3rd Annual Team CycleManiacs Ride to Astoria. Well I think it has been going on for 5 years but I have been involved the past 3 go-arounds. This is an awesome private ride we do — a great way to tour but without having to carry all the gear necessary for full-on touring. We start in Vernonia Oregon, overnight in Astoria, and ride back to Vernonia the next day. The route is pure cycling bliss. Low traffic roads, beautiful forests, hillsides, creeks, and coastal views. For a bonus challenge, we climb to the Astoria Column. We even have SAG — thank you Emi and Rudy!!
Day One
Emi and I had a loooong drive to Vernonia from Copalis Beach — 3h 9m to be exact. Needless to say we were up at dawn, munched on some pre-made breakfast burritos, loaded up the 4Runner, and hit the road. Crossed over the Longview bridge which is always fun and took some back roads into Vernonia from Ranier, WA. Very nice drive through the forest. Made a pit stop at Big Eddy Park so I could get geared up in my kit and I was ready to ride. Participating this year was myself, Jessica, Rod, Geri, Susan, and Liz. Loaded up the SAG cars with overnight bags and the lunch cooler and we were off. But we didn’t make it far. Geri’s Di2 battery was dead. Looks like when she put her bike on her car rack, the shifter paddle was depressed the whole drive to Vernonia, draining the battery. Ugh — tough break. Emi offered to drive Geri to Hillsboro to meet up with her son who was bringing the charger from her home in Vancouver WA. But she was going to have to miss the 1st leg of our ride. She was able to get the battery recharged and meet us for lunch in Jewel, OR, and pick up the ride from there. So not a total loss. Lunch was amazing. Eating real food on a ride makes such a difference for that energy boost to finish strong. Sandwiches, hummus, grapes, chips — all tasted so good after nearly 40 miles in the saddle. After lunch came the climbs — 1st one over the coastal range; 2nd one up to the Astoria Column. The 2nd one is always a killer, super steep, and the legs are already feeling a bit like Jell-O after 60 miles. But we made it — and all downhill from here — really steep, fast downhill — thank goodness for hydraulic disc brakes.
Our stay at the Astoria Pilot House never fails to disappoint. Such beautiful accommodations. Dinner at Fort George. The pizza was great but it was too cold to be sitting outside. Oh well, not everything can be perfect. The fun company made up for the chilly evening.
Day Two
Breakfast at Pig N Pancake — another yearly tradition. Then it was back in the saddle for the return ride to Vernonia. No SAG today, so we packed our jersey pockets with PB & J’s 🙂
Another scenic day of riding and great weather. But those final 10 miles were brutal. I think it is more of a mental wall than a physical one. At the end I was definitely glad to get out of the saddle. Emi was waiting for us with the lunch cooler. We all snacked on cold pizza, really cold grapes, which tasted amazing in the 85 degree summer day.
Another memorable Astoria Tour — might be the last one for me which makes me a bit sad. While we don’t do any CycleManiacs Meetup rides anymore, Team CycleManiacs lives on in these private rides. I hope the group continues to ride together with or without me. Team CycleManiacs 4 Life.
