This April, Dirty Freehub invites you to be involved in the Development Grand Depart of the Deschutes River Rambler (DR2), a 300 mile bikepacking route that traces one of Oregon’s most iconic rivers from its source at Little Lava Lake down to its confluence with the Columbia River.
The route winds its way downriver, sticking to as much gravel as possible, as close to the river as possible. Much of the route rambles through forests and canyons from the Cascade mountains down to the Warm Springs reservation. Here, with minimal access to the riverside, we climb high up into the dry Oregon Outback and gain a healthy reminder of the importance of water in central Oregon, before a cruising descent back to the river again in Maupin. From there, we’ll tackle the most challenging section of the route, hiking through 7 gullies once spanned by trestles on the otherwise cruisy downhill grade of an old rail line to the Columbia River.
We are putting all the details together in a Route Guide, which you can find here. Route points of interest, such as campgrounds and resupplies with mileages, can be found in the Route Guide, along with some sketched out daily itineraries depending on riding pace:
The broad goal of this “event” is to build this route into a 5-Star gravel cycling experience and post it on the Dirty Freehub website for all gravel riders to access. For this development grand depart we are seeking out adventurous bikepackers who want to contribute to the community development of the route. In classic grand depart fashion, there is no official riding pace or peloton, just a start date and time to coalesce those interested in joining. By taking part, you are expected to contribute in some fashion to the further development of the route, giving your feedback, photos, etc., at the conclusion of your ride so that we can improve it as much as possible before it becomes a five-star route on Dirty Freehub.
We may also attempt some trail improvements in the 7 gullies section, either by clearing a little trail or by building a few rock cairns to help future riders find the safest paths to hike. If you are intimidated/curious about this section, here is a good video of cyclists traversing it a few years ago.
What is a Grand Depart?
A grand depart is a group start, but it is not a group ride. It is a group of bikepackers who meet to ride the route leaving at the same time. Every rider is responsible for their own route finding, safety, resupply, and schedule. There is absolutely, positively, no support provided.
Self-supported bikepacking is a serious endeavor not to be taken lightly. It is a true adventure which means it can be dangerous, hard, exhausting, confusing, scary, fun, miserable, painful, rewarding and yes, deadly. Please know your abilities, strengths and weakness and prepare yourself, bike and kit accordingly.
Logistics
Cost:
The event is free. But great routes and guides like this are not built without cost. Thus, we encourage you to donate back to the gravel community with time, talent or money. But more importantly, we develop routes like this to provide a positive economic impact to the small towns and communities along the route. Spend where you ride!
Registration:
We strongly suggest that you register! Click here. This way, we can keep you informed of any route changes, logistics challenges, etc. Even if you don’t attend this year, we will keep you “in the loop” for next year.
Meeting Place
Little Lava Lake Boat Launch (Lat/Long: 43.910577, -121.761559)
Route:
Deschute River Rambler (DR2)
Grand Depart Organizer:
Sean Grealish
