Bob Woodward

On the surface, cyclocross (cross) racing appears to be nothing more than racing road bikes off-road, a quirky, counter-seasonal form of bike racing. On closer inspection, cross is more than that.

Entering the dead zone
After the teasing snowstorms of October and then a pleasant change of recent weather, a lot of ski and ride-aholics are getting antsy. Dreaming of making fresh tracks, the “I skied/rode the cone last month, dude,” crowd is crying out for some big storms. When and if the snow will come is always a matter of great speculation around Central Oregon. For what they're worth, here are a few predictions as to what we're in for snow and weather-wise this coming winter.

At home on the RogueFarewell Eddy

Like so many in the local outdoor community, I was saddened when Eddy Miller lost his life two weeks ago during a hike after a day of rafting on the Middle Fork of Idaho's Salmon River. Saddening because even though I wasn't a close personal friend of his, I was looking forward to getting to know him better after spending four days with him on the Rogue River in May.
During our Rogue trip, Miller lived up to his well-deserved reputation as a consummate rafter and outdoorsman. Standing, as he liked to, while rowing invoked old school rafting at its best. But he was on the river for more than just for the rowing and whitewater. Miller reveled in the natural surroundings. And after a day on the river, he proved a model of efficiency in getting the night's camp up and running smoothly.
He looked the part of the outdoorsman, his wiry, tan, well-muscled body set off by a shock of pre-mature white hair.
As the trip unfolded, he revealed his family's unique connection the Rogue. It's detailed in his grandmother's diary, a copy of which he gave me, chronicling a four-month long Miller family stay on the river in 1929. It proved a fascinating read.

What's With All The MTB 'Tude?
 
Many longtime local mountain bike riders are scratching their heads wondering what's behind the current rise in blatant bad attitude on trails. You know, fast riders scowling as they bear down on you at mach speed, riders not warning you when wanting to pass or passing, riders screaming at you to get out of their way, riders not yielding the right-of-way on hills, etc.
There are probably all sorts of reasons for the growth in "'tude" but many more reasons for putting an end to it. We have a tremendous resource in the local trail system, so why ruin the good vibe with "'tude." Smile and enjoy being out there, greet fellow riders and keep the fun in the local mountain biking scene.

The best riding is still ahead of usMore Techy Trail? You Bet
 
Thanks to the efforts of the 150 volunteers and 21 trail crew leaders who showed up to work during COTA's annual Spring Fling, there's a lot of new trail under construction as well as some revitalized existing trail and some promising reroutes.
One of the more interesting reroutes is on COD just above the Inn of The Seventh Mountain on the south side of Century Drive. There, a relatively boring and sandy section of trail has been blocked off and a reroute offering much more technical challenge has been added.
"The Forest Service was much more amenable to having a more technical section of trail when we walked the land to lay out the reroute," said COTA trail building and maintenance honcho, Chris Kratsch.

Breaking Up Is Hard To DoGetting down on Gray Butte
By now every road bike geek in America is in a tizzy about the lawsuit- countersuit action between Greg Lemond and bicycle maker Trek. The situation is as exciting for rabid roadies as those Hollywood star split-ups are for celebrity worshipers.
For those of you who aren't in the know, here's how it all came down. On March 20, former Tour de France winner, and American cycling legend, Greg Lemond filed a 41-page lawsuit against bicycle maker Trek claiming, in essence, that Trek wasn't paying attention to the Lemond bike line. The suit can be read online at www.velonews.com.
Trek, which has manufactured the Lemond line of road bikes since 1995 and built it into a $15 million business, struck back with a counter-suit on April 8.

It's time to ride againYour worst fears have been realized as I'm back to guest author this column for two weeks while regular columnist Kevin Grove is in Vietnam on business. What kind of business I don't know. Let's leave it at that.
Trail Talk
One of the best things to happened this past winter was an increase in the number of mountain bike riders riding the Maston Allotment trail. As a result, the trail has become, except for a couple of spots, much more packed and enjoyable.
And what with the cool weather extending so far into April, people looking for an easy, mostly flat, trail to start getting back into mountain bike riding shape should consider a Maston outing.