Moving to Portland or Eugene from SLC, Ut

Laflore

Having raced in both SLC and the Portland/Seattle areas, I'd say that the fields are generally deeper and stronger in the Pacific NW. Both Portland and Seattle are much bigger in population than SLC and most racers travel well between both cities. Races not to be missed are Tour of Willamette and Cascade Classic.. epic. There are plenty of other stage races as well as a good crit going on every week. Oh yeah, definitely worthy of mention is that there are tracks to race on in both Portland and Seattle.

The riding in and around the Portland area is incredible during the summertime. Dry and not too hot and most routes are nicely forested. Much lower elevation than SLC, but there are still some very respectable climbs (such as Larch Mtn, just east of Portland). Of course, the obvious downside is that it rains A LOT most of the year. Gotta pay for the beautiful, lush forests somehow. Just takes a bit of getting used to and building up a specific rain bike really helps. I used a fixed gear decked out with full fenders and mud flaps (btw, mud flaps req'd for group rides in the rain!).

Enjoy the lovely Pacific NW!! I sure miss it, the 'westside' anyway..