Pioneer Century

[Andy_K]

Has anyone ridden the Pioneer Century in Mollala, OR before?

I did the Monster Cookie Metric Century earlier this year, and now I'm looking for my first full century. I originally dismissed the Pioneer Century because I thought I'd be busy that weekend (it's June 8, btw). Now it looks like I'll have the day free, but I'm not sure I have time to get ready for it. The Monster Cookie was my first metric, and that thing is flat, flat, flat.

I can't find an elevation profile or route map for the Pioneer Century. The home page for it says the 55-mile loop has about 3,000 feet of elevation gain, and the 45-mile loop has about 1,000 feet of elevation gain.

I ride about 100 miles per week with my normal commute. Sanoodi tells me it's got 700 feet of elevation gain each way, but no single climb is over 100 feet and most of them immediately follow a similarly sized descent, so I really don't know one way or the other how much climbing I'm capable of.

I really don't want to get out on the 55-mile loop and discover I can't do it.

I'm obsessing. I'll stop now and listen for advice.

[TBatty]

Pioneer will be the first Century for my wife and I as well, and Monster Cookie was our first metric. I would say (and remember, this is advice from another century noob) relax, have fun, don't stress over it. Take the hills slow and get through it.

If you are interested, we can hook up at the start and ride togheter, provide moral support for each other. We aren't fast, but we get there.

Really weird coincidence- I checked your profile, we share the same birthdate. Granted, I had claim to it first, but I'll share :)

[dtrain]

The 45-mile loop is similar to the M. Cookie. There is some climbing on the 55-mile loop - but it's managable. Unless you climb a lot, the 55 will be somewhat harder than the Cookie.

But hey - the route set-up works well for giving it a go. If you are totally spent after 55, just call it a day and skip the 45. The 55-mile loop is much more interesting.

[Andy_K]

I suffer from some kind of psychosis that prevents me from going slow on hills -- at least until gravity absolutely forces me to. It's not that I'm ubercompetitive or anything. I'm far too slow for that. It's more like the way a bulldog can't relax his bite when you try to pull something away from him. :)

I'm going to try riding home through Forrest Park after the Urban Assault Ride this weekend. If my legs can handle that, then I'll give the 55-mile loop a go.

Thom, I appreciate your kind offer of mutual moral support. Usually I'm pretty anti-social, but it's a habit I'm trying to break. If you find me at the start, we could ride together for a while. I'll be the man smoking two cigarettes. Actually, I don't smoke, I just wanted to use that line. I'll be the guy wearing a red, white and blue jersey and riding a Kona Jake that's blatantly more set up for commuting than for road riding.

Any idea how many people will turn out for this? I was totally blown away by the size of the group at the Monster Cookie, but I imagine there will be fewer at this.

[Ticia]

This looks like a fun/challenging route for me. I'm thinking of doing the century option. I like the idea that there is a huge feast after the first 55 miles. :) Not that all that food is a good idea for my digestive system on a big ride, but it definitely looks good on my computer screen! Maybe I can talk my friend into commuting down there and giving it a go.

[Ticia]

Now cross your fingers that all my family stays well so I can make it !! Geez one of these days I'm sure to get a century under my belt. No sickies, no sickies, no sickies!

[Andy_K]

I think I have my answer. I took the long way home from the UAR, going through Forest Park, up Saltzman Road to Skyline and along Skyline to Cornelius Pass, at which point I started making my way back to Beaverton. Overall I logged about 50 miles and over 5000 feet of elevation gain for the day. So I think I can probably manage at least the 55-mile loop if not the entire century -- assuming my legs have recovered by then.

I did have some trouble with the aforementioned climbing. The ride up Thurman to the entrance of Forest Park completely kicked my butt. I had to sit and rest a while at the entrance, and I nearly turned around and gave up there, except that a jogger told me that was the worst of it. I had to stop a couple of times on Leif Erickson Drive, and at the top of Saltzman. But I made it. My legs haven't ached like this since I first started commuting, but I made it.

So I read that one part of the Pioneer Century has a 6% grade. Anyone know how long it goes on like that? How does it compare to the route I've described above?

[dtrain]

The ride was significantly redesigned last year, so I doubt you'll get a lot of folks who can give you a direct comparison. I'd wager you rode a harder route (on Saturday) than the 55-mile loop. The climbing shouldn't kill you, but should be a nice challenge.

[Andy_K]

A guy at work tells me this is the route:

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/or/canby/381949452

I can't lie. That climb has me intimidated. Nevertheless, I'm signing up today.

[lazlo]

I signed up for the 55 mile route, and this is my first big organized ride. Training for my first Cycle Oregon, and I've picked this, Summit to Surf, and the Portland Century as benchmarks of my training progress. I commute 3-4 days a week, 20 mi rt. I've been increasing my weekend rides, I'm now at 50 mi. I figure this is a good next step with the climb thrown in.

[Andy_K]

I signed up for the full 100 miles, but I didn't make it. :( I did manage to finish the 55-mile loop though. :thumb:

I think I managed my food and hydration pretty well. I may have eaten a bit too much the night before, but I don't think that limited me. The big climb just took too much out of me. By the time I finished the 55-mile loop even the little climbs were giving me trouble, and my right achilles tendon was sore. I didn't see any way I could finish the 45-mile loop, even as flat as it was, so I ate an extra fajita and went home early.

It was an awesome ride though. I had thought well paved country roads with hardly any traffic were just an urban legend! Some of these roads were like 15-foot wide bike paths.

The climb up Sawtell Road was much more than I could handle. At one point I had to stop three times in just over half a mile. My biggest cog is 25T. A lot of people were going up the hill slower than I could. Did people put climbing gears on their bikes for this ride?

At one rest stop, the woman ahead of me in the potty line said she was impressed that I was doing this ride on a hybrid -- a hyrbid! My cyclocross Jake was deeply insulted. It thought it was passing itself off as a road bike. :(

Chris King's crew makes excellent fajitas!

Here're a few pics.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3047/2562964590_195469f71b_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3115/2562964278_7443fe0ba8_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3268/2562964498_9e20620aab_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3152/2562964642_7c50fe1592_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3070/2562964358_59af1feaf9_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3262/2562138375_dd0c831dfe_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3179/2562964462_3b9ed89ebb_o.jpg

[lazlo]

Hybrid? Give me a break. I had one guy give me mild crap about having fenders and a trunk rack. I did the 55, too. I had no intention of doing the full 100. That was quite a hill; I made it up, but it took about all I had. I was on a Cross Check, my lowest gear is 36 x 25. The downhill on the other side was worth it though. I only saw 2 other riders on the first 10 miles past the turn onto Maple Grove. At about 35 miles I started thinking I might just do the whole thing, but reconsidered when I got to the fairgrounds. PWTC did a great job organizing the ride, I had a blast.

[TBatty]

That was fun. Yeah, Sawtell Rd. is a long climb, but it didn't take near as much out of me as I expected. Like the OP, I don't like to climb slow, so it was climb a hill, wait for the wife, climb a hill, wait for the wife.... and that is okay, we both finished the whole thing, at her pace, and had a great time doing it.

+1 on the Chris King fajitas, those were excellent.

[Andy_K]

Congrats, Thom. You're a heartier cyclist than I am if that hill didn't take a lot out of you. It kicked my butt.

Lazlo is definitely right though. Coming down the other side made it all worth while.

36x25?! I guess I need to stop whining about my 30x25 lowest gear.

[TBatty]

I was actually pretty surprised that the hills didn't kick my butt. Usually I ride with a couple of friends who race, I die trying to keep up with them, always jsut assumed I sucked on hills. Maybe the trying to keep up has paid some dividends.