john
I think Tuesday night will work better. Least until track season starts...
When: 6 PM*. 20-25 miles ?
Where: Charleston Street and N Lombard Beside Weirs, James John elementary school / multnomah county library. Do the Kelly point loop.
There is a Safeway only a block away. (bathrooms, parking, donuts,beer)
Last Wednesday ride went well.... except the gravel from the snow had not been sweeped up yet.
Some have voiced concerns that Columbia Blvd is not safe from traffic. This is true East of North Portland Rd, but between North Portland Rd and where it becomes Lombard, Columbia Blvd, after 6 PM is almost deserted. Least it was... Ok two trucks did go by, but in the left lane. Marine Drive was busier, but once again there is plenty of room with fours traffic lanes and bike lanes. This route _should_ be safer then almost any other route in the portland area.
FYI, this is going be a ride more for us cat 4/5's... Especially for the first month or so, it is not going to be fast. I plan on spinning a lot. I am also willing to practice and teach pacelines and other race tactics that I know, (but it's mainly about practicing it).. Even though I am a cat 4, i was not always a cat 4, been racing since i was a junior in '89 and was very well trained by a club in michigan. Did a lot of large pack road races and crits every weekend for a couple years a lot of times with national level and 7eleven juniors... could place top 10 most of the time, and top 5 some of the time... Even done big ole echelons where the pack had to split into three or four groups. Even routinely did in-race training for stragglers, creating chasing echelons, that re-caught the main pack and put us back into contention, it was cool but very hard to get people to listen. The woodland race, with those side winds, would be a perfect place to do echelons instead
of dying in the gutter or on the yellow line..
Anyway I am 40 lbs heavier and lot more laid back then in my heyday, so the ride is a chance to practice and teach this sort of thing and get a good workout on a route where there will be few to no interruptions. I am hoping by practicing these skills we can raise the level of road and crit racing in portland. Hell its fairly flat and short enough, bring out the fixed gear or single speed !
Although there is no re-group until the end, that doesn't mean we will leave you out there.. especially since we are to be going slow for the first month or so.
If you are interested let me know.
*the time is alterable to a degree, that is 5:45, 6:15 or 6:30 or even 7 ?