Trout Lake awaits OBRA RR championship weekend

Aug 4, 2010 by editor

This weekend's OBRA Road Race Championships will start and finish at the same place as the Mt. Adams course used for stage 2 of the 2010 Mt. Hood Cycling Classic. But this new "Glenwood" circuit heads south rather than going north onto the remote forest service roads of the Ginford Pinchot National Forest.

TROUT LAKE, Wash. — This weekend’s upcoming OBRA Road Race Championships in Trout Lake, Wash., north of Hood River will turn a new page for Oregon racing. 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 Aug. 7 and 8. Skill- and experience-graded categories will race Saturday, with age-graded categories following up on Sunday.

Race Director Chad Sperry said he hopes participants will embrace the festival spirit and spend some time in Hood River, taking advantage of the area’s plethora of rides, hikes and other outdoor activities. Many racers may also choose to race both days, an option that wasn’t as practical under the old system.

“We’ve done away with the rehearsal and we’re turning it into one festival weekend,” Sperry said of the revised schedule. “And we really think that’s going to be a premiere course. It’s very neutral and doesn’t favor any one particular demographic or rider.”

The route itself should look partially familiar to riders who took part in the 2010 Mt. Hood Cycling Classic. The Stage 2 Mt. Adams Road Race also started at the trout Lake school. But while the Mt. Hood stage headed north into the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, the OBRA championships route heads south to BZ corner before turning back north toward Trout Lake via Glenwood. The course 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. The Pro/1/2 men 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.

A herd of elk feeds not far from the road about halfway through the course.

The rolling-to-flat Trout Lake/Glenwood course has two notable climbs, one long grinder that gains 1,500 feet of elevation and one shorter popper with 500 feet of elevation gain. With plenty of flat-to-downhill roads 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 run 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.”

Check the SCHEDULE, MAP & PHOTO GALLERY.

SATURDAY SCHEDULE

Categories	Start Time	Miles	Elevation
Men Cat Pro 1/2	10:15 AM	92 Miles	5680 ft
Men Cat 3	10:30 AM	62 Miles	3840 ft
Women Cat Pro 1/2/3	10:45 AM	46 Miles	2840 ft
Tandems	11:00 AM	46 Miles	2840 ft
Men CAT 4/5	2:30 PM	54 Miles	3340 ft
Women CAT 4	2:40 PM	46 Miles	2840 ft
Juniors 10-12 & 13-14	2:50 PM	16 Miles	1000 ft

SUNDAY SCHEDULE

Categories	Start Time	Miles	Elevation
Men Master 30-39	9:10 AM	62 Miles	3840 ft
Men Master 50-59	9:20 AM	46 Miles	2840 ft
Men Master 60+	9:30 AM	46 Miles	2840 ft
Men Master 40-49	2:00 PM	46 Miles	2840 ft
Women Master 30-39 & 40-49 & 50+	2:10 PM	46 Miles	2840 ft
Juniors 15-16 & 17-18	2:20 PM	46 Miles	2000 ft