Saturday, January 17, 2009

Saturday Morning Tunes: Mick'n'Peter

I'm pretty sure I heard this over the P.A. during the USGP Portland Cup at PIR this past December. Mick looks, uh, well prepped for this session with Peter Tosh. Great tune!

Friday, January 16, 2009

Ollerenshaw Agrees To Lead Southeastern Team

UPDATE: (Monday, Jan. 19, 11:50 a.m.): Bikeportland.org has more on this, including some comments from Ollerenshaw.

Former OBRA standout and retired pro Doug Ollerenshaw will lead Team Myogenesis.com, a southeastern regional squad, according to Cyclingnews.com.

Ollerenshaw, who won the 2003 National Collegiate Road Race Championship while riding for the Oregon State University club team, left professional cycling after the 2008 road season to attend graduate school in Atlanta. But he has agreed to mentor young riders while racing with Team Myogenesis this season, according to the team's website.

Ollerenshaw raced professionally with Rock Racing, Health Net and Jelly Belly.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Classic Video: They're Magically Delicious!

Marco Pantani's pains putting on his raincoat for the descent of the Col du Galibier during the 1998 Tour de France cause great consternation for commentator Stephen Roche. Judging from Roche's ranting, you'd think maybe Pantani had stolen the little Irishman's Lucky Charms. Enjoy!

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

February's Vanport Kermesse Canceled

The Vanport Kermesse, originally scheduled for Feb. 8, has been canceled, according to Oregon Bicycle Racing Association's 2009 race schedule.

The next OBRA race will be the Cherry Pie Road Race northwest of Albany on Feb. 15.

You can register online HERE.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Registration Opens For The Dalles' Inaugural Cherry Blossom Classic

The "sunny" side of Oregon will get a chance to shine this spring when The Dalles hosts the inaugural Cherry Blossom Classic, a three-day, four-stage contest that runs Friday, April 3, through Sunday, April 5.

Organized by Breakaway Promotions and Sorella Forte, the race could provide a relatively warm, dry reprieve from northwest Oregon's annual spring slogs. Promoters say the area boasts an average April rainfall of just half an inch and an average daily high temperature of 64 degrees.

"The Dalles truly is the Banana Belt of the region," according to the race website. "There are no guarantees when it comes to weather, but odds are you are going to like what the region has to offer."

The region also can offer some great courses, which furnish both breathtaking views and lung-crushing climbs.

STAGES
Featured in the 2006 and 2007 editions of the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic, the Columbia Hills Road Race will start the fun Friday:
The largest climb is the Kelly Cut-Off Road at five percent for 1.5 miles. The biggest challenge is typically the wind, which at times can blow hard across the treeless landscape and whip through the canyons. This year’s course will be modified from previous years with the elimination of Crash Canyon (saving that venue for the time trial), shortening the entire loop to a 20 mile circuit.
Riders will start Saturday's double-header with the 8-Mile Crash Canyon Time Trial:
In the 2007 Mt. Hood Cycling Classic this section of road received its now infamous name when the very narrow, winding road combined with a huge pro men’s field to send several riders to the local hospital. As a time trial course it offers a beautiful and quiet venue where riders ascend a gradual two percent grade up to the turn around. Then it's all downhill to the finish. Fast times are expected on this smooth course.
Saturday's racing will continue with the Cherry City Criterium in downtown The Dalles.
A fast, flat rectangular course with no significant elevation gain or loss and wide roads will make this an all out drag race. Great asphalt and tons of space to move. The biggest challenges could be the strong head winds on the back stretch and finishing stretches.
Featuring 6,420 feet of climbing for the pro 1/2 men and 4,280 for everyone else, Sunday's Columbia Gorge Road Race promises to end The Cherry Blossom Classic on a high note:
This road course first debuted in the 1999 Oregon State Road Race Championships and quickly gained popularity. The race gets down to business early with a significant climb just three miles in. Once you hit the summit, it's a long fast decent into the small town of Mosier on the Columbia River. The route then joins the world famous Mt. Hood Cycling Classic time trial course running on the Historic Columbia River Gorge Scenic Highway, descending the spectacular Rowena Loops (pictured above) on the way back to the start/finish line in The Dalles. The pro 1/2 men and masters men will race 66 miles. All other categories will do 44.
CATEGORIES
Pro 1-2 Men, Masters Men, CAT 3 Men, CAT 4 Men
Pro 1-3 Women, CAT 4 Women/Masters Women (scored separately).

Registration opened Jan. 12. Register by Feb. 25 and receive a $10 discount. Field limits are mandatory. Register online HERE.

Monday, January 12, 2009

NYT Profiles Portland's "Bicycle Evangelist"

The New York Times today featured a nice profile of Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer, who represents the Congressional district that encompasses Portland.

In the article, "A Bicycle Evangelist With The Wind Now At His Back," Blumenauer talks about the new clout his Congressional Bicycle Caucus is finding itself with now that current events have made cycling more popular.

From the Times:
Long regarded in some quarters as quixotic, the caucus has come into its own as hard times, climate concerns, gyrating gas prices and worries about fitness turn people away from their cars and toward their bikes.

“We have been flogging this bicycle thing for 20 years,” said Mr. Blumenauer, a Democrat. “All of a sudden it’s hot.”

But Mr. Blumenauer’s goals are larger than putting Americans on two wheels. He seeks to create what he calls a more sustainable society, including wiser use of energy, farming that improves the land rather than degrades it, an end to taxpayer subsidies for unwise development — and a transportation infrastructure that looks beyond the car.
Read the rest of the article HERE.

OBRA's 2008 Video

The Oregon Bicycle Racing Association celebrated its 2008 season Saturday night at the group's annual banquet. This video of the 2008 season was one of the highlights ... ...