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maxwell

So, a week ago Sunday, Raul, aka Chivo, from The Path and I left for Central Oregon for a week of riding.
We would meet up my friend's from Washington on Thursday, where we would all be staying with another friend that lives there in Sisters Oregon.

Our week would begin with Chivo and I doing rides we were told were really awsome, and end with all of us trying to ride the Epic, in the 13th annual Bend Big Fat Tour.
The reason it's called a ride and NOT a race....

Epic

Why sign up for this ride of attrition?
Camaraderie, effort, not competition

60 plus miles of sweet single track!
Gnarly sections, be careful don’t stack

The sun glistening on snow through the trees
Pace yourself carefully, it’s not a breeze

High alpine meadows swift flowing streams
Finish this ride, it’ll give you sweet dreams

Your mind gets euphoric after miles of trail
Tunnel vision comes, you're riding a rail

Challenge yourself and settle the score
Heighten your senses like never before

When you get to the park the end is near
Just three more miles to burritos and beer

Train for endurance and get ready to ride
Doing the Epic fills your soul with pride

Paul Thomasberg, Bend's Big Fat Tour Founder

http://www.bendsbigfattour.org/

Those completeing all three rides would get the coveted No Whiners patch!

There are a lot of pictures, so I won't post them all here in the post, but they are here in my alblum; http://www.socaltrailriders.org/gall...949&ppuser=275

On with our trip.....

Our first ride on Monday evening would be real quick!
We arrived in the late afternoon, checked into the hotel, checked out Hutch's bike shop and bought a map, and tried to get a ride in.

We hit up the Phil's trail network. Our Saturday BBFT ride would be comming through here, so why not check it out?

We started up Ben's trail, with a nice easy climb, twisting through the trees, for about 25 minutes. We reached a point with a nice little roller, played on it for a few minutes, and decided to head back down.
The thing about riding in trees......
it get's dark real fast!

Chivo going up Ben's trail

The roller. Me first.......

Chivo's turn!

Who turned out the lights?

Day two would take us over to the Newberry Crater to ride the Crater Rim Trail.

The trail is around 20 miles in distance. I'm not sure about total elevation for the ride, but we did climb up to over 7900 feet!

Chivo at the peak.

A couple of nice shots from the NCRT....

On Wenesday we hooked up with Cog Wild http://www.cogwild.com/ for the AMMAZING Mckenzie River Trail.
The Cog Wild guy's were GREAT! Melanie was a BIG help getting things set up for our ride, and Tracy picked us up, and did all the driving. If you ever want to do this ride, Cog Wild is the way to go!

The Mckenzie River Trail lived up to it's reputation!

Here's a few shots from the MRT.........

This shot is just for Allison!

Now for THE BBFT ride.....

Friday was 35 miles w/ 5800 ft of climbing.
We would start at 9am and have until 2pm to make the cut-off.
This ride was a BLAST!
The climbing was rough. Easy fireroad at first, which quickly turned into sweet, tight, single track, a lot of the times through the snow.

There was a section that became known to us as "the meadow".
Steep, and slushy from the snow, it was rough!

The Meadow....

At the top, after all the climbing was done!

I met Wade from Vulture Cycles up there.
Hey Padre, he say's to tell you and Madre HI!

A nice shot looking back up at the start of the DOWN!

We all finished Friday's ride with BIG smiles, and the great feeling of more to come!

Chivo comes in happy!

Saturday there would be 6 of us going for the 78 mile 5500 ft of climbing Epic ride. Bill was smart enough to "just" do the 45 miler.

Our group minus Bill.

I won't go through all of the gory details, but I will say that this thing was HARD!
You look at it and see "only" 5500' of climbing. No big deal, we do that here on shorter rides.
Rrriiiggghhhttt.
Of the 78 miles, I'd say it was 85-90% single track.
Sure there were some fireroad climbs, but the tight singletrack through the woods, and over snow, up, then long downs, then quick to longer back ups really took it's toll.
On my way to the second aid station, trying to make the cut-off time, heading downhill fast, I hit a tree. SOLID!
I haven't been hit like that since my football days.
I gathered myself back together pretty quick, and went back after that patch!

Can YOU see the trail?

Out of our group, I was the only one to finish.
Chris, Doug and Kevin would bail out after the first 35 miles, with Scott and Chivo missing the cut-off to do the extra 10 mile loop for the Epic. They still road 68 miles with 4000' of climbing!
After comming in, I found out that I was the LAST one in from the 78 mile ride! I beat the sweep riders by 15 minutes!

Sundays ride was a BEAUTIFUL thing!
All I had to do was ride the 25 miles, and I'd meet my goal, and get my Epic patch!

This ride was special to me. No cut-off's to make, so I got to ride and take pics of my new ride buddies!
The route was ammazing. A nice easy fireroad climb up, sweet singletrack down, with more of the same quick ups and downs we'd gotten used to over the weekend.

Here are a few shots from Sunday.

Our gang!

Chivo getting in some well deserved DHing!

This is one of my favorite pics. Chris and Kevin ride up to the finishing area.

So, I finished it, and I received my patch from Paul Thomasberg, Bend's Big Fat Tour Founder.

I bet this is the first time he got a bear hug from a big sweaty man for one of his patches!

It was a GREAT experience! I highly recomend doing the BBFT to anyone who just wants to get out and ride, but push yourself to your limits while doing it.

Fired Yo Momma

That was cool...congratulations great pics as well.

allison

Great write-up! I haven't really heard of that before.

Sounds like your training really paid off! No go out and have some fun

CalEpic

Congrat's D - That's some big mileage.

C

Kid A

Sweet stuff. HUGE congrats on the patch!!!

El Salt

I love Bend. I have a grade school friend that now lives there. Really fun riding up there. I love the MRT. Thanks for the pix. Reminds me that I need to get up there this coming spring.

roadkillross

you went to oregon and didnt give me a call

dstepper

D very sweet...nice job.

New dirt, snow, trees...like minded people...roadtrips are the best.

maxwell

Quote:

Originally Posted by roadkillross

you went to oregon and didnt give me a call

Yeah, but don't worry, I'm going back again this time next year for sure.

Chaos

awesome trip Darin.
thanks for all the pics

OPP

Nice Trip Report!! Thanks for taking the time to post it.

roadkillross

well you'll know who to hit up for a ride

sauce

awesome job ... you should be so proud of yourself for finishing. thanks for all the awesome pics; i gotta make my way up there soon. :-)

Hanzo

Crash, Nice write up and beautiful pictures. Congrats on earning a well deserved patch.

Pain Freak

That is not an easy patch to get. I know of a couple guys who are strong riders who went up there specifically for that patch and both failed. Great job,Max!

Tapeleg

Sick Report! Great Pics! Beautiful scenery!

Jim

cbharping

GORGEOUS pics! All those colors are just amazing. Thanks for sharing!

I met Melanie with Cog Wild Tours at Sea Otter, she was great!

denmother · 08:47 AM

Crash, my hero. I want to be like you when I grow up!!!

Didn't you just love MRT??? We went this past June for the 1st time. You can check out our photos here: http://akadenmother.spaces.live.com/...E5139392F!228/


maxwell Dirty Stinky PATH Love	RR: Oregon + Bend Big Fat Tour = WOW! So, a week ago Sunday, Raul, aka Chivo, from The Path and I left for Central Oregon for a week of riding. We would meet up my friend's from Washington on Thursday, where we would all be staying with another friend that lives there in Sisters Oregon. Our week would begin with Chivo and I doing rides we were told were really awsome, and end with all of us trying to ride the Epic, in the 13th annual Bend Big Fat Tour. The reason it's called a ride and NOT a race.... Epic Why sign up for this ride of attrition? Camaraderie, effort, not competition 60 plus miles of sweet single track! Gnarly sections, be careful don’t stack The sun glistening on snow through the trees Pace yourself carefully, it’s not a breeze High alpine meadows swift flowing streams Finish this ride, it’ll give you sweet dreams Your mind gets euphoric after miles of trail Tunnel vision comes, you're riding a rail Challenge yourself and settle the score Heighten your senses like never before When you get to the park the end is near Just three more miles to burritos and beer Train for endurance and get ready to ride Doing the Epic fills your soul with pride Paul Thomasberg, Bend's Big Fat Tour Founder http://www.bendsbigfattour.org/ Those completeing all three rides would get the coveted No Whiners patch! There are a lot of pictures, so I won't post them all here in the post, but they are here in my alblum; http://www.socaltrailriders.org/gall...949&ppuser=275 On with our trip..... Our first ride on Monday evening would be real quick! We arrived in the late afternoon, checked into the hotel, checked out Hutch's bike shop and bought a map, and tried to get a ride in. We hit up the Phil's trail network. Our Saturday BBFT ride would be comming through here, so why not check it out? We started up Ben's trail, with a nice easy climb, twisting through the trees, for about 25 minutes. We reached a point with a nice little roller, played on it for a few minutes, and decided to head back down. The thing about riding in trees...... it get's dark real fast! Chivo going up Ben's trail The roller. Me first....... Chivo's turn! Who turned out the lights? Day two would take us over to the Newberry Crater to ride the Crater Rim Trail. The trail is around 20 miles in distance. I'm not sure about total elevation for the ride, but we did climb up to over 7900 feet! Chivo at the peak. A couple of nice shots from the NCRT.... On Wenesday we hooked up with Cog Wild http://www.cogwild.com/ for the AMMAZING Mckenzie River Trail. The Cog Wild guy's were GREAT! Melanie was a BIG help getting things set up for our ride, and Tracy picked us up, and did all the driving. If you ever want to do this ride, Cog Wild is the way to go! The Mckenzie River Trail lived up to it's reputation! Here's a few shots from the MRT......... This shot is just for Allison! Now for THE BBFT ride..... Friday was 35 miles w/ 5800 ft of climbing. We would start at 9am and have until 2pm to make the cut-off. This ride was a BLAST! The climbing was rough. Easy fireroad at first, which quickly turned into sweet, tight, single track, a lot of the times through the snow. There was a section that became known to us as "the meadow". Steep, and slushy from the snow, it was rough! The Meadow.... At the top, after all the climbing was done! I met Wade from Vulture Cycles up there. Hey Padre, he say's to tell you and Madre HI! A nice shot looking back up at the start of the DOWN! We all finished Friday's ride with BIG smiles, and the great feeling of more to come! Chivo comes in happy! Saturday there would be 6 of us going for the 78 mile 5500 ft of climbing Epic ride. Bill was smart enough to "just" do the 45 miler. Our group minus Bill. I won't go through all of the gory details, but I will say that this thing was HARD! You look at it and see "only" 5500' of climbing. No big deal, we do that here on shorter rides. Rrriiiggghhhttt. Of the 78 miles, I'd say it was 85-90% single track. Sure there were some fireroad climbs, but the tight singletrack through the woods, and over snow, up, then long downs, then quick to longer back ups really took it's toll. On my way to the second aid station, trying to make the cut-off time, heading downhill fast, I hit a tree. SOLID! I haven't been hit like that since my football days. I gathered myself back together pretty quick, and went back after that patch! Can YOU see the trail? Out of our group, I was the only one to finish. Chris, Doug and Kevin would bail out after the first 35 miles, with Scott and Chivo missing the cut-off to do the extra 10 mile loop for the Epic. They still road 68 miles with 4000' of climbing! After comming in, I found out that I was the LAST one in from the 78 mile ride! I beat the sweep riders by 15 minutes! Sundays ride was a BEAUTIFUL thing! All I had to do was ride the 25 miles, and I'd meet my goal, and get my Epic patch! This ride was special to me. No cut-off's to make, so I got to ride and take pics of my new ride buddies! The route was ammazing. A nice easy fireroad climb up, sweet singletrack down, with more of the same quick ups and downs we'd gotten used to over the weekend. Here are a few shots from Sunday. Our gang! Chivo getting in some well deserved DHing! This is one of my favorite pics. Chris and Kevin ride up to the finishing area. So, I finished it, and I received my patch from Paul Thomasberg, Bend's Big Fat Tour Founder. I bet this is the first time he got a bear hug from a big sweaty man for one of his patches! It was a GREAT experience! I highly recomend doing the BBFT to anyone who just wants to get out and ride, but push yourself to your limits while doing it. __________________ "what if I say I'm not like the other's, what if I say, I'm not just another one, who play's the pretender, what if I say I will never surender" Foo Fighters - Pretender


Fired Yo Momma Client 9	That was cool...congratulations great pics as well. __________________ And the hangovers hurt more than they used to And corn bread and ice tea took the place of pills and 80 proof And it seems like none of us do the things quite like we used to do And nobody wants to get high on the town And all my rowdy friends have settled down -Hank Williams Jr.


allison Trail Paparazzi	Great write-up! I haven't really heard of that before. Sounds like your training really paid off! No go out and have some fun __________________ My Blog The Path Crank Brothers


CalEpic Col. Clink	Congrat's D - That's some big mileage. C __________________ tkblazer: you pedaled up mathis? nice, i'm scared to ride down it


Kid A Free the Trails	Sweet stuff. HUGE congrats on the patch!!! __________________ "I AM NOT LOUD! I'm exuberant."


El Salt Team Fearless Descender	I love Bend. I have a grade school friend that now lives there. Really fun riding up there. I love the MRT. Thanks for the pix. Reminds me that I need to get up there this coming spring. __________________ El Salt Team Fearless Descender - Since 1985 Recent Porn


roadkillross Throw some Dee's on it	you went to oregon and didnt give me a call __________________ Offroadie-"I ride a fixed gear, but I'm no hipster." dirttorpedo- "i like the runs..........:


dstepper Over the Hill	D very sweet...nice job. New dirt, snow, trees...like minded people...roadtrips are the best. __________________ If I'm not lost or getting bushwacked, the trail was too easy. Prescott Valley Houses The Path


Chaos The Real Slim Shady	awesome trip Darin. thanks for all the pics __________________


OPP Dis Member eD	Nice Trip Report!! Thanks for taking the time to post it.


sauce STR Veteran	awesome job ... you should be so proud of yourself for finishing. thanks for all the awesome pics; i gotta make my way up there soon. :-) __________________ www.thepathbikeshop.com


Hanzo ...	Crash, Nice write up and beautiful pictures. Congrats on earning a well deserved patch.


Pain Freak Directionally Challenged	That is not an easy patch to get. I know of a couple guys who are strong riders who went up there specifically for that patch and both failed. Great job,Max! __________________ "The best rides are the ones where you bite off much more than you can chew—and live through it." — Doug Bradbury "When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realised that the Lord doesn't work that way so I stole one and asked Him to forgive me." — Emo Philips


Tapeleg AKA: jbanes78	Sick Report! Great Pics! Beautiful scenery! Jim


cbharping black and blue	GORGEOUS pics! All those colors are just amazing. Thanks for sharing! I met Melanie with Cog Wild Tours at Sea Otter, she was great! __________________ My MTB Blog My Harp Blog The Path Bike Shop in Tustin


denmother Queen of the Darkside	My hero Crash, my hero. I want to be like you when I grow up!!! Didn't you just love MRT??? We went this past June for the 1st time. You can check out our photos here: http://akadenmother.spaces.live.com/...E5139392F!228/ __________________ My Blog/My Sponsorhouse profile ~Weekends are like recess for adults so play hard until the bell rings Gene Hamilton: Happy, friendly people that may not be the best athletes are more fun than arrogant "experts". Last edited by denmother : 10-17-2007 at 08:47 AM. Reason: Added photo

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