Gayl's story: Cascade Gravel

BaseCamp athlete Gayl Loutzenheiser shared her experience at the 2025 Cascade Gravel bike race in Oregon.

At 65 years old, I just completed my very first bike race — 41 miles of gravel in the stunning town of Sisters, Oregon!

Huge thanks to my amazing coach Lorri Lee Lown and the incredible community at BaseCamp for getting me to both the start and the finish line.

My goals were simple:

• Complete the ride ✅

• Have fun ✅

• Don’t get hurt ✅

Race day recap

It was a gorgeous sunny day — 45° at the start, 75° by the end. After a short warm-up, I lined up mid-pack (thanks to Lorri’s advice not to start in the back — great call!). I treated the first 9 miles as a warm-up, found a rhythm, did some drafting, and even took a few pulls — my first time ever riding in a pack!

The first climb at mile 10 was manageable. My mantra? “Conserve — it’s a long way. Use your cadence." The descent afterward was wild — fast, fun, and a little terrifying. I was proud to make it down safely.

Then came the second big climb... and the dust. Imagine a mile-long trench of 6–8 inches of deep red dust and ruts. Riders were falling, walking, and pushing bikes. I gently tipped over twice because I tried so hard not to stop, but wow — it was intense.

That dust stuck around for the rest of the course. My favorite photo was taken at the aid station at the top of the last big climb — breathtaking views of a glacier!

The final descent hit 35 MPH (! - on pavement), but just when I thought it was all downhill from there… it wasn’t. The last few miles were a tough mix of dust, ruts, and rocks that felt like they’d never end.

I didn’t find a group to ride with after mile 10, but I had fun riding with many people for short periods. I was the 2nd oldest woman in the race and finished 28th out of 40 women — 8th out of 11 in the 60+ category. I'm proud of that! My husband did the 60 mile course, and he came in 10th in the 60+. He was such a great coach, cheerleader, and central bike mechanic!

I’m deeply grateful to Lorri — she guided me through injuries, nerves, and training setbacks, even spending an hour with me the day before the race to calm my anxiety. And BaseCamp — what an incredible program. Who knew indoor training through the winter could give me the strength and confidence to tackle this goal?

One moment I’ll never forget: bombing down a steep, rutted red-dust descent thinking,

“This is my Disneyland...flying down a hill with the wind in my face, mountains around me, and every muscle in my body working together." Seven years ago, I was in chemo for lymphoma.

Side note: I forgot my BaseCamp jersey at home, but at least I wore the BaseCamp shorts! 😄