Clean39T
08-25-2018, 09:00 PM
There are a lot of things that make me SMH about Portland, and many, many things that frustrate me about how the city is run and what it has become over the last twenty years.
But there are still a lot of good people here. And a lot of good cycling people.
Witness the PDX Ronde series.
It consists of three rides, on three different days, two back to back in the Spring meant to celebrate Holy Week and the Belgian Classics, and one in the late-Summer, a race to the falling leaves, or Italian Classic, if there is such a thing. There is no official organizer, and yet we all know who puts it on. There is no fee, and yet we all have an opportunity to chip in for covering incidentals. There is no winner, and yet...Strava...and we all win for finishing. There is however a small but dedicated group who keep it going year after year, perfecting the new route we did today, keeping RideWithGPS updated, laying down course markings (Belgian Lions) for those who don't GPS, and stocking unofficial aide stations with water, PB&Js, and PBRs. Oh, and there's a shrine to the Madonna del Ghisallo.
And these rides, especially today, are no walk in the park - or flacid metric-century (NTTAWWT). They are brutal. Consciously so. They throw you up every steep climb within the tight area chosen for the course. Did I say steep? I meant masochistic. We're talking sustained upper teens and low 20s - with one particular hill that is a steady 25+%. Officially today's edition was 52mi and 7100ft of gains. But it's point to point, so few rode just that distance. Lest I forget, it also features multiple sections of dirt, gravel, goat-paths through the forest - ever tried to ride a road bike up rutted singletrack and climb over roots like you're on a 29er? It's Type-2 fun. Pray it doesn't rain. And for tires that don't succumb to the blackberry thorns strewn about.
I had a blast today. It may have been my most successful and confidence-inspiring day on a bike to date. I'm tired AF, but I didn't crack. I rode every dang inch of the course, climbed every hill without paper-boying, cleaned every dirt section, rode to the start, and rode on home. I ended up with 75mi and 10,350ft for the day. I got to ride with some fun peeps. And I got to put my new(est) Ellis to the test...
And I got to do it because there's a small dedicated and slightly odd group of cyclists in Portland who think up this stuff, spread the word, and keep it going.
Chapeau to them - or whatever the Belgian or Italian equivalent is...
Ride With GPS and Description: https://ridewithgps.com/ambassador_routes/968-giro-pdx-le-foglie-morte-di-sud-portland
.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180826/64e8778fc5bc4d9ebcfeba1c16631758.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180826/bca2c5e3461933bdc3fd442fda0d1912.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180826/32dd4d4d10024cca5303d96b075a61dc.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180826/96803e435004bc0b3ff43aa849ae92ac.jpg
But there are still a lot of good people here. And a lot of good cycling people.
Witness the PDX Ronde series.
It consists of three rides, on three different days, two back to back in the Spring meant to celebrate Holy Week and the Belgian Classics, and one in the late-Summer, a race to the falling leaves, or Italian Classic, if there is such a thing. There is no official organizer, and yet we all know who puts it on. There is no fee, and yet we all have an opportunity to chip in for covering incidentals. There is no winner, and yet...Strava...and we all win for finishing. There is however a small but dedicated group who keep it going year after year, perfecting the new route we did today, keeping RideWithGPS updated, laying down course markings (Belgian Lions) for those who don't GPS, and stocking unofficial aide stations with water, PB&Js, and PBRs. Oh, and there's a shrine to the Madonna del Ghisallo.
And these rides, especially today, are no walk in the park - or flacid metric-century (NTTAWWT). They are brutal. Consciously so. They throw you up every steep climb within the tight area chosen for the course. Did I say steep? I meant masochistic. We're talking sustained upper teens and low 20s - with one particular hill that is a steady 25+%. Officially today's edition was 52mi and 7100ft of gains. But it's point to point, so few rode just that distance. Lest I forget, it also features multiple sections of dirt, gravel, goat-paths through the forest - ever tried to ride a road bike up rutted singletrack and climb over roots like you're on a 29er? It's Type-2 fun. Pray it doesn't rain. And for tires that don't succumb to the blackberry thorns strewn about.
I had a blast today. It may have been my most successful and confidence-inspiring day on a bike to date. I'm tired AF, but I didn't crack. I rode every dang inch of the course, climbed every hill without paper-boying, cleaned every dirt section, rode to the start, and rode on home. I ended up with 75mi and 10,350ft for the day. I got to ride with some fun peeps. And I got to put my new(est) Ellis to the test...
And I got to do it because there's a small dedicated and slightly odd group of cyclists in Portland who think up this stuff, spread the word, and keep it going.
Chapeau to them - or whatever the Belgian or Italian equivalent is...
Ride With GPS and Description: https://ridewithgps.com/ambassador_routes/968-giro-pdx-le-foglie-morte-di-sud-portland
.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180826/64e8778fc5bc4d9ebcfeba1c16631758.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180826/bca2c5e3461933bdc3fd442fda0d1912.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180826/32dd4d4d10024cca5303d96b075a61dc.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180826/96803e435004bc0b3ff43aa849ae92ac.jpg