Here is the only info I can find on Greg"s team Team Bent Johnsons they were at Time Station 4 at 20:49 I was hoping to hear from Greg sometime this weekend but so far no news, There probably too busy race to call. He's been on my mind all day long it looks like they doing well. Keep up the good work Greg.
 
                                     Peggy

Looks like our Boyz had a slight misadventure... Bonus Miles!!!  This was posted late Saturday night:
 
Not sure if I reported this before but the Bent Johnsons went off course just after Grass Valley. I don’t know how far or how long they were off route – but they had been right there with the Co-Ed Coasters and Team Aardvarks – so you can see that it was pretty substantial. I hope Alex is doing OK – for those who don’t know, Alex was hit by a car earlier this week – which totaled his recumbent. He is borrowing one for this weekend – which is always a bit strange.

Nasty, nasty, nasty... epecially the last section!  That looks like 3,000 feet of climbing all the way, no breaks, for 25 miles...  
 

Sounds like Sandy had a successful ride!!!  2nd place women's finisher overall, and did at least part of the ride on her 'bent!!!  (recupright category)
 
 
Looks like our Boyz finished about where I estimated, just before 2AM, total time of 40:53 -- Last place among teams, but they FINISHED!!!!!!!
   
 
 
Chris O’Keefe arrived 12:16 for a 43:16 – he is RAAM qualified
Keith Kohan arrived at 01:32 for a 44:32 – first recumbent
Eric Ahlvin arrived at 02:16 for a 45:16 – 4th placed racer, first 50+
Karen Armstrong arrived at 02:18 for a 45:18 – first placed woman racer!
David Rowe arrived at 04:07 for a 47:07 – 5th placed racer , 2nd place men’s 50+
Laurence Kluck arrived at 04:36 for a 47:36 – 6th place, 1st place 60+
Jeffery Bonk arrived at 04:40 for a 47:40 – 7th place racer
Sandy Earl arrived at 04:43 for a 47:43 – 2nd place woman
John Pearch arrived at 05:06 – and was an unofficial finisher at 48:06

I just heard from Greg(cell phone call). Wow, I'm not sure where to begin...other than to say congratulations to Greg, & all of his team. I will let Greg give details of the ride(too many for me to recall in a short phone call).  
 
I know he said he tire blow out shortly after the ride started(not sure where mileage wise), the bonus miles happened when Greg was on course. His teammate had a huge mechanical(so the crew stayed with him). Greg took off down the ride & missed the turn(keep in mind  during these races, turns are not marked & the crew is given the route book to direct the rider, the rider is at the mercy of his crew).  
This was no one's fault, just one of those things that happens on a ride.
 
He sounded pumped & in great spirits. Greg was fighting some stomach issues on Day#2, very hot at the start in the valley & cold on the climbs.  Greg said the area was so remote that there was no sell phone reception.  
 
He is planning to stay in the Portland area for the next couple days or so. Alexis is learning to wind surf.
 
Again,congratulations to Greg & his team. Job well done. I can't wait to hear more about the ride. Good for Greg.

Congrats Greg - can't wait to hear your full ride report/pictures.  We're all proud of you!

This was posted by Sharon Stevens on the LSR board:
 
Race Across Oregon  
aka RAO  
 
WOW  
 
 
RAO is a major ultracycling race and RAAM qualifier hosted by  
ultracycling/RAAM gurus George Thomas and Terri Gooch, held this past  
weekend, July 11-12, 2009.  
 
 
This beast is 516 miles, 48 hour time limit, with an estimated 42,000  
feet of climbing (I would like to see the official climbing figures).  
That is over 81 feet of climbing per mile – a ton!!   Our LSR courses  
may average half that at 30-40 ft per mile.  The Texas Time Trial is  
42.5 ft per mile.  
 
 
Plus weather issues - we were baking in the high 90s in the daytime,  
chilled at night, some rain (although light), and the jewel was a long  
stretch of hellacious 35+ mph headwind.  But the roads were incredibly  
smooth with minimal traffic, the locals were oh so kind, and WOW the  
scenery!  The course is an artistic masterpiece of ever-changing  
vistas, including snow-capped Mt. Hood, endless lush green forest, to  
barren high desert with swirling dust devils, and even some multi-  
colored hoodoos.  
 
 
“TEAM BENT JOHNSONS.”  Yes, innuendos abound.  Robert, Chris, and Greg  
all ride Carbents, a fabulous stiff and lightweight carbon recumbent,  
and they ride them extremely well.  Our two man team included riders  
Christopher Young of Portland, OR, and LSR’s Greg Gross (from Fort  
Worth, TX).  These were two strong, determined cyclists.  Factor in  
the crew chief – the very experienced, multi-talented, natural leader  
- Captain Robert Johnson - and you have one heck of a team!!!  
 
 
How did I end up in the other crew seat?  Yes I sacrificed a weekend  
of centuries (well worth it).  Years ago I lived in Oregon, and have  
since enjoyed many visits to the great northwest, so OR and WA are  
sentimental.  I wanted to visit my Seattle-area family, and my mom’s  
birthday coincided with RAO.  I also wanted to try the crewing role  
and experience a different perspective.  I understood the basics, but  
never crewed (unless you count my self-crewing on countless long-axx  
rides).  I wanted to help Greg, and I knew he was planning on RAO, so  
I quietly asked might he need crew?  Yes, please!  This was on the job  
training, sink or swim.  And risky - they did not know me, nor did I  
know them (besides Greg and I).  But potluck turned into a true  
blessing with this great team.  
 
 
Greg and Chris faced many challenges throughout RAO – relentless  
climbing first of all.  The climbing never ended, even with a crazy  
climb up to the finale (George and Terri are truly evil).  Fatigue.  
Sleep deprivation.  Flaring arthritis.  Sore muscles, leg cramps,  
etc.  Nutrition / stomach / digestion issues (who hasn’t had these),  
and both Chris and Greg had them, pretty much at the same time, with  
nausea and heaving.  Hey Greg, Chris is sick, cut your nap short and  
go ride, and vice versa.  And they would, without pause.  They both  
pushed on – when it was their turn to ride, they were up and at ‘em,  
never a BIT of whining!  At night when Chris and Greg were sleepy,  
they showed great teamwork, each taking longer pulls to let the other  
sleep.  I am extremely proud of these guys – Chris Greg and Robert –  
all three demonstrated true perseverance and desire to conquer this  
RAO beast!  It was awesome and inspiring to be a part of this as it  
unfolded.  
 
 
Let’s talk about Greg.  Poor Greg.  Robert and I as his crew…..  well  
we ended up kinda picking on him.  On his very first pull, we did not  
realize Greg had a flat, so he had been walking the bike for a bit  
when we came upon him, ooops!  (brand new tire, bead failed)  Greg got  
stuck with a lot of the climbing.  Then Chris got a lot of long  
downhills.  It wasn’t intentional Greg, it was the luck of the draw, I  
promise!  Then we put Greg on one hell of a hot 3 mile climb with one  
small water bottle and he ran out, in a “no exchange zone” so we could  
not give him anything, so he was cooked when we finally rescued him!  
On day 2, we were hot, and longing to swan dive in the refreshing John  
Day river, leaving Greg to pedal on and sweat in the heat.  But we  
decided Greg would strangle us, and we valued life too much.  
 
 
But the worst was when we, well, oops, lost Greg.  Yep, the crew lost  
their rider.  Sorry Greg!  Robert was busy re-cabling Chris’s bike,  
and I forgot there were turns up ahead – yep, my fault – and we were  
supposed to guide our riders through all turns since they had no cue  
sheet - so about 20 minutes later we realized this – OH CRAP! - and  
jumped in the van and flew 90 mph searching for Greg  (needle in a  
haystack).  We chased down another RAO vehicle and I yelled, “we lost  
our rider, have you seen him?”  NO, sorry.  OH CRAP!  We tried to  
guess where Greg went off course, and we put Chris out at that spot to  
move our team forward while Robert and I traveled off course, hunting  
for our stray rider.  Did not take too long, hallelujah, there was  
Greg!  Greg was smarter than his crew.  He got directions for one turn  
from a local farmer, then he unknowingly missed another turn later,  
but after awhile he suspected he was off course, so he backtracked, a  
wise move!  But it was hot and by the time we found him, Greg was  
cooked again!  Overall we estimated this cost us an extra 20 minutes,  
which really was not bad because it could have been a lot worse!  
 
 
Robert and I tried to make up for our abuse to Greg.  We bought him  
cokes from a guy in a very small town with no store.  This guy sold  
them to us from his refrigerator (great idea, he is making a  
killing!)  We got Greg ice cream and Snickers bars.  We got goodies  
for Greg from solo rider Sandy Earl’s crew (Robert’s wife, Adrienne  
Ruggles Johnson, was Sandy’s crew chief).  There was a lot of flashing  
going on there, and comments relating to our name “Bent Johnsons,” but  
rest assured Greg did not partake.  Then we tried to get Greg more ice  
cream, but found no open stores for a very long time.  This part of  
the world was pretty darn desolate!  
 
 
On the other hand, Greg was deemed the “slippery eel.”  We would send  
him off for his pull.  We would stay stopped a few minutes to finish  
business in the van (refilling water, cleaning up, whatever).  We  
would then go chase him down and almost every single time, we asked  
each other, “Geez how far did he go, where is he?”  He is really good  
at slipping away as fast as possible.  Chris pulled this slippery eel  
stunt a lot too!  
 
 
Chris – the surfer dude!  He is one smooth strong rider with great  
form and powerful stance on the bike.  He truly made riding look easy  
and comfortable on that Carbent.  He would glide up the climbs, then  
roar on the downhills.  Many times while following on downhills,  
Robert kept saying “easy, take it easy Chris!” while Chris wove  
through switchbacks and held long stretches of 40-50 mph.  Chris  
looked like a surfer dude when it got hot during the day and he  
stripped down to shorts and sandals.  So Chris was deemed “Laird  
Hamilton” and we were “Surfin RAO!”  
 
 
Crewing – lots of work with a 2 rider team!  Our team did rider  
exchanges every 20 minutes, and every 10 minutes on long climbs and/or  
in the heat.  We were constantly up and down, in and out of the van,  
joking that the door handles were going to break.  I loved those  
Carbents because they were light and easy to handle.  No problem  
lifting them off and on the bike rack a gazillion times.  Crewing also  
involves driving, navigating, documenting ride stats, taking photos,  
watching their food/liquid intake, staying awake, cheering and helping  
other riders and teams, and anything else to get everyone to the end  
safely.  The long distance cycling experience notched on my seatpost  
really helps, but not mandatory.  I found the crewing job fun and  
fascinating!  And the learning was huge, all thanks to a great crew  
chief Robert.  I was lucky to end up learning from the best.  
 
 
Overall, RAO is one very challenging event.  This is a brand new  
course and apparently much harder than the previous course.  We  
finished way later than expected, as did many others.  We took all  
lights off the bikes in the morning because we never dreamed we would  
be out after dark.  We ended up finishing at nearly 2:00 am!  Many  
strong solo riders either became too tired to go on, or ran out of  
time.  This is all due to the unexpected difficulty of this new  
course.  We seriously discussed that it could actually be too hard.  
But the amazing thing is how Greg and Chris persevered from start to  
finish through these challenges with positive attitudes.  We had great  
teamwork and we had a lot of fun!  In the end it was awesome to see  
Greg and Chris earn their beautiful official finisher medals, and to  
see the satisfaction of a JOB WELL DONE.  Congratulations to team 202,  
BENT JOHNSONS!!!  LSR, you should be very proud of Greg Gross for  
accomplishing this feat, it was a major challenge of a ride!  
 
 
Congratulations to Sandy Earl as well!  We were all worried more about  
her than our own team!  It was a nail-biter, but she had a great ride,  
and re-qualified for RAAM.  She is training for solo RAAM 2010 in the  
new "recupright" division (alternating use of upright and recumbent).  
GO SANDY!!!  
 
 
I whole-heartedly recommend experiencing any ultra event, such as Race  
Across Oregon.  On RAO, the dynamic scenery alone is worth the trek  
out west.  Plus meeting new people, while visiting with old friends  
and acquaintances, everyone embracing the spirit of the race, the  
challenge and perseverance, well I will absolutely return to RAO.  I  
may not ever ride RAO, because I will be enjoying crewing this one too  
much!!!  
 
 
Sharon Stevens  
 

Well, it’s hard to sum up my experiences at RAO but let me say a few things:
 
1.      This course is harder than I imagined.  Harder than I trained for.  Harder than I thought possible.  I gave it my all and fell short in my own estimation, but I finished and I know some steps I need to take to advance my cycling ability.  I hope to be prepared to do some damage at the TTTT this year.  
 
2.      I see now why there aren’t many kids in ultra events.  This isn’t about training the BODY, it’s about training the WILL.  I think most of my rando buddies can recognize this in themselves.  Still the younger riders that were there certainly did great.
 
3.      I had a crew that must be seen to be believed.  Sharon was the perfect “momma” and made sure our emotional and food needs were taken care of.  Robert, who at first seems gruff, is a GENIUS with logistics and “race driving.”  If you’ve seen the pics I’ve posted, you can see how loaded the van was, and we never had to worry about finding anything – everything was close at hand.  I never had to worry even when bombing down Battle Mountain at ridiculous speeds in the dark hours of the night.  Robert was always right on my tail with headlights blazing.  Between the two of them I was buoyed up when I was sick and mentally down.  There was a period of hours when I wanted to quit and they kept me on the bike.
 
4.      My teammate Chris – what else can I say but watch out for this man?  He climbs like a beast and just has the best, laid back attitude of any rider I’ve met.  Nothing phases him and he always has a smile and a friendly pat on the back.  He has the skills to become a serious force in any race.  I very much feel like I held him back most of the ride, and he could have done it solo.
 
5.      It was hard to leave Portland.  I felt like Chris and Robert and I had become instant best friends and I didn’t want to part company, on or off the bike.  Robert is flat out one of the funniest guys I’ve met and Chris, even though most of our time spent together was outside of the race, became like a brother.  I hope they come visit me in Texas sometime soon.
 
6.      Oh yeah, even in spite of everything, Chris and I set the recumbent two-person record for the course, by the way.  And all on real food – zero gels or powders.
 
So, the race.  Let me post the descriptions of the stages and I’ll add in a couple comments in bold:  Keep in mind this is all from memory a week later, so my math might be a little off, but this is as best I can remember it.  If you want to see the race book, go here:
http://www.raceacrossoregon.com/ and click on the route book pdf file on the right hand side.
 
For my pictures, go here:
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v652/aikigreg/rao%202009/
 
Start – Hood River, OR Best Western to Time Station #1 Tygh Valley (@70 miles)
. Upon leaving the parking lot, we’ll coast for about 50 yards to a stop sign underneath I-84. Enjoy this as it is only one of a handful of downhill sections for the next 30 miles. Crews must drive directly down Hwy 35 to the large parking area near Baseline Road just past the town of Mt. Hood. Racers will take the hairpins to the agonizingly steep Highline Drive which parallels 35. Highline merges with Eastside as it winds through gradually climbing orchard country. The views of Mt. Hood are spectacular through here. Upon reaching Hwy 35 the riders will mass at a stop sign. We’ll turn left and I will yell “go” signaling the end of the neutral start. You are climbing from 400 ft at the Best Western to the summit of Bennett Pass at 4,674 in the first 30 miles. From here it’s a short descent to the left turn onto FR 48 at White River. Aside from a couple of grunt climbs you are on a long descent to Tygh Valley.  
 
Near constant climbing in the first half of the race.  Chris took the start.  At the first exchange point I wondered why I was crawling – 14mph pedaling hard downhill.  Miles later I realized my tire was rubbing the frame and I had been expending extra energy seconds before the sidewall exploded.  My muscles were exhausted already and I started walking.  Van catches up to me and I switch to the corsa while my tire is changed.  Pedaling the corsa (with kickstand!) was tough on pre-exhausted muscles.  

Time Station #1 Tygh Valley to Time Station #2 Moro (@45 miles)
Exit Tygh Valley and cross Hwy 197. You are now riding the back section of the night loop/Stage one of Ring of Fire/Deschutes River Valley TT. This is a rolling farm road with a terrific descent to the Deschutes River (please obey the 15 mph slow sign under the railroad trestle – we don’t want you to go into the river). Sherar’s Falls are actually a Class VI rapid and you will ride right next to them. When you cross Sherar’s Bridge you’ll stay left on 216 toward Grass Valley. There are a couple of good pull outs before you begin the Grass Valley climb (crossing a second bridge signals the start of the climb) and A NO EXCHANGE ZONE. RELAY TEAMS TAKE NOTE****I highly recommend doing an exchange a couple of miles in on 216 prior to Sherar’s Bridge. This will give your climber a bit of a warmup prior to taking on the Grass Valley climb. The road is in excellent shape but it is narrow, guard rails are lacking and the drop off is shear. Spectacular ride – let your racer “enjoy” it. GV climb is 4 miles long and once over the top racers will be challenged with fast, rolling terrain and probably cross winds. At the town of Grass Valley you will be sorely tempted to turn toward Moro on Hwy 97. However, the course turns RIGHT on Hwy 97 toward Shaniko/Madras. Sorry, but you have to ride 97 for one mile before taking a left turn on Rutledge. Rutledge is all big rollers – your left turn on Lone Rock Rd is on a descent so keep a look out as you’ll most likely be enjoying a tail wind and rippin’. Kiss the tail wind goodbye on Lone Rock. More long rollers followed by a quick descent to Moro take you to Time Station # 2 – Husky’s Mini Mart.  
 
Yeah so first of all there were no tail winds.  Second, we had Texas level heat by the afternoon.  Third, this 4 mile climb that is described here – I did that sucker!  I ran out of water 2.5 miles in and had to stop twice for about 10 seconds to rest the burning quads and try to suck out a drop or two of water.  The descent was awesome though.  In Texas we don’t get 5, 8, 10 mile long descents with technical turns, and with the always present gravel we’d slide off the road anyhow.  Chris took the toughest descents at night but I quickly learned to pick up this skill, tasking turns at over 40 mph and on a long straight stretch going 50-52.  Chris probably reached 57 or more.
On the next sections Chris started having shifting problems.  I was put on the road which Robert worked on his bike.  Unfortunately when I reached the t-intersection I had no crew to tell me the turn!  A farmer told me which way to go but I missed the next turn and went off course for 5 or so BONUS MILES!  Eventually I knew something was wrong and turned around and was caught on the way back by the van racing at 90mph to try and find poor lost me.  Robert caught so much crap at the banquet for it too – He was given a miniature painting as a reward (Hey Robert, where did my VAN GOGH?)  *lol*  It was all good though – this stuff is bound to happen and you just have to go with the flow.  This is where I earned the nickname “slippery eel.”
 
Just to make it clear how hard this race is:  I have no problems doing a 9 hour 200k all by myself some days.  Well, this not-quite-200k ending at this time station took the TWO of us swapping pulls 10 hours to reach.  And this is when we’re still relatively strong and fresh!
 
Time Station #2 Moro to Time Station #3 Shell Station Heppner (86 miles).
Now the race really starts. You have to get on Hwy 97 a second time and ride one mile to Monkland Road where you’ll take a right. You are entering the canyon lands of the John Day River and the terrain is unrelenting. The course description for the old route states that there are no flat sections between Shaniko and Fossil – the same holds true here – there are no flat sections between Moro and Heppner (In fact, there are no flat sections between Moro and Monument but more on that later) but here you have nothing but 4, 5, 6 and 9 mile climbs followed by equally long descents. It will be HOT through this section. The canyon walls along with the road will radiate heat nicely – eliminating any final stigma RAO may have as being a snowy event. Crew – in between hydrating and icing your racer, take a moment to check out the behind your back view of Bachelor, the Three Sisters, Jefferson, Washington, Three Fingered Jack, Hood, St. Helens, Baker and Rainier.  The descent to Heppner is steep, twisting and a blast.  
 
Yeah, the climbs here are NOT B.S, people.  Most of the time, Chris and I were taking 20 minute pulls.  Going up these beasts we narrowed it to 10 minutes to keep ourselves from blowing up.  We arrived at this TS at 11:15pm having smoked this section covering the 86 miles in 3.75 hours.  
 
TS #3 Heppner to TS #4 Spray (130 miles)
It’s a long way and there is nothing in between. From the Shell Station you’ll turn into a neighborhood and through an elementary school parking lot to avoid road construction and pop back out on the highway. You will now find yourself grinding along a false flat toward a totally exposed 5 mile climb featuring some hairpins and beautiful high desert vistas. Night will be falling and you’ll see the tell tale flashing amber lights of your competitors. When you summit Franklin Hill – one of my favorite climbs on the entire route – you’ll be greeted with new chip seal. There’s a five mile bump to test your climbing skills as soon as you finish the Franklin Hill descent then it’s a mile of coasting to the right turn onto 395. ODOT is laying sections of fresh chip seal for us along 395. You are now riding toward the summit of Battle Mountain (elev 4,270) in the Blue Mountains. There’s an 11 mile descent and upon reaching the Ukiah intersection you will be very happy that we spent the extra time doing a re-route. Rather than turning you onto a Forest Road featuring an immediate 15 mile climb, you will continue straight on 395 south toward Long Creek. This is an AMAZING ride. As you will be racing this section at night you’ll miss the spectacular scenery but will enjoy to the long, gradual descent. There are two climbs – each around 5 miles at 5 – 6% – during the 40 miles to Long Creek but the field will have a chance to come together again and your legs will get a well earned and well deserved break. Turn right at the flashing light onto RT 402 when you arrive in Long Creek. No need to stop because there’s nothing to stop for here. You’ll immediately start climbing – those of you who have raced RAO in prior years are now riding the old course backward. Consensus is that the Monument climb and ensuing descent is much more fun in this direction. Enjoy your relatively flat ride along the John Day River to Spray! There is gas here at the Lone Wolf station – I think he opens around 7 or 8AM Sunday morning. The time station is at the cafe/bar on the left just as you are leaving town. A real working pay phone – they are getting rare!
 
Yeah, hellacious climbs.  And that kinda stuff is repeated again and again and again the whole race long.  And when George says “relatively flat,” it still means more climbing than we have in a century around here! This section was where many many riders started DNFing, we started overtaking solo riders, and I started coming apart at the seams.  This section is where Chris had some bad chicken and I took some long pulls, doing the whole Battle Mountain climb and descent by myself.  I sweated and burned on the climb and froze on the descent.  This is where I earned the nickname “Climbing B!tch.”  This wet sweat-and-chill stuff was what did it for me.  Eventually Chris took back over and it was my turn to lie down groaning from stomach and breathing problems.   I should have changed clothes and dried off.  I didn’t.  The 6am chill followed by riding past nasty smelly roadkill 3 times in a row was all I could take.  Chris did a lot of the John Day valley shirtless, earning him the nickname “Laird Hamilton.”
 
This was almost it for me.  I wanted to quit.  Had it not been for Sharon and Robert’s constant encouragement, I would have been done.  They kept getting me ut on the bike, just turning the pedals.  I couldn’t eat or drink for hours.  God Bless them so very much!
Here’s how sick I was.  We roll up on Sandy Earl and Adrienne her crew chief, Captain Robert’s wife.  I’m sitting in the van and Chris is on the bike.  We pull over to give some encouragement to Sandy, who looks like she might not finish – at least not in time.  Adrienne flashes us her rack, and just keeps on flashing.  Robert lifts his shirt up and the two of them do naked chest bumps 2 or 3 times.  Chris drops his drawers to show Adrienne the baby arm he’s packing in his shorts and the whole time I’m seeing this all I can think of is how much I want to stop pedaling.  THAT is how sick I was!  Tried to sleep off as much of it as I could.
Then it starts heating up to 99 degrees again.  
 
TS #4 Spray to TS #5 Imperial River Company Maupin
You have another 11 miles of flat road along the John Day to Service Creek. Remember that fun 10 mile downhill leading to Service Creek where Team RAO Speedwagon hit 70 mph??? You get to go up it this time! Welcome to the backside of Butte Creek Summit. 10 miles of 6% get you over the top – look for mile marker 69 just prior to the summit. 5 miles of downhill and another 5 miles of rollers/flat take you to Fossil. Gas is available about 2 blocks off the route. Racers turn left on 216 toward Antelope/Shaniko. The Fossil climb is much more rider friendly this direction. 4 miles get you to the top of this beast and you’ll enjoy a fast 12 mile descent into the Painted Hills. The scenery is beautiful but if it’s mid day you can count on high temperatures. Don’t thank us for the Fossil descent because you’ll pay for it with Clarno. Clarno used to be a relatively gentle climb – no more. This is another 10 mile climb with a constant gradient. Mile marker 15 signals your arrival at the summit. You’ll descend to Antelope climb a twisting 5 miles and cruise through Shaniko. Turn left on hwy 97 toward Madras and after 2 miles turn right on Bakeoven Road for the headwind hindered descent to Maupin. Imperial River Company is located on your right at the bottom of the descent just past a small bridge.  
 
Along this route, Sharon buys me several sodas, ice cream and such to try and get me stomach back on track.  Surprisingly these, plus a couple mini bagels, do the trick and I start feeling good just as the rain hits in Shaniko.  It ends soon and the heat, humidity, and the headwind all kicks up.  On the 10 mile climb the temp drops from 99 to somewhere in the 50s.  We went from pouring water on our heads and using ice socks to keep cool, so donning the wool gear, tights, and jackets.  I feel great physically, but my muscles are gone, gone, gone.  Also by the top of the climbs, the headwind gets worse as the storm system we see a few mountains away gets closer and closer.  The wind picks up to a steady 30+ mph, with reports of gusts up to 60.  Nasty suckers too, buffeting us and coming from both left AND right, constantly changing to keep us on our toes.  Chris takes the NASTY descent into Maupin,   Miles of  180 degree switchbacks just like they have in the Alps in the Tour de France.  Sharon and I are watching his every move in the van, just in awe of him.
 
TS #5 Maupin to Cooper Spur FINISH!
 Exit the Imperial and turn right on hwy 197 and cross over the Deschutes River Bridge. The course climbs through Maupin and takes you right past an operational gas station. It will likely be windy at the top of the ridge and you’ll grind toward a nice 2 mile descent. The flashing yellow light will bring back memories of the day before when you crossed 197 on your way to Sherar’s Bridge. This time you continue straight north on 197 and immediately begin the 7 mile climb to Tygh Ridge. We’re not detouring onto Dufur Gap Rd this year – continue straight to the left just prior to the town of Dufur. This will take you to the climb up FR 44. Like Clarno this one is much more difficult going in this direction. You’ll have a nice descent to Hwy 35 and a continued nice descent to the left turn at Cooper Spur Rd. You are oh so close to the finish – 3 miles of tree lined 5% – 6% curves will lead you to the small family ski area which is Cooper Spur Resort and an athletic accomplishment you can truly be proud of!
This last section was where Chris just shined.   Again, I’m just turning pedals, but Chris seems to be getting stronger!  We’ve been eating the soloists alive but with the climbing and conditions can’t seem to make up any time in spite of rider changes and short pulls.  We’re all just dead on our feet, having expected to be at the finish hours earlier.  
 
I start the last descent somewhere around 1 am.  It’s a hard descent because the trees are so close to the road, keeping the van’s lights from shining as far forward.  I much preferred descending the cliffs of the high desert.  Crazy, I know.  Also, this road is bumpier than any we’ve ridden on.  So I’m in the middle of a turn north of 35 MPH and a deer jumps out onto the road.  I swear it had red eyes, fangs, and was out to eat my face!  I unclipped to kick it when Robert laid on the horn and drove it away.  Quickly picking up speed again, I hit a pothole and was sure my tire had blown, but I was fine.  However, I was shaken and saw deer in every shadow and started riding the brakes.  I wore them down to nubs.  When my hands started shaking I finally just stopped and made a judgement call to have Chris finish the descent.  Thank you, Chris!
 
The two of us rode the insult-to-injury last climb to the finish together, where we had our medals placed around our necks and went to our cabins.  Chris didn’t even shower and his wife still let him come to bed.  Now if that ain’t love, I dunno what is!
 
I ate my fair share of humble pie on this race, but I intend to go back for seconds!