ATHLETICS
Great Rides and Good Friends
Filled 2009 Cycling Season
W
hile this year’s Cycling Committee
members and member coaches were
busy planning, staging and participating
in the many Tuesday Night and Second
Saturday rides, that was definitely not
the total extent of their participation in
their sport. Their adventures found them
sharing the joy of their two-wheeled mean-
derings both close to home and on roads
and trails far away. For some the spirit was
lazy and relaxing; for others, it was a bit
more aggressive.
Cycling Committee Chair Elaine
Brady-Mahoney attended all the Second
Saturday rides and found them to have a
fresh appeal with much interesting terrain
and beautiful scenery. Her highlight,
ROBER
however, was her successful climb of Larch
Mountain followed by a fabulous salmon
T GRA
feed as a part of the annual Portland VES PHOTOGRAPHY (2)
Century Ride. She said she has made a pact
with an old friend to do Cycle Oregon but
“may have to be reminded.”
Athletic member Darroll Batke’s
favorite memory of the year was an out-
and-back ride over the epic McKenzie
MAC member Sam Galbreath gets help from a fellow RAGBRAI rider when
Pass with his wife and a close friend. The
bike complications arise. The lack of scenery on the summer ride across
75-mile spin included more than 6,000
Iowa is replaced by the great people participants meet along the way.
feet of climbing and was made even more
special because his wife has never ridden
more than 50 miles. Of course the 22 miles
terrain, his best friend of 33 years yelled a Rides among friends
of downhill at the end surely helped erase
question at him. The loud voice startled a
Cheyne Sorenson, a rookie on the
the pain of the ascent.
nearby buffalo and Burney quickly remem-
Cycling Committee and a recent graduate
Day two of the Oregon Bike Ride. That
bered that the burly animals can run at
of University of Oregon, says the MAC
is what sticks in the mind of Tom Turner
30 miles an hour. He immediately geared
rides were the highlights of his season. He
from the summer of ‘09. And for good
down to 31 miles an hour and stayed just
compared his rides with college teammates
reason. He remembers longing for a lower
ahead of his irritated park mate.
with the wider diversity of those attending
gear and dealing with the realization that
It was also an out-of-state adventure
the MAC events, and preferred the latter.
there was nothing left – except six more
that proved to be the most memorable for
He said it is hard to describe the camara-
miles of up – and that was just what he
Robert Graves. After hearing of RAGBRAI
derie he felt while riding with a “bunch of
could see up ahead. He said he was so slow
(Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across
people from all walks of life. You just don’t
that he had time enough to listen to all the
Iowa) for many years he decided to give
get that from many other groups.”
lyrics from Storm Large’s play … twice.
it a go with another MAC member, Sam
Diana Pearce joined a group of
Galbreath. While the Midwestern ride
friends for a supported tour of the San
Out-of-state adventures
could not compete with the scenery of
Juan Islands and nearby environs. The
Member Coach Robert Burney, who Cycle Oregon, it compensated with
week-long trip started in Port Townsend
created all of the Second Saturday Rides numbers. There were between 10,000 and
with overnight stays on Lopez and San
for MAC members, went out of state for 15,000 riders on any given day. And there
Juan Island and Sydney and Victoria on
his favorite ride of the season. It was in was lots of homemade pie. Graves said it
Vancouver Island. While most of the riding
Yellowstone Park’s Lamar Valley where he was a ton of fun but in the future he will
was done on roads there was also some
experienced a different kind of motivation. probably stick to rides where the scenery
done on trails, including the Galloping
While rolling through the breathtaking is prettier.
Goose and Lockside Trails in Victoria and
52 | The Wınged M | DECEMBER 2009
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