Bent

By Bob Woodward
This past Sunday mountain biking the loop trail around Shevlin Park I came on a young girl standing beside her bike at a trail/road.
“Waiting for your mom and dad, “I asked.
“Just my mom, “she replied, “we became separated and they told me at school that you should always stay in one place if something like this happens.”

On average, about 140 human-caused wildfires occur in the Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests every year. Through the first two weeks of July, firefighters responded to almost 30 such fires (when the stats include fires on private lands and rural fire departments the number plumps up to 90 blazes) and while all were contained quickly – the largest burned about 70 acres — most were easily preventable.

What makes the annual Tour des Chutes unique among local organized road bike rides is that it’s a ride with several purposes. One is to raise money for cancer research. The second is to honor those who have passed on because of the disease and, three, to honor those who have survived it. Then, there’s the added plus of it serving as a venue where you see and ride with old friends, some of whom you may not have seen for years.
Such was the case of my running into one of Bend’s original mountain bikers (there were a dozen of us back in the day) who had left town for employment and now 25 years later has returned. He was riding for a friend going through cancer treatments.
And that is really the heart and soul of the Tour de Chutes: honoring those friends and loved ones. There are numerous mileage options for Tour riders yet I’ve spent the past six Tours riding the 7.5 miler with kids, parents, grandparents and people who simply want a quick spin around Bend’s Westside.
There’s something special about this part of the Tour which and this year it featured riders ranging in age from 2 to 82. When asked a three and a half year old girl let it be known that when she grows up, she wants to be a fireman. Cool.