Gorge Roubaix is an irresistible weekend of gravel racing set in the picture perfect hills above The Dalles, Oregon. Entire volumes could be written about the simple beauty of the place, but I’m tired, so just picture perfect emerald green rolling hills threaded with perfect ribbons of tarmac and gravel then dotted with abandoned school houses and farms and you will get the idea.

Rodeo arrived stocked with a huge dose of enthusiasm and a bushel of fresh kits that needed to be raced in for the first time ever. Peder Horner, Chris Magnotta, and myself (Stephen Fitzgerald) all signed up for the 3s race with high hopes and legs prepped by months of training and copious burritos.

Day 1 delivered on those hopes with very strong riding by the team. Peder nabbed an excellent 5th place and Chris rounded out the top 10 while I suffered a double flat that saw me finishing alone minutes back. We all threw some good punches and put in some big digs.

One could dive into the blow by blow of the day, but in the end we showed up, pedaled as hard as we good, and dodged as many curve balls as possible. Bike racing is dynamic and unpredictable, and that is what makes it interesting and beautiful.

Here are select photos of the day. Thanks to Rod Hart and Fairlight Fitzgerald for coming out, cheering us on, taking photos, and dispersing Trail Nuggets to the hungry peloton.

Tomorrow is day 2. We’ll hope to improve our tactics and have some better luck with our gear, but the weekend has already been a success.