One of the epic views at the top of the mountains that surround the small town of Oakridge.
What happens with you mix 30+ mountain bikers from all over the west coast and shake them around in a giant bus? Apparently good times, lots of stories and stacks of memories.
Our friend Quoc Phan of Tam Bicycles in Mill Valley had put out the call months ago, and having participated in the gathering two years back, we knew this was a weekend we couldn’t miss.
Just a quick brake swap before starting the day. A team effort got it done!
The weekend didn’t disappoint. With three days of riding in front of us, balancing the amount of energy expended on each ride was a challenge – especially coming into the season after a long, crappy winter with periods of inactivity.
Kicking off the ride with a climb. (Pretty much every time, you’ve been warned)
Every trail aside from Larison Rock begins with a climb to the trail head from the drop off point. With summer already feeling far too short and with dozens of trips planned over the upcoming months, pacing ourselves and the amount of exertion was key to ensuring the fun will continue for the full season.
Adam and Chris dropping into Lawler.
Our friend Quoc put it best:
On many of the trails you could go so fast that the only thing keeping you from going faster was the voice in your head asking you how hard did you want to eject when you finally got tired and clipped something.
Rock armored drainage: trail feature
The group did well for itself as a whole – no one got lost thanks to the guiding skills of Shawn Litson who managed to herd over 30+ riders down the mountain in one piece. (aside from a few skinned elbows at least!)
Shawn coming down the best descent on the mountain. (Or one of them at least; it is hard to decide.)
If you want to roll into Oakridge and get shuttled, you can stop by Oregon Adventures, the local outfitter. Alternatively, you could register for Mountain Bike Oregon, which provides a similar experience, packing three full days of riding plus camping, breakfast, and mechanical support.
John rides his Hightower to victory. (Ok we were all winners)
A capable trail bike is all that you need to enjoy the weekend. Big tires and large rotors are nice to have if you plan to uncork things on the descent. I’m generally happy with 6″ rotors on my trail bike, but wish I had spec’d my bike with 7″ models by the end of the day.
Looking back at the top of the climb, getting ready to drop into Eula (and Hardesty the next day)
Along the rocks
Sightlines in Oakridge can be tricky; you always want to be ready to grab brake. Not making the turn on this bridge would be baaad.
Staying on the trail is recommended
Will enjoys one of the views near the top
Loamy turns for days
Bottom of the hill.
Living the van life!
Van parking over here.
Oregon Adventures is our outfitter of choice while in Oakridge. Check them out at Oregon-Adventures.com for the deets.
If you’re in Mill Valley stop by Tam Bikes and say hi.
Our new #vanlife friend and riding buddy Dakota put together an edit that captures a lot of the fun.
The entire crew. Photo courtesy of Phil Segura/ RideSFO
