Matthew

Bummer! But understandable. Lets get it back on the calendar! July or August? It would be so cool to see this race become an annual tradition.

jo..@aracnet.com

Matt,

Kudos to you for putting the OBRA crew and racers FIRST! No one likes to
see a race canceled, but
but special circumstances do arise that indeed make it difficult to
proceed.

Good luck going forward.

Joe Cipale

On 2017-06-07 20:34, Matt Mallet via OBRA wrote:
> It is with great regret that I announce that this event is cancelled.
> Saturday's forecast for the Marys Peak summit is high of 39F with rain
> and the potential for thunderstorms. As race director it is my
> determination that we do not have adequate resources to deal with all
> possible weather related contingencies and that in the interest of
> assuring the safety and well being of all competitors, officials and
> volunteers we cannot hold this event on June 10. I understand many of
> you may be disappointed and you have my sincere apologies. This was
> one of the most agonizing decisions I have ever had to make. Refunds
> are being issued for everyone who was registered.
>
> The major consideration here is risk of thunderstorms. I know Marys
> Peak is not Mt. Hood, but it is over 4000' and has almost that much
> prominence. The weather on the summit can be much more severe than in
> the valley and the summit parking area is completely exposed to the
> elements. There is no permanent shelter (aside from a pit toilet) at
> the summit parking area. The finish area is twenty miles removed from
> the start. The finish line support and the timer would be placed in
> this position for at least 3-4 hours with only a pop-up tent or their
> vehicles as shelter. I could not come up with a plan to ensure that
> they would be safe under all possible conditions based on the risks
> associated with the forecast.
>
> We had provisions to shuttle clothing to the finish and I had rented
> an extra cargo van to help provide additional rides down as needed.
> However this plan was not adequate (in my opinion) to provide a high
> enough level of assurance for all competitors, officials and
> volunteers, because it was not going to be possible with the resources
> I have access to ensure I could provide a ride for everyone who might
> want/need it. Please understand there were a range of athletes
> (ability level, age, etc.) registered for this event and as the race
> director I am obligated to protect all of them. I have no doubt some
> of the Cat 1/2 riders and the Masters women could have handled riding
> up and down in conditions like those at the Stelvio Pass in the 1987
> Giro, however not everyone has this capacity.
>
> I have a box of 48 Marys Peak 2017 pint glasses (see photo on OBRA
> facebook page) that I still need to figure out what to do with.
> Please be assured I am still looking for a scenario to distribute them
> to all of you that involves riding up Marys Peak. Since the glasses
> say 2017 it should go without saying that I would like this scenario
> to occur this year.
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Scott Kocher

Matt,

Kudos to you and crew for your hard work on this race. A weather cancellation at any time of year is possible, and everyone accepts that as a natural part of a mountain event. Thanks again, and see you out there.

Scott

Scott F. Kocher
www.forumlawgroup.com
Bicycle & Pedestrian Law

Matt Mallet

Also, I would like to acknowledge Block 15 Brewing and Williamette Valley Intellectual Property Law for their support of this event. Although we have to cancel the event these sponsors were in position to make race day great and this event was not going to be able to be successful without them. Also Adam Kennedy (RD of Marys Peak Hillclimb Time Trial) and OBRA racer who provided tremendous support and guidance during the preparations for this event.

Matt Mallet

It is with great regret that I announce that this event is cancelled. Saturday's forecast for the Marys Peak summit is high of 39F with rain and the potential for thunderstorms. As race director it is my determination that we do not have adequate resources to deal with all possible weather related contingencies and that in the interest of assuring the safety and well being of all competitors, officials and volunteers we cannot hold this event on June 10. I understand many of you may be disappointed and you have my sincere apologies. This was one of the most agonizing decisions I have ever had to make. Refunds are being issued for everyone who was registered.

The major consideration here is risk of thunderstorms. I know Marys Peak is not Mt. Hood, but it is over 4000' and has almost that much prominence. The weather on the summit can be much more severe than in the valley and the summit parking area is completely exposed to the elements. There is no permanent shelter (aside from a pit toilet) at the summit parking area. The finish area is twenty miles removed from the start. The finish line support and the timer would be placed in this position for at least 3-4 hours with only a pop-up tent or their vehicles as shelter. I could not come up with a plan to ensure that they would be safe under all possible conditions based on the risks associated with the forecast.

We had provisions to shuttle clothing to the finish and I had rented an extra cargo van to help provide additional rides down as needed. However this plan was not adequate (in my opinion) to provide a high enough level of assurance for all competitors, officials and volunteers, because it was not going to be possible with the resources I have access to ensure I could provide a ride for everyone who might want/need it. Please understand there were a range of athletes (ability level, age, etc.) registered for this event and as the race director I am obligated to protect all of them. I have no doubt some of the Cat 1/2 riders and the Masters women could have handled riding up and down in conditions like those at the Stelvio Pass in the 1987 Giro, however not everyone has this capacity.

I have a box of 48 Marys Peak 2017 pint glasses (see photo on OBRA facebook page) that I still need to figure out what to do with. Please be assured I am still looking for a scenario to distribute them to all of you that involves riding up Marys Peak. Since the glasses say 2017 it should go without saying that I would like this scenario to occur this year.