Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
Alex Schultz was the first rider to finish the 670-mile Oregon Timber Trail race over the weekend, completing the grueling route in 6 days, 12 hours, and 44 minutes. Find a short written reflection and a few photos from his ride here…
Words by Alex Schultz, photos by Old Man Mountain
Riding and racing across an entire state on a singletrack-focused route is one of the greatest experiences in bikepacking. Some even call these journeys life-changing. There is a draw to these routes that brings us together to do hard things. The Oregon Timber Trail is one of those events that will change you.
The OTTR is rugged, relentless, and untouched in many parts. Several sections of the trail have debris scattered all over, including downed trees, sticks, burned soil, and re-vegetation overgrowth. Many parts of the trail are incredible singletrack, from technical rock riding to flowy moist soil. The good parts seem to make up for the bad ones. I really hope this trail is completely rebuilt in parts for future use.
The race starts off hard, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It is 200 brutal miles to the first resupply in Chemult. This is Oregon backcountry; I saw not a single soul the first 200 miles! You get some incredible descents and lots of HAB. Everything about the first 200 is the definition of hard; embrace that feeling.
The resupply points get a little closer together after Chemult and are way more attainable. Get through that first 200, and you will be rewarded. Keep your head high in the bad parts and always look forward to the fun parts; you will eventually get there.
I ran into some issues with my shock on the bike just around 100 miles in as I got up onto the boulder field on Winter Rim. Air had transferred from the positive to the negative chambers and couldn’t be fixed in a shop. A replacement shock was eventually shipped overnight to Sisters, as I did not want to waste a day sitting around Oakridge waiting for it. Despite having to ride with my pedals in the dirt, I tried to stay positive over those 300+ miles of no shock.
Despite the mechanical issues and debris on the trail, I will be back. This is an amazing trail, and it needs more attention than it currently has. This could be a triple crown-level event. Let’s spread the word and get people to realize how great this thing is.
Further Reading
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