Darrin Joos works at our Hollywood store. He along with a few other BG employees headed out to the small town of Echo Oregon this weekend. I asked him to recap the event and here is what he had to say.

At Echo Red to Red

I would like to begin by thanking Lloyd and Lois Piercy for the generous use of their property and Brian (and crew) for the effort they put into organization and production of this awesome race!

After a little confusion finding I-84 east from the shop (cyclists make horrible freeway navigators) and a mid-way overnight stay at the wonderful Hillview Inn in Rufus (they have an extensive collection of DVD’s for your viewing pleasure, we chose “Garden State”) , I found myself at the start of the Echo Red to Red mountain bike race. The town of Echo, OR was kind enough to close a section of downtown to host a crowd of spandex-clad riders matching the town population in size.
We began with a neutral start through town, a “pace” truck pulled us along (at a pace just barely sustainable on my single speed) until we hit a gravel farm road and an open invitation to GIV’R! I planned early to follow a stronger rider (John Dorfer), it paid off well. John powered to the right side and shot us past a large chunk of the field, putting us in a decent position for the start of the single track. The early part of the race favored strong riders who could power off the trail through the rough ground and make a pass. I followed John through a few, and then had to retreat.
Now, on my own, I sat in and passed as many as I could on the climbs (being small has some advantages!). The trail was dry and fast, the new tires (from Bontrager) that I installed the day before were designed for these conditions, and it showed. I was carrying speed as if on pavement and clinging to the off camber like a booger… a fast booger.
There was plenty of twisting turns and ups and downs to challenge all of us out there. Cut out, life size cowboys popped up here and there to give us a “good ‘ol boy” welcome. Under one of the bridge crossings, the “Duke” himself (John Wayne) gave his support. I was overwhelmed with the amount of single track built on this (private) ranch. I cannot imagine the amount of hours it must have taken but man, it sure made for a sweet course.
The extra section added for the Cat1/Pro/single speed field was full of homemade bridges and obstacles. A log bridge was placed at one creek crossing that prompted a few riders to go for an unplanned swim!
The 28.8 mile course looped back into downtown Echo for the finish. We came into the final stretch on pavement and I was set up with another single speed rider (Tony Pereira) for an amazing sprint finish, you know “Cavendish” style. Tony was on a Cat 1 rider’s wheel and I was right on his. Tony is a stronger rider than me, but I was planning to use my positional advantage and beat him to the line. We were tucked in, speeding for the finish. I was getting ready to attack, trying to time it right, Tony was looking back, ready to go. I checked once more for the finish distance, then… BAM! I crossed Tony’s wheel, throwing myself to the pavement. I held onto my bike while sliding then jumped up into a full run and remounted. I sprinted as hard as I could to close the gap, but Tony crossed first. I finished in 9th place; I will take any top ten I can get, it was a memorable finish to a great race and a great day.