An Organizer's Perspective
Wow! When I think of how far, how fast, this club has come since our first century, I have only one reaction and that's one of astonishment! We took the club century to another level this year, largely due to the phenomenal effort from planning team (me, Traci D'Elia, Linda "Jelly" Jellison, John Ohnstad, Jim Mazzocco, Mary O'Donnell, John Lucas, and Matt D'Elia), under Kimberly Shute's leadership. Our day-of volunteers were the heroes, and executed flawlessly. And our riders represented Portland Velo admirably, despite the occasional "cyclist salute" displayed by a few impatient motorists.
And then there was the Portland Velo "flair", the way we do our thing, with a certain level of style and class ("...you got soul, you got class, you got style, you're a bad-as@..." - Christina Agulera. Okay, okay, I know...). Anyway, lemme break it down...
The morning registration was so well-thought-out and organized, I showed up a few minutes late and everything was set up and ready to roll. Doug and Linda Rennie, Vicky Molloseau, John Ohnstad and the rest stop crews had everything under control. Maggie provided coffee to the volunteers and Linda brought a Bundt cake - yes a Bundt cake! That is SO dope! Linda, you can bake for me anytime! Anyway, Kimberly (left, giving orders :)) was on top of everything, and I mean everything! There was no question that she didn't have an answer for, and I personally appreciate how she kept everything loose but under control at the same time. Wow!
The Gaston rest stop was rolling long before the first riders pulled up for a short break. Kimberly Shultz, Mary Kay Babcock, John Lucas and John "J-Rod" Elrod (pictured right) kept our riders fueled up and ready for the ups and downs on Spring Hill Road. Later the crew drove down to Carlton and helped out at the main rest stop at Cana's Feast - and helped me drink a couple bottles of wine, and play Bocce. By the way, never, ever go up against Mary Kay in Bocce - she pretends to not know what she's doing and then kicks your butt before you know what hit you. "It's all the piano playing, " she claims... :) Wow!
The Cana's Feast rest stop in Carlton was the highlight of the tour, and served as the main rest stop for all the routes. The view was spectacular (helped by the amazing weather), the staff at the winery - especially Lisa Houston, head chef and Harve Ballard, operations manager - were extremely kind and accomodating, and the pasta salad and foccacia were a hit. With any luck, we'll be able to station ourselves there again. A big "thank-you" to Monique Breault, Mary O'Donnell, Scotty Graser and Jim Mazzocco (and the Gaston crew) for the great prep and hospitality you all showed our riders. Our SAG wagons, manned by Vicky Taylor, Laura Waldron, Brian Waldron, Mike Mulligan and Lori Bocklund kept the route safe. Ty Lambert was on hand to take pictures - check them out when you get a chance. Again, wow!
At the finish line, it was all smiles - check out Ed Ohlmann (right) who completed the century and was ecstatic when he found out we had beer at the finish line! BTW, a huge thanks goes to Steve Brown, for donating not one, but TWO kegs of beer; and not just any beer, but the good stuff - Mirror Pond Amber and Bridgeport IPA. A special note of appreciation goes to 
Cristin Couzens and Ceara Carder (left), who made sure all riders checked in. Also, big-time props to Lori Bocklund and Mike Mulligan, who did the final sweep of the course and found every last rider. Heidi Swift - our own journalistic celeb - took photos of the party (to be posted soon). 
I want to make a special mention of our new member - Amy Conroy (right) - who just joined PV last week and stuck it out to the finish, despite getting lost a couple times and riding alone most of the way home. Amy may have been last to finish, but her ride was an inspiration for everyone wondering if they can complete a century. 
And how could I forget Maggie (left), Karen and Joe Pike of Maggie's Buns - you guys threw us a party that we'll be talking about all year! Triple Wow with a side order of Maggie's Screaming Hot O's!
Other folks who made this a memorable event include Sylvia Everson (street party), Steve Goldman (street party), Jeff Huntley (course marshall), and Sam Larsen (street party). There are a ton of details that happen behind the scenes that seem to just happen, but those of us who attend to those details know that a lot of good folks are involved and we couldn't pull it off without them. To all the Portland Velo volunteers - THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!
What can we do to make this better? Well, I had some thoughts; nothing major, but definitely worth noting:
- Leave Abbey Road to the Beatles. This was kinda hair-raising, a lot of traffic and some itrate motorists. We'll leave that off the route next year.
- Route Markers are Better Painted Than Stuck-on. I still think the stick-on route markers are a good idea - when you don't have a bunch of local yokels messing with them and changing directions just for kicks. A couple of folks got thrown off-course because of this. Next year we'll get the permits and paint 'em on (with environmentally friendly paint, of course).
That's about all I could think of - but I would appreciate your guys' feedback on how we can make this event even better. This has been a very busy summer and I'm glad we're beginning to wind it down. I'm really proud of the way this event went off, and I'm thankful for the awesome people that make this and other PV events happen. Portland Velo - style and class. That's the secret behind "It's All About the Ride!".
:) Carlo
All photos courtesy of Ty Lambert. Thanks dude!