Resolution ride

Cyclists get ready to pedal to Pendleton from the Spring Creek area Sunday morning. DICK MASON / The Observer

Howard Butts of Summerville celebrated the new year Sunday not with sparkling Champagne, but by taking in the sparkling winter beauty of the Blue Mountains on his bicycle.

Butts was among about a dozen Union County bicyclists who participated in the annual New Year’s Resolution Ride to Pendleton on Highway 30. They were cyclists who found that a moderate wind to your back can make a 40-mile trip a relative breeze.

“It was wonderful, we had a great tail wind,’’ Butts said.

Riders were also aided by relatively balmy winter weather, with temperatures in the 40-degree range. This was a stark contrast to the 2011 ride when the temperature spanned from five to 25 degrees.

Thirteen riders started the 40-mile ride late Sunday morning and 11 finished it over a three- to four-hour period. The ride began 12 miles west of La Grande off the Interstate 84 Spring Creek exit.

“It was fun to be out in the weather doing something you love, biking,’’ said Mark Karl of La Grande.

The warmer weather, which made the ride more enjoyable, also added an element of treachery. Portions of the road were slicker than in 2011 because patches of ice on the road had melted slightly.

“The ride was safer last year because it was much colder,’’ said Anita Metlen of Imbler.

At least one cyclist fell on the ice but nobody was hurt.

Ice was not a problem after cyclists reached the summit of the Blue Mountains.

“It was all clear going down Cabbage Hill,’’ Karl said.

Highway 30 is much more circuitous than Interstate 84, adding another element enjoyed by cyclists.

“There are S curves going downhill, which is very fun,’’ Metlen said.

Highway 30 served as the main road between La Grande, Pendleton and Portland before Interstate 84 opened more than four decades ago. Highway 30 had little motor traffic Sunday. Some cyclists reported seeing just one vehicle in addition to those driven by friends and family providing welcome hot drinks and food to the bikers.

Many riders were prepared for much colder weather. A number found themselves stripping off layers of clothing early in the ride because they had over-dressed.

The New Year’s Resolution Ride has been conducted for more than 10 years. This year’s ride again ended with lunch at a pizza parlor in Pendleton. Butts, noting that he had not celebrated New Year’s at midnight, said he considered the pizza meal with fellow cyclists his New Year’s party. A lunch most welcome after a ride that tested one’s stamina despite the tail wind.

“It was a good challenge to start the new year off with,’’ Butts said.