by Saunders Whittlesey

The Race Across Oregon on June 4-5 kept with its three unlikely traditions: on such a hard course, the events remained tight; riders with less RAO experience prevailed; and race leaders over the crux Ochoco Pass at mile 370 won despite all the potential for trouble thereafter. This yearís field was the most diverse ever with 18 solo riders, 4 two-person teams, and 11 four-person teams. The racers included two recumbent solos, a fixed gear, three mixed teams, two womenís teams, a recumbent team, and two mastersí teams.

Kenneth Philbrick of Seattle won the solo race, Team Ol' Fogey (Don and Bruce Olsson of Portland, OR) took the two-person team race, and the four-person team race went to the recumbent RAO Speedwagon (Keith Kohan, Rand Milam, John Williams, and Michael Wolfe, of Oregon).

Race conditions were particularly good. Unlike last year, the opening miles were dry, and the normally baking afternoon stretch was mild with a tailwind. A nighttime rain shower caught riders off guard for about 70 miles, but then reasonable weather prevailed, allowing use of the grand finishing climb to Timberline Lodge on the side of Mt. Hood.

Rookie Philbrick won the men's solo event in 35:23 with a smart, steady, disciplined effort. He trailed the race leaders for almost 300 miles, letting his more experienced counterparts gradually fall by the wayside. Then using his big time trialist's body to regain time along the John Day River, he finally assumed the lead after the halfway point and continued on to a comfortable win.

Second place went to Wade Baker. Crewmember Isabelle Drake reported that they thought Baker had second place in the bag until James Kern passed with only ten miles to go. Kern, who was on his way to becoming the first rider to finish RAO on a recumbent, had been pacing himself over an hour behind the leaders in the first half, and had been largely forgotten by the rest of the field. At first Drake was afraid Baker would blow up chasing Kern, so she told Baker that the recumbent was a separate race division. However, an official told them to "Consider [Kern] as competition." Thus Baker dug deep and passed Kern for second place.

Tom Jacobsen came in fourth after an up-and-down ride in which he finally pulled himself back together and qualified for RAAM.

Doug Peterson came in fifth after enduring a nightmarish breakdown of his crew vehicle around mile 360. The vehicle failed during the second morning and Peterson was able to continue on his own, but the chill of Ochoco Pass left him in dire need of food and clothing. Peterson stayed calm and was grateful to a host of individuals for helping him continue. Race official Deborah Wilson made over 50 phone calls looking for another vehicle. Crewmembers went house-to-house in search of help, and the Grey Panters team drove Petersonís crew chief Sandy Earl up the course into town. Two teams, the Almost Daisies and the Grand PAC Masters, furnished Peterson with clothes and food, including what he described as "the best damn chicken burrito [he'd] ever tasted." Once a vehicle was located, race officials ferried Peterson's crew and gear up the road to meet him.

The most frustrating story befell John Spurgeon, who attempted to become the first rider to cover RAO on a fixed gear. The Saber-Tooth Salmon made it to the bottom of Timberline Road, six miles from the finish, but could not even walk his bike up this last climb of 2,000 feet. He reported that he had been in a back-and-forth battle with Dick Weber since mile 440, and aside from squeezing too much competitive juice too early, he failed to recall the length of some of the last critical climbs. Spurgeonís consolation was a standing ovation from the 150 people at the post-race banquet, and he is planning a return next year.

The two-person relay race quickly turned into a contest between Team Ol' Fogey and The Brothers from Sisters (2003 RAO solo champ Gregg Geser and Richard Hummel, of Sisters, OR). Ol' Fogey established at ten-minute lead by the first time station at mile 120, but their gap grew by only five minutes over the next 380 miles. They finished in 30:22 and the Brothers came in 19 minutes later.

Team RAO Speedwagon (Keith Kohan, Rand Milam, John Williams, and Michael Wolfe) won the four-person relay race in 28:25 on recumbents! RAO co-director George Thomas called it "one of the best ultra races [he'd] seen." Perennial RAO threats Gerry's Kids galloped away to an early lead. By the halfway point, they had a 14-minute lead over their closest chasers, Total Carnage, and Speedwagon was in fourth place a full hour behind. Overnight Speedwagon passed Gerryís Kids and led at the mile 406 checkpoint by six minutes! Their lead grew to 28 minutes by the mile 529 checkpoint, and Gerryís Kids were only able to regain six minutes on the final climb to Timberline Lodge.

Team Headhunters won the mixed division by a scant three minutes. After surviving various mishaps including a loose front wheel and a rider hit by a tumbleweed, the Headhunters held off team Four Play on the final climb.

Race directors George Thomas and Terri Gooch were thrilled with the turnout. Gooch said, "It is wonderful to see the size of the fields grow each year. I am just as excited to see new non-ultra riders having their first experience in a 500+ mile race as much as seeing the expressions on the faces of people struggling up the last six miles of Timberline after racing the whole thing solo. RAO has always had an international field of solo riders, with many countries and states represented. I am thrilled that we had team riders from Canada, Washington and Oregon. I hope that the two person team division continues to grow ó I find that each year we have what could be considered the most epic racing in that division."

Another highlight of this year's event was the welcome carpet rolled out by the city of Maupin at mile 120. Susan Kay of the Maupin Chamber of Commerce had met the Grey Panters team on a spring training ride. Kay found RAO very compelling and made a festival out of the race passing through. Several signs were posted on the approach to town ("Last climb before Maupin" etc), and balloons were tied to signs and bridge railings like a parade route. Extra gasoline was trucked in to make sure that vehicles could be supplied, and the checkpoint at the city Visitor Center was brimming with goodies to refresh the crews.

At the pre-race meeting, riders and crews enjoyed a presentation by the Grand PAC Masters team on their record 2004 RAAM ride. These guys are true rock stars of the UMCA circuit, boundless in their energy, wit, warmth, humor, insight, and stories.

There seemed to be a rash of bad luck before the event, with seven solos and one team withdrawing. One riderís crew gear and custom Seven were lost by the airline. But the unluckiest of all was Cadet Bryant, who drove all the way from Texas only to have his entire roof rack pop off ten miles from the hotel. His carbon Giant and new SoftRide did a series of 65 mph cartwheels before two semis pulverized them. Bryant, who got hooked on cycling when his mom bought him a 30-pound Wal-Mart clunker on the occasion of losing his driverís license, seemed doomed for a long drive home. However, Thomas and Gooch saved the day, making dozens of phone calls until they found both a race bike and a spare for Bryant. Major thanks to the tireless directors, the Bike 'n' Hike shop in Beaverton, and Peak Sports in Corvallis (who drove 150 miles to Portland with the bike!)

Riders were treated to a distinguished cameraman. RAAM champ Allen Larsen withdrew from RAO when his whole family got the flu during the weeks before the event. Rather than stay home, Larsen and his family came down to film the race. Larsen said he was a little melancholy to be sidelined, but he was clearly having fun filming everything from simple drive-by shots to high overlooks from bluffs over the course. A DVD will be available later this year from his Cascade Recording studio.

Gooch summed up another successful RAO: "I love Oregon and feel that RAO is an opportunity to share my favorite training routes with cyclists from all over the world. Part of what makes cycling so wonderful in Oregon is the people that you come in contact with along the way. We have so many stories of people along the route helping out the cyclists as they journey around the state. It's a bridge building opportunity for the cycling community as well - if small cities and towns realize that bike racers can be a positive force on their community perhaps they will also embrace us - and be more friendly when they drive by - or maybe more."

More information at: http://www.raceacrossoregon.com

Official Finishers