Bend Area Cycling Enthusiasts (BACE)

Hooray, Hooray! Dirty Freehub is heading back to Lakeview, Oregon to launch our All Access® program with a fun party. We have fingers (and toes) crossed for good weather so we can toss in a popup gravel bicycle ride. Plus, you can join us for the Tour De Outback which is a fun, local gravel bike ride.

This non-BACE event is a great weekend, coupling a string of events on and off the bike. Friday night is a pizza party. Saturday is the Tour De Outback event. Saturday night is the All Access Launch Party. Sunday is the Popup group ride. You can find all the details on our website including how to register.

Where is Lakeview? Southern Oregon. Lakeview to Bend: 2:50 hours/min of driving.

What’s so cool about Lakeview? Lakeview is all about contrast: huge bodies of water next to dry, sagebrush steeppe (also know as the Sagebrush Sea). This area is famous for birding with the Warner Wetlands and home to loads of pronghorn. The area is also rich in Wild Wild West history with a whole lot of country charm. Riding conditions? Lakeview area is loaded with small, gravel roads.

What is All Access? These are gravel routes with online Ride Guides and printed guides that are designed for everyone. The routes are designed with inclusivity in mind; the guides feature routes that are shorter, have minimal elevation gain, are easily accessible (not as remote), and traverse wider roads. This makes finding and enjoying great gravel bicycle routes in Oregon easier and more enjoyable for everyone.

Mandatory trip coordination/planning Zoom session on June 1, 7 pm.
Route map Photo 1 Photo 2
This 5-day gravel self-contained bike packing loop tour starts and ends in Jordan Valley, OR. Meet in Jordan Valley the evening of June 20. Camping or lodging options info TBD. Along the bike tour we'll camp at Three Forks hot spring first night, cycle eastward on a portion of the Owyhee Uplands Backcountry Byway, and return north via Bachman Grade and Flint Creek Roads to Jordan Valley. 5 days (4 nights) of riding with ample afternoon time to relax or explore near camp. Daily riding mileage 25 - 35 miles per day. We will have plenty of time to soak in the vibe of this amazing volcanic plateau and river canyon landscape. Access to stream or reservoir water daily.

Tour pace intended to be relaxed (anticipate 6 - 10 mph, we're not in a rush), but not effortless, that includes one steep descent down and ascent up and out of the hot spring (hike a bike is likely). Suitable for conditioned cyclists ready for daily ascents and descents mostly less than 5% gradient, (and a couple more short steeper climbs as well) while riding atop the plateau. Exploring nature will be our goal, not being gnarly, but be willing to make a steady sustainable effort where needed, whether on the bike or off! If you enjoy botanizing, geology pondering, bird watching, and being in awe, this trip is for you. The trip requires participants having bike touring and camping skills, bike handling skills on gravel roads, and a safety first commitment to staying together with the group and willingness to cooperate with group consensus and trip organizer decisions that reduce risks for injury or searching.

Organizer has not personally scouted the roads or conditions, but we have good information about the roads we'll ride. We will explore together and conduct the trip in a safety first manner mindful of weather, riding, and participant conditions. The roads are maintained packed gravel, and largely passable for high clearance 2-wheel drive vehicles.

Here’s the full Ride Guide with all the cool photos (in case you just don’t believe us): https://dirtyfreehub.org/routes/oregon/bullard-canyon/

Now do make sure you save a little energy and time for the end so you can wander through the little town of Lakeview. And what else do we have in store for this weekend? You can read all about it on our Events page: https://dirtyfreehub.org/events/. Hint hint, you will want to ride Saturday the locally run event called Tour De Outback.

Where is Lakeview? 175 miles from Bend (2 hours and 45 minutes of driving). What is a Popup Ride? It's when we check the weather for an area and announce a ride about 7 days before. The whole idea is to ride in GREAT weather. Now things can change .... but right now, the weather is looking just perfect!

The event is free however we do recommend $20 donation to Dirty Freehub. (Here's where you can donate.)

Our ride is not meant to be a race but a social outing. After all, it’s nice to chat and get to know other people. The goal is to have fun, meet other people, and sneak in a ride.

You MUST have the route downloaded and are able to use your device or phone. I plan on riding about 11 mph. We will pull out of the start, exactly on the posted start time.

If the weather takes a dive, you can assume we are canceling but we will also post a message on the Meetup page.

Sorry to say, but this is NOT a no drop ride. (Gosh, there are a lot of NOs in that last sentence.) but we WILL regroup a few times. This ride is also unsupported.

Text or call Linda at 541 550 8930 with any questions.
To participate:

1. You must be registered for the event and as such agree to the Meetup and BACE rules. These include one’s concurrence that cycling can be dangerous and cause serious bodily injury or even death. The organizers of this group and its members will not be held responsible for the actions of any participant at any event.
2. Please do not bring pets.
3. You must wear a helmet.
4. You must be an adult.
5. You must be self-sufficient.