Passing riders contemplate a stop for refreshments on the patio of Westfir Lodge.
(Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)

Today Westfir is as quiet as it was 100 years ago. The loudest thing is the roar of water over rocks in the nearby river. But it wasn’t always such a sleepy place.
[Read more…]

Oregon State Police are looking into a fatal collision last night in downtown Oakridge (east of Eugene) that involved a man riding a bicycle and a man driving a car. The bicycle rider has died. Statement from OSP below:

(Photo: OSP)

OSP INVESTIGATING FATAL CRASH INVOLVING VEHICLE VERSUS BICYCLIST – LANE COUNTY (PHOTO)

News Release from Oregon State Police
Posted on FlashAlert: August 14th, 2017 10:30 AM
Downloadable file: Photo
Oregon State Police (OSP) Troopers and emergency personnel responded to the report of a passenger car versus bicycle collision on State Route 58, at milepost 34 in Oakridge.

On August 13, 2017, at about 9:38 p.m., a black 1984 Pontiac Fiero, operated by Stephen Bradley HERRICK, age 57, of Westfir, was traveling eastbound on State Route 58 at milepost 34, when a male bicyclist crossed the roadway in a southbound direction and in the path of the Fiero. The bicyclist sustained major injuries and was transported to River Bend Hospital by Oakridge Fire and EMS. He was pronounced deceased shortly after arrival.

One of the eastbound lanes of the highway was blocked for approximately four hours while the on-scene investigation was being conducted.

Preliminary information indicates that the bicyclist was not wearing a helmet and the bicycle did not have any lighting.

Efforts are still ongoing to notify next of kin of the deceased. The Oregon State Police is the lead investigating agency and is being assisted by Oakridge Fire and EMS, Oakridge Police Department and the Oregon Department of Transportation. This in an ongoing investigation and more information will be released when it becomes available.

Promo pic and logo for Trans-Cascadia Enduro Stage Race coming to Oakridge this fall.

One significant yet often overlooked component of Oregon’s bicycle industry are the hundreds of annual rides, races and events that take place throughout the state. [Read more…]

Foresty.
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Oakridge might be one of the premiere mountain biking destinations in the country; but did you know that there’s also lots of fun to be had on a road bike in that neck of the woods?

On Saturday, I joined about 100 other lucky riders for the first-ever Tour of Aufderheide, an event that took full advantage of one of the most spectacular roads in Oregon – Aufderheide Forest Drive.

Tour of Auderheide is the work of Eugene-based event promoter and owner of dark30 Sports, Steve Cash. After 30 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, Cash’s new focus is on using bicycle events to give an economic energy boost to small Oregon towns. “This is about economic development in these small towns,” he shared with me after Saturday’s ride which started and ended at the quaint Westfir Lodge, “They have great attributes for cycling and a lot of potential to bring cyclists in.”
[Read more…]

A view of the Cascades from
Bunchgrass Ridge Trail.
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Just back from a long weekend in Oakridge, Oregon — “the mountain biking capital of the Northwest”. Over five years ago I proclaimed (jokingly) that I wanted to move there and now I’m wondering why it’s taken me so long to return.

Oakridge is a small and quiet former logging town situated between rivers and mountains about 40 miles east of Eugene. The timber industry once dominated, but today the local economy is all about outdoor recreation. In August 2010 even National Public Radio noticed Oakridge and devoted a special report to the town that is trying to “reinvent itself.”[Read more…]

Due to troubles finding a reliable wi-fi signal in Oakridge, I wasn’t able to post as many stories as I had hoped from Mountain Bike Oregon.

I’ve put together a special coverage page and I just finished uploading and organizing all my photos.
[Read more…]

A welcome sight for mountain bikers.
(File photo)

If Oakridge had an unofficial base camp for mountain biking adventurers, it would be The Trailhead.

This aptly named cafe is right at the start of Main Street in Oakridge (which is actually a highway), and I couldn’t think of a better welcome to town.[Read more…]

Camping on the banks of the
Middle Fork of the Willamette River.
(File photo)

The quality of riding in Oakridge can be illustrated in many ways. One of them is by the success of Mountain Bike Oregon.

The first MTB Oregon was held in 2005 and was attended by 38 hearty soles. Founder Randy Dreiling says there were more guides than riders. It didn’t take long for word of the event to spread. Word of mouth, propelled by popular Internet forums like MTBR.com saw the next year’s attendance balloon to a sellout crowd of 300 riders.

Riders came from 20 different states including as far away as Maine and Florida.
[Read more…]

On Alpine Trail.
(File photo)

Just finished my first day of riding down here at Mountain Bike Oregon in Oakridge.

The trails are out of this world and my tent is set up mere feet from the rushing of the green-blue Willamette River (and just a few yards from the beer garden).

I left Portland (very) early this morning, ate breakfast at camp, packed a lunch, then hopped on a yellow school bus full of other riders for 20 miles of some of the best singletrack I’ve ever ridden. We did a trail known as Alpine: about 20 miles, with 4,500 feet of descending on glorious, narrow, and perfectly maintained trails.
[Read more…]