My goal for this ride was to ride from Klamath Falls to the Coast in one day. It was hard, it was beautiful, it was painful, and I would do it again. Highlights include descending Dead Indian Memorial Road in Ashland, riding along the Rouge River, climbing and descending Bear Camp Road, and riding 101 from Gold Beach to Brookings at Midnight (Virtually no cars, sounds of waves rolling onto shore, and the moon and stars lighting up the ocean.) When my ride was over I slept for a few hours at Harris Beach before catching the bus back to Klamath Falls.
My Kit
My kit was minimal. I carried mostly food and clothing. No tent just an emergency bivy and a sleeping bag liner. I wasn’t planning on sleeping outside long, so comfort wasn’t a concern. I carried mostly everything in my seat bag. I had a handlebar bag for things I wanted quick access to such as my camera and snacks. My repair kit included a multi tool, two tubes, patch kit, pump, tire lever, missing link and electrical tape. This was held together to my frame with a Mutherload Frame Strap made by Backcountry Research (super nifty). I started the ride with a top tube bag, however I found it got in the way of my knees especially while climbing. I ended up throwing it in my seat bag after the first climb. Top tube bags can be a difficult fit on smaller frames.
What would I do different?
I would consider bringing an extra set of cycling shorts. My bib shorts were so saturated with sweat about halfway through the ride it made the second part extra hard and almost unbearable. The last 50 miles I was standing about 80% of the time because sitting was too painful. This caused pain in my knees and quads. I would also consider a wider range cassette, like a 11-32 although I was fine on the first half of the ride. The second half featured some long steep climbs making it hard to spin.
I was originally planning on doing this ride in two days. However, after seeing Jason Hardrath the dirtbagmountaineer on Instagram and Cody Cox of Fortitude Filmwerks go on a big 24 hour ride earlier the same week I was planning my ride. I decided to give it a go. Thanks for the push.
