Spring in PDX…
It lasts three days and falls between winter and second winter.
Paydirt.
Pumpkin Ridge riding with Andrew.
Multnomah Falls ride.
Andrew finally came to Portland to ride my Speedvagen and take pictures of me dropping him.
Wine country riding
Nine weeks left until our cross country adventure begins means the weekend rides have ramped up in duration and distance. Now it is is normal to ride up to five or six hours on Saturday and Sunday. This weekend I rode out to wine country which is about a 90 mile round trip from my home in Portland. It might look peaceful but the headwinds can be brutal. The reward for battling the three hour, head-down, battle (aside from the views and rolling hills) is a perfect tailwind all the way back to Portland.
Nehalem Bay Riding
One of the main challenges of planning for a 3500 mile ride is route
Oregon Coast ride
This weekend’s mission: ride from PDX to the coast and scope out the route for the first stage of LIOTR. Secret rocky beach path sprints optional. (at Nehalem Bay State Park)
LIOTR on the Rapha blog
Our presenting sponsor Rapha has done an awesome piece about Leave It On The Road. Thanks to the one and only Jeremy Dunn for capturing the spirit of the ride perfectly. Go check it out!
Recent Rides
Technically it is spring now but you would hardly know it from the temps in Portland. The riding cannot stop on account of the weather. With the needle stuck in the mid 40’s, the rain is worse than snow and extreme cold. It seeps through every seam, finds skin, and collaborates with the wind to reduce you to nothing but exposed nerves and bone. The faster you get, the colder you are. But that makes the clear days more special. Low 50’s feels like high 70’s. A six hour ride feels like six instead of twelve and you wonder if you can’t go on forever. Today I hit the 2,000 mile mark for the year with the sun shining. The rain will return, but no matter. The riding cannot stop on account of the weather.