It took a lot of willpower (and whatever noun you would use to describe the sensation of "oh fuck it, I'll just do it") to set a 5:45 alarm on a Saturday morning for "only" a 100K ride in potentially horrendous weather, but, well, obviously I did it.
My self-compromise, though, was that I'd take out my Stumpjumper to make things a little more interesting. The bike had worked pretty well on a 70-mile romp through the NW hills back in February, so I figured an ACP 100K would also be quite doable.
Anyway, the alarm went off at its despicably early hour, I loaded up my bike crap, and ran into David at the Pioneer MAX stop. We huddled into one of the back cars after seeing most of the bike hooks in the leading cars already occupied by randonneurs, and away we went to the Orenco stop in Hillsboro.
The McMenamins start point was just two miles from the MAX, and I cruised over there with David and Michael P. We hammed it up a little bit at the start, with Michael in some natty Sidis and cutoffs:
David with his newly finished Schwinn and handmade porteur rack/bag:
And myself, taking inspiration from David and wearing short-pants with honest-to-god POCKETS:
Tom, the organizer, gathered us up at 7:55:
And then it was off, heading north and west through North Plains and up Dairy Creek.
I followed the navigational cues from my trusty clear plastic pencil holder thingy:
The weather was, as on Lynne's 200K to Birkenfeld, far better than anticipated:
There was a secret control just past Hwy 6, with some awesomely delicious Dubliner cheese and other goodies:
What's the plural of A. Homer Hilsen?
TRAIN!
Being loaded up with... something:
Cruising towards Banks:
Minimal rainfall, but lots of water on the ground. Two spots were flooded -- this one which offered no alternative route, and a later one which riders either forded or avoided:
I was able to grab a pretty awesome aquatic shot:
Plum trees, I think:
Jackets off, zippers down, squinting at the unexpected sun:
Post-ride beer and foodstuffs:
I finished the exactly 100km route in an even 5:30, then opted against MAX in favor of taking a 15-mile trip back into town with David. This time, he led me through Washington Park rather than onto a short stretch of Hwy 26, and I enjoyed zooming down from the zoo:
We were back in downtown Portland around 3:00 -- always good to have some sunshine left after a day of riding:
The bike of choice for the day:
And someone was very happy upon my return:
Next up: maybe scouting one of the 100K routes I have planned, or the March 31 Canby 200K. Toodles!
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