Despite heat and road sign vandalism, Cycle Oregon bicyclists ...

Byline: Tim Christie The Register-Guard

Clouds sheltered 700 bicyclists who set out early Saturday for a 69-mile ride from Eugene to Oakland on the first leg of a Cycle Oregon weekend ride.

The skies eventually cleared and temperatures climbed higher than 100 degrees in Oakland by midafternoon, but most riders already were ensconced at a group campground by then.

That's not to say the ride went off without problems.

Ride coordinators who drove the course early Saturday morning found someone had switched some of the bright pink directional signs marking the route. The vandals also had posted their own, professionally printed warning signs mocking those posted earlier by ride organizers.

At the first rest stop in Lorane, bike mechanic Kelly Aicher of the Bike Gallery said he patched at least five tires punctured by tacks.

The narrow, winding and scenic roads in the Lorane Valley have long been popular with bicyclists, but the risks of sharing the road with cars and trucks were made starkly clear when well-known Eugene cyclist Jane Higdon was killed May 31 after she fell under a log truck on Territorial Highway.

On Friday, Cycle Oregon organizers posted signs along the route warning motorists that 2,000 bicyclists would be on the road Saturday (the actual number was about 700). During the night, at least some of those signs were replaced with signs warning bicyclists that "2,000 motorists will be on the roadways." One sign read, "Attention bicyclists: Find a safer road." Another read, "If I wanted to travel at 10 mph, I would be on a bike."

Ride coordinators were out early to fix the directional markers and remove taunting signs.

One handwritten cardboard sign remained posted high on a telephone pole on a shoulderless section of Territorial Highway, reading: "It is stupid to ride a bicycle on this road."

But, aside from those who suffered flat tires, the bicyclists were oblivious to the affronts of ride critics.

Cycle Oregon is in its 19th year. Its main event is a weeklong ride each September, but three years ago, organizers added an annual weekend ride.

This year, with high heat in the forecast, organizers moved up the start time at Alton Baker Park from 8 a.m. to 6:30 a.m., and most were on the road by 7:30 a.m.

As the long line of bicyclists made their way through west Eugene, up Bailey Hill and down Lorane and Territorial highways toward Drain, ride organizers kept close tabs on the riders and the course.

They patrolled the course in cars and on bikes, keeping in constant contact via cell phone and ham radio. Two Oregon State Police motorcycle officers, four ambulances and four "SAG" (Support and Gear) wagons also traveled the route.

At least one bicyclist fell and suffered a nasty road rash on his lower leg, but no other injuries were reported.

At Anna Drain County Park in Drain, riders made their third rest stop, just more than halfway to Oakland.

Most riders were on sleek road bikes and wore tight-fitting bike shorts, loud bicycle jerseys and cleated riding shoes.

Judy Shribman of Portland, making her first ride, went against the grain, riding a fat-tired mountain bike with a plastic milk crate on the rack. She was enjoying herself but didn't like the sugary snack food offered at the rest stops.

"The food sucks," she said. "Too much sugar. I expected better."

Michael Rollins of Portland, making his first Cycle Oregon ride, said it was "a piece of cake." He was glad for clouds.

"I'd much rather have the overcast," he said. "If it was direct sun, we'd be burning up."

Jamail McKinney, a 68-year-old retired accountant from Oak Grove, is a Cycle Oregon veteran, having missed only three of the rides in 19 years.

"I'm hanging in there," he said. "It keeps me young."

The riders will pedal back to Eugene today.