The Planning of An Oregon Outback Adventure
Why are you doing the route?I’ve been fortunate enough to have work (Brodie Bikes) support me in this endeavour, so that’s the full disclosure of me working for a bike company. Back in 2005, when I was a dumb trackbike/alleycat kid in Seattle, we used to come down to PDX to play mini bike polo and hit Zoobomb; it was always the hope that I would do more bike camping and racing. I’ve been serious about my CX and road racing, for Mighty Riders in Vancouver, and organizing for Vancouver Cyclocross Coalition. This sounded like the best way to really get a big trip in on a tested route and enjoy myself in the middle of the beautiful state of Oregon while not too far into the race season.
What is your goal, if any? (race, casual ride, etc.; how many days or hours) Our plan is to ride casual – 3 days of riding, two nights of camping. It could change, say if we feel super hardcore, but the intent is for a bit of a sightseeing trip and to be in the woods.
What experience do you have doing ultra endurance races, multiday backcountry touring, and/or bikepacking? My touring and multiday riding has been mostly road – things like one-day STP on trackbikes, riding through Yellowstone, 3x over the Great Divide and into Grand Teton with backpacks on road bikes, riding Seattle to Vancouver. I also have experience with stage racing (road) and multi-day road races. I will have two bike-packing trips under my belt by the time we do this!
What bike/tire combo are you planning to use? The plan currently is to run the Brodie Monster – a monstercross bike with drops, 29er wheels, Tiagra grouppo. I’ll be switching out the stock Clement tires for some Kenda 2″ Slant Six tires, to handle the loose gravel. I could run it as a flatbar MTB, with 650b (it has sliding drops) and wider tires, but think the 2″ will do the job, and I’m pretty used to the drop bars.
Other relevant gear choices Scott at Porcelain Rocket did me up a beautiful pack setup; Mission Control handlebar bag and a custom single-compartment frame bag. It matches my existing saddle bag in white VX07 fabric, which looks rad and will show mud really well. I’m borrowing a SPOT from one of my Rando friend, Ryan, so people can be sure we’re moving.
Training plan I’ve been training already for the road and cyclocross season with about 250-300km a week. We’ve hit Spring Series here in Vancouver, so we’re putting in some fast 115K days doing the road races, and some MTBing in the woods to keep us sane. There are two tester trips planned, one on Vancouver Island, from Nanaimo towards Nanaimo Lakes and around Lake Cowichan to Duncan or Victoria, and the other might be Sunshine Coast or Interior BC. This is more for the gear choice than for the legs… every day is leg day.
I am excited you guys put this together, and through the response to it was overwhelming, it's certainly a great sign that people are willing to test themselves and get out there and enjoy the wilds.
See you on the trail!
Cheers,