Training Camp Waiting List

A waiting list has been started for the Three Day Training Camp. There are still a few openings for the Four Day. Just so you know, here’s the daily breakdown with approximate mileage:

Session I

Day one: 170 miles Welches, OR – Service Creek, OR
Riders start on the flanks of Mt. Hood. The day includes 7 substantial summits – Government Camp, Barlow Pass, Bennett Pass, Bakeoven, Clarno, Fossil & Black Butte. It also includes The 6 mile grunt up FR 44 (we know you’re training but bring your camera and take a moment to look behind you – the view of the Elliot Glacier on Mt. Hood is spectacular), the rolling climb to Tygh Ridge and plenty of epic descents.

Day two: 155 miles Service Creek, OR – Mitchell, OR
Day two includes the flats and rolling terrain of the John Day River Valley, Monument climb, the Long Creek unnamed summit, Fox, 18 mile descent into Mt. Vernon, the 25 mile Keyes Creek climb and the 4 mile plunge into Mitchell.

Day three: 160 miles Mitchell, OR – Timberline Lodge
Breakfast is generally hard to stomach on day three as everyone knows Ochoco Pass is just a few miles down the road. This climb is generally regarded as the crux of the race – only once has the leader over Ochoco not gone on to win. Also included are the loooooooong descent into Prineville, flats into Madras, desert climbs through Kah-nee-tah, Wapinitia, Blue Box, the back side of the climb to Government Camp and the finishing climb to Timberline.

Session II

Day one: 120 miles Portland Airport Holiday Inn (start of RAO) – Maupin, OR
Session II riders begin at the RAO start line and therefore get the 10 mile warm-up to Troutdale. They also get the quarter mile wall which is Buxton Road and the official start of RAO. Climbs include Government Camp, Barlow, Bennett, FR 44 (one of our all time favorite places to ride), endless rollers which culminate with the drop into Maupin. You’ll also have the opportunity to join us in a Frisbee free-for-all along the banks of the Deschutes River.

Day two: 150 miles Maupin, OR – Long Creek, OR
Toughest day of the camp. Riders start at the base of the 25 mile climb up Bakeoven Road. After the two mile stretch from Bakeoven Summit to Shaniko you will not see a flat section of road till the stop sign in Fossil. Last year a shell-shocked rider came into the lunch stop (a few miles past Service Creek) thinking he wouldn’t finish the day let alone the race. He recovered, ripped up Monument and, a few weeks later, had a great finish at RAO.

Day three: 130 miles Long Creek, OR – Prineville, OR
Riders wake up facing another immediate climb – 5 miles to the second highest point of the course, Fox, Keyes Creek, a lunch stop in Mitchell, Ochoco and a well deserved rest in Prineville. Keep a sharp eye out for animals – last year we saw two bald eagles (male & female) converge on a hawk – the resulting mid-air collision was wild to say the least.

Day four: 140 miles Prineville, OR – Timberline Lodge
The day starts with a great warm-up past Smith Rock State Park and includes the descent from Madras to Warm Springs, endless climbs through the K-N-T Indian Reservation, Wapinitia, Blue Box, Government Camp and final push to Timberline.

Enjoy!

Previous: Ring of Fire -- Next: New Year's Resolution
Back to the Race Across Oregon Blog