Guns, Guts & Glory – The Oregon Stampede
12 Sep
- 127 miles
- ~9000 ft elevation gain
- 60% dirt
What a perfect day for a bike ride. We couldn’t have asked for better weather – bluebird skies, perfect temps, and forecasted high winds that never really materialized. We also couldn’t have asked for better riders. I didn’t get a chance to meet everyone, but those I did were stoked and had a great time. All in all, we don’t think things could have gone more smoothly – except maybe for the crazy beer-drinking locals who shot a gun out their truck window to scare one of the riders (see Dave’s comment below).
We’d really like to thank a few deserving folks. First and foremost – thanks to all the racers who came out. You made our hard work totally worth it and we love your enthusiasm for what we’re doing. Thanks to the ladies at the campground who helped out checking in riders throughout the day (and watching Moto!). We’d also like to thank Matt Haughey from Metafilter who came out and took all these amazing photos. The rest of his photos can be found here. And I’d like to give a personal shout out to the guys and gal at 21st Avenue Bicycles who, when I got a last minute opportunity to race, were able to put my bike back together after the beating it took in Alaska. One more thank you goes to HUB for subsidizing the post-race beers.
Congratulations to the top finishers:
- Open Women: Nicette Quintero
- Open Men: Nelson Snyder
- Full results
We put together a small, engraved momento for the top riders to go with our western/cowboy theme:
A route map and cue sheet are linked above for those interested in checking out the route. A couple notes – 1) the Gazetteer map does not accurately list many of the road names, use the cue sheet; and 2) we allowed racers to skip the detour into Grass Valley and continue straight/north on the route. I’m not sure if anyone actually skipped the Grass Valley stop or not. It’s a long way to go with no chance of water en route.
I spent the ride at the ass-end, so I didn’t get a chance to see any of the real action up front. I did get to interact some with Team Beer and a handful of other racers, as we flip-flopped back and forth throughout the first half of the day. The guys and gals from Team Beer definitely get kudos for having a great time and sticking together the whole time (as did a bunch of others – see how many “ties” there were). They’ve inspired us to include a team component to future rides to encourage more camaraderie. Besides winning the unofficial team classification, they also won the competition for most corn dogs consumed mid-ride. Awesome/gross. As far as the rest of the day is concerned, hopefully we’ll get writeups from some of the racers. We’ll put up links as we find out about them. Check back for updates.
- Matt Haughey’s photos
- Gabriel Amadeus Tiller’s photos
- Jason Britton’s photos and write up
- Kristin Wille’s write up
- James Buckroyd’s photos
- Ryan King’s photos
- Wes Gregg’s write up and photos
- Eric Gustafson’s photos
Again, thanks to Team Beer and the Chris King folks who fielded all or most of their crews. I’d also like to point out what a great female turnout we had – that is super cool, and something I don’t think most gravel grinders can claim.
And now on to the photos:
Open Men’s second place Michael Lilienthal:
Open Men’s winner Nelson Snyder:
Open Women’s winner Nicette Quintero
One of my photos from the day – I was definitely in the Payne Loop at this point:
Excellent photos and thanks for organizing! I was, I’m pretty sure, the only person who had a weapon fired in their general vicinity. Just after the turn onto Twin Lakes road, a couple bumpkins in a small white pickup flew by with a “pop pop pop” and a few flashes of light. To top it all off, they waved. Too bad I couldn’t get a plate number, the Sherman County Sheriff I saw in Grass Valley looked bored.
Awww, way to go Donnie, now we’ll never get invited to the next RGR … Just kidding, I like that you call it as you see it.
Again, thanks for all the effort you guys put into it. Can’t wait to see what next year brings …
Awesome job on the event! I was super stoked to participate. The camaraderie made the day the most enjoyable that I’ve ever had on a bike. Looking forward to next year and any other events that you do. Thanks again for scratching an itch I’ve had for 10 years.
everything Nathan said! Thanks guys. Perfect day!!
Amazing event—one of the best days I’ve ever had on the bike. Cue sheet was spot on, you put together an amazing route and I ended up riding with a great group. The only thing that could have made it better would be a keg marking the finish line. Never mind, you had that down as well…
Thanks for all of your hard work on the event
I completely agree with all of the previous posts-bravo!
Whoop! First bike race in 10 years, I had a blast, until my stomach mutinied. Thanks for organizing guys!
Great times!
Thanks for organizing this crazy thing. You did great. Cue sheet was perfect and the course was super fun and tough. Next year we plan on camping with everyone Saturday night. That would have been much more fun than driving back to Portland (What were we thinking?!).
Bummer that they ran out of fried burritos in Tygh Valley though. Next year let them know we’re coming.
BEEEER!
I think that was the first time I didn’t get lost due to a confusing or inaccurate cue sheet. Nice job on an awesome race, can’t wait for the next one.
Such a pleasure meeting and riding with you all.
This race had everything going for it… spectacular scenery, outstanding weather, and a classy group of riders to enjoy it all with.
Sue, Donnie, Aaron and all others, extremely well done. Thanks for making my first century completely kick ass and unforgettable.
I took a couple quick video clips at the start and near the end and tossed it up on Vimeo.
Thank you guys so much for a wonderful weekend. The cue sheet was AMAZING, the route was mind-numbingly beautiful, and a finish line with a keg of beer was the best end to a wonderful day.
i want more.
THANK YOU! The Stampede was a blast. The route and the maps were top notch: beautiful views, quiet roads and a great mix of gravel and road. Thank you so much for organizing it. And how did you manage to find the best country markets in the entire state of Oregon? They were perfect. The entire day was perfect, and I feel fortunate to be a part of it.
This is awesome. Kudos.
I would love to see more gravel races in Oregon’s future. I mean mountain bikes are cool, so are road bikes. But I want to have a reason to bring out the cross tires in the summer.
PS is it me or does the gun firing to ‘scare’ riders remind you of Easy Rider? And we all know how that ends.
It’s sold out this year ??? (2011)
Yeah, full since April. Sorry. Sign up for the “newsletter” and you’ll get advance notice for registration, etc.
Donnie
did it… thanks, donnie. awesome site btw.
what are the tire recommendations for this year’s route? will be riding a cross bike. thx!