during Cycle Oregon 2007.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)
Welcome to the weekend! I hope some of you are already enjoying the Cirque du Cycling fest in the Mississippi area tonight. I’ve skipped town for a weekend full of classic Oregon explorations and I wanted to hold this post open so everyone can share their adventures and plans (or fill us in on any breaking news that might hit).
Earlier this week an old friend of mine, Co-Motion Cycles co-owner Dwan Sheppard, invited me to a ride I’d never heard of — the Tour of Aufderheide. I was already planning on taking a road trip for some riding this weekend (see below), so I figured, why not extend the trip a bit and knock off a bit more great riding?! So here I am in Oakridge where I’ve set up camp in advance of a 96-mile mass start event that’s part of the “Oregon Triple Crown.”
The last time I rode the legendary Aufderheide Memorial Drive was during Cycle Oregon 2007. It’s a road you never quite forget (so much so that local bike company Breadwinner Cycles named one of their models after it).
After Saturday’s ride, I’ll point my trusty mini-van northeast and end up somewhere outside of the tiny town of Heppner (population 1,291) where I’ll shack up at Treo Bike Ranch for a few nights. Since writing about Treo owner Phil Carlson’s efforts to reinvent his bird hunting ranch into a cycling destination, I’ve read several great reviews about it. Phil’s place is surrounded by hundreds of miles of gravel and paved roads just waiting to be discovered. As a special bonus, a film crew from Travel Oregon and a few of their tourism staffers will also be there. It’s like Oregon’s bicycle tourism boom come to life and I’m looking forward to seeing what unfolds.
I have to admit, this trip is also a great excuse to put some miles on my wonderful new Cielo (by Chris King). I’ll share more about the bike — along with stories and photos from the road — in posts to come.
—— Before signing off to lube up the bike and get my tent situated, I want to give special thanks to Western Bike Works for getting me set up with some gear for this (long) weekend trip. If you haven’t stopped by their shop on NW 17th and Lovejoy lately, you should. They’ve got a cafe with several rotating beers on tap, tables and chairs outside, weekly rides, and of course tons of great bike stuff to check out.