Oregon Coast 600K Ride Report

[Pedal Wench]

C'mon -- my popcorn is getting cold....

[roguedog]

i think she's (wisely) re-negotiating the contract after her first edition was so successful

she's letting the studios and the publisher hear the clamor for part deux!

[Susan Otcenas]

OK, Now where was I?

Oh, that's right. The foreshadowing music of doom.

In my overnight control bag, I'd packed lousy-weather-but-not-god-awful-miserable-weather apparel, such as my Gore Windstopper Jacket, my Sidi Dominators, booties, etc. I decided that the relatively decent weather experienced on Saturday, coupled with the forecast for a Sunday that was supposed to be better than Saturday, meant that it was safe to drop most of my cold/wet weather gear.

(Cue the music...) So, into my drop bag of stuff I didn't need anymore went the following: My Gore-Tex jacket. My unworn waterproof, uber-warm and dry Pearl Amfib gloves. My waterproof Gore-Tex Sidi boots. My gaiters.

I laid out all my clothing to wear for the morning, repacked my pannier with food & tools, packed my little stuff sack with "extra" ride clothing like a spare pair of gloves, socks, a wool base layer and my waterproof pants (don't ask me to explain the logic on that one. I'm not sure why I didn't drop that too), set multiple alarms for 4am and promptly went to sleep.

5 minutes later (Ok, it was really 3 hours that felt like 5 minutes), my alarms went off. I felt remarkably well rested. And was shocked to discover I wasn't stiff or sore at all. My legs felt fine! I'm fairly fit this year, but those compression tights and compression socks are pretty freakin' amazing. Still, I wasn't moving all that fast, so by the time I got my act in gear, ate a muffin & banana, and dropped off my bag, it was nearly 5:00am.

"Departing Lincoln city. Thought i just got here. 150 to go." Sunday at 4:36am via text message.

I left the Motel 6 with Steve, a rider from Tacoma. Our paces were well matched, so we rode together comfortably, south on 101, then turned inland towards the town of Siletz, 24 miles upriver (and mostly uphill).

Not long after, it started to sprinkle. Then drizzle. Then shower. I once read somewhere that the Eskimos have something like 1000 different words to describe snow. I often think that those of us who live in the Pacific Northwest have nearly as many words to describe rain. Over the next 24 miles, we experienced roughly 95% of those types of rain. 12 miles before Siletz, the heavens opened and unleashed a torrent of rain mixed with ice pellets that went on and on. I was completely drenched instantly. It was at that moment that I realized the terrible error of judgement I'd made at 1:00am.
Within a few minutes, I lost all feeling in my hands. My forearms started to stiffen from cold. Shifting became very difficult. I entered an alternate universe; one where I wanted nothing but long climbs so I could stand and work as hard as possible to try to generate some heat. With each small descent, any heat I'd generated was soon lost as I chilled all over again.

I told Steve how miserable I was, and that I feared I would soon become dangerously hypothermic. I began to consider the very real possibility that I would DNF in Siletz. Steve stayed remarkably calm, and talked me through my fear. I'm not sure how he was managing to ride, because he was in shorts. Bare legs! And short fingered gloves! We picked up the pace to stay warm, and made plans to stop in Siletz (which was *not* a control) where we knew there was a cafe that had opened at 5am.

Mile after mile, the thought getting out of the rain, and warming up with a hot bowl of oatmeal and a steaming mug of cocoa at was all that sustained me. Finally, we arrived in Siletz, and pulled up in front of the cafe, looking like a couple of drowned rats. 4 locals were standing out front. "Hate to tell you this but the cafe is closed today. The cook is ill". I slumped over my handlebars and nearly dissolved into tears. The men kindly directed us down the street to the local market, which has just opened for the day.
We stumbled into the market, where I bee-lined for the instant cappucino machine. I usually steer well clear of this stuff, but at that moment, I needed a huge cup of hot, sugar-laden liquid, and I needed it fast. With my first cup in hand, I asked the clerk if it would be OK if I just stood in front of the machine and drank a few cups. I promised to let her know how many cups I drank. She didn't even blink an eye, and said no problem. Then, the other store employee offered to turn on the huge overhead heater so that we could stand under it and warm up. My hero! Oh my goodness, that was just what I needed. I planted myself under the heater for a solid 15 minutes, drinking cappuccinos and thawing out.

I finally told Steve that he should go on without me, that I was still considering a DNF. He encouraged me to ride with him the 7 miles to the next control. After some hesitation, I agreed. This moment was a turning point for me. Steve was right. Having pulled my "extra" dry gloves and some other layers out of my pannier, I warmed up over those 7 miles. By the time we reached the control, where we caught up with several other riders, I'd recovered.

We left the Logsden control as a group of 5, along with Mark, Jeff and Ken. Beyond Logsden the road rolled up and down, then finally turned to gravel. A steep, muddy, rocky climb led to a steep, muddy rocky descent that left Jeff with a flat at the bottom. He and Mark hung back while Steve, Ken & I continued on. Miles and miles passed, through the coast range, the small hamlets of Summit and Nashville and finally onward to Dallas, the first town of any size since Lincoln City. Along the way, the temperature rose, and the pavement dried up.

"Dallas 318 mi. soup! " Sunday at 1:40 pm via text message.

The three of us decided to take a real break in Dallas and have lunch. Given the cold and wet, we were all looking forward to some hot, salty soup. Soup, crackers and bread rolls from the Safeway deli were just what the doctor ordered.

While at Safeway, Roger rolled in, looking really tired. He is 1/2 of the husband/wife pair from B.C. His wife had started struggling 100km before Lincoln City the day before, and the 2 of them didn't arrive in Lincoln City until 4:00am! He left his wife in Linoln City at 5:30, having gotten no rest at all. I was amazed he was still riding.

Our threesome rolled out of Dallas, heading into the wine country and roads that are familiar to me from various winery rides I've done in the area. I knew we were in for 35 miles of steeply rolling terrain. Fortunately, while steep, none of the climbs are overly long, and the scenery is spectacular. We passed a couple dozen wineries along the way, but sadly the tastings would have to wait for another day. Eventually Roger caught up to us again, and the 4 of us finally arrived at the last control together.

"Dayton 350 mi. 25 to go. Home turf." Sunday at 5pm via text message.

From here, I knew I was home free. I know the roads from here to the finish like the back of my hand, no cue sheet required. I called Jeff and told him to expect us around 7pm. While there are a few smallish rollers on this section, there are no climbs. And the winds were generally at our back. The closer we got to Forest Grove, the faster we rode. We passed my friend Catherine's house, and I called out her name and waved. Pre-ride, I'd told her I might stop if I were alone, but having arrived at this point, there was no way I wanted to lose my momentum.

As we finally made the turn into the parking lot at the finish, I let out a WHOOP! My first 600K! We were welcomed by other riders already in the lot, and proceeded inside to get our cards signed. I gave Steve a big hug and thanked him. He'd stayed with my the entire day and I knew I very well might not have finished without him.

Jeff, Catherine & Rick were waiting for me with flowers and hugs all around. It was really cool to have a welcoming committee!! Thanks, you guys!

"Done!! 375.1 mi . time for a beer!" Sunday at 7:22pm via text message.

Beer and Cajun Tater Tots. Yum. Recovery meal of champions! :-)

++++++++

Stats: finish @ 37:09, ride time 27:51, sleep 3:00, odometer 377.2 mi (officially 375.1), avs (moving) 13.7mph, avs (elapsed) 10.1mph, flats: 0.

++++++++

Two days later, I'm recovering well. My legs are sore, but already much less so than they were yesterday. I'm already looking forward to more events this summer, and trying to decide if I have the capacity/ability to do rides even longer. PBP holds a strange allure for me, but I really wonder if I could manage a ride twice this distance. Stay tuned!

[Tri Girl]

HOLY COW!!!

Congrats on your 600K. I can't EVEN imagine doing that! 375 miles here in the plains sounds tough enough, but on the coast with MOUNTAINS. WOW!!!!

I absolutely loved your report. The suspense (glad I didn't read it until today so I didn't have to wait for part 2), the humor, the ups and downs (literally and figuratively).

Thank you for sharing your amazing adventure!!! Congrats again!!!

[bambu101]

Susan, you are amazing! Congratulations on a truly epic ride, and a wonderful report! You are an inspiration!

[Catrin]

OMG! Many kudos to you, all of that and mountains at the same time! Now look at the time, I am 5 minutes late leaving for work but I just had to finish the story! If my boss complains I will show her the story of your amazing trip and adventure

I hope you get a good deal on the movie rights for it would make a good one

[crazycanuck]

You're one amazing chicka for doing a 600k...Do you have time to qualify for the PBP???

With that determination, does this mean you'll be doing an IM as well??
Cool...

[Becky]

Freakin' amazing. Thanks for such a great story

[colby]

Not long after, it started to sprinkle. Then drizzle. Then shower. I once read somewhere that the Eskimos have something like 1000 different words to describe snow. I often think that those of us who live in the Pacific Northwest have nearly as many words to describe rain.

I forgot to comment on this, but you are so right. A friend of mine has used the 1000 words for snow/rain analogy on me. Once, we traveled to San Francisco together, and it was semi-raining on and off, what I'd call drizzle and showers, not a downpour or anything. She would say, "it's raining" and I would say "it's not really raining... it's more of a drizzle." We'd go outside later, and I'd say "see, it's barely raining, more like a mist" and she'd reply "it's raining." Eventually it did start to actually rain with some effort, and I said "see, these drops are big, now it's raining" and she'd reply "it's POURING RAIN now, what's wrong with you people."

[azfiddle]

Wow- thanks for sharing your epic adventure. It's a remarkable accomplishment.

[Bike Chick]

You are awesome, Susan! Aren't you glad you did it? Congratulations and thanks for sharing.

[Susan Otcenas]

I forgot to comment on this, but you are so right. A friend of mine has used the 1000 words for snow/rain analogy on me. Once, we traveled to San Francisco together, and it was semi-raining on and off, what I'd call drizzle and showers, not a downpour or anything. She would say, "it's raining" and I would say "it's not really raining... it's more of a drizzle." We'd go outside later, and I'd say "see, it's barely raining, more like a mist" and she'd reply "it's raining." Eventually it did start to actually rain with some effort, and I said "see, these drops are big, now it's raining" and she'd reply "it's POURING RAIN now, what's wrong with you people."

Precisely!

[Biciclista]

The fact that you can sleep will protect you somewhat from the biggest problem that faces people that do these long rides, inattentiveness due to fatigue. You were talking about how you of all people should have worn the right gear... but you like any one else become vulnerable and can make bad decisions when you are sleepy..
So what you need to do is develop methods to insure that you will not "drop balls" - forget important gear or be in a position to make critical decisions while your critical decision maker part of your brain is out to lunch. I won't pretend i do long rides myself, but I have watched my husband (who is by nature a true scatterbrain) develop routines that he uses for his big rides, (like pre packing and using lists) that have really saved his butt. On the other hand, too many times I have seen the best of them make really stupid little mistakes (like leaving their brevet cards with the candy wrappers and then throwing it all away).
You do have what it takes, Susan. sure, it was easier because you knew the territory. But as you do more of these rides (and I know you're going to) you'll develop confidence. There's a reason you have to qualify before you do the PBP..

[Pedal Wench]

I'm so happy you finished with a smile on your face! You're an inspiration!