Big changes in store for August OBRA road championships

Mar 23, 2010 by editor

HOOD RIVER — OBRA riders participating in the 2010 Mt. Hood Cycling Classic will also get a sneak peak at the course that will be used for the OBRA Road Race Championships Aug. 7-8 near Hood River.

Breakaway Promotions announced last week that the OBRA Road Race Championships will run on the same Mt. Adams course that will be used for the 2010 Mt. Hood Cycling Classic. The Original schedule called for a rehearsal race at the beginning of August, with the championships running at the end of the month. Now the rehearsal race has been scrubbed in favor of a championship Saturday and Sunday that will take place on the first weekend of the month.

Race Director Chad Sperry said he hopes people will embrace the festival idea and spend some time in Hood River, taking advantage of the area’s plethora of rides, hikes and other outdoor activities.

“We’ve done away with the rehearsal and we’re turning it into one festival weekend,” Sperry said of the revised schedule. “If people want to pre-race the course, Mt. Hood Cycling Classic is a great opportunity to get an early look to see how that unfolds at race pace.”

The course itself consists of two loops: a large 46.5-mile circuit with two climbs, and a smaller 12-mile inner circuit that is mostly flat. The two loops allow race organizers to control distances for different categories. Upper divisions will race two large circuits for 93 miles. Other categories will race a combination of the longer and shorter loops, while the juniors’ race will take place exclusively on the mostly flat shorter loop.

“We really think that’s going to be a premiere course,” Sperry said. “It’s very neutral and doesn’t favor any one particular demographic or rider.”

The rolling-to-flat Mt. Adams course has only two notable climbs, one at 1,500 feet and one at 500 feet of elevation gain. Both climbs are less than five percent grade. With plenty of flat roads in between the climbs and the finish, riders who get away early will really have to work if they want to try and stay away to the end.

The counterclockwise course starts under the shadow of Mt. Adams at the Trout Lake school (about 21 miles north White Salmon) and heads south on wide pavement with an almost unnoticeable downhill grade. The peloton turns left at a local geographical feature called BZ Corner and quickly starts ascending the longest of the two climbs. Never really steep, the five-mile grinder eventually flattens into a valley as it passes through farmlands and timber stands. This is where the elk herds, bald eagles and wild turkeys that live here will have a good view of the action. Then the climbing resumes on the other side of the valley with a steeper pitch.

Breakaway Promotions’ Venue Director Bill Warburton said the climb is only a mile long, but it will hurt.

“Any break that goes here better be well motivated,” he said, “because the course drops, rolls and flattens as it proceeds through tall ponderosas and tree cover for many miles. This will be some awesome racing in here.”

Now heading toward the tiny burg of Glenwood, the valley opens up to provide breathtaking views of Mt. Adams. A left turn at Glenwood leads the course back into the foothills and a series of progressively larger rollers that build to a fast, twisting descent into the Trout Lake valley’s flats and the mile-long, straight-as-an-arrow frun to the start/finish back at the school.

“My overall impression is this is a fairly neutral course in terms of climbs and flats,” Warburton said. “The climbs will contribute to selections, but so could the flats, especially if there’s much wind. The course could almost favor those who prefer to attack on the flats rather than the climbs. We’ll see. Either way, it’s a fantastic course.”

The Trout Lake area truly is spectacular, offering breathtaking scenery, sparsely traveled roads and abundant wildlife. And Sperry said the humans who inhabit the area are happy to host the race as well.

“The Community of Trout Lake is incredibly excited to have the races up there,” Sperry said. “It’s a beautiful location, and we’re really planning a fun-filled weekend for people who are coming up to participate in that.”