Brian Anthony, Owner/operator of Portland-based clothing company ANTHM Collective just finished our Hood Tier Gorge Loop Stiletsi and The White Crane in 16 hours and 45 minutes. That’s 145 miles with over 15k of climbing in less than 24 hours. As Brian says on his Insta: “When a last second change of plans left my Saturday open, I headed for the Dalles and a pre-dawn start. By Saturday night, I was back at the van, fully throttled, and stoked to have completed the route in a day.” We love folks are doing this route fast, and we love folks are taking their sweet time and savoring it…Really…it’s up to you. We sat down with Brian for a quick interview and recap of his ride and to find out what makes him tick.
Let’s set the stage…What’s your normal?
I try to get in one good bikepacking adventure each year. I’m not an ultra-fast bikepack racer, but I also go a little quicker than touring pace. I’m trying to learn how to enjoy time around camp and slowing things down but I’m usually on a time crunch which doesn’t help. Some personal highlights are the Oregon Outback a couple of times with friends and a bunch of solo adventures including one thwarted attempt on the OTT. My crown jewel for sure is last year’s run on The Colorado Trail. I always describe it as a full-value experience, it changed my brain a little bit. Generally, it takes me about a week to settle into the rhythm of “traveling” by bike, and I love that space and hope to spend more time there in the future. But I’ve also been inspired by some of these mid-range races like the VOG (Odyssey of the Valley of the Giants) that I did this year. It’s an interesting exploration into how the body reacts to longer rides without stopping. It just answers the question of “If I just keep eating and riding, when will I get too tired to go on, and what will that look like?” I’m still prodding at the edges of that question.
Tell us a little about ANTHM Collective’s relationship with the OTT.
It’s kind of an informal love affair. The route captured my imagination from the very first time I saw the initial OTT presentation at Base Camp Brewing. I was able to make it out to a Winter Rim work party, we’ve adopted a section of trail, but the coolest thing we do to support the OTT is through our local delivery program. Basically, if a customer orders something from us and wants to have us deliver it locally (within 20 miles), we’ll ride the delivery to their doorstep and they can elect to donate the shipping fees to one of three non-profits, of which the OTT is one. We’re a small brand, but we’ve raised a chunk of money over the last two years like this.
What did you take with you on your ride?
I was actually using this ride as a little bit of a shakedown for how I want to set up my bike for The Big Lonely in October. But since this was a single push, I kept it much lighter.
My approach to gear is one that starts with safety in self-sufficiency. I take going out on adventures by myself pretty seriously. My worst nightmare would be having to rely on someone else to get me out of trouble, or worse yet, someone gets injured or even inconvenienced due to my lack of planning or abilities. As a result, I carry enough of the right things, but just enough.
Bike: I rode my hardtail (Pivot Les) with a rigid fork and no dropper. Ergon GP3 grips with bar ends for multiple hand positions. Hydration consisted of four bottles (two on the fork cages, two in the frame) and a Katadyn BeFree filter. At some point descending Oakridge Trail from Surveyors I must have clipped a cage on a tree because by the bottom I was down to three bottles and had a broken cage.
Storage: Small Bedrock Saddle bag for Clothes, First Aid Kit, Emergency bivy. Single Revelate gas tank for tools. Two Revelate Feedbags for food.
Lighting: Fenix Trail Run Headlamp attached to helmet, Fenix PD36R flashlight mounted to the bars. Light and Motion Vya rear flasher (lost it somewhere along the way, probably with my fourth bottle)
Clothing: ANTHM Saltzman Short Sleeve Jersey in Arrowwood. No base layer, never too hot, never too cold. Bibs: Velocio
How did you handle resupply?
Resupply is super easy on this route for a single push. If you leave early, you’ll blow past Dufur before anything opens and really, you’re only 25 miles in or so. I stopped at the Eightmile trailhead and filtered water. I stopped in Parkdale and bought a couple more bars and a gallon of water. Then I stopped once more in Hood River for some salty snacks because I’d really lost my appetite for some reason. But those were my only stops.
Did you have a specific plan for pacing?
I didn’t give it too much consideration. I knew that if I left before dawn, and I didn’t run into too many downed trees on Fifteenmile, I’d probably be in good shape through Wahtum Lake where I could re-assess. If my timing was OK, I’d press on. I’d ridden most of this stuff before, but between Wahtum and Post Caynon I had no idea what to expect. But I had no big goal in mind. I wasn’t thinking FKT or setting a fast time. I was just looking to ride really long hours and enjoy the mountains.
The road to Fifteenmile
How did this compare to your Colorado Trail ride?
I think any 15-hour stretch of the CT, with a standard loaded CT kit, it would be much harder than Stiletsi. Maybe a couple of exceptions on the Wilderness detours. It just has way more technical riding, hike-a-bike, elevation, and remoteness. That said, Stiletsi in a day is pretty dang hard. You’re underbiking a little bit because you’ve got some long and glorious road miles (the ride to Fifteenmile is just stunning!) but that leaves you kind of gripped on the chunkier descents. Be prepared for pretty sore hands, wrists, and shoulders if you roll rigid.
Any big surprises on your ride?
Descending the Rainy-Wahtum Ridge I was on an old road grade that was super grown in, the understory coming up just below my bars and you could barely see the trail. I heard a big crashing noise uphill and to my left and caught glimpse of something bigger than a dog and black moving fast on an intersecting path. I’d startled a bear cub and it was FLYING downhill, cut right in front of me and crashed down the hill to my right. It all happened so fast, all I could do was listen carefully for mama and keep my head on a swivel. I didn’t hear anything so I just kept pedaling along, but that was a good surprise. Much better than the skunk I came upon riding around the Google campus on the river!
Looking back on Wahtum Lake. After you reach the parking lot you get a steep singletrack climb
Any suggestions for those wanting to do something similar?
If people are interested in doing this, first I always preach safety. Start with your worst-case scenario and work backward from there. If it’s dark, you’re tired, out of food, in the middle of nowhere and you have a mechanical that can’t be fixed…can you get out safely? So when I’m thinking gear and bike selection, I usually start there and allow that to determine how quickly I’ll be moving. Always underestimate how quickly you’ll be moving. I had probably 20-30 trees to climb over on the lower Fifteenmile section. Not only does that slow you down, but it also takes energy. If this is the first time trying something this long, you just don’t know how your body will react. So tell yourself you’re going to be riding through the night and then be pleasantly surprised to get in early. But if you’re going to go out and hammer to set an FKT, you probably have a totally different approach. For anyone worried about committing, a good test ride is the Oregon Stampede route. At 128 miles and lacking singletrack, it’s a dropbar-friendly route that will give you a good indicator of how you’ll do on a longer and more difficult day. Plus, it’s a sweet standalone that I try to do every year.
Are you a solo or group rider?
Solo is kind of my thing. Partially I think it’s because I like the freedom to adjust my plans on the fly and not worry about how that will impact someone else. But I love the long meditative hours of quiet, being self-reliant, and seeing if I can scratch away at the edges of what I’m able to do.
What were your favorite parts of the ride?
Man, I had a perfect sunrise and a ripping tailwind through the Gorge heading home. Those can’t be overlooked. But the whole thing was really fun. Cutty trails through Hood River, backcountry riding off Wahtum Lake, ripping through Post Canyon with 14 hours in my legs. I was also really happy to see new parts of the Hood region. I’d never been in that zone near Wahtum, which is pretty cool. Note to the rider, don’t think you’ve reached the top when you get to the lake, it goes up from there.