Cycle Oregon Tips...

[K'Tesh]

Just some tips I'll share from my ride (2009).

Rear Racks... don't need them, don't want them
Bike Lock... You are part of a group of 2000 riders, there's got to be a lot of nicer bikes than yours for a thief to choose from if one was crazy enough to try.
3rd water bottle... Two words: SAG WAGON (flag one down, they've got more water than you need)
Binoculars... Two Words: Zoom Lens
Bike Lights... extra weight
iPod & speakers... Nice if you have a way of charging.

Riding in Southern Oregon?
Kevlar belted tires
Thorn Resistant tubes
Slime
(sure it's heavy, but you'll make up for it in the time you save patching your tires from the goatheads)

Water Vs Gleukos. Do not mistake the two
Water is typically found on trailers at rest/lunch stops (with handy taps for refilling), often not to far from the blue rooms.
Gleukos is found in coolers near the food.

I dumped my water out for "fresh" at the lunch stop on day one, and accidently refilled with Gleukos. The headwind rapidly made me thirsty, and the Gleukos made me thirstier. Had I known all I needed to do was give a passing SAG Wagon a thumbs down, I could have refilled again with water, and completed the ride that day (I had cut short 7 miles with a nasty headache).

After dumping the rear rack, the front bag (with the binoculars, ipod, headlights, spare waterbottle, extra snacks), and the lock, I managed the remainder of the trip without incident.... Well, except for one...


Dead Tired at Grave Creek... - Cycle Oregon 2009

[woodway]

I don't know about the rear rack. I left mine on last year...got one of those bungee cargo nets for it, and it was a pretty handy place to store extra gear as the days warmed and the wife and I stripped it off. We could have used the gear drop, but this gave us a lot of flexibility and I honestly never noticed the extra weight.

[Shifty]

Other tips:

Talk with everyone you see.
People are so nice and they are from all over the place. It is such a friendly event, make the most of that.

Camp with the masses.
Sure the Tent and Porter service is easy, but the general camp area is great for getting to know people and having fun. I guess there are people who snore in the mix, it's never been a problem for me, I guess I can sleep through anything after a few days on the bike. On the topic of camp, take a dedicated bottle to pee in at night, it's not fun to get out of the tent and walk to the blue room during the night.

Enjoy the ride.
Slip out of the paceline now and then and enjoy the view, it's often very nice.

Eat, drink and be merry.
Cycle Oregon provides some great bands and entertainment in the evenings. Save a bit of energy for some dancing and merriment. The beer garden is a safe and friendly place to unwind after dinner, stop in and check out their offering of Oregon beer and wine.

Say thanks to the volunteers, they do so much for so little.

[Jeff Wills]

It's a ride, not a race. Sit back and cruise.

FWIW: I like my rear rack and rack bag. Plenty of room for random personal carp: glasses, sunglasses, sunscreen, glucometer, insulin, and Glucagon kit. I can start the day wearing tights and a light jacket, and arrive at camp at the end of the day and know exactly where they are.

[woodway]

Regarding snoring in camp, good earplugs are a MUST.

The wife and I did general camping one year and tent and porter the next. If we go again (we are not going this year), we would do Tent and Porter again:

1. No need to find and schlep your bag when you would rather be in the beer garden.
2. No need to worry about finding a decent camp spot when you would rather be in the beer garden.
3. No need to pitch your tent and setup your gear when you are hot and sweaty and would rather be in the beer garden.
4. No need to break your tent down the next morning (especially when it's wet!) when you would rather be out enjoying the ride.
5. no need to schlep your bags to the truck when you would rather be out enjoying the ride.

We had a great time with our T&P neighbors, and because we had the same neighbors all week, we got to know them and made some new friends!

[LindyRides]

1. No need to find and schlep your bag when you would rather be in the beer garden.
2. No need to worry about finding a decent camp spot when you would rather be in the beer garden.
3. No need to pitch your tent and setup your gear when you are hot and sweaty and would rather be in the beer garden.
4. No need to break your tent down the next morning (especially when it's wet!) when you would rather be out enjoying the ride.
5. no need to schlep your bags to the truck when you would rather be out enjoying the ride.

We had a great time with our T&P neighbors, and because we had the same neighbors all week, we got to know them and made some new friends!

2010 Was my first CO and I'm signed up for 2011 :-) I agree with #1-#5. My guy and I signed up for T&P on the recommendation of a friend who has done this event for years and neither of us regretted the extra cost. I'm not a big drinker, but I sure appreciated the fun atmosphere of the beer garden and the time to relax and get to know other riders over setting up/tearing down a tent. We got to know the folks around us in the T&P area too -- it was fun!

[LindyRides]

One word of advice I would have is bring your own Pepto, pain killer, and --very important! -- Immodium on your bike daily!!! Even if you are an experienced rider, it's quite possible to get a tummy bug while you are riding or to over due the electrolyte replacement program and give yourself diahrrea. Believe me, this is NOT something you want to get caught with on the side of the ride 20 miles from the next ODS aid station/lunch stop!!!

Also, wash your hands with soap and water each and every time you use the Blue Room and before you go to each meal. Take your bike gloves all the way OFF at the rest stops and use hand sanitizer before touching food. Better yet, don't take anything that is touching anything else that you have to put directly in your mouth. You can control what you are doing with your hygiene, but you can't control the snot-blower next to you that gets that stuff on his fingers as he blows out one nostril and then the other as he rides and then forgets to wash up before he touches the snack bowl of grapes -- yuck!!!

[B. Carfree]

One word of advice I would have is bring your own Pepto, pain killer, and --very important! -- Immodium on your bike daily!!! Even if you are an experienced rider, it's quite possible to get a tummy bug while you are riding or to over due the electrolyte replacement program and give yourself diahrrea. Believe me, this is NOT something you want to get caught with on the side of the ride 20 miles from the next ODS aid station/lunch stop!!!

Also, wash your hands with soap and water each and every time you use the Blue Room and before you go to each meal. Take your bike gloves all the way OFF at the rest stops and use hand sanitizer before touching food. Better yet, don't take anything that is touching anything else that you have to put directly in your mouth. You can control what you are doing with your hygiene, but you can't control the snot-blower next to you that gets that stuff on his fingers as he blows out one nostril and then the other as he rides and then forgets to wash up before he touches the snack bowl of grapes -- yuck!!!

That was excellent hygiene advice. I wish more parents and school teachers knew what you know and would pass it along. Several grocery stores near my home have recently begun to put out foods like chips and dips or cheeses for people to nosh on while shopping. Yuck!

[K'Tesh]

Great advice, LindyRides!

I forgot about the bug we had along w/us on '09.

A note on the painkiller. Before you leave on your trip, take a sharpie pen and mark the triangles that you need to line up to get the lid off. Makes opening them a lot easier in low light situations (such as when you are in your tent getting ready for the day).



A little bug juice is a good thing too.

[K'Tesh]

If your electronic devices needs a charge, try befriending someone in the Medical tent area. CPAP's require electricity, and so people in there have ways of helping.

Tossing them a little $$$ or a drink doesn't hurt either.

Use a CPAP? Always carry a small flashlight in your travel bag, and always carry an extension cord with multiple outlets so you can charge your iPod/GPS/Camera/Phone.

My Garmin 205 managed to capture all the distance info, but couldn't store all the fun stuff (like maps/altitude gain/etc.). The oldest stuff was lost. If I were to do it again, I'd try for a better GPS w/more memory, or try to find someone w/a laptop that I could use to access my account and upload mid-trip.

To see what the difference is...

This is what Day 1's info looked like
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/13841524

VS

Day 7's
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/13841288

[lazlo]

I've done CO just once, in 2008. Here's what I would do differently. I'd take a larger duffel bag; I had a pretty good sized one, but I still had to strap a dry bag to the outside of it. I would take the best folding chair I could fit in my bag. I took one of those foam Crazy Creek chairs, and it was not comfortable, I wished I had a real chair. I would avoid the gear drops. I did that once and had to keep checking all afternoon for the gear to arrive. Better to have a bag on your bike so you can keep your stuff with you. I'd avoid pacelines. Yes, they're more efficient, but the concentration necessary takes away from enjoying the beautiful country. I wouldn't get up so early. No need to be the first one on the road, there's plenty of time in the day to get there. I'd stop more often. I passed up spots that were interesting because I wanted to get to camp earlier to get a good campsite; there's always a spot to camp. I'd bring fewer clothes; I had new riding gear for each day, I could have used some items more than once, and washed things along the way. Bottom line - enjoy the ride, take time along the way, and don't worry, it will all work out.

[Shifty]

Hey, it's only 30 days to the start of the 2011 Cycle Oregon!!! It may be a great time to look over this thread and even add a few tips.

One thing I'll add, tip the baggage porters well, this money usually goes to youth and school groups and is a huge boost to their activity funds.

Who is going this year?

[Jeff Wills]

See you there, Shifty. It's an anniversary for my wife and me. We did Cycle Oregon 4, came back for 14 (and 15 and 16), and now we're back for CO 24. It's kind of nice- as we get older, the Cycle Oregon routes keep getting easier.

[PomPilot]

Wish I was going with you folks this year. But at least I got to do the C.O. weekend. Finally. Plus, I was able to use the tips in this thread to make my rookie year that much more enjoyable. Despite the downpour on Sunday.

[Jeff Wills]

Wish I was going with you folks this year. But at least I got to do the C.O. weekend. Finally. Plus, I was able to use the tips in this thread to make my rookie year that much more enjoyable. Despite the downpour on Sunday.

That was quite the drizzle Sunday, wasn't it? My wife and I got an early start since we wanted to do the whole route. It was dry at the first cutoff, and a little sprinkle at the second. It was coming down in earnest on the last couple miles into Champoeg- and then we had to ride back. When we got to St. Paul, we learned they had closed the long route, so there were only 15 or 20 riders (including us) that did it all. When we got back to Salem, our bikes were as muddy as cyclocrossers- it took me a week to get everything washed out.

Nevertheless, a nice weekend. We're looking forward to the week ride.

[Shifty]

See you there, Shifty. It's an anniversary for my wife and me. We did Cycle Oregon 4, came back for 14 (and 15 and 16), and now we're back for CO 24. It's kind of nice- as we get older, the Cycle Oregon routes keep getting easier.

Congrats Jeff, I'll be on the lookout for you on your low riders. I heard that they are making the route easier just for you!

[Jeff Wills]

Congrats Jeff, I'll be on the lookout for you on your low riders. I heard that they are making the route easier just for you!

Yeah... we may be getting older and slower, but they'll get me off the bike when they pry the handlebars from my cold, dead fingers.

[Medic Zero]

Just heard about this event thanks to a link from another thread, sounds like a great ride! Eventually I'm going to to have to work it into my schedule!

Yeah... we may be getting older and slower, but they'll get me off the bike when they pry the handlebars from my cold, dead fingers.

Now THAT is truly worthy of being a line for someone's signature! Reminds me of a sticker I picked up at a motorcycle shop in the middle of nowhere while cycling between Bellingham and Seattle, that read "just put me back on my bike"!

[PomPilot]

Received an email from Cycle Oregon. Registration will open at 9:00 pm PST on February 7th. This year, there will be a change is the registration process. Registration for both the week ride, and the weekend ride, will ONLY be done online. Considering that last year, the week ride sold out in less than 24 hours, there just may be a reason for this.