Reminders Emails
6/4- Oregon Trail 2025- Reminders for the Week!- Courses, Packet pickup, race start, & finish celebration, SBG-Schwalbe Women's shakeout ride, OTG Partners, massages Hey Gravel Racers! We're so excited to share the grand adventure of the 2025 Oregon Trail Gravel with you! Below are some big updates and important information for you to review. As always, let us know if you have any questions at all. COURSES- Bad Chad has spent days and nights perfecting the 2025 Oregon Trail Gravel routes and we are proud to unveil the 5 days of stunning views, rowdy roads, and unforgettable adventure! If you’ve done OTG before, you know that courses may change as we get closer to the start day. With the snow melted, we are pretty confident in the courses but please be aware that we may have updates before race day. We will let you know if/when something changes. 🌲 Full details + GPS maps on website. Here’s a teaser of what’s to come: 📍 Stage 1: Scenic alpine lakes and volcanic views lead to a riverside camp in Gilchrist. 📍 Stage 2: Massive 30-mile descent drops you into the lush forests of Oakridge. 📍 Stage 3: Three timed enduro segments — uphill, rollercoaster, and flowy downhill. 📍 Stage 4: The queen stage delivers four big climbs and zero flat ground. 📍 Stage 5: McKenzie Pass and Three Creeks Lake cap off your journey in epic fashion. PACKET PICKUP, RACE START, & FINISH CELEBRATION- We are very excited to officially announce that the packet pickup, race start, and finish celebration will be at the beautiful 7th Mountain Resort, just a few miles from the Peppertree Best Western host hotel. There will be secure parking at the venue for the 5 days of our ride. For those of you staying at Peppertree, we will have a shuttle scheduled so you may get from the hotel to 7th Mountain Resort to Tuesday’s packet pickup, Wednesday’s race start, and then back on Sunday. We’ll pick up your bin from the hotel and drop it back off on Sunday. SPECIAL BLEND + SCHWALBE WOMEN’S SHAKE OUT RIDE- Join Oregon Trail alumni Serena Bishop Gordon and title sponsor Schwalbe for a women’s ride on Tuesday the 24th. This is an opportunity for the women of Oregon Trail to meet one another, create community, and ride together in a relaxed environment before the race begins. Learn more and RSVP here. OUR TRAIL PARTNERS!- We are very lucky to have great partners, old and brand new with us on the trail this year. These include our title sponsor Schwalbe, long time partner Castelli, Bend local bike builder Argonaut, MiiR who is providing each rider with a custom camp mug and the finishers with a one-of a kind, hard earned can chiller at the finish, Lightstrike/Fat Tire offering the nightly librations, Sagebrush Cycles giving mechanical support throughout the ride, and the 7th Mountain Resort giving us a stellar spot for the start, finish, and final party. MASSAGES- Did you know that we have a team of masseuse and body experts to help you recover from each day’s ride. New this year- Assisted Stretching! Book your post-ride session now. There will be walk up opportunities as well but best to get your recovery massage locked in ahead of time. FAQ’s- So many of you have been emailing great questions to our team. We’ve been updating the website to include all of your inquiries. Be sure to review the FAQ page for some great information on the event. BIKE RULES- A quick reminder on some important Oregon Trail bike rules: NO Aerobars on this or any of the Oregon Gravel Series. No team/on-course support other than the neutral Team Breakaway mechanics, aid stations, and medical team. Support personnel are NOT allowed on course. We are extremely strict on this. All riders associated with the racer/team (including teammates) will be disqualified and required to leave camp. WHEEL SET- All riders have the opportunity to bring an extra wheelset. New to this year, wheelsets must be in bag or boxes. No naked wheels. You must start and finish on the same bike- no switching out bikes. RIDER GUIDE- The official 2025 Oregon Trail Rider guide will be published by June 18th. With so much information in the guide, we want to make sure it is up to date for the new courses, camping locations (like the Historic Gilchrist Resort) and celebration details we have for this year. Again, we look forward to this grand adventure with each of you and are counting down the days until the trail. Please reach out with any questions you have and keep an eye out on social media and your inbox for more information. Team Breakaway
6/9- Oregon Trail 2025- Reminders for the Week!- Tote bins, aid stations, mechanics, bike parts to bring Hi Gravel Riders, We know prepping for an event like this takes a lot! We will be sending out a few reminders each week on things we think are important for you to remember for this grand adventure. CAMP GILCHRIST- BRAND NEW LOCATION FOR 2025! We are excited to announce that this year we have partnered with the Historic Gilchrist Waterfront Resort in Gilchrist, Oregon to host our event on Wednesday night June 25th following stage 1. The resort has miles of beautiful lawn for pitching tents and will help us to condense all of our camp activities and resources into a highly organized and easy to navigate foot print. The resort sits on the banks of the Little Deschutes River and boasts amazing sunsets in the evening. We can’t wait for everyone to experience this new location! TOTE BINS- How do we get your gear to each campsite? Team Breakaway moves all of your gear from the start line to camp each night- all you do is ride!! You will receive a gear tote at packet pickup to pack all of your needed items. We will transport it from the start line to the first camp at Gilchrist, then from camp that day to the next camps. When you roll in to camp, you can pick up your numbered tote and settle in to camp for the day. In the morning, you’ll just bring your packed tote back to us, we’ll load it, and have it waiting for you at the next spot. Each bin must be no more than 50lbs. We will weigh them and if it is over, you will be charged $75 for an extra bin. Dimensions: H-15.2", W-22", D-31.1". If you want want to lock your bin, it will take 4 locks to secure the lid to the tote. AID STATIONS- We pride ourselves in our outstanding aid stations. They're well-stocked with a variety of foods such as Granola Bars, Bananas, Apple Sauce, Oranges, GU, Water, GU Hydration, Rice Krispie Treats and other tasty snacks. In addition to food, stations have extra tubes, tire pumps, and tires. Aid stations are managed by local volunteers. Be sure to give all of our volunteers a big thanks and consider tipping the teams after the event (tips at the whiskey bar do not go to volunteers). Your support goes a long way for these local youth. For the exact locations, please see the final GPS files. In addition to the snacks we will keep you hydrated with our greatest invention yet, the Revolutionary Breakaway Water Wagon, a game=changer for high speed water dispensing! Support personnel are NOT allowed on course. We are extremely strict on this. All riders associated with the racer/team (including teammates) will be disqualified and required to leave camp. COURSE MECHANICS & BIKE PARTS- We have an amazing mechanics crew supporting you over the 5 days. Sagebrush Cycles in Bend will be ready to fix your ride on course or at camp. Their mechanics will roam the course and stop at aid stations with tools and supplies. But we strongly encourage you to carry spare tubes, pump, tools and supplies to help you limp to the nearest aid station. The mechanic team will be limited on what we can do for certain items on the bikes to include headsets and bottom brackets. If you are worried you should bring spares with them for the race. Suggested parts for racers to bring specific to your bike: Derailleur hanger (very important!), Bottom bracket (only for the most worried racer), Chain (we will have chains with us but not every single speed/model), Batteries (1052 watch battery, SRAM battery). Again, we will have some too. Brake pads specific to their bike (we will have as many as we can bring, but we can't bring every single version and size out there). Please note that we will NOT have any parts to support Campagnolo drivetrains. As a reminder, we are putting your great questions on the FAQ page as you email us. Check out what other riders are asking here FAQ page and maybe answer some of the questions you haven't even thought of yet! Please reach out with any questions you have and keep an eye out on social media and your inbox for more info. Team Breakaway
6/12- Reminders for the Week! Tire Selection, Camp Food & Charging Stations, Course Changes Hi Gravel Riders, Here's your second edition for the week of the Reminders of the Week! We know prepping for an event like this takes a lot! We will be sending out a few reminders each week on things we think are important for you to remember for this grand adventure. If you missed them, check out the previous reminder emails on the website here. TIRE SELECTION- We asked our friend Sean Cochran at Schwalbe for his tire recommendations. Sean grew up in Sisters, Oregon and knows these roads like the back of his hand. With so little pavement, go big- you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. He suggests size of 45-50 for this course. Schwalbe G-One RX is the ideal tire for the Oregon Trail. CAMP FOOD- One thing people always come away from Oregon Trail saying is how amazing and top-notch the food is at camp. We are lucky as we have the amazing team from Spin Catering that cooks up hot breakfasts and first-class dinners for campers each day. Spin knows how to feed hungry athletes, offering vegan and gluten-free options as well. Check out a sample of what they'll be cooking up for you this year. CHARGING STATIONS- Power charging stations will be available at each camping location- adhesive labels provided so can be used to identify your cords and devices but we recommend labeling your items ahead of time also. COURSE CHANGES- There is always the possibility of a course change, which is why Bad Chad not only routes a backup course, but a backup to a backup. Reasons for course changes could be as simple as a rock slide making us re-route, to wildlife we dont want to disturb, to a full logging operation on our permitted road. We will update all riders as soon as we know of a change and update the Ride with GPS courses. If a route change happens on the day of, we will let you know at the required pre-race meeting and we will have signage and course marshals insuring that you go the right way. More Q&A's? Check out Serena Bishop Gordon's Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder Prep Session interview with Girls Gone Gravel here. Also check out what other riders are asking here FAQ page and maybe answer some of the questions you haven't even thought of yet! Please reach out with any questions you have and keep an eye out on social media and your inbox for more info. Team Breakaway
6/16- Oregon Trail 2025- Reminders for the Week! Friday Run, What You'll Get at Packet Pickup, Sunday Logistics, & Host Hotel Guests Hi Gravel Riders, Here's your next edition for the week of the Reminders of the Week- a few things we think are important for you to remember for this grand adventure. If you missed previous reminder emails them, check out them out on the website here. FRIDAY FUN!- Friday at Camp Oakridge is always a favorite. We all get a later start and an extra caffeination boost from Castelli's Affogato Station. Settlers have the option to take the day off while the Pioneers race the classic Stage 3 Enduro course with three distinctly different segments- a 6.5 mile uphill with 2,100 fee, the “Roller Coaster” 6 mile segment, and then the grand finale segment with 4 miles of pure downhill greatness. All campers will enjoy the Schwalbe Friday Fiesta taco bar for lunch and after dinner, grab a camp chair and s'more for the Castelli Women of the Oregon Trail Q&A, MC'd powerhouse and OTG rider Christine Meyer. WHAT YOU'LL GET AT PACKET PICKUP- Packet pickup is Tuesday at the 7th Mountain Resort from 3-7pm. There you'll get all you need to start your Oregon Trail Adventure! You'll receive your timing chip, bib numbers, early drop bags, gear tote, meal passes, VIP tent tags, pre-purchased Castelli Oregon Trail jersey, and event goodies including the Oregon Trail coffee/whiskey mug custom made from MiiR! You'll need to bring back your packed gear tote on Tuesday by 7pm or race morning. If you are unable to make Packet Pick-Up on Tuesday, please email Team Breakaway to make special arrangements to pick up on Wednesday at the start at the start. SUNDAY LOGISTICS- Did you notice on the course gps, your race start is not where we camp on Saturday night? Don't worry- we have it all figured out. We'll have a shuttle for bikes and riders to the race start. Plan to pack your bikes in our transport trucks Saturday night at camp and then take off on school buses to the Settler or Pioneer race start Sunday morning. HOST HOTEL- If you are staying at the host hotel, the Peppertree Best Western, please let us know so we can plan luggage storage, shuttle, and bin pickup/drop-off. Fill out this form if you are staying at Peppertree and we'll send you more information on shuttle schedule. More Q&A's? Check out Serena Bishop Gordon's Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder Prep Session interview with Girls Gone Gravel here. Also check out what other riders are asking here FAQ page and maybe answer some of the questions you haven't even thought of yet! Please reach out with any questions you have and keep an eye out on social media and your inbox for more info. Team Breakaway
6/20- Oregon Trail 2025- Reminders for the Week!- Sagebrush Cycles Mechanical Support & 10% off Coupon, Rider Portraits at Packet Pickup, Camper Tent Reminder Hi Gravel Riders, Here's your next edition for the week of the Reminders of the Week- a few things we think are important for you to remember for this grand adventure. If you missed previous reminder emails them, check out them out on the website here. Sagebrush Cycles Mechanical Support & 10% off Coupon- We are lucky to have such great support from the team at Sagebrush Cycles. Their team keeps you rolling! They will be in camp and on-course to help you out with mechanical issues. - Visit them when you arrive in Bend your last minute riding needs- 345 SW Century Drive, Bend. - They are less than a mile from the host hotel and only five miles from the race start. - James and his crew are even supporting you before the ride with 10% off of your purchases- see coupon at http://oregontrailgravelgrinder.com/sagebrush - Be sure to see the Rider Guide page #10 for their list of bike parts to bring with you to camp. Rider Portraits at Packet Pickup The adventure of the Oregon Trail changes every rider. We want to celebrate and archive your journey. Visit the Castelli Rider Portraits booth at packet pickup after you get your race numbers on Tuesday from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm for our professional photographer to capture your pre-race excitement. Camper Tent Reminder Just a reminder about what we provide. If you purchased a VIP tent package, we will setup and take down your VIP tent at each camp. This does not include camping mat, pillow, or sleeping bag. You will still need to bring those items and pack them in your tote bin. Those who did not purchase the VIP tent package will need to bring their own tent and it must also fit in your tote bin. Please reach out with any questions you have and keep an eye out on social media and your inbox for more updates. Team Breakaway