Crater Lake bicycle ride: 100 years, 100 miles
Herald and News
Klamath Falls, Oregon
August 25, 2005
More than 100 bicyclists will be wheeling around the Wood River Valley and Crater Lake National Park Saturday during the first-ever Crater Lake Century ride.
Bill Haskins, the race organizer, said most of the 125 people signed up for Saturday’s ride, which will begin at the Fort Klamath Museum, will make the 100-mile ride, which includes a circuit of Crater Lake’s Rim Drive.
Riders in the 50-mile Half Century will pedal up to the rim and ride briefly along Rim Drive before doubling back to Fort Klamath. The Quarter Century riders in the 25-mile-long event will stay in the Wood River Valley.
The ride is part of the city of Klamath Falls 2005 Centennial Celebration. The events are not intended as races and cyclists are required to obey all traffic control signs.
“We flew past the 100 mark and kept on going,” Haskins said of registrations. “We still expect quite a few sign-ups on the day of the race.”
Along with Klamath Basin riders, he said many entries have come from the Rogue Valley with smatterings of others from Northern California, Portland, Lake Tahoe, the San Francisco Bay area and Sacramento.
“Next year,” Haskins predicted, “we’re going to push 300 easily.”
Century and Half Century riders will leave from the Fort Klamath Museum south of Fort Klamath, an elevation of about 4,000 feet above sea level. After eight miles of basically flat terrain, cyclists will begin a 3,000 feet climb to Crater Lake’s rim.
At Rim Village, where riders will enjoy their first lake view, century will continue another 30 miles around the lake on a hilly route that includes several challenging uphills and some ripping fast downhill stretches. After leaving the park, for the final 35 miles cyclists will tour the Wood River Valley’s mostly flat terrain and enjoy scenic views of ranchlands, neighboring Cascades peaks and Upper Klamath Lake.
Quarter Century cyclists, who will also start at the Fort Klamath Museum, will ride into Fort Klamath and continue across the Wood River Valley via the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway, an All-American Road, before returning back to the Fort Klamath Museum.
All profits from the ride will be donated to the Klamath County Museum.
Registrations and bib number pickups for preregistered riders will be taken from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, at the Best Western Olympic Inn and Saturday from 6 to 9:15 a.m. at the Fort Klamath Museum. A staggered start is planned for the Century and Half Century rides from 6:30 to 8 a.m. Quarter Century riders will take off between 8:30 and 9:30 a.m. Helmets are mandatory.
The entry fee includes a commemorative Oregon quarter, which features an image of Crater Lake, a bib, sag stops with food and water, route slips, and ticket for the after-the-ride barbecue offered from noon to 6 p.m. Groups of riders are limited to five.
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