Cycle Oregon Blog
Only a few more days to go until the chorus of clicks begins at the start line of Cycle Oregon on Day One. It’s an event that will be worth remembering, and something you’ll want to share with your friends and family. The good news is that you don’t need to wait until the ride is over to tell your tales and share your experiences.
Through the magic of smartphones, it’s pretty easy to access the Internet and get on Facebook or Twitter – or at least take a few photos. But there’s only so much you can do on a phone (and, of course, some phones don’t work so well out in the sticks).
Fortunately, there’s The Blogmobile, which is back and better than ever. Every day from 3 until 9:00 p.m. we’ll have a table full of laptops available for riders to update their Facebook profiles, tweet, blog, post about the day on their favorite cycling forums and add comments to the Cycle Oregon Facebook page. The Blogmobile will be staffed by the friendly folks of KoiFish Communications, who will be able to answer any questions you might have.
Working Together to Chronicle Cycle Oregon
Cycle Oregon has a few professional photographers on the course who ride and shoot. Many of these images will be shared after the event. But this year there will NOT be a photographer shooting and selling rider photos. The best way to chronicle our collective experience is to do so collectively. This means sharing with your fellow riders as well.
When you see someone taking a group photo, consider stopping to ask the photographer if she’d like to be in the shot too (then ask her to do the same for you). And if you wind up with some great photos, consider sharing them with everyone. If you get a good one on your mobile device during the ride, you can email it to copix@koifishcommunications.com and we’ll post it to the Cycle Oregon Facebook page that day.
After the ride, be sure to visit the Cycle Oregon 2011 Flickr page and the Cycle Oregon Facebook page. If you’re a Twitter junkie, please use the #cycleoregon hashtag.
Together we can make a collection of photos that will allow you to relive the ride whenever you wish. Don’t worry if you’re a little late to the party from a technology perspective but think you’d like to give it a try. This beginner’s guide to mobile social media can show you the way. Or stop by The Blogmobile and we’ll give you a short tutorial.
Contrary to popular belief, this year’s ride has a fair bit of climbing. And since we’re doing a loop, the ride has a roughly equal amount of descending. For most people, descending is a reward for a long, hard climb, and the most fun part of the day. There are a few people, however, who take little pleasure in the downhill ride. In fact, they find it a bit frightening. Courteous riders will do what they can to help by not making a bad situation worse.
On any given hill during Cycle Oregon, both types of riders will be sharing the road, and it’s important that each take a moment to consider the other’s mindset.
For an accomplished rider, a fast downhill is something special. It’s a little bit like riding a motorcycle and a little bit like flying. Being in the zone and in control as the miles fly by is one of the best parts about riding in places that have long climbs and descents. Getting behind a slow, nervous rider is a lot like getting behind an RV in a national park: It’s a total buzzkill. If you’re a slow rider, be aware that others likely want to pass you; accommodate them as soon as you feel comfortable doing so. If you hear someone behind you calling “On your left” or “Passing,” acknowledge them with a nod or by giving them a little extra room.
Conversely, if you’re a fast rider, realize that there are some people who are terrified by going downhill and ripping by them at 50 mph in a tight, steep corner when they don’t even know you’re there is a pretty serious party foul that puts you both in unnecessary danger.
When you’re overtaking someone else, make sure they know you’re there, and hang back until you get to a spot where you can cruise by safely. Be particularly leery of passing two riders at once. It’s entirely possible that the second rider has just caught up to the first and is in the process of getting ready to pass as well. They might not be focused on uphill traffic (though they obviously should be).
As the faster rider, the onus is on you not to endanger your fellow rider or make a bad situation worse. You’ll have other opportunities to grip it and rip it, so if circumstances dictate, take a minute to enjoy the view.
For more on this topic, check the discussion about safe descents on the Cycle Oregon forums. And for those of you who are looking to improve your downhill skills, read on.
Tips for slow/tentative descenders:
- Take your time. Don’t let the fact that you’re being passed persuade you to go faster than you should.
- Be aware that you’re going to be passed; where it is safe and comfortable for you to do so, stay to the right and hold your line.
- Conversely, when you don’t feel safe and comfortable staying to the right, use the whole lane. On a tight right-hand turn, for example, the left-hand part of the lane is the best and safest place to be – it gives you a bigger turning radius.
- Take brake breaks. When/where it is safe to do so and traffic in both directions can clearly see you, pull over and chill out for a minute partway down. This will give you a chance to check out the scenery and gather yourself. It will also give your hands a rest. When someone crashes on a hill, they often feel is if their brakes “just went out.” The reality is that, short of a broken cable, brakes rarely “go out.” More often than not, the rider’s hands become fatigued from having a prolonged death grip on the brakes. Without realizing it, they pick up speed and then aren’t able to slow back down.
This video, from Lance Armstrong’s former coach, offers some additional tips. Give them a try, and before long you’ll be bombing hills with the best of ‘em.
So much to read, so little time. But if you missed the last few newsletters, they are worth taking a quick look. The August issue features:
- Weekend ride recap
- “Route Talk” with Ken Chichester (Day 6 from Powers to Riddle)
- Background on Powers
- Giving Back: Willamette Academy
- Volunteer Spotlight: Rider Services
- “Ask the Veterans”
- The Training Timetable
- A feature about the infamous Morry Fealy.
The September issue features:
- Tips on ways your friends and family can follow our progress
- “Route Talk” with Ken Chichester (the triumphant return to Sutherlin)
- Background on Riddle
- Volunteer Spotlight: SAG
- A feature on the Candlelighters (you’ll wonder who these guys are — trust us).
The Cycle Oregon weekend ride took place last Saturday and Sunday in Salem. This ride is special because it features options to please hammerheads as well as more casual riders and families. It’s always nice to see riders of all shapes, sizes and ages enjoying the CO experience together.
On Saturday rain threatened to moisten the more than 1,800 participants, but it ended up being a great day to explore the extreme beauty the south Willamette Valley has to offer. Rain did a lot more than threaten riders on Sunday, and a few chose to seek ark-building materials instead of taking to the roads. However, torrential downpours failed to dampen the spirits of those who opted to saddle up and brave the storm.
Congratulations to all, and thanks to all the riders for making this one another great success.
When you hit a different town virtually every day for a week – while pedaling 400+ miles along the way – it can be hard to get a good feel for all those volunteers who make each town the unique experience it is. But it’s going to be easy to notice the Umpqua Valley Mounted Posse – they’ll be the folks patrolling the parking lot in Sutherlin on horseback, helping you find your spot and then making sure your vehicle is secure.
The mounted posse is just one example of the eclectic mix of groups Cycle Oregon encounters – and supports financially – at each stop of the event. And they’re certainly representative of all those groups, in that what we do for them tends to resonate far beyond their ranks. We spoke to Deby Hackney, the current Captain of the Umpqua Valley Mounted Posse, to find out some details.
This group has its genesis in the Douglas County Sheriff’s Posse, formed in the 1940s. Several generations of horseback riders contributed their efforts and expertise, and when the newly elected sheriff decided in 2003 that a government agency mixing horses and the public was a liability concern, he disbanded the group. But the folks involved saw too much good in what they provided to just let it die – so in 2004 the Umpqua Valley Mounted Posse was formed to carry the torch.
Their mission is simple and broad: “We’re volunteers who are dedicated to the community,” Deby explains. The group currently has 12 members (“We’re always looking for more, and you don’t have to have a horse,” she adds). They provide a variety of community service, including search and rescue, mounted security for events including rodeos and concerts, and horsemanship education to keep youth interested in horses so they’ll continue the tradition.
But one of their most fulfilling activities is their involvement each June in Camp Millennium, a facility for kids affected by cancer. “We have a Horse Day every year,” Deby says. “We go out and provide a day of riding. Kids can ride horseback or in carts, or they can just pet the horses. It’s a fantastic event; we see some of the same kids year after year, and they’ll tell us, ‘You taught me to ride!’ We look forward to it every year.”
For Cycle Oregon, they’re planning a yeoman effort – first they’ll be guiding arriving riders to parking spaces in a huge field they’ll arrange to have mowed; they’ll be working on foot and mounted. And then they’re going to patrol that lot, 24/7, while riders are out on the road for a week.
“We’re going to set up trailers called ‘living quarters horse trailers’ – kind of an RV in the front and horse trailer in the back,” Deby says, “and we’ll have a corral for the horses. We’ll share four to six different horses, taking shifts. It’s no problem – we’ve all ridden each others’ horses!”
And when it’s all over, they’ll take the money Cycle Oregon pays them for their duties and use some of it to upgrade their equipment and uniforms for the numerous parades they attend – and they’ll also spread it around among their favorite causes:
• An annual scholarship for a third-year student at Oregon State University who is interested in large-animal veterinary studies;
• Fingerprinting and Child ID kits for local families;
• Adopting a needy family for the holidays, providing food and gifts, or adopting a local senior citizen year-round.
Deby sums up her group, and their activities, like this: “The best part is just being able to provide something for people – kids petting a horse, or helping on search and rescue for law enforcement. Everyone in the group has a passion for our horses, plus serving the community. It’s a great combination.”
