OBRA racing at the Mt. Hood stage race (that means fields other than the UCI women's race and pro-1 men's race) starts tomorrow morning, so we spent this morning on the road. It was grey and misty when we left Seattle and sunny and warm and, of course, windy when we got to Hood River. We headed out for a spin on part of the TT course. The first part of our ride (the last part of the TT) follows the Old Columbia River Highway. It's now closed to motor vehicles and has beautiful smooth asphalt. And some spectacular views of the gorge.
One of the special features of this TT is the Mosier tunnel. This view is from the bottom. The tunnel at the top is the traditional dark, vaulted train tunnel, but the pavement is perfectly smooth and there are no water drips inside. It segues into this colonnade. Speeds are pretty fast through this section and it's a wee bit technical.
One thing riders surely will NOT notice when they race on this course are the wildflowers blooming everywhere. The lupine are out in full glory all along the road and trail, and the California poppies add their cheerful color here and there. Scads more flowers I don't know the names of.
Tomorrow's stage is the Cooper Spur circuit. It's either uphill or downhill. Temps are supposed to be in the upper 80s, so I might be useful in the feed zone. And then I want to ride out to The Dalles and around the Wasco 75 course. Headwind ALL the way back, though....
4 comments:
Hi Martha -- where are the results for the crit race for the cat 3's? I thought they would be posted by now. Wish I was down there. I am 50lbs heavy this year for that much climbing (195lb versus 145lb). :)
I think today is the first race for the cat 3's.
Ahhh. Got it.
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