[ORRando] Birkie Brevet Pre-Ride Report

[Sam Huffman]

Last Sunday Del, Mike, and I met in the Grand Lodge parking lot at about
8:45 to embark on the Birkie pre-ride. I picked Sunday because from the
long-term forecast it appeared to have the best chance of nice weather, but
Saturday turned out to be gorgeous while Sunday threatened rain from the
very start.
In what must be a first, all three of us had fenders on our bikes. Mike's
provided the best protection to other riders, while as we would find out
later my form-fitting mudflap (6" of tire) worked only slightly better than
Del's mudflap-less fenders. But it hadn't yet started raining when we left.

The shoulders along much of the route were graveled due to the recent
late-season snowfall. Riders will want to be careful -- there is a lot of
potential for flats. Shortly after the turnoff from Highway 6 onto Timber
road we noted the first sign of precipitation when Del saw some snowflakes
on one of his gloves. The climb before Timber and the quick descent down
were, like elsewhere, heavily graveled. Be especially careful on the descent
into Timber. The U-turn by the railroad tracks is always sketchy, but wet
roads and gravel make it even worse.

We didn't have any problems with dogs along this section. The herding dogs
after Timber tried their best to corral us but were thwarted by their fence.
Around this point it started to sprinkle and get a little breezy.

The rest of the ride into Vernonia was uneventful. The rain and wind came
and went, and the dogs along Timber Road mostly stayed in their yards. We
maintained a moderate pre-ride pace.

We took a wrong turn into the Vernonia control, following the route from a
couple years ago. The routesheet on the website has the correct route, which
specifies a right turn onto Adams Street by the train. This adds perhaps a
tenth of a mile, but it avoids a section of gravel and biketrail that has
caused flats for many riders in past years. There will be a staffed control
in Vernonia, so be sure to stop at Anderson Park.

Not much to report between Vernonia and Birkenfeld. There's an information
control at Keasey and C Burn, and the descent on Stoney Point is littered
with gravel. We hit a mixture of heavy rain and heavy winds riding into
Birkenfeld, with some occasional sleet mixed in. The only thing we didn't
see was sun. Del mentioned to the prioprietor of the Birkenfeld Store that
some riders in the past were excited to find Idaho Spuds there. He said he'd
try to stock up. If you're an old-fashioned candy connosieur, you may want
to try one out.

While in the store the rain picked up substantially, but when we went back
outside after 20-30 minutes of chatting, the sun was just starting to
appear. We hit the road to try to take advantage of the sun, and managed to
stay in it for quite a few miles, though even with the sun we were all still
cold. Mike got the only flat of the day about 10 miles from Vernonia when
his valve failed. Del noted as we rode through Vernonia that the temperature
was peaking at about 42 degrees. That explains the snow and sleet earlier.

I started to drag between Vernonia and Timber, but Del and Mike graciously
pulled me along. I got my second wind climbing out of Timber, and tried to
repay the favor on the way back into Forest Grove. We arrived just ahead of
a 9 hour finishing time.


The route is unchanged from last year, so should be familiar to most of the
riders. I've requested 65 degrees and sunny weather. But on the off-chance
we don't get it, you'll want to be prepared for rain, wind, and *possibly*
snow. Out of 4 Birkies, this was the second time I've been snowed on. At
least there was no hail this time. If the roads aren't swept before
Saturday, the gravel will probably be the biggest hazard. Be careful
everywhere, but especially on the descents.


See you Saturday morning!
Sam
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