[OrRando] Birkie 200k brevet - preride report

[cecilanne at comcast.net]

Idaho Spuds!  Hooray!

 -------------- Original message ----------------------
From: <marcello at napolitano.com>
> Yesterday I was blessed by a glorious sunny day for my preride of Saturday's
> Birkie 200k brevet. The beautiful forest vistas on the way to Timber and the
> quiet SR 202 following the lovely Nehalem River are some of my favorite
> riding spots in our area. Here are my notes from the ride.
> 
>  
> 
> Mile 5: as you leave Forest Grove on the low traffic Gales Creek road, you
> leave cell phone reception behind. I did not have any signal on my T-Mobile
> phone until I got back to Forest Grove. Keep that in mind on Saturday. 
> 
>  
> 
> Mile 12: SR6 has a rumble strip on and off (mostly on) and a shoulder that
> varies in width from 4 to 12 feet. The shoulder was fairly clean. There was
> quite a bit of traffic on Sunday morning.
> 
>  
> 
> Mile 15: Other that crossing highway 26 at mile 24 (very carefully), I did
> not see more than a couple of cars on the 20 miles after turning on Timber
> road. 
> 
>  
> 
> Mile 21: In Timber, there is a sharp left turn and a rough railroad track
> crossing at the end of a fast downhill section. Slow down and be nice to
> your wheels as you go over the tracks.
> 
>  
> 
> Mile 30: (not sure about the exact mileage.) A gray dog followed me for a
> couple of hundred feet and barked the whole way. Looked like a yapper. He
> followed me again when I went by on the way back from Vernonia later in the
> day. As long as they don't get in front of my bike, dogs don't bother me.
> 
>  
> 
> Mile 38: The out and back on Keasey road has most of the chip seal on this
> brevet. There are two other short patches of chip seal on Stoney point road,
> for a total of about 13 km for the whole 200k course. I did not feel the
> rough surface much, but I am running 700x28C tires at 90 PSI, so what do I
> know... A dark brown dog chased me when I was on the way back from the info
> control, probably around mile 42.
> 
>  
> 
> Mile 50: Once we get a few miles from Vernonia, there almost no traffic. 
> 
>  
> 
> Mile 60: (not sure about the exact mileage.) They are widening a bridge and
> the road is currently down to one lane. There were no flaggers when I went
> through on Sunday, things may be different on a Saturday. There is a traffic
> light that alternates what little traffic is in the area. I had no problem
> tripping the sensors in both directions on my Aluminum bike, placing the
> bottom bracket at the 3 o'clock position about 6 inches inside from the edge
> of the circle. Don't run the red light. It is there for a reason, and you
> can't see over the construction area to tell if there are cars coming from
> the other direction. Patience, grasshoppers.
> 
>  
> 
> Mile 67: The Birkenfeld store has the usual rando fare, plus a sit down
> grill that serves sandwiches and burgers. I refilled my bottles and got a
> couple of Idaho Spud candy bars. You don't see them very often.
> 
>  
> 
> Mile 104: Danger! After the short, relatively steep climb right after
> Timber, there are a couple of miles of nice descent. It is curvy, and when I
> went through the area there was a 2 feet wide strip of loose gravel in the
> middle of the lane. Please use your brakes to maintain your speed to a level
> that will safely keep you on either side of the gravel strip. 
> 
>  
> 
> Mile 111: Yes, there is rumble strip on SR6 on the way back as well. 
> 
>  
> 
> Mile 126: Back at the lodge. I stopped to get a celebratory small blizzard
> at the Dairy Queen across the street. My version of a recovery drink.
> 
>  
> 
> There are somewhere between 5000 and 7000 feet of climb on this course. Most
> of it is very gradual, since the course follows several creeks and rivers. 
> 
>  
> 
> Please note that the ride will start at sunrise at 7.00 AM on Saturday, and
> that you will have until 8.30 PM to finish. Sunset will be at 7.30 PM, and
> if you are going to be riding after that time, you will need to have lights
> on, and you must be wearing reflective clothing. Since we expect that most
> riders will be finishing before sunset, we will not require riders to carry
> light and reflective clothing. But if you are not using them after sunset,
> you will be disqualified. You have been warned.
> 
>  
> 
> I look forward to seeing all on you on Saturday, for a fun, safe ride!
> 
>  
> 
> Marcello
> 
> 


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Subject: [OrRando] Birkie 200k brevet - preride report
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