Pacific Northwest - Tour de Lab in Portland

Anyone else going to sign up for this ride?
Tour de Lab (www.tourdelab.com), stops at each of the 3 Lucky Lab pubs.
I just put my name in for the 40 mile Big Dog route... hope I'm not too crazy, but I just couldn't resist.

That looks fun. I like the dog ears. We already signed up for the Chuckanut that weekend or I'd be all over this. I've never biked in Portland and I've been wanting to,

Definately looks fun.... except for the FYI part where they have HILL CLIMB in bold print several times.:eek: I don't think I'm up for that, but perhaps next year. Enjoy. I'll look for your ride report!

HA, yea the emphasis on hill climb almost made me wuss out and sign up for the 18 mile ride. But it's better to try knowing there's a chance you'll fail than to not try at all, right? right...
I will definitely provide a post-ride report, so long as I finish the HILL CLIMBs

HA, yea the emphasis on hill climb almost made me wuss out and sign up for the 18 mile ride. But it's better to try knowing there's a chance you'll fail than to not try at all, right? right...
I will definitely provide a post-ride report, so long as I finish the HILL CLIMBs

Looks like I picked the wrong week to give up MTB gears. :)

I've been planning to do this ride, but I have to admit their description of the Big Dog does have me a bit intimidated. Anyone know the route?

Just got this via email - not 40 miles... only 30. But evidently the climbing makes up for the lost 10...

Dear Tour de Lab Big Dogs,
Thanks for signing up to join us on the inaugural Tour de Lab! We're very excited for this ride, a benefit for Dove Lewis. You're in for a real treat - with great routes, tons of climbing, beautiful roads, yummy food and great camaraderie along the way.

You are signed up for the Big Dog route. It's not 40 miles, but it surely does feel like it. The entire route is 30 miles, but there is a ton of climbing.
== GET READY TO CLIMB ==
There's no denying it, Lucky Lab SW is in the hills so you'll have to climb to get there. We're sending you up a very scenic, very hilly climb through the Riverview Cemetery. There is a lot of climbing in there. You'll cruise along the gorgeous Terwilliger off road bike path into Lake Oswego and ride along mostly quiet roads on your way into the Lucky Lab in Multnomah Village. You will have to ride on Boones Ferry Road for an extremely short stretch - so be prepared for a little traffic action in the middle of your otherwise quaint (though hilly) ride.

On your way to Lucky Lab NW for your second rest stop, you'll climb over Council Crest. This is a huge, beautiful climb along tiny, secluded roads. After your climb over, you'll cruise down into downtown Portland on residential streets that drop you into inner SW Portland.
== CHANGE YOUR ROUTE - NO PROBLEM! ==
If all this climbing doesn't sound fun to you, you may change your route at any time without notifying us. In fact, if you get to the first rest stop and decide you're done with climbing, you can jump in on the urban route and avoid the rest of the major climbing. It's as easy as that!

There's also no shame in walking your bike, so if you're up for the challenge, give it a shot and enjoy the burn, the workout and the victory to come!

Remember, you may change your route at any time and we encourage you to evaluate your climbing stamina seriously before participating in the Big Dog route.
== ROUTE MAPS AND ELEVATION ==
We will have route maps and elevation on our website next week. Please stay tuned. AFTER those are posted, if you have detailed questions, please don't hesitate to contact us for more route information.

Ride was fantastic. Pit stops were full of delicious eats, plenty of water and gatorade powder. Full organic breakfast bar at the start, fruit smoothies at stop 1, pizza at stop 2, and a free beer and pint glass at the finish. Weather was fantastic, low 80s toward the end without a cloud in the sky.
A couple points along the route weren't marked properly which led to some confusion, but everyone seemed to get it figured out.
As for the hill climbing, I was expecting worse. Just enough to get the legs burning, but not enough to burn out. Just enough for a great time.
This was the first annual Tour de Lab, and I'm definitely looking forward to year 2.