Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Tour De Bonk May 9


Break out the granny gear, unpack your suitcase of courage and brace yourself for the Tour De Bonk. This is Rob O's annual birthday ride, but since 2009 marks #40, the ride dishes out extra helpings of agony. There are 4 routes, each expanding on the previous. If the full Tour De Bonk seems like too much to digest, you might be interested in one of the other options. Everyone will start together at Healy Heights Park at 0900 on Saturday May 9. The full ride will probably be around 5hrs. There will be a water stop about halfway through and will be available to all but the lite loop.

This is not a an organized ride and is self supported except for the hose in my buddy Tom's back yard to refill your Camelbak. In lieu of a present (which would be too big to put in your cycling jersey anyway, but thanks for the thought) consider a donation to the NW Sarcoma Foundation http://www.nwsarcoma.org/. This is a great organization based right here in Portland that gives direct help to people and families dealing with sarcoma. If you want to make an impact on someone's life who lives in your community, check out the site and toss in a few nickles. Put "Tour De Bonk" in the 'additional comment' section on the donation page so we can see how much we are giving back while having fun ourselves. Feel free to pass this on to your friends. The more the merrier.


Here are the routes


Tour De Bonk

A festival of pain hitting all the high points on Skyline and the some. Old Germantown, Rock Creek, Logie Trail, Springville, Pittock Mansion, Vista/Montgomery to Council Crest are some of the highlights. This route is 65 miles and about 6k of climbing.

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/or/portland/777842701805


Tour De Bonk Varsity

57 miles. 4600 feet of climbing. Excludes Springville, Pittock, Vista.

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/or/portland/736331457569


TDB Junior Varsity

Varsity minus Logie Trail. 44 miles. 3.2 k climbing

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/or/portland/301030488516


TDB Lite Loop

Junior Varsity minus Rock Creek

26 miles

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/or/portland/639877783357


Wednesday, April 8, 2009

The new puppy




Last Saturday we went to the kids' school auction and came home with a dog. We didn't think we were going to come home with a dog, but there he was at the end of the night, sitting in the back seat of our car. The first night was a bit awkward. We arrived home at 10pm completely unprepared for a puppy. I'm not sure who was more in shock, us or him.
We named him Gryffindor after the Harry Potter books but the kids shortened it to Griffin by the next morning, and there it was. Griffin. 
The first few days were a bit rocky. He seemed to prefer pissing inside the house. We played for most of the time outside but he would periodically sneak inside to pee on the floor and come back out to play. By day 3 of this I was at wit's end (to say the least). Things are getting better now as everyone is adjusting and urinating in their assigned locations. 
The kids are stoked beyond belief.

The yellow dog at the end of the video below belongs to our neighbors and was brought in as a sparring partner. 

Monday, April 6, 2009

De Ronde Van Oeste Portlandia

Last weekend was the third running of De Ronde Van Oeste Portlandia. This is one of my favorite cycling events. As one rider says, "There is enough character building here to get a crack whore into heaven." Truer words....
The ride is about 50 miles and is either up or down. The climbs are short and steep, some up to 25% grade. There is no entry fee, no sanction, no medal, and nobody cares if you finish. The road is marked with yellow lions that tell you when to make turns. The Portland riding season begins in earnest when you see a fresh painting to the Ronde lions. The ride starts on a 4 mile ascent up Saltzman road which is either gravel or mud, chose your line. Then it is up to Brynwood, which is the legendary hill of the ride. In the movie at the end of this post, you will see many people either walking or falling over as they attack this hill. Last year I snapped my rear hub on that climb because I was applying so much torque. Awesome!


This is the flyer that announces the race. About 600 people show up at the start. It is pretty much word of mouth. One of my favorite parts is just getting to the start. Pulling out of my street, there are dozens of riders heading to the same place. The closer we get, the more riders join in, like tributaries in a river. Or like termites coming out of the woodwork, depending on your perspective.


These yellow lions mark the course. It is the lion of Flanders and the ride is loosely based on the Tour of Flanders race which happens in Europe the following day.


At the start, we are all smiles. That will be quickly wiped away as we open our suitcases of courage and find we forgot to pack.
The man in front is Ron "Chechu" Kizziar. I am in the clear jacket and Jeff Lahti is the blue arm coming out of my right elbow.


This is me up a climb called College Rd. That is not a smile but a grimace. This climb is featured in the short movie below.

Springs Classics protagonist Jeff Lahti on the final stages of College. The glasses he is wearing were stolen from work. Jeff also buys his formal wear from Walgreens. True story.

Alec Denes making it look easy. At 17% grade, he is hardly breaking a sweat. Maybe it's becuase he just coughed up his right lung a few meters ago. 
You have to admire the riding kit though. He designed the jersey for his ortho group. I may just change specialties to get my hands on one of those.

The finish at Council Crest Park. Right center of the picture is Tucker O, I am standing in front of him.
Overall an excellent day.




Enjoy the show.
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Photos (the nice ones)thanks to: http://www.dmroth.com