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The Route: This will be a repeat of my New Year’s day 200k brevet, with a twist: the late afternoon start means several hours of night riding on the quiet, flattish (about 3500 feet elevation total for the route), low traffic roads between Forest Grove and Dallas. The out and back route starts at my house on the east side of Hillsboro, goes west on rural roads through the farmland south of Hillsboro and Cornelius, and then turns south along familiar backroads to Lafayette and Dayton, then to Amity, and Perrydale. From there, it’s seven somewhat hilly miles (the only significant climbing along the route) to the turnaround point in Dallas. Then you return the way you came. I plan to ride, so there will be no support along the route. My wife Kathy will be available in case of an emergency.

Map, elevation profile, GPS files are here.

The January route sheet is here. There will be a minor change in Hillsboro due to the feedback from the riders, and a new route sheet will be posted in the next few days, well before the day of the ride.

A relatively flat ride, familiar to many people who have done it as a
permanent in the past couple of years. The out and back route starts at
my house on the east side of Hillsboro, goes to Forest Grove and then
turns south along familiar roads to Lafayette and Dayton, then to Amity,
Perrydale and - after a few final rollers - to the turnaround point in
Dallas. I will have some roving neutral support along the route (hot
cocoa anyone?). I am aware that this is on New Year's Day, and people
may have been up all night and may not want to get up early, or they may
prefer watching football on TV, but if someone wants to get a head start
on their mileage for the year and/or on their PBP qualification (this
will be an ACP brevet), what better way to spend a day?

I created routes for each loop at ridewithgps.com, and you can view the route and elevation, and also download the files to a GPS, if you have one.

• Loop 1
• Loop 2
• Loop 3 (300k route only)
  

Ride: “Grab Bag” February 200k/300k ACP Brevet

Organizer: Marcello Napolitano
Date: Saturday February 5, 2011
Start Time: 7:00AM Registration from 06:00 – 06:50
Start Location: Travelodge Suites Hotel – 2816 Portland Rd, Newberg, OR (please park on Hayes St. if you are not staying at the hotel).
Finish By: 200km brevet 20:30 (8:30 PM, 13.5 hours) – 300km brevet 03:00 Saturday morning (20 hours)
Entry Fee: 200k: $12 – 300k: $17 – Non-RUSA members pay an additional $5.00

IMPORTANT NOTE: You need to choose between the 200k and the 300k route before registration. You will not be able to change it later. If you choose to ride the 300k and only finish the first two loops (for a total of 200k), you will not get any credit if you don’t finish the final loop.

Register Now!

The Route: It consists of a series of roughly 100 km loops, all of them starting and ending at the same location in Newberg. This means that you will be able to get back to your vehicle/room/bag half way through the ride, perhaps for a change of clothes, or a refill on your food reserves. I plan to have a room at the hotel to use as the finish control, and riders may be able to change/clean/shower after the ride (bring your own towel, please).

The first loop heads northwest along North Valley Road and Spring Hill Road to the first control in Forest Grove. After some baked goods at Maggie’s, we head east along the Washington County farmland, to the second control in Sherwood. From there we climb on the way to Newberg to about 1000 ft elevation, the only significant climb of the day, and back down to where we started.

In the second loop we head West along 99W to Lafayette, and from there along back roads west of McMinnville to the Sheridan Dairy Queen. We ride more back roads around Amity, on the way to Dayton. From there it is a straight shot back to Newberg along 99-W.

The third loop (only for the 300k riders) is mostly an out-and-back along the French Prairie, with the turnaround point in Silverton.

Please note that the route is still tentative, and may be changed depending on the weather between now and the day of the ride. The section between Sherwood and Newberg reaches higher elevation, and may see some snow, even if the rest of the route is clear.

Safety: Lights and reflective gear are required on this ride. The ride will be held rain or shine, but it may be postponed or canceled if the weather makes it unsafe to ride.

Route sheet: The updated route sheet is here. (Excel file)

Maps: I will post Bikely routes after the preride, but here are the maps from 2007: loop 1, loop 2, loop 3. Please note that the section from Newberg to Forest Grove in the map for loop 1 is incorrect, and we will not go up to Bald Peak as shown on the map, staying instead on the valley floor along North Valley Road.

A relatively flat ride, familiar to many people who have done it as a
permanent in the past couple of years. The out and back route starts at
my house on the east side of Hillsboro, goes to Forest Grove and then
turns south along familiar roads to Lafayette and Dayton, then to Amity,
Perrydale and - after a few final rollers - to the turnaround point in
Dallas. I will have some roving neutral support along the route (hot
cocoa anyone?). I am aware that this is on New Year's Day, and people
may have been up all night and may not want to get up early, or they may
prefer watching football on TV, but if someone wants to get a head start
on their mileage for the year and/or on their PBP qualification (this
will be an ACP brevet), what better way to spend a day?

View Larger Map

No luck, all I get is a message that says: We could not calculate directions between Hillsboro, OR and Gymnase des Droits de l Homme, Rond point des Saules, 78280 Guyancourt, France (Paris-Brest-Paris Randonneur).

Bummer.

Ride: New Year’s 200k Brevet
Organizer: Marcello Napolitano
Date: Saturday January 1, 2011
Start Time: 7:30AM Registration from 07:00 – 07:25
Start Location: 6675 SE Borwick St, Hilsboro, OR (near Baseline Rd/Cornelius Pass Rd. intersection)
Finish By: 21:00 (9:00 PM)
Entry Fee: $5

Register Now!

NOTE: You do not need to be a member of Oregon Randonneurs or of RUSA for this event. But it does not hurt.

The Route: A relatively flat ride (I estimate about 3500 ft total elevation), familiar to many people who have done it as a permanent in the past couple of years. The out and back route starts at my house on the east side of Hillsboro, goes west on rural roads through the farmland south of Hillsboro and Cornelius, and then turns south along familiar backroads to Lafayette and Dayton, then to Amity, and Perrydale. From there, it’s seven somewhat hilly miles (the only significant climbing along the route) to the turnaround point in Dallas. Then you return the way you came. I plan to have some roving neutral support along the route (hot cocoa anyone?). If you want to get a head start on your mileage for the year and/or your January R-12 and/or PBP qualification (this will be an ACP brevet), what better way to spend a day?

Safety: Lights and reflective gear are required on this ride. The ride will be held rain or shine, but it may be postponed or canceled if the weather makes it unsafe to ride.

The map on bikely shows the first half from Hillsboro to Dallas. The return leg is almost identical.

The route sheet is here. I will have paper copies at the start, but feel free to resize and print it, if you like.

A relatively flat ride, familiar to many people who have done it as a
permanent in the past couple of years. The out and back route starts at
my house on the east side of Hillsboro, goes to Forest Grove and then
turns south along familiar roads to Lafayette and Dayton, then to Amity,
Perrydale and - after a few final rollers - to the turnaround point in
Dallas. I will have some roving neutral support along the route (hot
cocoa anyone?). I am aware that this is on New Year's Day, and people
may have been up all night and may not want to get up early, or they may
prefer watching football on TV, but if someone wants to get a head start
on their mileage for the year and/or on their PBP qualification (this
will be an ACP brevet), what better way to spend a day?

Some remarkable changes took place in the backyard farm, and in our cycling life. And there are big plans in the works for the next couple of years. Time to get some writing done.

We’re back.

The Climbs

Adin Pass – Similar to the ride from Adin to Camby, the ride back up the pass starts with a long, gradual climb at river grade, followed by a 4.5% stretch for the last 1.6 miles.

Eagles Lake and Antelope Pass – After the Grasshopper water stop on Eagles Lake, between Adin and Susanville, there is a 1.6 miles climb as you leave the lakeshore, at about 4.5% grade. The road climbs just a little while longer at a more gentle grade and then descends towards Antelope Pass. The climb to Antelope pass is similar, somewhere between 5 and 6 % for 1.4 miles and then a tiny bit more gradual climbing to the crest. Each of those climbs is followed by a long, steep descent. For most riders, this section comes at night before a night stop in Susanville, so we’ll need to bring good lights, and perhaps ride in a group.

Janesville Grade – The hardest climb of the GRR comes on the way from Susanville to Antelope Lake. The road climbs 2200 feet in about 7 miles. The first 2.3 miles averages 5.5%, the next 2.5 miles are close to 8% average, and the last 2.3 miles at about 4%. From some of the ride reports I read, the averages that I calculated looking at Google Maps may not give you a good picture of this climb. The middle section includes some short, steeper sections that are going to be interesting. Overall, I think that the low gears that I am bringing with me (26×27) should make it slow but manageable climbing. Of course, this comes after more than 800 km of riding, and what may be easy to do with fresh legs may be really hard when you are tired. The good news, of course, is that after the top of the GRR at 6000 feet, it is mostly downhill to Oroville. The stretch of road after the top, several miles of rollers at close to 6000 feet, should be spectacular. I look forward to riding in that section.

Jarbo Gap – The last significant climb of the ride is between Tobin and Oroville, as we leave the Feather River canyon to get back to Jarbo Gap. That climb is close to 6 miles long, but at an average of around 3%. The prevailing winds here are from the central valley, so we may end up climbing against some headwind.

The Times

Alturas to Adin -In 2005 the fast riders did this in 3.08, getting in Adin around 2 AM on day 3. Interestingly enough, the mid-pack riders were leaving Adin for Alturas around the same time. Quite a gap. The mid pack riders did Alturas-Adin in 3:12, arriving in Adin around 3 PM. The lanterne rouge riders did it in 4.27, arriving in Adin at 10.40 PM.

Adin to Susanville – In 2005 the fast riders did this in 4.47, getting in Susanville around 8 PM. The mid pack riders did it in 6.07, arriving in Susanville around 10.15 and taking a few hours rest. The lanterne rouge riders did it in 8.10, arriving in Susanville at 7.30 AM. I suspect that for these riders this time included some ditch napping, and perhaps some rest at the Grasshopper water control.

Susanville to Taylorville -In 2005 the fast riders did it is 5.04, arriving at 1 PM. The mid pack riders did it in 5.41, arriving in Taylorville at 8.45 AM. They probably finished climbing the Janesville Grade around sunrise, which would be really cool. The lanterne rouge did this leg in 7.29, arriving at 3.50 PM.

Taylorville to Tobin -The fast riders smoked this section in 1.48. They arrived in Tobin around 3 PM. The mid pack riders did it in 2.08, arriving around noon. This is a long gradual downhill stretch, which will be very fast if the headwind is not too strong. The lanterne rouge did it in 4.27, arriving at 9.50 PM.

Tobin to Oroville -The fast riders did it in 3.17, arriving in Oroville at 6.15 PM, just a few minutes more than 48 hours after starting. Very impressive. The mid pack riders did it in 3.42, arriving around 4 PM. I don’t have arrival or departure times for this control for the lanterne rouge, but they took about 16 hours to go from Tobin to Davis.

Oroville to Davis – I don’t have good data for this leg, but the mid pack riders did it in 7.23, arriving before 1 AM on Friday, with 11 hours to spare.

Overall, I am surprised to find that the difference in ride times between the fast riders and the mid pack riders is not huge. The big difference is the time that they spend at the controls.