# Corvallis



## jmacy (Feb 11, 2005)

Will be moving to Corvallis around the first of May. Could someone please give me a run down of the road scene around Corvallis. I am a mediocre cat 4 crit racer with a full time job and a family. BTW, coming from Chicago. Thanks.


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## wasfast (Feb 3, 2004)

jmacy said:


> Will be moving to Corvallis around the first of May. Could someone please give me a run down of the road scene around Corvallis. I am a mediocre cat 4 crit racer with a full time job and a family. BTW, coming from Chicago. Thanks.


Lots of riders and a very healthy riding scene in general. Race wise though, there aren't any clubs based there although a moderate number of racers. EWEB is the most popular I suppose, based in Eugene. There is also the OSU cycling club which is also healthy and always has a good supply of young folks to put the hurt on you.

As far as organizd rides, you can check out the Mid Valley Bicycle Club. While not a race organization, their rides are the largest regular rides in the area. It's not surprising to have 8-10 racers show up to do the ride at their own speed. http://www.mvbc.com.

The Oregon race scene is very active with cyclocross gaining enormous popularity in the fall. See http://www.obra.org for the schedule and list of clubs. 

Enjoy Corvallis. I lived there 20 years and it's nice town if you don't mind being off the beaten path a bit. HP and OSU are the dominant employers.


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## Spinnerman (Oct 21, 2004)

I forget the name of the bike shop in downtown Corvallis, but there is a regular weeknight hammerfest up Mary's Peak. Mary's Peak is the highest climb in the coastal range.

Go to www.obra.com for the racing information. Very, very good racing scene in Oregon.


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## asterisk (Oct 21, 2003)

Wasfast pretty much nailed it. There are a few riders on teams based out of Salem and Eugene here but no Corvallis teams. For most races you'll be driving to Eugene or Portland.

If you've spent a lot of your time in Chicago you'll be in for a shock moving to Corvallis... a great town, just small. There are around five bike shops, a large number for such a small town, primarily supported by commuters and college kids. For road stuff check out Peak Sports, Corvallis Cyclery and Bike n' Hike. The other two do mostly mountain/commuter stuff... Cyclotopia and Full Cycles.

Lots of great riding though, a couple local hills/climbs... Mary's Peak as Spinnerman mentioned and the road through Mc Donald Research Forest. For some good routes check out the MVBC's webpage. I haven't been on any of their rides as I usually just ride with the college team but I've passed them before and they usually have a good turn out.


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## ACree (Feb 5, 2006)

All good information. I went to school there, and still miss the riding, both road and mtn. The road riding is arguably the best in Oregon. Lots of group rides - 10 am sat at the downtown Beanery used to be the standard. No idea if it still is. You won't be a Cat 4 for long if you get into the road riding there, and you'll probably give up crits for road races.


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## wasfast (Feb 3, 2004)

The meeting place for the midweek rides is Peak Sports down on 2nd. 

The MVBC rides all start at the Beanery on 9th and Circle. WIntertime, they start at 9:00am Saturdays. After the time change, that becomes 8:00 as the weather also gets better. 

I was always surprised how many could show up in a town of less than 50K people. In summer, it's not unusual to have 75+ riders in attendance. A very good group but most aren't racers, just nice folks that like to ride.


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## jmacy (Feb 11, 2005)

Thanks for all the great info.


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## bcm119 (May 22, 2002)

There is a fairly low-key summer crit series in eugene, an easy 55 minute drive from Corvallis. They happen every Tuesday evening from June through August, check the racing schedule at obra.org for more info. Its a nice wide flat crit, with decent competition but nothing too serious. I try to go at least twice a month after work. I live in Corvallis, PM me if you're interested in car pooling sometime this summer. Also, Eugene has a hill-climb time trial every Tuesday in May. Its short and casual, and lots of fun (and painful).

There is a group of racers who race for the EWEB team, but live in Corvallis. They are mostly 3's and 4's, and they ride T/Th evenings all summer. Saturdays you have your choice of the large group ride at 8am or the OSU team ride at 10. Both are fun and well attended, although OSU attendance drops off after school is out. 

Corvallis has a great cycling community, great roads and training routes, and Oregon in general has a very active racing scene... besides the rainy winters and logging trucks its a fantastic place.


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## chiho (Jun 27, 2004)

There are alot of good rides in the area: you won't get bored. The wind out in the valley can be a bit much during summer afternoons, but the hills are usually more sheltered. The roads are typically quite good, with little traffic. Much better than the Bend area, where I live now. Check out the riding outside of Brownsville (toward/beyond Sweet Home as well as the Coburg Hills): it is some of the best in the state. Rides I particularly like are Mary's Peak, Kings Valley/Pedee loop, W. Shotgun Creek, Albany/River Road, and the Jefferson/Buena Vista ferry ride. Pick up one of the free Benton County cycling maps, and also the Albany/mid-Willamette Valley map. The only road race in the area was last weekend at Kings Valley, but Silverton is coming up, as is the Willamette Valley stage race. Both are within 1 hour's drive.


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## sivart (Apr 26, 2005)

Just thought I would share this picture of Mary's Peak.

View attachment 53105


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## asterisk (Oct 21, 2003)

Is that route coming in from Decker to 34 then the entrance to the park?


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## dawgcatching (Apr 26, 2004)

asterisk said:


> Is that route coming in from Decker to 34 then the entrance to the park?


It looks like it. That right/left S-bend is the Decker Rd. descent, before the left hand turn onto 34.


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