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Here we are in Condon, OR at Time Station 3.  Temps are hot but in the 90s rather than triple digits.  Winds are mild and favorable which is unheard of out here.  Due to injury and illness we have a field of two racers this year but our goal is to provide these awesome riders with a full-on RAO experience.  Brandon Bruce of Knoxville, TN is having an excellent ride.  The "Vegan Cyclist" Tyler Pearce from Bass Lake, CA is here to turn a sub-30 hour solo which would be phenomenal!  Tyler actually has a shot at going sub-29 which would be amazing.

Where's the tracking.  Honestly I don't like tracking and never have.  I know I'm old school but I find trackers to often be more trouble than they are worth.
Inevitably at least one tracker doesn't work and then that is all we hear about for the rest of the event.  I'm keeping in close contact with each of the racers to keep them as up to date as possible on each other's progress and will updaTite here whenever I'm able to post from my laptop.  It's really nice to be out on the full 500 mile course this year.  

Tyler just rode past - he's got a disc wheel on and is absolutely flying on his way to Heppner.

Start  Brandon Bruce     4:00AM     Tyler "The Vegan Cyclist" Pearce  5:15AM

Time Station 1 Tyghe Valley 56.7 miles    Brandon Bruce  7:58AM     Tyler "The Vegan Cyclist" Pearce  8:52AM

Time Station 2  Moro 104.4 miles  Brandon Bruce  11:06AM     Tyler "The Vegan Cyclist" Pearce  11:17AM

Time Station 3  Condon  147.3 miles  Tyler "The Vegan Cyclist" Pearce  13:43     Brandon Bruce 14:59

Time Station 4  Heppner 190.8 miles  Tyler "The Vegan Cyclist" Pearce 16:20     Brandon Bruce  18:43

Time Station 5  Battle Mountain Summit  244.1 miles    Tyler "The Vegan Cyclist" Pearce 19:53     Brandon Bruce  23:56

Time Station 6  Long Creek  294.5 miles     Tyler "The Vegan Cyclist" Pearce  23:06     Brandon Bruce 4:59 (July 16)

Time Station 7  Spray  342.1 miles     Tyler "The Vegan Cyclist" Pearce  1:48 (July 16)     Brandon Bruce 8:45

Time Station 8  Fossil  373.9 miles     Tyler "The Vegan Cyclist" Pearce  4:09     Brandon Bruce 11:33

Time Station 9  Maupin  442.2 miles     Tyler "The Vegan Cyclist" Pearce  9:30     Brandon Bruce

Time Station 10  Petersburg School (sprint finish) 494.1 miles    Tyler "The Vegan Cyclist" Pearce 13:15

​Finish  501.7 miles  RAAM Qualified   
​Tyler "The Vegan Cyclist" Pearce  13:35    32 Hours 20 minutes  World Ultra Cycling Association North American Champion




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​An OREGON YOU'VE NEVER SEEN

Many people think of Oregon as being lush, green and very wet.  Certain areas of Oregon fit that description well.  Our loop course most definitely does not.  High desert all the way.  It's barren, beautiful, deserted, windy, hot and contains a bazillion feet of unending rollers and sustained climbs.  Difficult?  Very....just as a Qualifier for the Race Across America should be.  Nothing can truly prepare one for a solo RAAM attempt but the RAO 500 will test your limits like no other event under 928 miles (yes that's a nod to you Race Across the West). 
The courses we use for our Oregon events take place on roads that I've ridden thousands of training miles ​in preparation for six Race Across America finishes and six Race Across the West finishes.  Riding 10, 12, 15, 18 hour days in Willamette Valley rain would get old after awhile and I'd escape to arid Central and Eastern Oregon.  Not only did I appreciate the dry climate, I loved the terrain, lack of cars and lack of civilization.  
The Route

Click here for the new 500 mile course on Ride With GPS  

Description
The 2021 route is a 500 mile loop course which begins and ends at the Fairfield Inn located in The Dalles, OR.  You'll begin with a beautiful ride along the Old Gorge Highway (expect a goofy prime sprint during the neutral start).  Climbing will start just after you get the official "Go!".  Enjoy the trees and view of the Columbia River as you say so long to one of the few flat sections of this beast.  The Rowena Crest climb is mellow with some switchbacks and amazing views.  You'll drop to the community of  Mosier and begin a steep climb up Seven Mile Road.  It's a steep drop back to The Dalles (yes this is the location of Kesey's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest") and you'll ride through town probably wondering why we're having you go right past the start/finish motel after putting in 28 miles and whole bunch of climbing...it's pretty.  Once through town you are in high desert featuring hot temps during the day, cold temps at night, leg breaking climbs, long descents, headwinds, swirling winds, tail winds (infrequently), windmills (I wonder why), snakes, mountain lions (yup, we've seen quite a few on course), very little traffic and the roads that I trained on for a number of Race Across Americas and Race Across the Wests.  I absolutely love it out here and am happy to share some of my favorite roads on which to ride a bike with you.

The Rules​​

  1. Don't Cheat...okay we'll go into a little more detail.
  2. ​If you think what you're doing is cheating, it probably is...okay, more detail than that
  3. Obey traffic laws. i.e. stop at stop signs, traffic lights, etc.  There aren't many of either of these on the route so you'll want to be sure to pay attention for the few times they show up.
  4. Always pull off to the right of the road when dealing with your rider.  That includes solo riders needing to stop and relay riders setting up for an exchange.  
  5. When you pull of to the right of the road, you need to have 5 feet between the driver's side door and the pavement.  Are we out with rulers measuring your proximity to the road - no.  Think to yourself 'if I open the driver's door to get out is the door going to open into the lane with oncoming vehicles'.  If so, then you're too close.  
  6. Same when you're rider stops and you are taking care of him/her.  You don't want to be standing in the road when you're out of the vehicle attending your cyclist. 
  7. Don't be visible to other humans when relieving yourself.  Relief by back rub or stretching your legs is just fine.  I'm talking about the other stuff.  You're on seemingly deserted roads but there are farms/homes along the route.  We've had reports from farmers of seeing body parts of crew members and riders that shouldn't be seen.  Please just check carefully that there is no one else around when taking care of business.
  8. Bicycle - must have reflective tape on the front forks, four spots on each side of the front and rear wheel rims, along the rear triangle, on front and sides of the cranks.  Also place reflective tape on the back of your cycling shoes rather than trying to get tape on the back of your pedals.  A white, flashing headlight must be on during daylight hours (between 6:30AM and 7:30PM) and a solid white headlight must be on during nighttime hours (7:30PM - 6:30AM).  A red flashing tail light must be on at all times.
  9. Support vehicle - Must have a minimum of 2 crew members.  
  10. Support vehicle Accessories - "Caution Bikes Ahead" (or some variation of the same) must be clearly visible on the back of the vehicle.  Race Identifier Signage i.e. Your Last Name/Team Name must be on the driver's side door, hood of the vehicle and rear of the vehicle.  Slow Moving Vehicle triangle must be displayed on the rear of the vehicle when doing direct follow.  Roof mounted, rear facing amber flashing lights must be attached and going at all times the support vehicle is actively involved in the race (if you're buying gas, shopping, stopped for a nap, etc you may turn off the flashers.  Hazard lights are going whenever the amber flashers are on.  We have a great sign maker who's info I will have available very soon to make you all of the signage listed in #10 if you need assistance.  
  11. Rider Accessories - Reflective ankle bracelets must be worn during nighttime hours.  A reflective vest isn't mandatory but it's a good idea.
  12. Crew Accessories - Reflective vests must be worn when out of the vehicle at night.  A hi viz t-shirt would be much appreciated by the race director for daytime wear.​

Registration 

Looking to challenge yourself?  RAO will provide you ample opportunity to do just that.
Registration will go live (fingers crossed) by January 15, 2021
500 Registration
260 Registration

Race Resources 

This is your page for Amber Flashing Lights to event regulation tail lights and nutritional products!
Need "Caution Bicycles Ahead", Slow Moving Vehicle, or Team Identifier signage? Contact me at raogeorge@gmail.com and I'll set you up with some low cost magnetic, reflective signage made for us by a participant who was a sign maker prior to retiring and riding full time.
Support Vehicle Amber Flashers
Bike Lights/Accessories
Nutritional Products

We look forward to seeing you on the road!

(720) 266-9913
raogeorge@gmail.com