Saturday, August 19th for the 2nd annual North Trask Ride
 

UPDATE
Ridewithgps directions here.

12th man added! See below:

- Ride leaves at 8am from Maggie's Buns in Forest Grove (see map, below). Lots of parking nearby for those driving out.
- If you're taking Trimet like me to Hillsboro, it's a soft pedal 6 mile ride from the station to Maggie's. Take the TriMet Blue Line, the one that gets you to Hillsboro Hatfield Gov't Center at 7:12 that's (a.m., @Andy_K) so,

From Portland proper, I'd recommend getting on the blue line Goose Hollow

The Trimet schedule doesn't show it, but interpolating between a couple of stations, get on at 6:30. If you're on the west side of the hill, Beaverton Transit Center Max Station is where you'd get on the blue line at 6:43 for the same train.

If you're riding from East Portland to Hillsboro, you're a hardman/woman.

[B]8/14 long range weather forecast is 56 at 8am in Forest Grove, 70 and sunny in Tillamook when we pull into the Pelican Brewing Company- perfect riding weather!

I figured I'd start a new thread with the date in the headline. I'll update this post as I get commits so we can keep an easy to see running total of riders - the Bike Concierge can take up to 13 bikes and people.

Here's the link to the original post.

FAQ's:
1. Where does the ride start/end? How do I get there?
Starts at

One block off of Pacific Avenue, on the West side of Pacific University. Pre-ride caffeination, carbo loading, and tinkle opportunity.

Ends at the

Great food and grog, plenty of indoor and outdoor seating.
Getting there: drive and park in Forest Grove, carpool with someone, or do like real PDX'ers do, and take TriMet to Hillsboro, then ride the flat 6 miles to Forest Grove with the rest of us. I'll organize which train to be on for everyone to get there on time, we'll exchange phone numbers, etc.
2. How do I get back?
I've booked the Bike Concierage, $350 divided by number of riders. He'll drop you off near your car or a TriMet stop, whever you need to be. Or you're on your own.
3. What kinda bike should I bring?
Personal preference, last year we had a few mountain bikes, a couple of purpose built gravel bikes, a cyclocross bike, and one road bike with O-rings for tires. Seriously, though, if you haven't ridden much gravel, the wider the tire the better. Alright, this would be overkill. Note that I'm linking pix to each rider's bike as I get them so you can see the variety.
4. What about this, that, and the other?
Man, you ask a lot of questions. How about an illustration?

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4330/3...1c9c35ce_b.jpg

5. I'm afraid I'm gonna (get dropped, get lost, break my bike, run outta water...)
Nobody gets dropped, but you need to commit to finish the ride and be in good enough shape to do so. We'll wait at all the uphills to make sure we don't lose anyone, and I'll highly recommend a "buddy system". Don't ride stupid, this is not a race. I'll hand out maps, but it's not a bad idea to download the route to your phone and use GPS. Reservoir Roads and Uppie Downie have several Y's, and you need to pick the right one. Plenty of people doing this ride will have done it before, so we'll be fine. I'm bringing a spare rear derailleur and some cables, plus the standard tool kit, tubes, and patch kit. That and trailer with a Park truing stand, oxy-acetylene torch for roadside frame repair, and a Campy tool kit. Yeah, right. Many of us will have water filters to replenish at the Swimmin' Hole, if you don't have one, no problem, we'll share. If we all go Grant Petersen everyone will bring enough food for two, and wish they hadn't packed so much.

The Commmitted (take that anyway you want):
1. Gugie Bike I'm riding
2. @Andy_K Andy's bike
3. @BicycleKitty, Portland local legend, cause Bridget is out, us mens need our behinds kicked like last year.
4. Goff, aka ThaiBob
5. Tysasi
6. @aggiegrads - guy I work with that volunteers at Community Cycle Center. Active BF member, just not C&V. But he does ride steel, and does a great fender line.
7. Luke Soto (son of @aggiegrads and math whiz)
8. @johnnyace New Albion bought on eBay just for this ride..
9. ElvisImpersonator
10. @Erinne Strong first time post! friend of @BicycleKitty, sporting a Specialized Poler AWOL for this ride.
11. @79pmooney Fixie. Nuff said.
12. The Twelfth Man is fitting from the Seattle suburbs, @droppedandlost will get up at o'dark hundred and meet all in Forest Grove.
Send me a link of the bike you'll be riding and I'll add it above.


The Mostly Committed
@Insidious C. was drooling on his keyboard. His $25 garage sale he picked up recently and rode on this ride required him to ride twice the distance than every one else. His skinny rear wheel kept spinning in the gravel. Update! He's making noise of doing a midnight build! @droppedandlost Seriously thinking about driving down from SeattleSuburbia (Bellevue?)


Note that I'll add more than 13 to this list. There'll likely be last minute drops, and no one will be turned away. The trailer holds up to 20 bikes, we can always cram more people onto a bench seat. As mentioned, above, I also have a backup plan to add another vehicle.

People that I'm bugging to come:
crickets.

Weenies that have begged out for some weak reason or another:
@gaucho777 Cause he sez he has family in the Portland area Excuse: starting classes then. Sheesh, I suppose you've gotta feed your family.
Mr. @Velocivixen (see below) Race walking? C'mon! On the other hand, that's one less person at the front of the pack that I have to watch from behind...
@jyl Turns out he's in Cali that weekend. Why would you want to go there in the summer? You go to sunny California during Oregon's mossy season! Who'm I gonna walk up The Wall with?
@Andy Antipas - Spending time with his family. Ok, good excuse.
@cdj Recividist. In Minn-a-sooooooooo-ta with family.
Bridget Queen of the Mountains, beat all the would-be kings as well. Lost her when the date changed, out volunteering cleaning trails. (Q)KOM is up for grabs this year!
@nazcalines
@RiddleOfSteel worrying about water on the trail. In late August. Hoo-boy...
@andy_p How much could a round trip plane ticket be from Wales, eh? Turns out, too much.
@Jeff Wills - First excuse was that he was doing the Bridge Ride, so I moved the date. Now it's "I need to get my Schwinn Superior painted" Sheesh, I rode a frame buck naked last year, the paint can wait. Then there's the "I'm not in shape" excuse...:rolleyes:

@northbend, who needs to wake up at 2 am and do his chores around the house first. update: too many chores
@Lascauxcaveman The innkeeper is highly interested, August is a tough month to take time off. He's in if he comes, more than a few Washingtonians coming down to carpool with if need be. Update: the innkeeper has too many guests that weekend.
6. Mike G. Last minute house hunting trip, will be missed.

Note: if you're not on the list and wanna join, just post to this thread and I'll add you.

Mr. @Velocivixen has several race events scheduled around that time, so he will take a pass this year. He race walks with his corporate team and they're quite seriously committed.

You all have fun. Someday I may have to try this route. I know I'd be doing a lot of walking if I did it now.

Hey @gugie, I'd love to make it! However, highly unlikely I'd be able to swing it. I started grad school recently for a teaching credential and I've been swamped with assignments. No way I'll have the time to make it. It's doubly disappointing, because I really had hoped to make it up to Portland that weekend anyway. Monday, August 21, is the big solar eclipse event (you may recall I mentioned it to you on the way up Tunnel Rd.). I was thinking of making a trip to Portland and then returning early Monday to catch the eclipse on the way back south. Sadly, I've already resigned myself to the fact I'm going to be stuck in the bay area, and already cancelled plans with my family. Besides, the 101 through central OR is going to be jammed something awful.

Man plans, god laughs.

I'm game
 

I pretty sure Bridget can lap me, but I like fun and bikes and the Trask River Road.
I see the transportation option for getting home, what about getting out there?

PS apparently bikeforums thinks i'm a newbie

Hey, welcome! Yeah, you're a newbie if you only have 3 posts! You're a "long time listener, 3rd time poster".

Just to check, are you in this picture playing some cool music?

But, yeah, if Bridget laps you, that still gives you a chance for placement on the podium in this group!

If by there you mean the ride starting point, getting there could be:
a) Drive to Forest Grove and park, van will take you back
b) Car pool with someone
c) Take TriMet out to Hillsboro, ride the flat 6 miles to Forest Grove. That's my plan.

BTW, the van will take you back all the way into Portland if you want. Last year they said multiple stops were ok.

If by there you mean Tillamook, ask your guns that question.

:D

I happen to know that maria aka BicycleKitty has a posse of riding ladies who are all sweetly smiling leg rippers. I predict an all-ladies podium.

FYI, he also goes by @aggiegrads.

I'm very happy to hear the he and Luke are in!

Updated to include his BF superhero identity.

I'm pretty sure Steve is a cycling hardman, he was riding into work with studded tires during snowmaggeden. We need some intel on his son.

No, Andy, not Intel, intel.

As I recall they were pretty evenly matched in cyclocross races last year. I think whichever of them got a better call up position tended to finish highest. I'm not expecting either one of them to be joining me in the gruppetto.

Also, the bike I'll be riding: https://www.flickr.com/photos/263825...7679276064695/

I'll probably remove the fenders because I need a good excuse to get it repainted and that front fender is an absurdly effective scoop. I got away with it on the Port Angeles Metric Century grave sections when I had 700x32 tires, but now with 650x38s it's another half inch or so closer to the ground so I don't think I'll push my luck.

I may also replace the handlebar bag with an A-Team lunchbox. I'd prefer Evel Knievel, but it's not period correct.

Out of town visitors keep me busy from the 6th to the 20th, which means even the later date won't work for me :(

Maybe next time...

DD

Yeah, that was kind of a cheap way to make the podium, wasn't it? :innocent: I was riding with AndyK and kept yelling "Final assault!" to get him to sprint with me, but I think by that time he was getting pretty gassed, so I figured I'd try to catch you instead.

I'm very interested, but by the time I will be able to commit, you'll likely be sold out already. August is always a little tricky to take a couple days off when you're in the hotel biz. :(

I was pretty gassed by then, but the fact that you were yelling "Final assault!" with half a mile of climbing still to go didn't help either. As I recall, just before you finally dropped me for good you told me it flattened out just around the next corner but then when I finally got around that corner I found just a little more uphill road. :twitchy:

BTW, if you do manage to arrange your logistics to be able to come down for this ride I'd be happy to return the favor of providing you a place to stay. I'm not in the hotel business, but I do have an unoccupied floor in my house for another month or two before my older daughter moves in there.

I cannot, however, promise to provide cheerful encouragement anywhere near the top of the hill. ;)

Understood, the innkeeper is pretty busy.

No problem slotting you, just assume I can get you in the van. There's always room for one more. Last year I had 12 "for sures", but only 9 showed up, and Mr. VV got a free ride back with his better half.

Just show up, we'll get you back.

Send 'em home early. Our rule: first 3 days you get a bed, after that it's a sofabed. The ones with a thin mattress and a crossbar, rarely can they handle more than a couple of nights.

I'm pretty sure I can make it this year. Haven't been on a ride over 40 miles in a long time, so want to do a longer ride with some climbing this week before I commit. Those climbs look brutal though... anyone know how the mt. tabor trails (blue trail, I think) compare in steepness?

The climbs look nasty due to scaling. There is one brutal hill, 4 miles long. A few will push hard to get to the top either first or in the top group. A few others will try, and drop back. Me and most of the others will ride at our own pace. Many will get off and push on the truly steep sections. Everyone will wait at the top of the hill, no one will be dropped. We'll regroup at all hilltops. If there are a few that want to go ahead, we can break into two groups. Honestly, though, last year we had some strong riders, and they waited, enjoying the comraderie over speed.

Really, you make it to the top of that hill, you've got it made.

I'll put you on the list. Go get some climbs in and some longer rides and you'll be fine.

Ha ha! Nah, can't do that. I'm hosting my mom for two days before and two days after she goes on one of those Carnival Alaska cruises, and my brother is here during the time she's actually on the cruise. He has back issues and my mom is in her mid-80s. They get the bed, I'll be bunking down in my new tent (courtesy of @sloar) :)

I missed a lot of family stuff in 26 years traveling the globe for the good ol' USN. There will be other rides! Tho my fitness is such now that I would relish 60+ miles with some traveling companions...

You guys have fun, take pics and share the stories please :)

DD

I haven't done the North Trask ride before, but if the numbers I'm getting from RideWithGPS and MapMyRide are even approximately trustworthy, Saltzmann Road from St Helens all the way up to Skyline looks like a reasonable approximation of "The Wall" -- not quite as much elevation gain and so probably not quite as steep but close enough to know whether or not you'll have to walk the whole thing. ;)

I might try this as a training ride: Forest Park with full Saltzmann Climb

How do you keep them from moving to the floor for a little relief from the discomfort?

Great, looking forward to it!

I did Springville Rd. up to Leif Erickson last summer and had to walk/push almost the entire way. I'll assume the wall will be similar and if I can pedal up some of it, great.

Not sure what I'll be riding. My 650b univega should be mostly good for this ride, but it's basically a fast city bike with 1x9 gearing. I'll see if I can put a double on to equal a couple lower gears.

We've got a fierce, trained dog. I think you've met him.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4257/3...7b10b4b0_b.jpg

If that doesn't work, our meanest cat will attack.
https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4292/3...7ba55d9c_b.jpg

I recommend a 3 mph gear. Something around 25 gear inches will do.

I think Springville is a good bit steeper than Saltzmann. That's why I usually go up Saltzmann and back down Springville.

As for gearing, my thinking is that whenever I need a double I really need a triple. I've got a spare triple on the shelf if you'd like to borrow it for this ride.