And by Festivities I mean a series of blog posts, thinly-veiled insults, and frequently lame attempts at humor.
So here we are - just weeks away from the second T.O.P. ManRide! I hope you've all been putting in the miles and saddle time. I hope to start my training a bit earlier this year than last. Today came down to ride or write, and well, you know how that turned out.
This years event promises to be the best yet, albeit the second. Virtually all of last years participants are signed up again this year, with the notable exception of our one serious casualty - Will's Trek.(RIP). And the new faces! I couldn't be happier, as each of you represent one last link in an ever-elongating chain between Kevin (aka The Bandit) and me (aka the truck way behind the bandit).
Our location this year is a place called Oregon. It is pronounced "[awr-i-guh
n,] For those of you unfamiliar, Oregon is somewhere towards Canada. The dates are May 18th through May 22nd. The distance is roughly 500 miles. And by "roughly" I mean it better not be a goddam mile further than that. It's important that everyone has a good working knowledge of important details - so please commit the following to memory.
1. Oregon's state flag pictures a beaver on its reverse side. It is the only state flag to carry two separate designs.
2. Oregon has more ghost towns than any other state.
3. The Columbia River gorge is considered by many to be the best place in the world for windsurfing.
4. Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States and is formed in the remains of an ancient volcano.
5. Oregon and New Jersey are the only states without self-serve gas stations.
6. Eugene was the first city to have one-way streets.
7. Pilot Butte, a cinder cone volcano, exists within the city limits of Bend.
8. At 329 feet the Coast Douglas-Fir in Oregon is considered the tallest tree in the state.
9. At 8,000 feet deep Hells Canyon is the deepest river gorge in North America.
10. The hazelnut is Oregon's official state nut. Oregon is the only state that has an official state nut. The hazelnut is also known as the filbert.
Also, there is an April 26th tune-up ride that a large number of riders are going to do. This may come as a shock to those of you who rode in '07 - but I am not going to be on said ride.
Confirmed Riders:
Returning from ’07
Brian ‘AXE” Hughes
Curt Alitz
Bob Binder
Jeff Theders
Will Regan
John Meyer
Steve Burke
Wayne Centrone
Colin Spooner
Kevin Childre
Carter Goodnough
Ron St John
New for ‘08
Johnny Harrison
Richie Garrison
Paul Greubel
Matt Myers
Tom Armbruster
Ken Grabow
Rick Strauss
Bill Langstaff
Thom Cuccia
Drivers:
Jim Russell
Harold Russell
Day 1: Portland to Astoria, 98 miles with 3 climbs of note, high point of the day at 800 feet. Low point of the day will be Carter weeping like a wee school girl.
Day 2: Astoria to Pacific City, 94 miles with 5 climbs of note, high point of the day at 900 feet and http://www.pelicanbrewery.com Low point of the day will be 12" of rain.
Day 3: Pacific City to Florence, 107 miles with 3 climbs of note, high point of the day at 750 feet. Low point of the day will be much more rain than yesterday.
Day 4: Florence to Corvallis, 91 miles with 3 climbs of note, high point of the day at 1100 feet and http://www.mcmenamins.com
Day 5: Corvallis to Portland, 105 miles with 2 climbs of note, high point of the day 900 feet. No low point of this day.
More to follow soon gents.
- Spoon
No comments:
Post a Comment