The 2008 Annual Pole Pedal Paddle - Mt Bachelor, Oregon

Tektronix team: First place, male team 50-54 age group

This annual race event, that has been going on for decades begins on the slopes of Mt Bachelor and ends in down town Bend Oregon.  There are thousands of competitors.  Our team was 60th place out of 835 entries in time and first place in the 50-54 age group.

Here is the tag team race sequence:

The race starts off with a 50 yard uphill sprint (in mushy snow) to a field of waiting skis, jump in, launch into a tuck and go through a mile long GS downhill course, ending just behind the center building (seen below) where the hand off is made to Einar on cross country skis.

Bob managed to be first out of the shute (with 35 competitors) and first in at the bottom, giving the next team member, Einar, the hole shot on his cross country ski leg too.

Einar covered 8km through the woods to hand off to Rob (seen below) with his new road bike.  This was Einars best time, despite the overly warm conditions.

Rob rode the 22 miles into Bend and tagged the distance runner Frank.  Rob shaved a couple minutes off his ride time this year too.

Frank ran the 10km course and handed off to the canoe pair Roland and Steve. 

After a half mile of paddling upstream and 3/4 mile downstream the Deschutes river, The paddlers tagged the sprinter Jim.

Jim then ran the remaining one third mile leg, crossing the finish line with time of 2:06:48

Rob getting ready for the cycling leg of the race

The Tektronix Team

Roland Wanzenried, Frank Goovaerts, Jim McGrath, Steve Lyford, Einar Traa, Bob Simpson

Rob Sanford, Team captain

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