B
S PORTS
Section B
Wednesday, August 2, 2017
South Lane County Sports and Recreation
Contact Sports, 942-3325 or e-mail sports@cgsentinel.com
Bicycle Northwest makes stop in Cottage Grove
PHOTO C/O BICYCLE RIDES NW
Cyclists taking part in the Oregon Bicycle Ride bike past Dorena Lake on their way to Cottage Grove. Cottage Grove was one of six spots the riders stayed at.
By Zach Silva
zsilva@cgsentinel.com
The cyclists came to town.
Last Wednesday, a group of 300 cyclists
with the group Bicycle Rides Northwest
rode into town and stayed the night as part
of the 31st annual Oregon Bicycle Ride.
Their ride started in La Pine and over the
course of the week they travelled to Dia-
mond Lake, Oakridge, Blue River and then
fi nished in Sisters.
While in Cottage Grove, Bohemia Park
transformed into their home for the eve-
ning as tents, outhouses and portable show-
ers were brought in for the riders to use.
Stretched across the lawn under the hot sun,
they were able to relax after 90+ miles of
biking on the day.
“The goal is to make sure everyone has a
wonderful weeklong vacation,” said Sanna
Phinney the executive director who keeps
each detail in line throughout the journey
from city to city.
The ride, which caps at 300 people, is
not about going fast but it is supposed to be
about having fun and being able to enjoy
the Oregon scenery. And it is about making
some friends along the way.
For longtime friends Peter Gaskins and
Gary McAninch of Salem, this is their sec-
ond year doing the ride.
“We were having a dinner at my house
and occasionally we get relatively deep into
the wine and at the third bottle Gary said he
had always wanted to do Cycle Oregon and
I said, well why haven’t you?” said Gaskin
who is 68. “He said, ‘Well I’ve never had
anyone to do it with.’ And by the fi fth bottle
I agreed to do it.”
The two are still relatively new to cycling
having only started riding after that dinner-
time conversation two and a half years ago.
Since, they have taken to it and both com-
pleted their fi rst 100 mile ride during this
trip.
The fi eld of bikers features a range of
participants. Nine percent of participants
are over 70 years old and 13 percent are un-
der 50 years of age. The oldest in the fi eld
is 84-year-old Gerd Rosenblatt. The former
Penn State University and University of
California, Berkley chemistry professor has
been biking for 20 years and has no plans
of stopping.
“At this age you just don’t know, you
do it while you feel good and sort of every
year you’re glad you can do it and you keep
going,” said Rosenblatt. “Something could
happen and this could be my last year, I
could stay lucky and do it fi ve more years.
Who knows, we will just have to see.”
PHOTO C/O BICYCLE RIDES NW
Cyclists bike through the McKenzie pass during their journey.
Sports Physicals
at CGHS
Athlete of the Week
This week's athlete of
the week is Cottage
Grove's
Evan
Britton. Britton, 18,
won the Street Stock
Race at the Cottage
Grove Speedway last
Saturday in a tight
race.
To make sure that high school student-ath-
letes in Cottage Grove are ready to compete
in the next school year, PeacheHealth Cot-
tage Grove Community Medical Center is
working with Cottage Grove High School
to provide sports physicals from 6 p.m. to 8
p.m. on Aug. 9 and 10 in the health clinic at
Cottage Grove High School. The physicals
will cost $20 instead of the normal $40 and
the funds will be donated back to schools in
the district.
The sports physicals are in accordance
with South Lane School District's require-
ment that student-athletes must be cleared
before their freshman year and again two
years later.
“Youth athletes are required to get phys-
icals for a reason,” says Ehsan Hazrat, MD
family medicine at Cottage Grove Commu-
nity Medical Center. “Physicals can screen
athletes for potential illnesses or conditions
that might limit their ability to play sports,
especially those conditions that may be ag-
gravated by intense exercise.”
For the physicals, the medical profession-
als check the basics of height, weight and
blood pressure but are also looking to see
if there are any serious medical conditions
at play that may have gone unnoticed in the
past.
PHOTO C/O EVAN BRITTON
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