Day 2

Stu, using skills only Stu has, managed to procure us a mansion for our stay in Oregon, complete with trampoline, telescope, stunning views, more bedrooms than we could ever want, and a keg (don't worry, it'll only be used by those over 21). After a twelve hour slog up from the bay, we arrived in a torrential downpour with only an afterthought of light left on the horizon. The last real meal was a distant eight hours in the rearview mirror and the whole crew was ready for bed. Unfortunately, it turned out that finding a key under a loose paving stone was easier said than done; a big house equates to lots of stones. A few hastily prepared almond butter sandwiches and a handful of the ever present popchips later, we were finally ready to sleep.

Lounging on the patio with a cool wind blowing, expansive views of the Columbia River, and music playing softly in the background Stu proclaimed today that "it was starting to feel like bro camp". The main condoned activity for the day was a spin along the TT course, but as Stu would soon find out , bro camp would have to wait a few hours to be officially coronated on a muddy gravel road deep in the misty mountains surrounding Mt. Hood. The five "bears" as we shall call them (Tim, Bryan, Sam, Matt and Trevor) were sent in the rental Dodge to recon the most epic course in US domestic racing. Words cannot properly describe how awesome the roads, climbs, and views are, so I leave you with this Velonews gallery from 2011 (unfortunately there's not as much snow this year) to contemplate.

The high profile logging scene in the Oregon hills is the reason the roads for stage four exist. However, as Bryan discovered, not all the roads used by the loggers are paved. We took a thirty minute detour from recon, and I'm glad to say the mysterious ticking noise that resulted was only a very pesky stick.

Racing starts tomorrow. Morale is high. Bring it on.

(audio is removed because of teenage language)