbike at 6:42 PM | Permalink | TrackBack