Ride: Prineville High Desert 400 Organizers: John Henry Maurice and Mark Janeba Date: Saturday, May 14, 2011 Start Time: 6:00 AM Registration Time: 05:15AM-05:45AM Start Location: Executive Inn, Prineville  (Note: We have NOT made arrangements for non-motel guests to use the motel lot.) Address: 1050 Northeast 3rd Street, Prineville, OR (541) 447-4152 ‎ Finish By: 09:00 (9:00AM, Sunday) Entry Fee: $30 ($35 for non-RUSA members). Checks should be payable to "Oregon Randonneurs". Driving Directions: From the mid-Willamette Valley, Hwy 22 east from Salem to US 20, continue east to Sisters, then east on Hwy 126 to Prineville.  The Executive Inn is right on the main highway on the east side of town. Yes, lights, leg bands and vest/sash are required!

A brief word on the remoteness of this course:

• There are virtually no services beyond those described below, and some of those will be closed in the later hours of the ride. The longest gap between controls is from John Day (Mile 135) to Mitchell (mile 205); this portion includes the towns of Mt. Vernon and Dayville, though the Dayville store closes at 7 p.m.  Note the staffed controls (with food provided) at miles 93 (Izee) and 205 (Mitchell).
  
• For the first half of the course, one will see very few passing vehicles - which is great, but hitching a ride may not be possible, even if it were advisable.
• Fortunately, there are very few intersections with other paved roads on the remotest part of the course.  Following the yellow center line will get you to US 395 at mile 118, then turn left on US 26 at mile 136.
  
• The route is entirely paved.  There are no serious pothole problems (few potholes at all), and the pavement is pretty smooth for most of the route, though there are coarse portions.  US 26 is very nice, though the shoulder in the John Day valley is rough.  I pre-rode on my wider tires (27mm rear, 25mm front) for comfort, but don't think one would suffer unduly with 23s.
  
• Cell phone coverage will be spotty at best on most of the course.  We have gotten coverage in Post and Paulina, none at Izee.  There is no cell coverage on Ochoco pass.  Cell coverage in Mitchell is doubtful.
• There are no toilets between Paulina (mile 55) and John Day (mile 136), but there are bushes available.
• This is a three-bottle ride, unless you usually carry three bottles, in which case you'll probably want to carry four.

Course details below, read April 30 pre-ride report for further detail

Ride start is at the Executive Inn in Prineville (address above).  The Executive Inn is inexpensive and friendly, and much better than a "bargain motel" even though it is a bargain  Rooms have wireless internet, coffee maker, fridge & microwave, and big flat-screen TVs.  The fixtures and furniture all appear new.

The route startes southeasterly from Prineville on state route 380, almost immediately climbing the Col de l'Aurore (cat 3; elev gain 1200 ft), then descending into the Post-Paulina Crooked River valley.

The Post store beckons at 25 miles, but the hours changed after 4/23:  Open at 10 on Saturdays, 7 a.m. every other day, you won't want to wait.  Follow the gently rolling valley to mile 55 and the first control at the Paulina store.  Note that food options are very limited at Paulina's tiny country store.  You may want to have some "carry food."

The Col de la Contreé (cat 3, elev gain 1050 feet) is the second of two summits at 79 miles, then the route rolls mostly down to the staffed control at Izee at mile 93.  We will have a variety of food and drink at this control.
Around this point the topography becomes a bit less wide open, and the route climbs through some wide canyons...

...and then summits the Col de la Neige (cat 2.5, elev gain 1400 ft ) at 104 miles.  This is the high point of the day at 5390 feet. 

A small descent and a long flattish bit follow until the route reaches US 395 just south of ??Devine?? summit.

(There's still snow alongside the road in May, though the pavement is dry.  The photo above is from February, heading toward the 395 junction.)

Next, the route turns north on US 395, climbing only 315 feet from the junction with 395 to Devine? Summit (5150 feet), then begins a long descent into the John Day Valley.
The open control in John Day is at mile 135, where there are a wide range of services.

The route turns west from John Day on Hwy 26 and begins a 40 mile stroll through the rolling John Day Valley, passing through the towns of Mt. Vernon and Dayville, both of which have services, though the the Dayville store now closes at 7 p.m. on Saturdays.

At the end of the John Day valley, Hwy 26 enters a cut in the bluffs, and begins the climb up the Col de la Chaussure (cat 3, 2177 feet but spread over 24 miles), also known as Keyes Creek Summit. 
The steepest parts are at the very start and very end of this climb.

For most of us, it will be dark as we climb, but the mostly full moon will be up before the sun has set.

There is a staffed control in Mitchell at 205 miles, where the store will be closed for most riders.  We'll have some hot soup at the control.  Then comes the final, and hardest climb, the Col d'Ochoco, 2365 feet of climbing in 12 miles (cat. 2), which summits at mile 221.
Then it's 30 miles mostly gradually downhill back to Prineville.

Some statistics:

Total climbing on the named climbs, 8,500 feet.  Overall total elevation gain estimated at about 11,000 feet, compared to 7,000 for the Three Capes 300k - but note that DeLorme Topo USA (which always seems to exaggerate by a substantial multiple) reports 21,000 feet of climbing for this ride, compared to 13,700 for the Three Capes 300k.

Sunrise 5:37 a.m. in Prineville, Sunset 8:15 p.m. in John Day.  At a Lanterne Rouge / minimum pace, sunset will arrive a few miles before John Day.  At a 12.5 mph pace, sunset arrives as one exits the John Day Valley near the entrance of Picture Gorge.  At a 15 mph pace, sunset arrives on the final climb (Ochoco Pass).
Moonrise 5:30 p.m.  Moonset 3:30 a.m.  (approx)  Moon 90% full.

Some climate data:

Further Resources:

Here's the final cue sheet in .xls format.
A route map and profile from Delorme's Topo USA

The route on MapMyRide.com: http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/30526824
(Note MapMyRide's climb categories are generous; the ones given in the route description above are based on comparison with LeTour cols.  Do note that the precipitous canyons shown on MapMyRide's profile at miles 101 and 225 are fictions.)

Need more info about Prineville services? Check the Prineville Chamber of Commerce website

All riders should be familiar with and abide by rider expectations.

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