Fog, Snow, Mud, and Sun – DM60 Recap

6 Mar

Who says there aren’t 4 seasons in Oregon?  Those of us who rode in this years’ Dalles Mountain 60 on Saturday experienced them all in a few short hours.  The dense fog of the first 10 miles gave way to brilliant spring sun as we climbed above the clouds, and then the snow that covered the hills gave way to some cross race-like muddy descending.  More so than on any other ride I’ve done recently, there truly was a little bit of everything yesterday.

We want to thank everyone who came out to the Dalles to ride with us.  It was a great turnout and we feel like proud parents, our route is all grown up!  There were lots of smiles at the end of the day, and that makes us happy.  For those of you who missed out on the Maryhill Loops section due to the unforeseen closure, we apologize and hope that you will go back sometime and check it out.  It makes a great ride even better.

Since only about 2/3rds of the riders signed in at the end of the day, and since we know of at least a few who took some detours, we’re not going to bother posting anyone’s times.  However, if you’re just dying to know where you finished, or maybe like me, you were so tired at the end of the day that you can’t remember what time you finished, just send us an email and we’ll be happy to forward you the results.

Last but not least, as usual please feel free to post in the comments section.  We really like hearing what you have to say, and we love seeing your photos.  Thanks again, and we hope that we see you all at the The Rapture on May 21st!  It will be more of the same, and yet very different!

More photos, courtesy of Matt Haughey:

 

 

Aaron – casualty of a broken derailleur:

 

Stonehenge:

 

 

 

 

 

9 Responses to “Fog, Snow, Mud, and Sun – DM60 Recap”

  1. Donnie March 6, 2011 at 8:48 pm #

    Thanks everyone for coming out and to Suzanne for organizing a great event. Props to Nelson Snyder for crushing the course in about 3 hours, and India King for being the fastest of the ladies. Now it’s back to finalizing the course for the Rapture. We should have that wrapped up soon with final details to follow.

    Also, for those of you interested in riding the Oregon Stampede this year, we will open registration in late April or early May to give folks time to train – stay tuned for more details.

    Donnie

  2. Dan Werle March 6, 2011 at 9:05 pm #

    Thanks for posting the photos and report. I’m excited about these rides, and look forward to participating in The Rapture. I appreciate what you do for gravel/dirt road riding in the area.

  3. R.King March 6, 2011 at 9:15 pm #

    A great ride indeed! I wish we had arrived on time to roll out with the main group but India and I rolled were never alone on the course. We wholeheartedly enjoyed the unpredictable conditions, amazing roads (even without the Maryhill Loops) and a special kind of camaraderie that simply isn’t found in other brands of riding or racing. Thank you Velodirters for making it all happen. I can’t wait to see the details on The Rapture. As if I needed another excuse to buy new and highly specialized tires…. Photos from the day will be on my Flickr tonight. Thanks again!

  4. Matt Haughey March 7, 2011 at 8:52 am #

    That was a fun ride. The fog in the long starting climb was actually a godsend because I mentally had no idea how much longer it would go. The descent was fun but a little dodgy from all that mud and I did end up getting two flats at once when we hit a small patch of sharp gravel at high speed.

    I’m bummed to have missed the Loops road but the side-trip to Stonehenge was a first for me and it was cool to see. In the end, I bonked after Old Moody Road, running out of water and food and having to grind out the last 12 miles into a headwind to finish up. I really should have stopped in Biggs and gotten water and something to eat. But overall it was a blast, very scenic (esp. when the clouds lifted) and a good workout.

  5. nick March 7, 2011 at 9:29 am #

    Thanks Velodirt, for putting on yet another awesome race. You guys are stone-cold legit, now!

    That last road section was as miserable as I remember it from last year. Everything else was awesome (oh, except for the dude in the Audi …)

  6. Mat Barton March 7, 2011 at 12:02 pm #

    This was one of the best rides I’ve been on in awhile. Thanks for putting this together!

  7. Theo Roffe March 7, 2011 at 2:33 pm #

    Rad route! Thanks for putting this together.

    It was a lot of fun, even though I managed to find a pace that left me alone for almost the entire 4 hours. I took a bunch of pics which are on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/theoelliot/sets/72157626210506792/

  8. Mat Barton March 11, 2011 at 12:10 am #

    Theo, those are some great pics! Nice job.

Trackbacks and Pingbacks

  1. Back into the frey « Velograph - March 10, 2011

    [...] quite a bit. Weekly team rides, the regular commute, and finally some good racing. Last weekend the Dalles Mountain 60 happened and it was wonderful. I left Portland just before 7 and made it to The Dalles just in time [...]

Leave a Reply