My 2015 Trans-Cascadia Experience

2015 proved to encounter too much event organizing and not enough racing in my life, so when the chance arose to snag a spot in the Trans-Cascadia race, I was reeling with excitement. In my mind there was no better way to finishing off another fantastic summer then heading to Oakridge, Oregon for 4 days of riding old growth forest, alpine and sweet, flowy single track; another new area that I had yet to explore.


For some reason, this event never occurred to me really as a ‘race’. Of course we all want to ride as fast as we can but I had a feeling the atmosphere was going to be super relaxed and just a whole lot of having fun riding bikes - and that’s exactly how things unfolded! I think I was most excited about all the other ladies who had signed up; a bunch of rad girls that I knew but never got the chance to hang out with or ride with.

Emily, Jenny and I arrived right on time, ready for the 3 pm departure shuttle to take us into the backcountry, nothing like cutting things until the last minute! Riders were everywhere chilling in the sun, duffle bags scattered all over, introductions and new friends already being made and bikes being loaded into u-hauls. Camping chairs? What? 2 room tents? What? Hammocks? What? You could really bring anything you wanted on this trip. I was so used to being limited to one bag it hadn't occurred to me to bring more. We loaded into the big yellow school bus with beers already in hand while the driver got directions on where to take us. Within 15 minutes of being there this was already a true indicator of what this event was going to be about – relaxed atmosphere, going with the flow, laughter and just a rad crew of riders out to have fun and explore some trails together. It wasn't long until we were out of town and out of cell coverage. Phones were put away and we actually talked to each other instead of looking at stupid little screens, we were truly going into the backcountry!




DAY ONE

---

After settling into our group campsites the night before, and telling stories around the campfires with wine and beer we were ready and raring for day 1. We had no clue of what to expect. This was blind racing to the next level. Our posse of over 10 women set out for the first climb of the day past the spectacular lakes and huge trees surrounding us. Our relaxed climb pace was exactly what was needed. Rolling into stage 1, we tried to get some insight about the stage from one of the organizers. How long is it? Answer: Not too long, not too short. Is it tech? Answer: could be. And this goes on for a while. We each roll into the start not knowing whether to go hard or save ourselves, but feeling giddy with excitement to just ride new trails. I kind of liked it, not having any clue of what to expect from the trails, and knowing the stage distances or times. It just is what it is! It turns out that stage 1 was only 1 minute, 15 seconds long, just to get the blood pumping.


We then broke out into the alpine with a scree switch back climb followed by a 10 minute climb up to a rocky summit for those who chose to head up and see the 360 degree views. The flavor of the day was just pure sweet flowing singletrack with a solid amount of pedaling to keep everyone honest and working hard. We barely saw a single piece of course tape in any of stages, which was wonderful! You truly had to read the trail as you rode knowing there were no signs to guide you in switchbacks or corners! This is really how they all should be.

The final stage of the day lead us right back to the lake that was our camp and home base for the first few nights. Beers were in hand and campfires were re-lit in no time. Some opted to be brave and jump into the cold lake or go for a paddle board or fish, while others opted for the portable hot showers.



DAY TWO

---

We set off in a similar area today, pretty much doing what we did yesterday but backwards, and then adding in a few extra stages. The climb from day 1 proved to be a super fun descent as a stage on day 2 – long but so fast and so much fun. Climbs proved slow as we just kept stopping to take pictures of the amazing old growth forests and scenery!


We then headed over to descend an area below our camp. This one became a completely different feeling trail with more roots, more tech and even more fun. The slight downhill transition out of there to the shuttle was probably one of the most fun transitions you could ever do! We loaded up the shuttle bus to head off to one final stage that was a whopping 19 minutes 39 second long and incorporated every type of terrain you could think of.



DAY THREE

---

The sun was shining as we packed up our tents and gear and got ready for a camp change, then loaded the shuttles to head off to our first stage of the day. As the shuttle buses climbed we found ourselves moving into the clouds and the weather shifting to moist air and some rain. Googles? I didn’t pack them. The question as we lined up in the misty forest was 'glasses or no glasses?' Into the first stage we found ourselves in the first moist trails of the race. Things became slick and it warranted a different style of riding to the past few days. The area was beautiful, fun, and exciting all at the same time – but only when I could see through my fogged glasses. It proved a tough stage with limited visibility but it sure was a hoot! Stage 2 kept the same theme before things dried out for the day. There was a ton of high-speed traversing followed by hairpin turns, so if you weren’t on your game you could very easily blow every corner – and of course many people did! Heckle Rock was stage 3 and it had everything; you had to quickly adjust to the ever changing terrain from moist trail to loamy, grippy forest to dusty, dry, no grip conditions. This made for one of the favorite trails of the day.


Day 3 ended at the local pub in Oakridge. Was this a good or bad thing? After being out on course all day, us 10 ladies were the last to roll into the pub but we sure caught up in true style. With double size pint mugs in hands and clinking of glasses all around we found everyone was leaving back to camp while we decided to go a second round of the extra large mug sized beers. The beer was just so good we couldn’t refuse another! We then loaded all the ladies in a truck with our bikes for a tipsy drive back of music pumping, loud singing, dance moves, and shenanigans (thanks to our sober driver for putting up with all us ladies loaded in your truck!). We arrived at camp with a bit of a scene and everyone laughing at the tipsy pro women category unloading the truck as we continued to dance! Fun times were had by all and we joined the massive campfire with everyone else and settled in for dinner.



DAY FOUR

---

Today was just about getting through the final day. Our full category stuck together through all the stages as the back of pack group and the trails never disappointed. There was a battle for 3rd place over past 3 days and I decided that I had to actually really give it to see what I could do by peddling each chance I could get and burying myself. This proved nowhere near as fun then riding at just 90% but maybe it had to be done! But to no avail, I didn’t quite make it. I was super stoked to see my friend Jenny Konway to take 3rd. I was just super excited to have had the opportunity to ride these sweet trails the past 4 days and to do it along side 10 wonderful women.

I will for sure be lining up to return for 2016 and highly recommend for you all to snag a spot. For those who chose to not do this event because you like to see the kinks worked out first, then you miss out on the real raw true unique experience, as personally I think the first years are always the best, but alas I know it will be just as good next year. Thanks to all the guys involved with putting this together and to all the volunteers and everyone supporting the event. It can’t be compared to Trans Savoie or Trans Provence or any of those other Trans races, as they all have their own unique style but this one by far is the most relaxed, most social, and best way to wind down a sweet summer of riding bikes!

---

The 2016 Trans-Cascadia will take place September 28 - October 2. Registration opens on February 1 at 9am (PST).

---