Ron B has announced that he will end his retirement from mountain bike racing to compete in the Hood River Super D bicycle race on Saturday, June 27, 2009. He has been training for the event in the secluded hills around White Salmon, WA for the event and will be racing for the newly formed and mostly unknown Gorge Delights Racing team.
In his illustrious racing career, he has won one race; crushing the competition and dominating the Beginner category of the legendary Sagebrush Safari in East San Diego County’s Lake Morena backcountry. He joins a long list of illustrious racers who have tasted victory at this prestigious race, whose long run of racing was stopped by 2003 wildfires but returned as a Kenda Cup event. While a podium finish at the Super D is not out of the question; it is highly unlikely.
Following the race, we expect all the local bike racing stars to party down at 10 Speed/Sticky Finger in The Heights where the uber popular Speed Queen Underground will be rocking the masses.

The 2nd Annual North Bonneville Disc Golf Tournament is coming up in a few weeks so we swung by the golf course to see what it was looking like.

They’ve moved a few of the holes around to make it more interesting; the trees, raspberry brambles and the ever present Columbia Gorge wind are still there to make the course a challenge to any disc golfer.

The tournament is a low-key, fun and friendly event for disc golfers of all abilities. There are a few people who will be looking to lower the course record but most of the golfers will be there to enjoy the great golf course and have a good time.

We had to pause for a moment at the hallowed 18th hole where legendary disc golfer Brian Stevens scored an unbelievable hole in one; or as it is better known; “the disc golf shot heard around the world.” Rumor has it the reclusive disc master will make a rare appearance at this year’s event.

There is more information at the North Bonneville Disc Golf Association website. See you at the tournament.

Tuesday is a great day of the week for mountain biking. The singletrack around here is just as good on Tuesday as it is on Saturday, or any other day of the week for that matter, so why not hit the trail?

So here we go again; charging down some of the best singletrack in the country. We have to keep an eye out for cougars and bears; other than that, there’s not too much that’s bad about this.

Tomorrow will be another day, we’ll be on it again. Another day; another trail. That’s pretty much the way it’s supposed to be.

Sunday we went riding on a remote trail in the Washington hills. Not many people use this trail; about six miles of singletrack along ridges and through white oak forests.

Uncrowded singletrack is out there, you have to leave the pack behind and go find it.

All the photos from the Individual Time Trial, Wy’East Road Race and the Hood River Criterium are up on the WatermanAtWork.com website.

The photos from the Wy’East road race are up on the WatermanAtWork.com website. If you are a bicycle racer who raced in this race and I may have taken a photo of you, contact me and I’ll send you the photo. If you are an amateur racer, the photo is free. If you are a pro, you’ll have to kick down some kind of swag; T Shirt, jersey, DuraAce grouppo; you know how it goes.
I’ll try and get the Hood River Crit photos up tomorrow or Friday.

The photos of the 2009 Mt. Hood Cycling Classic are up on the WatermanAtWork.com website. I’ve posted the photos of the June 5 Gorge Time Trial, I’ll have the Wy’East Road Race and Downtown Crit photos up in a day or two.

Bicycle riding is big here in the Pacific and this weekend was pretty big. The Mt. Hood Cycling Classic was this week. One of the most challenging stage races in the continental United States, this year’s race did not disappoint the PacNW cycling fans. A tough prologue, followed by a road race sponsored by Mother Nature, a long individual time trial with elevation and into the famous Gorge wind, the world class Wy’East road race beginning and ending at Mt. Hood Meadows ski resort and winding up with the Hood River criterium where all of the race leaders overall wins were on the line.

I’ve got great photos of the race; the time trial, Wy’East road race and Hood River crit. It will take me a day or two to go through all the photos and get them on the website but it should be worth the wait.
Following the Wy’East road race, Don, Sully and I went for a great mountain bike ride through the Mt. Hood National Forest. Trails were in great shape, it was a great ride. Hanging at the Mt. Hood Classic all day and going for a great mountain bike ride on the way home is pretty much all a hardcore biker can do in one day.
I’ll post when the race photos are up; there are over 400 pics to go through, so it will take a day or so.

Sorry to not be adding to the blog for the past week or so. The main reason for the lack of bloginess is my new Giant Trance X2 mountain bike. The old Titus is just not holding up and it’s hard to get parts to repair it, so I had to cut loose with a major wad of cash for a new bike. I don’t particularly want to spend a lot of money at this stage of the game; but it’s summertime, I live in one of the best mountain bike spots in the USA, I ain’t getting any younger and who knows what the future will bring, so for now; we ride. More on the bike later.

This week is the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic; a road bike stage race here in the PacNW that is getting some major attention. The poor economy has taken it’s toll on the race sponsors, but this race will survive and become one of the biggest races on the domestic US racing calendar. Tomorrow, June 5, I am going to take a couple hours off of work and try to get some photos of a really tough ITT through the Columbia River Gorge(into the wind the whole way). Saturday, June 6, we are heading up to Mt. Hood for what has to be the toughest single day race of the year; the WyEast road race. If we can swing it, we will go for an afternoon mountain bike ride somewhere in the Mt Hood National Forest on the way home. Then, Sunday, June 7, I’ll be at the Hood River crit to wrap up the race. I’ll try to get all the photos on the website as soon as I can.
Also, there has been some fishing going on. There is some really good trout fishing following the June 1 opening day and the Chinook salmon are running pretty good in the Hood River. I still need to get out there and get me a trophy salmon, so if I survive the big bike weekend and the new bike, I gotta hit the Hood and get me a big salmon.
That’s it for now, check back soon, I’ll have something for you all.