The Sun Always Shines on the Tour

Even when it doesn’t.  Tour de Fronds 2018 got off under uncharacteristically heavy skies with a light, misting drizzle and 50-degree temperature. By mid-afternoon, it was sunny and comfortably warmer.

The sun always shines on the Tour because of the sunny dispositions of the volunteers who radiate the enthusiasm the community of Powers exudes for this event.  The Friday night spaghetti feed has pretty darn good entertainment – this year it was Rob and Jeani Hamilton as well as the group Meadow and Clover. People who were strangers when they met last year - or ten years ago - meet here again to talk about the route they rode last year, the route they’re going to ride this year and how tough it can be to choose between the six or seven choices available, depending on whether nature has been unduly harsh on a particular route – this year the Big Tree route was not ridable due to blow-down.

The Tour has been around for over 20 years, but really hit its stride this year when 306 riders headed up the Coquille River.  Look for registration for the 2019 Tour to be limited to the first 300 riders who sign up. Too many same-day registrations this year put a strain on the starting line volunteers.  The lesson is sign up early to avoid the cut-off.

The route over Agness Pass and down to the Rogue River (The Agness Store route, 71 miles) saw a big increase in participation and is bound to continue that trend as people discover just how good it is to sit on a patio overlooking the Rogue for a lunch at the Singing Springs resort.  You can do this route comfortably on 32s. I did it on 28s last year and they work, too. On the post-lunch ride back up to Agness Pass via a different route the cold-water spring 2/3 of the way up is an excellent goal to fix on during your heavy breathing.

Charles Mahaffey, age 77+, rode the century named after him.  If he keeps this up, somebody is going to have to let some of the air out his tires so more of us can keep him in sight.  Truly a very pleasant gentleman. Meeting and talking to him at the spaghetti dinner is a treat.

The post-ride dinner, which is served from noon to 6pm is a test of willpower.  Can I possibly avoid doubling or tripling the calories I just burned? Probably not, if this year’s dessert table is repeated next year.

Honestly, driving out of Powers is the low-point of the weekend.  However many days until the next Tour are too many. This community is a community of many good people working hard to put on an event that helps so many local causes in a way that does make the wait a bit too long.

-JB

Enjoy these descriptions and reflections on the Tour de Fronds.  Visit our Facebook Page to connect with other riders.  If you have pictures or reflections you would like to share on this page, please e-mail them to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

TdF 2017 Statistics

• The best one day cycling event in Oregon.
• We had a great time, we loved the ride, the people in town were great and we will be back.
• Excellent as always, beautiful ride, friendly volunteers, great support and post-ride dinner.
• Powers does a very nice job of welcoming the riders. They should take pride in the job they do. Like the encouraging signs and the bikes along the way.
• My first time here, but won't be my last. Course was beautiful and well marked. Well run and I felt like volunteers were looking after me. Thanks!
• The choice of rides is fabulous. Quite a variety of lengths and levels. It is very well organized. The riders have exceptional support. You feel safe even if you ride alone. It is a ride, not a race, thus there is time to treasure the quiet beauty of nature.
• This was our first TDF. It was really great. I felt like the whole town of Powers came out to greet us and participate. The route is amazing; the Glendale to Powers paved road is the kind of route I fantasize about riding on my road bike. We will be back again!
• The whole ride was wonderful. I felt like I was the Queen of England - so much hospitality, good food and special attention. I loved having coffee at the rest stops. Someone even purchased gluten free parmesan cheese for the post-race meal. The route was beautiful and traffic-free. It was a lovely day.
• Long drive from Hood River, but we were really happy to have made it for this event! We've been bragging it up to our local friends.
• This is one of the prettiest bike rides you will find anywhere. I've ridden several Ride the Rockies and Cycle Oregon rides and this is as nice as any leg on them.
• Excellent homemade snacks and friendly local folks!!!
• Food and volunteers are outstanding. Excellent Gluten free options
• Loved the live music! I love, love, LOVED the musicians playing at Daphne Grove. That was a perfect respite. More of that, please!
• This is the most amazing ride! Thank you so much for putting this on and really putting the whole town's heart into it. I am still gushing at work about how amazing it was, how I did the entire 117 miles on home-made monster cookies and pickle juice. How rest stops had such a variety of every kind of food you could think of. At one stop (near the end, I forget which), they were very apologetic about how they were out of "everything." And then they kept pulling up, "we have grapes, and pretzels, and bars, and gels, and gaiter aide . . ." You have more food at a stand where they're running out than many events that cost much more do all day. The scenery is fantastic, the SAG fantastic (loved Moe's Bike Shop's bubbles). I will be back for sure - and bring more friends.
• As far as I'm concerned, you can't improve on perfection. Only negative about the Tour rides are that there are approx. 363 days between them.
  
  

• Thank you for another wonderful ride!  See you next year
• The homemade food—Wow!  I haven’t eaten so much wonderfulness made by so many talented hands! Thank you!
• Terrific job, volunteers!! It was a well-oiled operations and fun!
• Best ride in Oregon?? Yes, I think so!
• So much fun! Thank you so much for all your efforts to make this so wonderful.  I’ll return next year for certain!
• Awesome/helpful/fun/beautiful/safe/.  Thank you.
• The live acoustic music at several spots was sublime!  Thank you for a very well organized and altogether grand day out!  Spectacular scenery, predictably – unpredictable weather and superior support.  Who would ask for anything more?
• Great Ride.  Love the snacks, I am always so full on this ride.  Quick thinking to get bonfire going during the rain.  Extremely thankful for the garbage bags and scissors, helped warm me up a bit.  
• Thank you for…the gluten free options, the well stocked aid stations, the great dinner, the great event, location, and scenery.  The rain wasn’t great but no fault of TdF!
• Well organized and volunteers were so friendly and helpful.  But truly – no complaints! All wonderful!
• Thank you all so very much for an awesome event!  It was a fantastic day!  I am here from Virginia, with my Aunt who is from Seattle.  We both loved visiting and riding through this beautiful area.  This was our first time here, and we certainly hope to return in the future.
• Wonderful event – everything top notch!
• You all did a great job.  No complaints.  Really appreciate the real cream at Daphne.  Thank You.
• Camp coffee at Daphne Grove was FABULOUS!!  Thank You!
• Thank you – Absolutely amazing bike ride and volunteers!
• Wonderful event!  Gorgeous scenery and the best volunteer crew ever!  So impressed that this tiny town pulls off such a great ride.
• Thank you so much for providing this amazing opportunity.  A beautiful ride with great support.  Thanks for everything.
• A wonderful ride.  Loved all the SAG vehicles, great food, music, and friendly volunteers.  
• The food at the rest stops was as good as the Civil War Ride.  The route is really scenic, but be prepared for rain and cooler temps than Tampa, FL.  
• Thanks for putting on such a fun and welcoming event.  It was organized and everyone was so friendly!
• Thank you…Thank you…Thank you to all the volunteers.  We loved it.  You put on a class event!  What a beautiful ride.
• Fantastic ride, really well planned.  Volunteers were excellent, road was paid attention to.  This was my first ride and I and I’m really impressed and felt welcome, even though I’m not really a cyclist.
• I love your painted bikes!  Beautiful route.  Volunteers are amazing.  Good rest stops.  Thanks for the cokes, homemade food!!   You guys rock!
• Thank you all very much.  We had a very nice time.  See you next time.  
• The food, the route, the volunteers – everything was FANTASTIC!
• Today was AWESOME!!!  The aide stations were perfectly spaced and the food was sooooo good! I loved that the goodies were homemade.  The breakfast and dinner were really good.  Thank you for working so hard on making this event so enjoyable.  Everyone was so kind and welcoming.  Thank you so much!!!Oh, and the fire at the post rain aide station was a life saver!
• This ride is one of my favorites!  The scenery is incredible and the support for the event is outstanding! The food at the aid stations was varied and plentiful; we especially appreciated the home baked goodies.  The sense of community support was noteworthy, the signs, painted bikes along the route, and friendly volunteers.  Dinner was also excellent and the gluten free option was very much appreciated.   A+  Thank you

• A piece of Americana, thank you so much, it was tons of fun!  Totally awesome!

• Best ride I’ve ever done.

• Live music at spaghetti dinner was great. Keep it going!

• I am very impressed with both the ride and all the hard work/organization.  From start to finish, you do a wonderful job.  I’ll be back again next year!  You have one of the best and easiest to navigate/use websites.  Keep up the good work!

• The volunteers were all amazing…from the people driving up and down the road to the ladies working at the pit stops and kitchen workers at the end. The crew who marked the pot holes did an outstanding job.  I was pleased to see a small community work together.  I enjoyed the variety of food and good company.  This was a lovely area with great people.

• I was very impressed with the volunteer staff and all the homemade goodies.

• I’ve been on the Oregon Triple Crown rides and this beats every single one of them in every way.  Wonderful, friendly, caring people running the event.  Actually felt like everybody there was glad that I was there and really cared about whether or not I was having a good time.  Incidentally, I had a great time!  I’ll definitely be back next year and I’ll bring several friends along with me.

  Wouldn’t miss next year.  Did the Arrastra Saddle Ride this year and I’ll do the Century Ride next year.  This was the first time and it was memorable.

• Thanks!  It was amazing in all aspects!  I had a blast, felt safe and supported.

• Thank you for the exceptional hospitality and outstanding support provided by the community of Powers.  We appreciate and look forward to this event.   The town of Powers goes all out!  I couldn’t ask for more!

• It would have been rated “outstanding” if it hadn’t been for the rain.  I work for the National Weather Service and should have known better!  I loved the home-baked stuff at the post ride lunch.

• Thank goodness for the campfire at Eden Valley.  I knew about this ride and rode it before on Cycle Oregon.  This is my first official Tour de Fronds.

• Live music at spaghetti dinner was great. Keep it going!

• The volunteers are amazing.  The scenery is amazing.  The peanut butter balls were fabulous.  The pickles were great.  You are just great!

• This was really a fantastic experience.  Well run with excellent support.

• Fantastic!  I rode the Big Tree 55 mile asphalt/gravel ride and it was amazing!  I took pictures and wrote a little story that goes along with them.  You can read it on facebook.  This is a very well organized ride!  The food, rest areas, volunteers that put it all together…It is truly top notch!

  In my heart I am still riding.  Thank you for the route though the wilderness! And the support with the two sag vehicles. At Daphne, the fire pit and coffee pot were my life savers.  The spread of food there was amazing!  The cooler on the top at 3100 elevation was pure delight to see since I was riding alone and it showed that someone cared.  The food at the end at Ross Hall was incredible; I ate three servings of the vegetarian lasagna.  Thank you all so very much!  Thank you!

   

• You really paid attention to details.  I felt very safe out on the road.  Nice touch to have the kids in tent watching our bikes.
• The home-made food was amazing!  I did the whole race on home-made monster cookies, which was awesome.
• The tour was very well organized.  Everything from support to meals provided was excellent.
• Best blueberry cobbler I’ve ever had.  Great fun event with great support from the community.
• All aspects of the ride were phenomenal.  The route was well marked and stations well supplied.  This is what a ride should be.
• I have also invited my friends to come join me.
• We had a great time!  Food was awesome and everyone made us feel right at home.
• I will be back next summer, and so will my two biking buddies who were unable to make the ride this year.
• The location was GORGEOUS, and I really liked that it was smaller and had some personal touches.  I traveled from the Bay Area for this ride (met some friends from Bend there) and would do it again!
• The vegetarian lasagna was excellent!  Really appreciated the homemade food.  Thank you.
• Love the ride and the volunteers! We will be back.
• This ride was brutally hard and incredibly civilized all at the same time.  I thought I might die climbing, and then you would come to a rest stop with amazing volunteers and home-made food and camaraderie, and then you would leave and nearly die again.  The SAG was phenomenal.  Fortunately, I didn't need them, but I was worried going in because my tires were really old and I thought I might get a non fixable blowout.  Then I realized this would be the best event ever to get a blow-out because someone would be along shortly to carry you back to the start.
• The food was great!  The local ladies outdid themselves with the lasagna, berry pies.  Delicious pancake breakfast too.  Keep the strawberries on pancakes plz!
• Fabulous route.  Great volunteers.  Delicious food and ambience.  Will recommend to others for next year!
• The food at the finish was outstanding although I was so hungry I would have eaten shoe leather!  The volunteers were wonderful.  Very nice and friendly people.
• I LOVED the band a whichever stop it was they were at.
• Lovely people, excellent snacks, drinks, and entertainment.
• Really nice mixture of store bought favorites and homemade goodies.  Fresh fruit always nice. “Camp coffee” at Daphne Grove was fun way to do it and appreciated.  Haven’t done a tone of events, but seems like people enjoy spending a bit more time at each of the TdF rest areas to rest, nibble, and chat with volunteers and other riders because the rest areas are so nice.
• The snacks and water break at Daphne Grove were very nice and much appreciated.  Music was good and even had news coverage.  The chocolate milk at the finish was also a very nice touch.
• Beautiful location, fun music, fine food and drink
• Friendly volunteers!
• Great website!
• This is one of the prettiest bike rides I have ever done.  Well organized, wonderful volunteers and just a joy to do.
• Thank you again for hosting this ride.  You all do a great job and I look forward to it every year.  Robert S “Robin” Miller III
• Really loved the music.  It was quiet and calm – perfect.
• You might promote the Eden Valley as a Metric Century ride, as they do in California Rides.  Metric Centuries are the most popular events with the largest registration.
• Great friendly people in Powers – no suggestions- everyone there does a great job of ride support
• Enjoyed the ride
• I think you should be very pleased and proud.  I was very impressed! 
• Patching the road of course!
• Unfortunately I don’t have any suggestions, I think it’s just about perfect…except that afternoon headwind J
• I really can’t think of any way to improve the ride.  We were able to camp at the park and didn’t even have to prepare a meal.  It was organized perfectly, as far as I’m concerned.  I look forward to ride the Tour de Fronds again.
• Get the word out so this will grow to benefit Powers and its citizens.

• OREGON’S FRIENDLIEST CENTURY! Nicest, hardest Century in Oregon.  Super nice ride! All the volunteers were so friendly! Rest stops at perfect distances! Awesome Gluten free dairy free lasagna! Great route…wouldn’t change anything!
• PLEASE KEEP THE EVENT GOING!!  Great ride, beautiful scenery and very well organized.  The food was absolutely delicious! The numbers – lamination, coloring, etc. is a great touch!
• THANK YOU SO MUCH!  You guys are awesome.  I loved the online signup.
• THANK YOU!  A great ridge again.  Great support, snacks, and dinner.  We love the TdF!  See you next year.
• Great ride as always!  Great to have the kids watch the bikes while we ate!
• We had a blast!  We WILL be back!
• Online registration works great!
• Best ride ever!  Thanks so much.  See you next year!
• THANK YOU!  My experience today was wonderful.  I had a smile on my face all day.  Your food, volunteers and graciousness was heartfelt.  Hugs to you all.  Linda
• TO THE TOUR de FRONDS STAFF:  Wanted to say how wonderful the ride was to Arrasta Saddle.  Very unique compared to the many rides I have done over my cycling career.  Powers Action Committee was just fantastic – the effort they all put into the reception luncheon at the Hall – the contributors really know how to put on a meal!!! Never been to Powers.  Just a great job and fantastic ride route – need something like this next year.  Thanks.  Doug
• I really appreciated the presence of the ham radio operators.  They knew our location at all times.  Great to know we are carefully looked after while riding.
• Just wanted to thank everyone again for such a great ride on Saturday.  I’ve told all my friends about it and they agree it is a ride they all should do next year.  I’ll pass out your flyers to them after our next group ride.  The volunteers on the ride were absolutely the best! Everyone was so friendly and anxious to help.  I was only at the stops for about 5 minutes each but really enjoyed them.  In fact if it wasn’t for Vicki I wouldn’t have even ridden on Saturday despite driving down from Portland.  I had a rough night’s sleep and was ready to call it a day at 7 a.m.  My girlfriend Linda went down to the starting area and brought me back a cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll from the Cruiser Café.  She also brought back the well wishes of Vicki and the idea of at least doing the short 30 mile ride.  That was enough to get me up and going.  Once I got riding to Eden Valley it was no problem just to keep going and do the full 103 miles.  I had a great time, wouldn’t change anything in terms of ride support.  Please thank the folks that made the monster cookies.  I had 3 or 4 of them!  At the rest stops you could string a rope/clothes line about 4 feet off the ground between 2 trees.  That would help people with a place to hang their bike while they rested. Thanks for the great ride!  See you next year! Steve
• HELLO!  Just wanted to complement you and the community of Powers et. Al. for another extremely enjoyable Tour de Fronds.  We noticed the enhanced publicity this year in various papers.  I was riding with a group of eight from various communities.  We really appreciated the friendly, helpful, and professional people at the checkpoints and cookie stations (cookies are my favorite, especially with peanut butter).  The live music at Eden Valley was a b onus.  Thank you so much for your efforts, one and all. Jamie
• HI AGAIN!  I just want to say that the treats/refreshments were awesome (keep the savory crackers recipe!)  The Powers people are wonderful!  I loved the cheering troupe on the corner before the dinner venue.  This was the 4th time I’ve ridden in the Tour de Fronds!  They just keep getting better.  Powers adoption of this event has been a good fit for all. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Jamie
• Big Thanks to D and all her great friends helping to make our ride so fun.  Jim & Vicki
• You gals/guys are amazing – Thanks! Barb

Time for some daydreaming: you’re riding on a paved Forest Service road along a quiet creek, then up a climb to a ridge, then out a few miles and down a steep 5-mile grade. You take a right and start a long gradual climb to the ridge, then head back to Powers and an excellent post-ride dinner. 

The sky is blue, the people at the rest stops are wonderful and – now for the best part – maybe you see as many as ten vehicles along the 117-mile Cruiser Loop. Or, you can do one of the four shorter routes (30-43-61-76 mi.), or one of the two gravel mountain bike routes, and see even fewer vehicles!

Wait, there’s more.  There are many places along the routes where you can stop and not hear a humanly created sound (not cars, not trucks, not skateboarders, not jets overhead). Of course, you have to hold your panting for a split second to achieve total silence, but it’s worth it.

Several years ago I fell in love with this ride and the citizens of Powers, OR, who make it such a fabulous event, the Tour de Fronds on June 20 this year.  Go to www.tourdefronds.com to see the details and register. Camping and residential stays are available. 

I hear that a Sunday morning pancake breakfast is in the works and could be announced any day.  This is great news because, frankly, anticipating this ride for a year and then poof! it’s over just isn’t very satisfactory.  Spending a Sunday morning with the volunteers who do such a first-rate job producing this event is a perfect way to say good-bye until next year.

Don’t take my word for it – ask those who spent a night in Powers on Cycle Oregon XXIV. Many have returned.

Sure, it’s a long drive.  It takes some effort to get to cycling Heaven. It’s my no. 1 favorite ride of the year.

Hi Donna and all the volunteers in Powers - the glow of yesterday's ride is still with me. It was my second TDF and worth every mile of the drive down from Portland.  I never thought being last off the course would be as much fun as it was.  I'm putting #105 on the home billboard where other fond memories are displayed.  No wonder CycleOregon 2011 participants were so impressed by this part of their ride. - John Barker

I just finished a ride that is worth sharing.  the Tour de Fronds, from Powers to Glendale, 72 miles and 5400 feet of climbing.  Google Map or Map My Ride it.  Really cool route.  The ride may be named for Henry Winkler, and there are a lot of sword ferns along the route.  It is an absolutely beautiful ride over the Coast Range crest, from one mill town to another, 72 miles of rivers, waterfalls, boulders, trees forming canopies, old growth, clear cuts, fern fronds, and grades steadily from 8 to 9 percent, with some long stretches of 13%.  So it is also one of the hardest rides I have undertaken.
 
My pals who invited me along have done this route once before and have done numerous CycleOregons, so it was maybe not as big a deal in terms of difficulty to them but it was still outrageously scenic.  The pictures do not do it justice, but maybe you'll get the idea.  It is put on by the good citizens of Powers, who had live country/bluegrass music at three of the rest stops, and added a wonderful welcome/aw shucks ambience to the experience.  Very well planned and supported.  Only 70 riders took part, the best kept secret in the realm of classic rides.  We picked the Powers to Glendale route, to traverse the whole Coast Range, but there were riders going in every direction.  The most popular route is Powers to Arrasta Saddlle (at the crest) or slightly farther, then back to Powers.  This is probably the prettiest stretch because more rain falls on the west slope of the Coast Range, making it greener and wetter and leafier.  But there is no bad way to go, unless you do not like hills, in which case there is no good way to go.
 
So party on!
 
Art Spike Buck