your dreams — or nightmares depending on your fitness.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)
This weekend will be an excellent chance to test your early season fitness. Or your sanity.
Organizers behind Saturday’s unsanctioned De Ronde PDX ride have just told us that they’ve also marked a companion ride for Sunday dubbed La Doyenne (after the famous European classic Liège–Bastogne–Liège). We hinted at the ride in our story about this year’s De Ronde back in January and today we learned the La Doyenne will take riders on a 50 mile jaunt through Happy Valley (south of Powell Butte Nature Park) on a course with 8,000 feet of climbing. The De Ronde route is about 47 miles with 7,800 feet of climbing.
The La Doyenne course is marked with the same Flemish Lions (look for them as yellow stencils on the pavement) that mark the De Ronde route through Portland’s West Hills. Both rides begin at 10:00 am. People will meet for the De Ronde in front of Pyramid Brewing at 2730 NW 31st Ave in the Northwest Industrial District. The La Doyenne will start in front of Happy Valley City Hall (16000 SE Misty Drive).
Check out the La Doyenne course and elevation profile via RideWithGPS.
The De Ronde debuted in 2007 and has seen exponential growth each year. Media coverage and word-of-mouth have turned it into the largest unsanctioned bike ride in Portland with an estimated turnout of 1,000 people in 2012. Read recaps and see photos of past rides in the BikePortland archives.