The Route
Stage One:
Saturday April 25, 2009 9:00AM
Start on the South side of the Deschutes River Bridge. You’ll begin a twisting climb as soon as you cross the river. At .6 of a mile the road straightens as you enter ‘downtown’ Maupin. At .9 miles you exit the town and the climb gets serious with a hairpin and sharp curves. It mellows a bit after 1.5 miles topping out at 3.3 miles. Say hello to the wind as you begin a series of gentle rollers. At mile 6.5 you finally get a descent. You should hit between 45 – 50 mph during the 2 mile drop to Tygh Creek. A mile and a half of flat leads you to the first turn on the course which is a right on 216 at mile 10 toward Sherar’s Bridge. 216 starts with a mile long climb followed by a number of rollers. At mile 14.9 you’ll begin a steep twisting descent. It starts out with some open curves, drops like a rock and ends at mile 16.9 with a hard 20 mph curve to the left. There is a gaurdrail on the curve for a reason – Sherar Falls is waiting just over the side. There’s a bike length long dirt/gravel section at mile 17.3. You’ll cross the Deschutes again on Sherar’s Bridge at 17.5 and follow it with a hard 180 degree uphill right onto River Road. There are three cattle guards during this 8 mile flat section which parallels the river. The finish is just prior to City Park at mile 25.1. Hwy 197 is in excellent condition. 216 is a small farm road which is in reasonably good shape. River Road is flat and fast though the wind can be interesting (usually starts out feeling like a tailwind then switches back and forth as it swirls along the river).
Stage Two:
Saturday April 25, 2009, 3:00 PM
This stage is pretty straightforward. The start is located on the south side of the Deschutes River Bridge. You’ll begin climbing at mile 0.001 and stop climbing when you reach the finish nearly 8 miles later. The entire route is up hwy 197 finishing at a large pullout just past milepost 54. The climb is steepest at the bottom but maintains a constant climb to the finish. The road is in excellent condition.
Stage Three
Sunday April 26, 2009 9:00 AM
Bakeoven Road. You’ll again start at the south end of the DR Bridge though this time on Bakeoven Road. The course begins with a short descent toward City Park. You’ll veer to the right and immediately begin a spectacular ascent. The first 2 miles are made up of steep hairpins – as you’re cursing me for the climb please keep in mind this is an out and back :) After 2 miles the grade lessens to almost flat before ‘topping out’ at mile 3.8. Topping out is in ‘ ‘ marks as this is really a 24 mile climb. After 3.8 there is a brief descent followed by more climbing. The climbing is fast however as there is usually a tailwind and the grade is 2 – 3 % – we’ve ripped it on the tandem. You’ll be on your aerobars much of the way. The road begins a more consistent climb between miles 12 – 19. At 19 look for fast rollers to the summit and the turnaround. It is now time to get your revenge on the climbers. The final drop to the finish is a blast – you’ll be flying as you cross the finish line at the Imperial Motel. Bakeoven Road is in good condition
