RAO press articles • RAO Rider & Crew Stories
Recent RAO News
July 2010:
Final Route Book now available
Get your copy before it is even hot off the presses!
The final version of this year’s RAO Route Book is available here as a pdf file. (requires the freely-available Adobe reader)
Each solo rider will get one route book and each team will get two, so make sure to download the file and print it out if you will need any extra copies.
A special thanks to David Bradley (Team Raven Lunatics) for putting the books together and Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital for printing them.
July 2006:
RAO 2006 -- For Immediate Release
Race Across Oregon: 535 miles – 40,000 feet of climbing – 48 hours
PORTLAND, Ore. (July 14, 2006) — More than 70 cyclists will race from Portland through Central Oregon and back to Timberline Lodge in Race Across Oregon, the Northwest’s premier ultra cycling race. Teams with four and two riders and solo racers will start from the Portland Airport Holiday Inn Saturday, July 22, and traverse 40,000 vertical feet in 15 climbs during the weekend event.
Solo racers will begin their 535-mile ride at 5 a.m. followed by the two-person relay teams at 7 a.m. and the four-person relay teams at 9 a.m. The race culminates with a grueling 6-mile climb to the finish line at Timberline Lodge. To receive a legal time, racers must be across the finish line by 5 a.m. Monday, July 24.
The race is held in a time-trial format where racers are not allowed to ride close behind or draft from vehicles or fellow competitors. Racers are followed by support crews who provide food, water, mechanical and moral support. The crews must also report their racers’ progress through five time stations along the route located in Maupin, Fossil, Long Creek, Prineville and at the base of Timberline Road at Highway 26.
In its ninth year, Race Across Oregon has attracted its largest field to date. Race favorites include 2004 Race Across America (3,000 miles non-stop) champion Allen Larsen of Cle Elum, Wash., Boston-Montreal-Boston (750 miles) record holder Saunders Whittlesey of Deerfield, Mass., and a trio of 50-year-olds including David Holt (Laguna Nigel, Calif.), Wade Baker (Atascadero, Calif.) and Gregg Geser (Sisters, Ore.).
The favorites for the Two-Person Relay title are Team Tartan (made up of 2005 solo champion and Race Across Oregon solo course record holder Kenneth Philbrick from Corvallis, Ore., and Ben Larson of Seattle, Wash.) and the recumbent Team Bacchetta Can Too (made up of Race Across America veterans and divisional record holders John Schlitter of St Petersburg, Fla., and Tim Woudenberg from Moss Beach, Calif.). The four-person relay division will feature an intense contest between five-time Race Across Oregon champions Team Shark Attack, defending champion RAO Speedwagon and Race Across America record holders Team Bacchetta.
The two-person division also features one of our most inspirational teams — the Grand PAC Masters. Race Across America record holders Chris Stauffer of Fort Wayne, Ind., and Lew Meyer from Philadelphia are both more than 70 years old.
Race Across Oregon winners receive prizes from Voler Sports Apparel, Hammer Nutrition and Detours. The grand prize is a Co-Motion Espresso from Co-Motion Cycles in Eugene, Ore.
Race Across Oregon is a qualifier for the Race Across America. It is considered to be the most beautiful and difficult event of its type.
To learn more about the race or to see a full roster of riders go to the official Race Across Oregon website at http://www.raceacrossoregon.com
For more information, contact:
Terri Gooch
Race Director
or
George Thomas
Race Director
210.464.5607
info [at] raceacrossoregon.com
www.raceacrossoregon.com
April 2007:
RAO 2006 DVD Update
An update on the 2006 RAO DVD from Allen and Teresa Larson.
The RAO DVD is finished and is available from Cascade Productions. Please visit their website to purchase your very own copy!
RAO in the news
August 2008: Cyclist finds endurance niche: Jackson Hole News Guide
Sometimes risk-taking athletes discover they are physically and psychologically suited for an event most would find unbearable.
August 2008: Cyclist tests his limits: The Olympian
With lungs aching and Achilles tendon throbbing, John Pearch wearily peddled up Mount Hood, exhausted from two straight days of riding his bicycle across Oregon.
August 2007: Smudz finds redemption
Racing across Oregon for the first time was a disaster for Al Smudz last summer. The City of Portland set a record of 102 degrees during the race and temperatures reached 110 in the desert.
Almost 42 hours after he and his tricked-out road bike set out on the Race Across Oregon - a tortuous, 535-mile endurance test that starts near Portland International Airport and ends at Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood - Gapay crossed the finish line.
July 2006: A new quest for Corvallis bike racer Kenneth Philbrick: Corvallis Gazette-Times
Bike racer Kenneth Philbrick of Corvallis is hopeful that the sixth time will be the charm at this weekend's ninth annual Race Across Oregon.
2010 Rider & Crew Story Links:
Bruce Carroll: Training and Race Recap
I left for the 2005 Race Across Oregon with just under 5,000 miles logged. If I had been training in Idaho it probably would have equaled 6,000 miles. This would be my third RAO and 4th Ultra race.
Race Across Oregon 2005 - the crew chief's perspective
Race Across Oregon took place June 4-5th. I was the crew chief for a 4-person team dubbed Team Bag Balm. Team Bag Balm was a mixed team consisting of two men (Scott & Richard) and two women (Linda & Laura), along with 5 crew members (me, Kyle, Jeff, Jay & Michael). What follows is an account of the race from my perspective. I hope you enjoy reading.
2005 Rider & Crew Stories:
Last weekend I had a most awesome experience. I drove the “sag” van for a solo entry in the 2005 Race Across Oregon (RAO). Californian Wade Baker completed the 538.7 mile course (which includes 40,000 feet of climbing) in 38 hours, 35 minutes to take second place.
I was the crew chief for a 4-person team dubbed Team Bag Balm. Team Bag Balm was a mixed team consisting of two men (Scott & Richard) and two women (Linda & Laura), along with 5 crew members (me, Kyle, Jeff, Jay & Michael). What follows is an account of the race from my perspective. I hope you enjoy reading.
Headhunters win Timberline Climbing Duel (After a 530 Mile Warm-up)
Twenty-one hours into the Race across Oregon in a rainy dawn we sent a scouting party to Ochocho Pass to see how much further our lead rider would have to go to get the descent. Twenty minutes ahead we saw Team Four Play furiously inching toward this last summit before the 25 mile downhill to Time Station Four in Prineville.