"The Loop"

As I pulled out of the Motel parking lot to the start of what the locals call "The Loop". It was clear, cold and I was glad to have all my riding gear on and wished for more. Before the start of this ride, I had eaten till I could not eat anymore. Coffee, energy drinks, buffalo meat, local bakery goods. All fuel for the ride. It was 6 AM. It was cold, clear and quiet. The first of 3 highways was under my bike. My hands were freezing and my body was just about the same. As I moved down a tunnel of pine tree cover. The just out morning sun was not going to be any help to warm the body. I put the bike in a big gear and just road. Pushed a little harder than normal to warm the blood. My hands were like ice. I had to curl my fingers on to themselves to protect them from the biting cold. Tuck my thumbs under my fingers. Anything to keep the hands and fingers warm. I had not even thought to bring a pair of long finger gloves. I had my short finger riding gloves and that was it. I did think to put on a nylon rain type jacket over my jersey. Thank goodness! My legs were bare. Except the bit of Lycra from my riding shorts. I pushed hard to warm the core and prayed that would warm the body. 8 miles into the ride over the mountains I was warm. Not from the sun or temperature. Just the blood pumping warm from the effort. I started to relax. Dial the pace down a bit. I was warm and had a long way to go.
This was the ride I had been waiting to do for months now. Sisters to Sisters. Up the Santiam Pass, from Sisters, east to west. Down to highway 20 then a quick change to the highway that took me to the Old McKenzie Pass Highway taking me back east to finish in Sisters again. A well thought of ride in these parts. 86 miles of climbs and descents. Beautiful country with rivers, mountain tops, trees, lava fields and sweat. During the climbs, lot of sweat. A ride that I leave something of myself behind. A ride that gives something to take home to. Riders like to call these "epic rides".
As I passed Black Butte Rance. A nice vacation home area, I started the first of the long climbs of the day. This was a steady one hour plus climb. Not that hard or steep. Just steady and LONG. The grade was modern for highways. About 6% maximum. So I got in a good climbing gear. Put my head down and just worked. I worked at a pace that I could hold without blowing myself up. I watched my heart rate monitor close. I never went over 90% of my maximum heart rate. I was also using the new gears on my #1 bike. I had a 50X34 on the cranks and a 12X25 on the rear wheel. I was climbing in the 34X19 and feeling good to go the distance. It was beautiful country. Mt. Washington to my left. In full view, no cloud cover. I climbed with this mountain for most of an hour. There were few cars on this busy highway. Part of way I started so early. The plan was looking good except for the cold at the beginning. The climb was great. I never felt bad. Well, there was the difficulty of having over eaten that morning. To much food in the stomic. Another reason to climb steady. To hard and, well think about it. Fuel for the ride. This first climb was going so well. I was almost finished and near the summit. I was surprised at how fast the climb was going. Wishing the grade was longer. I did not want it to end. A few more turns and I would be at the first summit sign. As I finished these last few turns I was sad to be done. I stopped at the summit sign and took a photo of the sign and bike.
Next was almost 2 hours of descents. What was gained in elevation was now going to be lost, and more. The first of the descents were just wicked. Steep, fast, cold. Real cold. It was not light speed. I was just keeping it at 40 mph. Looking out for stones, car and truck parts. Crashing at 40mph was not an option. I could go faster. The bike was up to it. I was up to it. Faster was just not the right idea today. After this first of 2 major descents, both, very steep. I had to take a left hand turn across a major highway onto the next highway. Difficult with on coming traffic doing 65 MPH and traffic behind doing the same. I had to cross 4 lanes of traffic going 25 to 30 mph faster than I was. My plan was to hit this junction with traffic at a minimum. There was one car behind me and clear road ahead. I went out in the highway. Boldly left arm out to signal my needs. The car behind was kind. As I zoomed across to my next road. The car behind waved. They had bikes, on a rack, of their roof of their car. I will take luck anytime I can get it. The most dangerous part of the ride was behind me. Now I just had 1 1/2 hours of down hill to the McKenzie Pass turn off.
For the next long shallow down hill it was good road, good conditions. Very few cars and trucks. Nice. Sweet ride, always going in the big chainring. Some up hill here and there. Then down again. Down forever. I though I was going to be a sea level before I started going up again. This part of the ride is always longer than I think. Beautiful, but long. Rivers, rocks, camp grounds. I was still in the mountains. This down hill goes on for 30 miles from the top of the Santiam summit. I looked down at my odometer and it read 41 miles in just under 2 hours. Wow, I was flying for me. For about the next 10 miles you think the McKenzie pass is coming up around each corner. At 49 miles the turn sign show up. Left turn, The Old McKenzie Pass Road. Chills ran up my back. I was at 52 miles in 3 hours. I was going to smash any time I had ever thought I was going to ride this route in. More chills ran through my body.
The McKenzie Pass is up hill from the time you turn on to it. Not steep. Just a long up hill grade. Through a thick forest of cedar, firs and pines. Not a lot to see at first. Just climbing. 34X15 gear climbing. I started to laugh at my thinking I was going to set some time record. The clock just kept ticking and the miles seem to give in every once and a while. Every thing went in reverse from the first 52 miles. Now I was seeing that my time was going to be much bigger than I thought. I had not even started the hard part of the climb. The 2 hour plus climb. The swicthbacks, the lava fields. There was some tough climbing coming. Real tough, pray for help tough, why didn't I bring an easier gear tough. I was still a long way from that. I was just going up through the forest. My under shirt was soaked. I had long ago stowed my nylon over jacket. Poured off the extra water I knew I would not need. I was not going to carry that weight up what was coming. There was enough weight in me! A few cars and motor cycles passed me. Most were kind. It's a small road. No shoulders. A few of the Harley's were, well Harley's. HOGS. You get it I'm sure. I knew the gate was still close on the west side of the pass. I was going west to east. At the gates is where the steep stuff starts. Though the long, long, climb to that point starts to take it out of you. I turned the corner and finally there was the gate.
From the gate forward was the toughest part of the day. By this time my gear was 34X19. I put my bike down at the gate and walked around it. The forest service has boulders stacked around the edges of the gate to keep motor cycles out. People to. In cycling shoes it's a bit of a trick to get from one side of this gate to the other. I picked up my bike now on the other side. I stared up the hard part of the climb. My legs still had power in them. There was still a long way to go. As I said this is a 2 hour plus climb. All up hill no flats, no down hills at all!! Just pushing up hill forever. Now the climb gets steep. about twice as steep as what it was on for the first 35 mins. of this part of the Pass. 6% minimum grade to 10% and sometimes more. It's the kind of road you look for the easiest section to go on. The one right in front of you. The middle of the road, the left side or right side. It's that hard in places. Then the switchbacks start. Ya, a series climbs that turn back on themselves just a few feet higher then the last. These are TOUGH. Just endless hard all you can do, tough. For about 20 mins. Then you get to look over the side and see 4 or 5 of these switchbacks below your feet. I took some photos. I pushed on. I knew there was a break coming. It looks flat compared to what I had been doing. It was not of course. Now I was on the hardest part of the climb. It looks over. Then it keeps going on and on and on till the summit at 5500 feet. I was at 4000 feet. When I get to these long shallow up hill sections my legs are suffering. Just tired of climbing. There is still 30 mins. till the summit. A few flat section, nice. Then a few short down hill section. I hate those. Each foot you lose you have to buy back again. You climb some of these feet twice and 3 times on this section. It goes on forever. At this point I am just hoping I will make it back to Sisters by Noon. A 6 hour ride. The 5000' sign was no where in sight. You just think it's around each corner, or by the next tree, or it was broken in this winters storms. Where the hell is the dam 5000' sign. I have been riding this climb for ever. When I see the 5000' sign I will still have 500' to go. And then the 5000' sign shows it's face. The trees end, to the open Lava Fields. 500' more and I'm to the summit sign. Each rise in the road now taking every last bit of a toll on my legs. Several rollers. Some seem steep. I'm sure they are. Then one long hill in this moon scape on the Lava Fields. Boom there you are. The Summit sign. It's over. The 2 plus hour climb is over. It is almost all down hill from the sign to Sisters.
I took a few photos at the summit. I was feeling pressure to get off the hill and get back to Sisters and see Mary Anne. I put it in the big rings and put the hammer down. 13 mile of down hill curves and some flats right before Sisters. I never went under 25 mph and often was in the high 30s. I was flying to get home. I could feel my tires biting into some of the sharp corners. Full speed ahead. I'm a good descender. I was going as fast as the few cars on the road. I was possessed. I was not even looking at the clock. Just the MPHs. Big gear all the way to the first stop sign in Sisters. Mary Anne was 2 blocks away. I had done the ride of 86 miles, 8800' of elevation, in 5 1/2 hours. A new record for me. I felt great. Last year at this very time I was doing 22 to 25 miles and could barley stand after the ride. Now I was ready to do another 25 miles to just cool off.