Race report – by Richard Seton
Race Across Oregon is the premier ultra cycling event in the Pacific North West. The race is held in the third week of July each year, and attracts an international field of cyclists. While the race has the word ‘Across” in it, it is really more of a race around Oregon.
The race starts at the Holiday Inn near the Portland Airport, and finishes at Timberline on the slopes of Mt Hood. However, we don’t go direct – we cover a total of 538 miles, with over 40,000 feet of climbing. We visit famous Oregon towns, such as Mitchell, Antelope, Fossil, Longcreek, and my favorite, Maupin.
There are three main categories of racers – solo, two-person team, and four person teams. The teams run the race in a relay style – each rider riding portions of the distance.
I raced this year as part of a two-person team – Team Bag Balm - with Scott Saulsbury. We were support by a four person crew, headed by crew chief Susan Otcenas – driving two pace vehicles. At any one time, a pace vehicle closely follows the rider on the road.
To say that this is a difficult race would be an understatement. It took the two of us 36 hours to complete the course – with many steep climbs, fast descents, and almost no sleep. We spend most of our time in the heartland of Oregon – along small country roads, with few other cars, and even fewer people. During the day, there is a stark beauty to the countryside. When you’re riding in the middle of the night, it can be very lonely. All you see are the lights of another racers team a long distance upslope ahead, or a long distance down slope behind. A 4000 ft climb at night is a surreal experience – especially when it’s cold and you’d been riding for 24 hours. All you can do is concentrate on that racer ahead, and try to catch him or her.
Being in shape is only one of the essential elements of completing an ultra cycling race. Equally important is racer and crew preparation. Your crew feeds you, makes sure you have enough to drink, keeps you cool, or warm, and looks out for your safety. The rider, besides being in shape, must have a nutrition / hydration regimen that keeps you fueled and hydrated for 36 hours, or more. This is not easy – most racers who do not finish DNF because of digestive problems.
Having the finish line at Timberline makes for a special sort of pain. There’s a 6-mile climb, with an average grade of 10% (similar to Broadway Dr) - for riders who already have 100’s of miles on their legs. By now, there is nothing left, and you crawl across the finish line – to the cheers of other racers, family & friends. But the pain soon goes away. You remember the beautiful Oregon country, the closeness that comes with working with your team, and the satisfaction of completing a race that few others would dare attempt.
For RAO 2009, I’m thinking of putting together an over 50 two person team to set a new course record.
http://www.raceacrossoregon.com/