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2009-11-12T23:13:00.000-08:00

Oregon Cycling Action has moved to a new address @ http://oregon.cyclingaction.com.

That's oregon(dot)cyclingaction(dot)com.

The new site will feature continuing coverage of Oregon's racing scene with new features such as the Fitness Forum, which will field reader questions with answers from the coaching crew at Upper Echelon Fitness. We're also adding the latest product reviews and tech columns, plus more on-site photo galleries and a few more surprises.

Thanks for all your support and encouragement for the site this past season. It's been a great year, and we hope to see you soon at http://oregon.cyclingaction.com

Make sure and change your bookmarks. And for those of you with blogrolls or email updates, please adjust your RSS feed to http://oregon.cyclingaction.com/feed/

Kruger's promises dog day afternoon of 'cross

2009-11-11T16:44:00.000-08:00

PHOTO: The farm on Sauvie's island provides and ideal setting.

The once-doomed Kruger's Crossing Cyclocross Classic is back on for Sunday, Nov. 22, but this time it's gone to the dogs. As if hosting the SSCXWC09 last Sunday wasn't prestigious enough, Portland will lay out the welcome mat for yet another world-class event: the inaugural Doggie Dog Cyclocross World Championships.

Ok, before any UCI lawyers start firing off single-spaced letters, it's really just a free, fun race for dogs and dog owners of all breeds, ages and sizes, presented by Cycle Dog and Meat and hosted at the Kruger's Crossing on Sauvie's Island.

The human racing will foll.ow the same catergories and schedule as thee Cross Crusade races, and should send riders along rutted farm roads, through berry fields, pastures, a barn, a bonfire and a beer garden.

Doggie Dog Cyclocross World Championships

12:30-1:00 p.m.

Race Specifics:
- Dog course will be about 1/2 mile long and feature barriers, mud, puddles, and a bunch of other things dogs might appreciate.
- No bikes in this race. Just dogs running with their owners (on-leash or off-leash).
- We'll have 4 race categories: Open Co-Ed, Clydesdale 60 lbs+, Masters 10yrs+, Carry-On & Lap Dogs (owners need to carry their dog throughout the whole course)
- The races are free, but owners need to sign a waiver and pick up a special dog bib number at registration.

Prizes/Awards:
- Cool awards for top finishers in each category
- Grand prize for the most original dog attire (lycra dog team kits strongly recommended!)
- Yummy dog treats for all participants!

Dog Corral/Lounge:
We will have a fenced-off corral where canine racers of the friendly kind can socialize before and after their race. Dog owners are responsible for the good behavior and well-being of their dogs.

Where?
Kruger's Farm on Sauvie Island
Google Map: http://tinyurl.com/ycjtkt6

More info at www.portlandracing.com/cx

Portland goes over the top for SSCXWC send off

2009-11-09T16:28:00.000-08:00

PHOTO: The Thunderdome at PIR set a new standard.

PORTLAND – What kind of recipe calls for a grass field covered with niche bicycles, a Black Sabbath cover band, a heart-pounding drum corps, a geodesic Thunderdome, a pair of fire dancers, a bus full of strippers, a brewery’s worth of beer and a lone bagpiper?

I don’t know either, but those elements and more blended beautifully Sunday at PIR when the world’s craziest bicycle race bid farewell to the city where it was born.

The SSCXWC unleashed itself on Portland’s cyclocross scene for one last time following a full day of Cross Crusade racing. Canada's Drew MacKenzie won the men's race for the second year in a row, while Seattle's Kari Studley rode away with the women's top prize at an event described by the keenly insightful eyes of PDXCROSS as the "Singlespeed Crazy Cross World Slapstickships."

Seattle won the battle to host next year's party, beating out San Francisco after two days of debates, riding and mud wrestling.

But the big winner, as usual, was Portland’s cycling scene as the event drew a sizable crowd of race fans and onlookers just curious to find out if the buzz about the race is true. It is!

With daylight running short, the 250 participants launched themselves for better or worse into a le Mans style start with a 50 meter run to the bikes, then a 180 turnaround to ride back through the slow, grass course, all the while dodging confused spectators who didn’t realize the racers were going to return in that direction. Mixed in with the costumed racers, Barry Wicks dressed in proper prep school attire while Bend’s Ryan Trebon flew his Kona-FSA stars and stripes jersey of the national cyclocross champion next to a rider dressed like a member of the '80s band Devo.

Then things got confusing and weird.

Riders made their way along a course well-trodden from a full day of Cross Crusade contests before they eventually faced the Thunderdome and its raucous crowds. With fans hanging from and on the scaffold-like structure, riders weaved into and then around and through the people hanging from hammocks suspended inside. Marshmallows flew while cheers, jeers, thumping heavy metal music and general mayhem added to the surrealistic feel.

Racers had been warned to bring dollar bills along for the ride, and they met an unexpected choice at the far end of the course where they could take a significant short cut through a stripper-filled bus if they tipped the dancers. Trebon commented on his Twitter page that the highlight of his race included “putting my muddy glove and $5 down the stipper’s pants at the webcyclery short cut.”

That doesn’t necessarily explain why he came through the Thunderdome on lap two without his bicycle but with his leashed dog enthusiastically leading the way. At the end of the day, MacKenzie outlasted Portland’s Joshua Berry to repeat as the men’s champion.

“It was pretty chaotic at the start, and I just kind of slowly worked my way up,” MacKenzie said. “I realized there were about five or so of us. At the end it was back and forth between me and Josh near the stripper zone and the shot short cut.”

Berry was leading as they approached the far corner of the course with the bus, but he missed out on the winners’ mandatory tattoo and rainbow striped Speedo by lingering too long with the entertainment as MacKenzie went past.

“I was told he was a lapper,” Berry said. “So I didn’t think anything of it when he went past.”

And so it ended with MacKenzie (pictured at left) scheduling an appointment for his second champion's tattoo and Berry holding on for second. In the women’s race, Studley sealed the deal for Seattle’s right to host the race next year by taking the top prize.

This golfer has no idea of the debauchery that is about to occur next door.

People have been known to lose their heads over this event.

But is it a singlespeed?

Ryan Trebon reminds a member of the '80s band Devo to hold his line.

Some seats were better than others.

Obstacles and distractions came from all directions.

Ballerinas and mud don't usually go together.

This guy has multiple monkeys on his back.

Confusion ensued once the race started.

Josh Berry lost the lead after lingering at the "short cut."

RESULTS
SSCXWC09
Sunday, Nov. 8
Portland

Women
1. Studley, Kari (Bothell, Wa) Velo Bella
2. Faris, Megan (Portland) River City Bicycles
3. Gilbert, Sunny (Corvallis)Pacific Power Blue Sky
4. Hartlaub, liza (Berkeley, Ca.) Shelia Moon
5. Guynup, Joele (Victoria, B.C.) Island Racing Club

Men
1. MacKenzie, Drew (Victoria, B.C.) Island Racing Club
2. Berry, Joshua (Portland) Team BODE
3. Brown, Ian (Portland) Tonic/River City Bicycles
4. Scholz, Henry (San Francisco)Team Roaring Mouse
5. Breeden, Byron (Portland)Team Cthulhu

Complete results are HERE.

Trebon, Van Meter take muddy Cross Crusade #7

2009-11-08T19:55:00.000-08:00

PHOTO: The mud was plentiful Sunday for Cross Crusade #7.

PORTLAND – The same storm that soaked the OBRA Cyclocross Championships Saturday in Salem hung around to turn Cross Crusade #7 at Portland International Raceway into another slip-and-slide battle against gravity. But the penultimate event of the eight-race series was just a warm-up for the real show: the SSCXWC09 Thunderdome spectacle to follow.

Morning rains eased as the day wore on but dumped enough to saturate the grass for the early categories tearing through the course. And just when the mud started getting tacky, the skies opened again to freshly tune the fast, slippery course with some really technically difficult muddy sections.

National champion Ryan Trebon (Kona/FSA) made it back to the Crusades to claim his second win of the series ahead of teammate and last weekend’s double winner Barry Wicks. In the women’s race, Hudz-Subaru’s Emily Van Meter took her second series win ahead of teammate and series leader Wendy Williams.

As he did for the series opener at Alpenrose Dairy, Trebon warmed up for the men’s A race by cruising away to a solo win in the Crusade singlespeed event. But by the time the A race started about an hour later, Trebon had more company at the front.

Wicks, who won the OBRA championships in torrential rain and gusting winds the day before in Salem, joined Trebon in the lead with Portland’s Molly Cameron in tow. The trio started building an advantage when Cameron decided to press the issue.

“I had the brilliant idea to up the pace on a flat section, and when they counter attacked it put me into real trouble,” Cameron said. “Then I was just sucking wind the rest of the race. Felt pretty run down, wish I had a little more fight in me.”

Cameron, who’s in a tight race for the overall with Team S&M’s Sean Babcock, slowly drifted back to fifth as Shannon Skerritt (Vanilla Workshop) eventually picked up the chase in third after some shuffling.

Meanwhile, Wicks and Trebon drilled it at the front of the race and built a sizeable lead before Trebon left his teammate and rolled easily across the line for the win. Wicks held on for second, finishing ahead of Skerritt and Babcock. Cameron held on for fifth.

WOMEN

The women’s race started out with a trio of riders gaining a little traction on the rest of the field midway through the second lap. River City Bicycles’ Megan Faris and Brigette Brown jumped off the front with Van Meter, while Cross Crusade #6 winner Alice Pennington, (Veloforma), Alalia Berry (Gentle Lovers) and Seattle’s Kari Studley (Velo Bella) chased not far behind. Series leader Wendy Williams (Hudz-Subaru) lagged in ninth.

Van Meter, who won Cross crusade #4 in Hillsboro, shed her two lead companions on the lap and focused settled in to hold her advantage all the way to the line

Her teammate Williams, meanwhile, was riding back through the field and was soon chasing in second, building an advantage she held to the finish. Faris fought off all challengers except Williams and held onto third overall, while Pennington rode a smooth and steady race for fourth.

RACE NOTES
The 2009 Cross Crusade winds up next weekend with the final race in Barton Park near Estacada. Scoring for the series is based on the top six finishes over the eight-race series. Portland’s cyclocross scene stays alive with more local racing before the USGP comes to town Dec. 5 and 6 for the Stanley Portland Cup, the final weekend of that series. It’s all building toward the USA Cycling National Championships a week later in Bend Dec. 10-13.

Check VeloNews.com HERE for more photos.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
Cross Crusade #7
Portland International Raceway
Sunday, Nov. 8

Senior Men A
1. Ryan Trebon (Kona/FSA)
2. Barry Wicks (Kona/FSA)
3. Shannon Skerritt (Vanilla Workshop)
4. Sean Babcock (Team S&M)
5. Molly Cameron (Portland Bicycle Studio)

Senior Women A
1. Emily Van Meter (Hudz-Subaru)
2. Wendy Williams (Hudz-Subaru)
3. Megan Faris (River City Bicycles)
4. Alice Pennington (Veloforma)
5. Rhonda Mazza (Team S&M)

Wicks and Bishop take top spots at OBRA champs

2009-11-07T21:55:00.000-08:00

PHOTO: 2009 OBRA Cyclocross tropies polished and waiting.

SALEM – Nature’s color palette turned stark grey as a legitimate Pacific Northwest soaker rolled into the Willamette Valley just in time to drench the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association’s cyclocross championships Saturday in Salem.

Kona’s Barry Wicks won the men’s A championship, a nice warm-up for Sunday’s Cross Crusade and SSCXWW at Portland International Raceway. Serena Bishop (Sunnyside Sports) rode away with the women’s A championship.

The pancake-flat venue at the Oregon State Fairgrounds made use of the maze of buildings and barns to give riders momentary relief from the downpour that waited outside. A sand trap, a live band and a quick rip across a motocross course were all mercifully under cover.

Wicks racked up his third victory in as many attempts after winning both Cross Crusade races Halloween weekend in Astoria, but this time the cast of characters riding at the front with the former Corvallis resident grew to as many as eight before Wicks left little doubt who the day belonged to.

“It was so windy and stormy, there was one section where it was really hard going so nobody wanted to work hard there,” Wicks said. “So it kind of stayed together. I wanted to have hard day of riding so I didn’t really hold back much. I just went for it.”

Joshua Berry (BODE) tried to stick with Wicks when he went. The Idaho rider quickly slipped off the Kona pro’s pace, falling back into a chase group with Taylor Kneuven, 2008 OBRA champ Kevin Hulick (Vanilla) and Ben Thompson (Desalvo Cycles).

Wicks built a comfortable lead and settled into a manageable pace on the front, while Hulick took control of the chase, finishing second on the day. Kneuven crossed the line in third ahead of Berry and Thompson in fourth and fifth.

WOMEN’S A RACE

With many of Oregon’s top women ‘crossers saving their energy for Sunday’s races in Portland, a select group of riders quickly settled into a battle for the OBRA championship podium spots Saturday in Salem.

Gentle Lovers’ Alalia Berry started off the first lap with Serena Bishop (Sunnyside Sports), Sunny Gilbert (Pacific Power/Blue Sky), Anna Vaughan (Hammer Velo) and Veronica Vega (Sunnyside Sports) nipping at her heels.

Berry and Bishop, two riders consistently fighting for podium spots at Cross Crusade, dropped the rest after several laps, with Gilbert chasing third in front of a well-strung out field.

Bishop outlasted Berry over the remaining laps and took the championship. Berry held onto second while Gilbert powered through the mud for third. Vega and Vaughan battled throughout the race and eventually settled on fourth and fifth, respectively.

RESULTS
OBRA Cyclocross Championships
Saturday, Nov. 7
Salem, Oregon

SENIOR MEN A
1. Barry Wicks (Kona)
2. Kevin Hulick (Vanilla Workshop)
3. Taylor Kneuven ()
4. Joshua Berry (BODE)
5. Ben Thompson (Desalvo Cycles)
SENIOR WOMEN A
1. Serena Bishop (Sunnyside Sports)
2. Alalia Berry (Gentle Lovers)
3. Sunny Gilbert (Pacific Power/Blue Sky)
4. Anna Vaughan (Hammer Velo)
5. Veronica Vega (Sunnyside Sports)

OBRA Cylocross Championship results

2009-11-07T20:37:00.000-08:00

RESULTS
OBRA Cyclocross Championships
Saturday, Nov. 7
Salem

Junior Women 10-12
1. Haley Wilson
2. Emma Rosenberg
3. Sierra Kelly (Jelly Pirates)
Junior Women 13-14
1. Dana Martel (Pacific Power Blue Sky)
2. Marissa Reid (ZteaM)
3. Samantha Schauer (Specialized/River City)
Junior Women 15-16
1. Tyynismma Taylor
2. Flora Field
Junior Women 17-18
1. Tilly Field
2. Sierra Reid (ZteaM)
3. Liz Cartwright (BBC)
Junior Men 10-12
1. Grant McElroy
2. Erin Carpenter
3. Rubin Field
Junior Men 13-14
1. Naigwan Pelman (Word-RCB)
2. Micthell Stevens (Sunnyside Sports)
3. Day Shaun Lee (Word-RCB)
Junior Men 15-16
1. Timothy Jaynes
2. Keith Suttlemyre
3. Trevor Schauer
Junior Men 17-18
1. Andrew Bennett (Team Redline)
2. Colben Preble (Hammer Velo)
3. Kendal Johnson
Beginner Women
1. Amy Champion
2. Becky Rice (Team Lazy Tarantulas)
3. Christy Bigelow (Hammer Velo)
Master Women 45+
1. Karen Kenlan (Bend Bike n Sport)
2. Julie Jennings
3. Catherine Christensen
Senior Women B
1. Lindsay Kandra (Team S&M)
2. Margi Lifesy (Team S&M)
3. Stephanie Chase (Veloforma)
Master Women A
1. Beth Burns (Veloce/Felt)
2. Sarah Tisdale (Sorella Forte)
3. Joanne Stevens (Sunnyside Sports)
Senior Women A
1. Serena Bishop (Sunnyside Sports)
2. Alalia Berry (Gentle Lovers)
3. Sunny Gilbert (Pacfic Power/Blue Sky)
4. Anna Vaughan (Hammer Velo)
5. Veronica Vega (Sunnyside Sports)
Singlespeed
1. Seth Patla (River City Bicycles)
2. Luke Demoe (HTFU)
3. Jeff Curtes (Vanillla)
Unicycle
1. Sam Rosenberg
2. Ben Schoenberg
3. Mike Albright
Clydesdales
1. Aaron Coker (HP Chiro)
2. Matthew Lasala (Bend Bike n Sport)
3. Kyle Bush (BBC)
Beginner Men
1. Eric Martin
2. Jason Schilling
3. Jonathan Miller
Senior Men C
1. Ricardo Medina (Hammer Velo)
2. Gary Szalay
3. Roger Meier
Master Men C
1. Brian List (Pacific Power/Blue Sky)
2. Matt Martel (Pacific Power/Blue Sky)
3. Jonathan Pearson (Therapeutic Associates Inc.)
Master Men 50+
1. Rich Cramer (Bicycle attorney.com)
2. Steve Yenne
3. John Wilson (Pacific Power/Blue Sky)
Masters Men B
1. Jason Tauakolian (Slocum/Rebound)
2. Jeff Edes (Team S&M)
3. Wade Miller (Sunnyside Sports)
Senior Men B
1. Jake Hansen (Word-RCB)
2. Jeff Ballantine (Portland Velo)
3. Chip Sloan (Grundelbruisers)
Masters Men A
1. Eirik Schulz (Specialized River City)
2. Scott Bradway (Team S&M)
3. Doug Reid (Veloce/Felt)
Senior Men A
1. Barry Wicks (Kona)
2. Kevin Hulick (Vanilla Workshop)
3. Taylor Kneuven ()
4. Joshua Berry (BODE)
5. Ben Thompson (Desalvo Cycles)

OBRA champs, SSCXWC highlight 'cross weekend

2009-11-06T15:23:00.000-08:00

PHOTO: The OBRA champs course hits every corner of the fairgrounds and its buildings.

Oregon's seam-busting cyclocross scene fires on all cylinders this weekend as the OBRA 'cross champs invade the Oregon State Fairgrounds in Salem on Saturday, while the Cross Crusade and it's unruly SSCXWC offspring tear up the turf near Portland International Raceway on Sunday.

Saturday's championships in Salem, also the third and final race of the Willamette Valley Cyclocross Series, promise a festival atmosphere with classic 'cross food, an indoor beer garden that starts after the junior racing, and a live band to keep the rhythm going.

Sunday's events start early with the usual Cross Crusade schedule of categories running from 8:50 a.m. through the 3 p.m. start time for the A men and women. Sometime after the last Crusaders finish up at 4 p.m., the SSCXWC, which has probably been best described as a cross between the performance art of Burning Man and the intensity of bicycle racing, takes over the course for the world champs' final running in Portland.

The SSCXWC promises to draw top talent from the northwest, including national cyclocross champion Ryan Trebon of Bend and his Kona teammate Barry Wicks. Team Giant mountain bike pros Carl Decker and Adam Craig may also be on hand, along with riders from around North America and the rest of the globe.

It's a cyclocross extravaganza in Oregon this weekend. Don't miss out!

"The Cyclocross Meeting" trailer

2009-11-04T09:05:00.000-08:00

Check out this trailer for the new film from Brian Vernor (Pure Sweet Hell, Where Are You Go) about the currently exploding US cyclocross scene and the emerging Japanese cyclocross scene. The movie will premiere in Bend during the national championships.

The Cyclocross Meeting follows Barry Wicks and Adam Mcgrath to top U.S. races in New Jersey and Oregon, and then to Japan, where they compete with seven time Japanese National Champion Keiichi Tsujiura and the up and coming talent Yu Takenouchi. Also featuring 35 year veteran bicycle framebuilder Nakagawa.

Four new Cross Crusade photo galleries uploaded

2009-11-04T00:49:00.000-08:00

Galleries from Cross Crusade #4 in Hillsboro on Oct. 25, and races #5 and #6 in Astoria on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, have been upoladed. You can find links to the galleries below.

Cross Crusade #4 on Oct. 25 in Hillsboro is HERE.
(Guest photographer Phil Kindshuh's gallery is HERE).

Cross Crusade #5 on Oct. 31 in Astoria in HERE.

Cross Crusade #6 on Nov. 1 in Astoria is HERE.

Hopworks to host 'cross champs pre-reg party

2009-11-03T22:21:00.000-08:00

PORTLAND -- Hopworks Urban Brewery is hosting an OBRA Cyclocross Championships pre-registration party Wednesday evening from 6 to 8.

Riders can get the first peek at the course layout for this Saturday's races, look at pictures, watch some video and check out a giant mapped layout to help plan race strategy -- or at least find the indoor Hopworks beer garden and live band. You can also score a free Championships T-Shirt from Bicycleattorney.com.

Pre-reg is $20 for first race and $5 for the second. Juniors races always $5. New registrants will also be able to pick up their numbers. Register with cash or visa at Hopworks. You can also sign up online and pay with a visa.

Other event highlights:

*Custom made first-place awards for all categories and the coolest custom made kiddie medals ever!
*Bike-N-Hike Nuetral Support
*Willamette Valley Cross Series prizes provided by Bike n Hike Bike-N-Hike
*Bike Expo, additional vendors wanted!
*Indoor warm-up areas and lots of bathrooms.

Hopworks Urban Brewery is at 2944 S.E. Powell Blvd. in Portland.

Check out Buylocalcycling.com for more info.

OBRA cross championships release call-up order for Saturday's races at the state fairgrounds

2009-11-02T23:19:00.000-08:00

Organizers of the OBRA Cyclocross Championships this Saturday in Salem released the system that will be used to determine call-ups, which will be based on the following results for each category:

*2008 Champion
*Top 5 Willamette Valley Cyclocross series standings
*Top 5 Cross Crusade series standings
*Top 5 BAR

(The Willamette Valley Cross series top 5 get a call up because the OBRA Championships is also the third race of the WVC Series).

The race will take place at the Oregon State Fairgorunds, with promoters promising an indoor Hopworks beer garden, classic cyclocross food and live music to spice up the festivities

In a slight change from other OBRA cross races, the Women's A group races at 2 p.m. with the cat Bs, beginners and masters 35+. The race is also the fifth event of the seven-race Oregon Junior Cyclocross series, with that event taking place at noon.

OBRA Championships Schedule

10 a.m.Men Beginner/Cat C Men/C 35+ (45min)
11 a.m.Men Masters Cat B 35+/ Masters 50/60+/Clydesdale (45min)
Noon Oregon Junior Cyclocross Series
12:30 Kiddie Cross
Series / OBRA Champs Recognition #1
1 p.m. Cat B Men/SS/Unicycle (45min)
2 p.m. Women Cat A/B/Beginners/Masters 35+ (45min)
3 p.m.Men Cat A/Masters A 35+ (60min)

View Larger Map

Johnson leads NACT after slippery Colorado races

2009-11-02T22:04:00.000-08:00

Blue Sky Velo Cup, Saturday
Katie Compton (Planet Bike) and Tim Johnson, Jeremy Powers and Jamey Driscoll of Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com pulled out no tricks but took the top treats at the NACT Blue Sky Velo Cup in Longmont, Colorado on Saturday. After snow blanketed the state early in the week, the sun made a late season cameo appearance for the weekend, and cross fans were treated to mud and a display by some of the best racers in the world.

Compton demonstrated why she is leading the UCI circuit now, and the Elite Women’s race quickly became a contest for second as Compton turned it into a dirt time trial. The Luna Chix duo of Georgia Gould and Alison Dunlap swept up second and third. Meredith Miller (California Giant Berries) put her road skills to the test for fourth. Mountain biker Kelli Emmett (Giant) rounded out the top five.

As Johnson and Powers began to build a lead in the Elite Men’s race, the two were also jockeying for who would take over the NACT leader’s jersey after the Boulder race on Sunday. Johnson dropped his teammates, but with Powers holding on for second and teammate Jamey Driscoll in third, Sunday’s race was set to decide who would pull on the red jersey Sunday afternoon. Adam Craig (Giant), always entertaining, put in a good show to take fourth while Troy Wells (Clif Bar) was fifth.

Boulder Cup, Sunday
As the Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com train departed from the start line in Boulder on Sunday, Tim Johnson was in the new position of both debuting and defending the NACT leader’s jersey. Fortunately, Johnson’s Sunday race ended identical to Saturday’s; with the former national champion standing on the top podium.

Cannondale once again swept the top three spots, with Jeremy Powers in second and Jamey Driscoll in third. Geoff Kabush (Maxxis/Rocky Mountain) and Jeremy Horgan Kobelski (Subaru/Gary Fisher) filled out the top five at Sunday's race. With just one more weekend remaining in the series, Johnson and his teammates look to have the NACT comfortably locked up.

The women’s race also played out similarly to Saturday, with Compton taking off from the start and never looking back. Gould didn't start on Sunday, and her place in second was taken by Amy Dombroski (Richard Sachs-RGM) as Compton finished three minutes ahead. As with Saturday, Alison Dunlap (Luna Chix) was third, Meredith Miller (Cal Giant Berry Farm), fourth, and Kelli Emmett (Giant) took fifth.

The final NACT races are at the Whitmore’s Landscaping Super Cross Event, Nov. 21-22 in Southampton, New York.

For more full standings and information, see http://www.nacyclocross.com. Follow us on Facebook and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/NACT

(Submitted by Stephanie Chase for the NACT)

Wicks doubles in Astoria, Butler wins women's race

2009-11-01T19:20:00.000-08:00

ASTORIA – Sue Butler (Monavie/Cannondale) suited up for the costume race at Cross Crusade #6 Sunday in Astoria and rode to her first series win of the season, while “Cougar Bait” Barry Wicks (Kona) doubled up after taking Saturday’s opener in the Halloween weekend of racing.

Mud from Saturday’s intermittent rain got tacky when Sunday turned into an unseasonably warm, clear day on Oregon’s northern coast.

Butler, who has been trying to recover from a cold before she heads to the World Cup race in Nomay, France and then straight back to the states for the upcoming USGP races in New Jersey, told her coach she wasn’t going to race this weekend.

“The coach doesn’t know,” said Butler, who worked the pits for husband Tim at Saturday’s races. “I got a text this morning saying, ‘How you feeling?’”

Butler’s result Sunday gave her the answer after she gained an advantage on the first lap, built a comfortable lead, and then held it to the finish.

“I felt pretty good out there,” Butler said. “I was able to keep it under control. It’s not like chasing Katie Compton around, but there’s still so much competition around here you just never know. I kept seeing the nun coming up behind me.”

The “nun” was series leader Wendy Williams (Hudz-Subaru), who won the first three races before absences and mishaps interrupted her streak. Williams pushed the pace and kept it upright on the slippery, technical course, but she was never able to reel back Butler’s initial advantage.

“The costume was hot,” said Williams, whose outfit may not have been well suited to the unseasonably warm, clear day on the coast. “It was a hard course. The corners and around the barns were really hard. And I was slow on the descents. So I’d just work really hard on the uphills to maintain my position.”

Cross Crusade veteran Rhonda Mazza (Team S&M) and last weekend’s winner Emily Van Meter (Hudz-Subaru) both missed the first day of racing but stormed to third and fourth, respectively, on Sunday. Gentle Lovers’ Alalia Berry rounded out the top five. Saturday’s winner Alice Pennington (Veloforma) had a rough day in triathlon garb, dropping to 10th.

After collecting the win, Butler seemed pretty pleased with her decision to join in.

“It’s kind of fun to be back on Halloween and just feel the scene again and get the crowd support,” she said. “It’s good to be home in front of the home crowd. Even if I didn’t feel good I probably would have raced just to race.”

"Couger Bait" Wicks makes it two in a row

Wicks’ break from the NACT schedule paid off with two wins on his former home turf. On Saturday he stomped away from the soon-to-be-strung-out field during the first lap, but on Sunday the Kona rider took a little more time to lay claim to the race.

“A lot of these guys are going for the series overall, so I don’t want to be too big an influence on that,” said Wicks, who put in several hours of training on the coast before his race started at 3 p.m. “I let them kind of sort things out before I decided to really start riding. Plus, I hadn’t pre-ridden, so I had no idea where we were going for the first lap.”

Wicks and Sean Babcock (Team S&M) opened up a gap on the first lap with Saturday’s runner-up Molly Cameron (Portland Bicycle Studio) and Eric Sheagley (Veloce/Felt). Sheagley came off the lead pace first, followed by Cameron, who dropped a chain and crashed on an uphill section. Babcock crashed next, falling hard as he was descending through a muddy corner on a section of pavement.

That’s when Shannon Skerritt found himself in second place chasing after Wicks, who was riding smooth and steady in the lead.

“I was hoping I could catch Barry,” Skerritt said. “But he was doing just enough to stay away. He’s smart.”

Skerritt was smart, too, riding hard but cautiously on the slippery course.

“You couldn’t go too hot into some of the corners,” he said. “That’s how I got second; from other people making mistakes and I was making fewer. I’m not the fittest guy out there, but I can handle my bike alright and I’m conservative sometimes in the corners.”

Skerritt’s biggest obstacle turned out to be a barrier crossing where an out-of-line spectator sprayed him in the face with beer because he wasn’t wearing a costume.

“It got a little mean-spirited out there,” he said. “It was a little too much, getting’ the beer sprayed in my eyes. I couldn’t really see at one point.”

Wicks, the professional, prepared himself with a costume.

“I heard they were shooting people with paintball guns if they didn’t have costumes on,” Wicks said. “So I made sure to get one.”

Wicks paced himself to a comfortable win over Skerritt, who held onto second in front of Sheagley in third. Babcock finished fourth, with Kevin Hulick (Gentle Lovers) in fifth. Cameron crossed the line in sixth.

“These Cross Crusade races are probably the most excitement and the coolest races I do all year,” Wicks said. “I race all the big series and everything else, but nothing can compare to the Portland scene. There’s such a culture of it and everything else.”

For more photos check out VeloNews.com HERE.

RESULTS
Cross Crusade #6
Astoria, Oregon
Sunday, Nov. 1

Senior Men A
1. Wicks, Barry (Kona)
2. Skerritt, Shannon (Vanilla Workshop)
3. Sheagley, Eric (Veloce/Felt)
4. Babcock, Sean (Team S&M)
5. Hulick, Kevin (Vanilla Workshop)
6. Cameron, Molly (Portland Bicycle Studio)
7. Thompson, Ben (DeSalvo Custom Cycles)
8. Gallagher, Michael (C3 Athletes)
9. Luelling, Brett (Capitol Subaru Cycling)
10. Nichols, Brett (BODE Cycling)
Senior Women A
1. Butler, Sue (Monavie/Cannondale)
2. Williams, Wendy (Hudz-Subaru)
3. Mazza, Rhonda (Team S&M)
4. Van Meter, Emily (Hudz-Subaru)
5. Alalia, Berry (Gentle Lovers)
6. Faris, Megan (River City Bicycles)
7. Bishop, Serena (Sunnyside Sports)
8. Vega, Veronica (Sunnyside Sports)
9. Jenkins, Abby (Super Reflex Concept)
10. Pennington, Alice (Veloforma)

Wicks and Pennington win Cross Crusade #5

2009-10-31T17:26:00.001-07:00

PHOTO: Alice Pennington (Veloforma) crashed twice on the first lap but bounced back for the win.

ASTORIA -- Kona pro Barry Wicks came to town Saturday and put the hurt on the Cross Crusade field of regulars on an extremely slippery course in Astoria, while Veloforma’s Alice Pennington fought back from several hard crashes to take her first win in women’s A race after finishing second three times.

Intermittent showers and sun breaks kept the temperatures warm and the course sloppy as the Cross Crusade invaded the northern-most tip of Oregon’s coast for a Halloween weekend doubleheader at the Clatsop County Fairgrounds.

The women’s race proved to be a battle of attrition of sorts as riders fought back from crashes and flats before Pennington finally dug deep and sealed the deal. The Veloforma rider crashed hard within the first few hundred meters of the start after hitting some deep mud at the bottom of a long, fast descent.

“I was really trying to go for it,” she said. “And then I crashed and ended up behind everybody.”

Pennington rolled out of it and quickly remounted the chase, catching three-race winner and series leader Wendy Williams (Hudz-Subaru), Serena Bishop (Sunnyside Sports) and Megan Faris (River City Bicycles) at the front . But Pennington’s bad luck wasn’t over. She crashed again on the first lap and was forced to mount another chase. She soon caught Williams, who’d flatted at an inopportune time and was forced to run with her bike for nearly half a lap, which left Bishop and Faris at the front.

“The other two I just reeled in as they got tired,” Pennington said of her effort to take the lead. “Then I just tried to stay upright. Serena (Bishop) starts really fast, and I can’t hang with her in the start. But (the race is) long enough that if you have some endurance you can reel people in. I was due for a win.”

Bishop finished second, one lap down on Pennington, while Faris held on for third. Gentle Lovers’ Erin Playman crossed the line fourth, ahead of Cyclepath’s Julie Browning in fifth.

Williams, who finished seventh on the day, said the flat tire and the long run to the pit pretty much put an end to her chances for a fourth series win.

“It was over,” she said. “And then my pit bike wasn’t shifting so I had to go back in. Luckily Sue (Butler) had put a new wheel on my other bike by then so I just rode out the course. You gotta keep going; in the name of ‘cross.”

WICKS LIGHTS IT UP EARLY IN MEN'S RACE

Wicks wasted little time pinning the gas pedal to the floor and quickly rode off the front of the men’s A race with Portland pro Molly Cameron (Portland Bicycle Studio) in tow and Vanilla Workshop riders Shannon Skerritt and Kevin Hulick joining Brett Luelling (Capitol Subaru Cycling) in the chase not too far behind.

“I just wanted to go hard at the start and string it out,” said Wicks, who finished second to teammate Ryan Trebon during the Cross Crusade opener at Alpenrose. “I was able to open a little gap, and then I just decided to keep on going with it.”

Cameron, who’d won two Crusade races in a row, eventually fell off Wicks’ winning pace but continued to build a lead on the rest of the field. The order of the chasers behind continued to shuffle as riders buried themselves trying to catch the two leaders, who were by now well off the front. Skerritt eventually emerged in third with Hulick bringing up fourth.

Wicks kept it upright and built a 42-second lead on Cameron with two laps to go, with the rest of the field lagging far behind.

“It’s nice to get out in the lead, “Wicks said “And then you can just kind of relax a little bit, especially on the mud.”

The Kona rider earned a comfortable win, with Cameron finishing second. Skerritt and Hulick hung onto third and fourth, respectively. Luelling crossed the line in fifth. Team S&M’s Sean Babcock, the winner in Rainier and a rider who’s normally at the front of the Cross Crusade races, had a tough, crash-filled day and finished well off the winning pace in ninth.

“It’s helpful to have Barry come out,” Babcock said. “Because he kind of sets the pace like Erik (Tonkin) does sometimes. But unfortunately, I crashed too many times to keep up with him. The course is hilly with a lot of greasy corners. It was a super fun course, but it got the best of me today.”

For more photos check out VeloNews.com HERE.

RESULTS
Cross Crusade #5
Astoria, Oregon
Saturday, Oct. 31

Senior Men A
1. Wicks, Barry (Kona)
1. Cameron, Molly (Portland Bicycle Studio)
3. Skerritt, Shannon (Vanilla Workshop)
4. Hulick, Kevin (Vanilla Workshop)
5. Luelling, Brett (Capitol Subaru Cycling) 9
Senior Women A
1. Pennington, Alice (Veloforma) 8
2. Bishop, Serena (Sunnyside Sports) 7
3. Faris, Megan (River City Bicycles) 7
4. Playman, Erin (Gentle Lovers) 7
5. Browning, Julie (Cyclepath Racing) 7
Singlespeed
1. Fabrizius, Erik (Veloshop)6
2. Patla, Seth (River City Bicycles)6
3. Redden, Andy (NoLimitz/ICE)6
4. DeMoe, Luke (HTFU)6
5. Rollert,John (WebCyclery.com)6
Masters Women A
1. Burns, Beth (Veloce/Felt)5
2. Rueter, Kim (Sorella Forte)5
3. Scott, Renee (Sunnyside Sports)5
4. Morin,Rhonda (Sorella Forte)5
5. McClenahan,Colleen (Sorella Forte)5
Masters Men A
1. Schulz, Eirik (Specialized River City)8
2. Butler, Tim (River City Bicycles)8
3. Schindler, Mike (Sunnyside Sports)8
4. Snyder, Chris (bicycleattorney.com)8
5. Mitchem, John (Guinness Cycling Team)8

Complete OBRA results for this race are HERE.

Bend's Boswell inks one-year deal with Bissell

2009-10-29T23:55:00.000-07:00

Ian Boswell of Bend signed one-year deal this week to race with the Bissell Professional Cycling Team for the upcoming 2010 season.

Boswell, a member of the powerful junior racing team Hot Tubes and the USA Cycling Junior National Team, said the deal was a last minute "changearoo" when plans for the Cervelo Test Team U23 development squad fell through.

"I had talked with Omer (Kem) and he said they were kind of looking for a younger rider," Boswell said. "I raced with Ben Jacques-Maynes at Nevada City Classic in June, so I contacted both of those guys and asked if there was still an available spot on the team. They were about to sign another rider, but they both had known me and thought I’d be good for the team. The opportunity opened and I jumped on it."

Bissell is also a good fit for Boswell because he's currently going to school in Chico, California, which means he'll be close to a core group of Bissell teammates who race and train around Santa Rosa. The Jacques-Maynes brothers and last year's Mt. Hood winner Paul Mach all came up through the NorCal racing scene.

"I’ll race a lot of NorCal stuff with the team for a lot of the early season," he said. "Based off my performances there and how I’m riding, the better I ride, obviously, the bigger races I go to. Hopefully I can do some fun races like the Cascade Cycling Classic and Mt. Hood. And I want to try and have a good performance at U23 Nationals in Bend. Having it be in my hometown makes it a big goal. I missed it this year because I was at the (junior) world championships in Moscow."

Boswell will start the year with team camp in Santa Rosa and then hit the NorCal circuit with his new team.

"There’s a pretty good group to race with in northern California week in and week out," he said. "There’s a lot of BMC guys, so there are some pretty competitive fields here."

With the Cervelo Test Team hiccups and the added stress of a late signing now behind him, Boswell's looking forward to start the new season.

"It’s one of the premiere professional teams in the U.S.," he said. "So I’m excited to race with those guys and get some good experience."

Now that's some cold, cold 'cross

2009-10-28T18:19:00.001-07:00

Photo by Steve Lewis / Durango Herald.

Colorado 'crossers have a lot more than rain and mud to deal with. Avoiding hypothermia or maybe just getting lost in a snowdrift may be their biggest concerns as a massive and early snowstorm moves through the Front Range of Colorado. The slow-moving storm is expected to drop up to six inches of snow at lower elevations and a foot or more in the mountains before moving out of the area Thursday.

Schools are closed and the weather has forced Sunday's upcoming NACT Boulder Cup to find a different location.

The heavy layer of wet snow that fell Tuesday night and throughout the day Wednesday forced the City of Boulder and event organizers to look for a new venue in an effort to avoid damage to the turf at Harlow Platts. The international caliber race has been relocated to The Boulder Reservoir, replacing the south Boulder location. Race director Chris Grealish described the move as the best alternative given the fragility of the turf at Harlow Platts.

"The racers love Harlow Platts because of the challenging nature of the grassy terrain," Grealish said in an announcement on the race website. "But we have an agreement with the City of Boulder to make a move if conditions there risk long-term damage to the park."

OBRA CX champs a little more than a week away

2009-10-28T11:25:00.000-07:00

SALEM -- The OBRA Cyclocross Championships are just over a week away, and the Oregon State Fairgrounds in Salem is gearing up for the event.

Scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 7, the promoters plan a Belgian style cyclocross championships that will make the most of the fairgrounds complex. The championships will be part of the third and final race of the Willamette Valley Cyclocross Series.

There will be four buildings to ride through, along with an indoor Hopworks beer garden adjacent to the course and possibly a live band. There will also be waffles and Belgian style fries for fuel.

OBRA awarded the cross championships to the Salem event for this year and next. This two-year commitment brings the Oregon championships back to the state capitol after an absence of more than a decade. The last championships in Salem were held at Wallace Marine Park more than 10 years ago.

“Salem is the perfect location to hold the championships in Oregon," said Kenji Sugahara, Executive Director of OBRA. "It has a central location and a rapidly growing base of cyclocross enthusiasts. Oregon has a reputation as having the best cyclocross community in the world, and I am excited to bring that to the Cherry City.”

The 2009 championships are expected to attract approximately 800 competitors with an additional 300-400 visitors including staff, spectators and families.

“We at the Oregon State Fairgrounds are thrilled to have a part in the OBRA Cyclocross State Championships,” said Lydia Blackburn, the Sports and Recreation Coordinator for the Oregon State Fair. “This opportunity is a perfect fit in our objectives to open the State Fairgrounds to our bicycle community, and of course it will be a lot of fun.”

Jeff McNamee of Buy Local Cycling and Chad Cherefko of Bicycle Attorney Cycling -- promoters who directed last year’s Heiser Farms cyclocross race -- will serve as race directors for the championships.

“We are thrilled to be working with the Oregon State Fair for the championship" McNamee said. "Our Mountain Bike Short Track series in August was a success thanks in large part to the Oregon State Fair."

The championship event will also mark the fifth race of the seven-race Oregon Junior Cyclocross Series.

Transfers, promotions and rider rumors for 2010

2009-10-27T00:20:00.000-07:00

CORRECTION: Omer Kem has not signed a contract for the 2010 season and is still talking with teams.

PHOTO: Jacob Rathe, shown here winning the Banana Belt finale, will ride for the Jelly Belly U23 team next year.

The road racing wheels have barely stopped turning and plans for the 2010 season have already started swinging into action.

OBRA rider Jacob Rathe, a member of the 2009 USA Cycling Junior National Team who found himself atop several European podiums, signed with the Jelly Belly U23 squad. Jelly Belly is the longest running active pro cycling team in the United States. The 19-year-old rider from southwest Portland will likely race a full program of European U23 races with the national team and a handful of NRC races in the States as a cat 1 with Jelly belly.

"There will be three U23s on the team," Rathe said. "There are a lot of U23 races in Europe we can do. I wouldn't be able to do those with a professional license. The jump to U23 racing is huge. And it only makes it bigger if you're not able to do the lower-level races in Europe, which are plenty challenging."

The team is set up to give young riders the best possible environment to learn and develop.

"The idea behind this team is that it gives you free reign to do as much national team stuff as you want," Rathe said. "So it's aimed toward development. And we'll be able to do NRC stuff with the team when I'm home."

Rathe's 2009 CMG Racing/Hammer teammates Wes Stein and Austin Arguello will be riding for Bobs-bicycles.com, a northwest regional powerhouse squad based out of Boise. Marcel de Lisser will be riding with Team Oregon, which plans a boosted national 2010 program for its elite riders.

Kennett Peterson, who rode for team Oregon in 2009, will move over to the powerful regional squad Hagens-Berman out of Seattle. Meanwhile, Adrian Hegyvary, who won the 2009 PDX Twilight criterium while riding in the Hagens-Berman kit, has signed with the OUCH/Maxxis pro team for 2010 after a 2009 season peppered with national and regional wins. He'll be joined by fellow Washington rider Morgan Schmitt, who is moving from Bissell to OUCH, which will be sponsored by United Healthcare for the 2010 season.

On the women's side of things, Therapeutic Associates rider Lisa Turnbull will move to the Riverstone Women's Racing Team for the 2010 season.

The Veloforma women's professional cycling team will add a trio of OBRA riders to its elite squad. Bend's Teri Sheasby, a speedy climber who ascended with some of the best riders in the country at both the Mt. Hood and Cascade Classic stage races, will wear the Veloforma kit for 2010. Veloforma will also have Lindsay Fox, a triathlete who quickly learned the road racing ropes and moved to the front of the women's peleton for team Oregon in 2009. Lisa Reeve, who rode in (and won) her first-ever bicycle race at the beginning of this summer and ended the season as a Cat 2 after stacking up a pile of wins, will also race for Veloforma in 2010.

That's all I've got so far. If you've got any information about rider changes, big team news or other hot off-season tips, please e-mail them to editorial@cyclingaction.com.

Cameron, Van Meter notch wins at Cross Crusade

2009-10-25T20:17:00.001-07:00

HILLSBORO, Ore. -- Portland Bicycle Studio's Molly Cameron made it two in row Sunday by taking the Men's A race at Cross Crusade #4, while Emily Van Meter (Hudz-Subaru) notched her first win of the season in the Women's A race.

The skies finally opened up and dumped enough precipitation to bring out the mud for the first time this Cross Crusade season, and the rain had riders slipping and sliding over the pancake-flat course at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Hillsboro.

With series leader Wendy Williams (Hudz-Subaru), winner of the first three races, in Kentucky for the USGP Derby City Cup, teammate Van Meter surged to the front to pick up Williams’ ongoing battle with Alice Pennington (Veloforma).

“When the cat’s away, the mice will play,” Van Meter said of her opportunistic win.

Van Meter and Pennington opened a huge gap on the rest of the field almost immediately. The pair rode together for most of the first lap until Pennington went down on an off-camber, slightly uphill section.

“My buddy told me that she had crashed,” Van Meter said. “So I just put my head down and tried to get as big a gap as I could. Then I just tried to ride it smart and smooth and keep it upright. It was slick, really slick.”

Pennington, who’s finished second three times in the series and third once, chased hard to try and bring back Van Meter, but the Veloforma rider couldn’t close the gap.

“I would pull back a little bit,” Pennington said of her chase. “I think the closest I got was five seconds. But I just never had it to catch her. I think she knew I was chasing hard, so she never let up.”

Van Meter cruised across the finish line solo for the win, with Pennington just a handful of seconds behind. Sunnyside Sports’ Serena Bishop crossed the line next for third. River City Bicycles’ Brigett Stoik finished fourth, just ahead of Tina Brubaker (Vanilla Workshop).

In the Senior Men’s A race, Cameron joined series leader Sean Babcock (Team S&M) and Michael Gallagher (C3 Athletes) at the front of the race, where they wasted little time opening a gap on the rest of the field. The trio shared the work, steadily building their lead until first Gallagher fell off the lead pace, followed by Babcock. Alone at the front, Cameron continued to apply the pressure and started building a solid lead when Babcock went down in the deep mud.

“It was definitely a different style of racing today,” Babcock said. “It was flat, and it was pretty slippery.”

Babcock, who came into the day with a solid series lead, began to whittle away Cameron’s advantage as the race drew to a close, but the Team S&M rider ran out of time.

“Molly accelerated on the flat sections and just slowly opened things up,” Babcock said. “And then I crashed (in the mud section) and she really got a gap on us; pretty smart racing.”

Cameron hung onto the lead and cruised in for a comfortable win. Babcock dropped Gallagher from the chase and finished second. Gallagher held on for third, ahead of Capitol Subaru Cycling’s Brett Luelling and Gentle Lovers’ Mark Blackwelder.

“I’m really stoked,” Cameron said after the win. “I’m really happy to be winning races. I’ve been working so hard. It’s fun. It’s been fun battles. I was stoked when it was the three of us off the front because it’s fun to have a good battle. (Babcock’s) riding really strong, and I’m riding really strong. So we’ll see.”

RACE NOTES
Kona rider Erik Tonkin finished sixth Sunday in Oregon after winning the most-aggressive rider at Saturday’s USGP in Kentucky, where he fought from the back row to the front of the race, rolled a tire and then did it all over again to finish 18th. The Herculean effort had some of his Oregon opponents worried.

“I saw that result and I knew Erik was going to show up on Sunday and clobber us,” Cameron said. “But when I attacked and he wasn’t around, I figured he was feeling (Saturday’s effort). But it’s crazy that he pulled that off. He does that all the time.”

More than 1,250 racers participated in the fourth installment of the eight-race series, a slight dip from the record 1,453 who showed up for the series opener. Next week’s Cross Crusade goes coastal with a Saturday and Sunday Halloween weekend doubleheader in Astoria.

Check out even more photos on VeloNews.com HERE.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
Cross Crusade #4
Hillsboro
Sunday, Oct. 25

Senior Men A
1. Molly Cameron (Portland Bicycle Studio)
2. Sean babcock (Team S&M)
3. Michael Gallagher (C3 Athletes)
4. Brett Luelling (Capitol Subaru Cycling)
5. Mark Blackwelder (Gentle Lovers)
Senior Women A
1. Emily Van Meter (Hudz-Subaru)
2. Alice Pennington (Veloforma)
3. Serena Bishop (Sunnyside Sports)
4. Brigett Stoik (River City Bicycles)
5. Tina Brubaker (Vanilla Workshop)
Singlespeed
1. Erik Frabrizius (Veloshop)
2. Seth Patla (River City Bicycles)
3. Nick Gibson (Yakima)
4. James Crowe (Revolver Cycles)
5. Spencer Bushnell (Therapeutic Associates Inc.)

Willamette Valley Cyclocross Series back in action at Salem's Battlecreek Cross

2009-10-24T22:20:00.000-07:00

PHOTO courtesy of Matthew Haughey.

RESULTS
Battlecreek Cross, Salem
Willamette Valley Cross Series #2
Saturday, Oct. 24

MEN A
1. Kneuven, Taylor 8
2. Gallagher, Michael 8
3. Luelling, Brett (Capitol Subaru) 8
4. Schmitt, Damian (Sunnyside Sports) 8
5. Blackwelder, Mark (Gentle Lover) 8
WOMEN A
1. Bishop, Serena (Sunnyside Sports) 6
2. Gilbert, Sunny (Pacific Power Blue Sky) 6
3. Akeroyd, Jen (Team Group Health) 6
4. Scott, Renee (Sunnyside Sports) 6
5. Cohen, Jackie (Cyclesoles/Sagebrush Cycles) 6
SINGLESPEED
1. Blackwelder, Mark (Gentle Lovers) 6
2. Dorfer, John 6
3. Kic, Tony (Gentle Lovers) 6
4. Nicolleti, Samuel (Gentle Lovers) 6
5. Hofland, Erik (Artisan Family Racing) 6

Trebon takes USGP Derby City Cup #1

2009-10-24T17:06:00.000-07:00

National cyclocross champ Ryan Trebon of Bend won the first round of the Derby City Cup in Louisville, Kentucky, today in a two-up sprint with Cannondale's Jamey Driscoll. Tim Johnson (Cannondale) finished third. Trebon's Kona teammate Erik Tonkin of Portland experienced tire troubles but finished 16th and won the day's prize for most-aggressive rider.

Katerina Nash won the women's race in front of Luna teammate Georgia Gould and Ricard Sach's rider Amy Dombroski. Portland's Sue Butler (Monavie/Cannondale) finished 8th.

The Derby City Cup is the second round of the U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross, which culminates in Portland Dec. 5-6.

You can find a complete report on VeloNews.com HERE.

RESULTS
Derby City Cup #1
Saturday, Oct. 24

Men
1. Ryan Trebon (KONA)
2. Jamey Driscoll (Cannondale/CyclocrossWorld.com)
3. Tim Johnson (Cannondale CyclocrossWorld.com)
4. Jesse Anthony (Team Jamis Bikes)
5. Geoff Kabush (Team Maxxis/Rocky Mountain)
Women
1. Katerina Nash(LUNA)
2. Georgia Gould (LUNA)
3. Amy Domboski (Richard Sachs/RGM Watches/Radix)
4. Alison Dunlap (LUNA)
5. Meredith Miller (California Giant Berry Farms/Specialized)

The forecast calls for rain ... finally

2009-10-23T22:38:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: The forecast has changed. Now they're saying the rain may hold off until Sunday evening.

That's right. The local TV weather folks are calling for lots of rain Sunday. The Cross Crusade at Washington County Fairgrounds could be the first race in the series to be decided in the mud. So break out the grabby tires and the ugg boots. It's on!

Saturday's Willamette Valley Cross race #2 will host Oregon Junior Cyclocross Series

2009-10-23T15:16:00.000-07:00

SALEM -- The Willamette Valley Cross Series roars back into action Saturday with the Battlecreek Cross in Salem.

The old South Salem golf course provides for some unregulated fun in sandpits, but there's no putting wedge necessary; just a solid drivetrain! Anyone who prefers sand traps to run ups will enjoy this course. The only bumps on the course were created by the resident moles; can you say FAST?

There's a $1,500 minimum cash payout for Senior A Men and Women for the series, and there's more swag for all others.

The second installment of the Willamette Valley cross series is also the fourth race of the Oregon Junior Cyclocross Series.

Series Status:
Kolben Preble continues his domination of the 17-18 group. Trevor Schauer is holding onto his lead in the 15-16 boys series, but things are tightening up with Keith Fawcett's back-to-back wins. Sam Rosenburg has won all three races in the Boys 13-14 group, but Michel Stevens is right there making him earn it. There is no clear favorite in the Boys 10-13 group, with a different winner each week. Riley Albright came over from Bend and took out the win in the Psycho Mud last week.

There were no changes in the Girls 17-18 and 15-16 last week (must have been PSAT testing). Samantha Schauer claimed her first win in the rain and mud and has moved up to third in the series for Girls 13-14. Haley Wilson continued her winning way for her third win in a row in the Girls 10-12. Rumor is that this Saturday Haley is testing for her advanced Brown Belt (Karate) and may leave a door open for someone else in to step up.

This week Corvallis Cyclery is providing Specialized Water bottles for the
first 30 kids to register.

SCHEDULE
10 a.m. -- Beginner Men/Cat C Men/Masters C 35+ Men (45min)
11 a.m. -- Masters Category B 35+ Men/Masters 50/60+ Men/Clydesdale Men (45min)
Noon -- Oregon Junior Cyclocross Series
12:30 p.m. Kiddie Cross
1 p.m. -- Category B Men/SS Men & Women/Unicycle (45min)
2 p.m. -- Women Category A/B/Beginners/Masters 35+ (45min)
3 p.m. -- Category A Men/Masters A 35+ Men (60min)

Cycling Tweet of the Week: Michael's book club

2009-10-20T12:46:00.000-07:00

"Books are useless! I only ever read one book, 'To Kill A Mockingbird,' and it gave me absolutely no insight on how to kill mockingbirds."

Michael Creed (@Michael_Creed), 9:13 p.m., Oct. 16

A bit of video from Sherwood Cross Crusade #3

2009-10-20T10:50:00.000-07:00

The hole shot of the Men's A race.

Series leader Sean Babcock (Team S&M) got a front flat while leading the race. Molly Cameron (Portland Bicycle Studio) and Erik Tonkin (Kona) weren't too far behind.

(Submitted by OBRA member Emiliano Jordan)

Portland's UCI pro team seeking new title sponsor

2009-10-19T16:13:00.000-07:00

PORTLAND –Team Rubicon-ORBEA, presently known as Land Rover- ORBEA; Benefiting the Lance Armstrong Foundation, a first year UCI continental team, is in search of a title sponsor.

“For 2010 the team’s goals are to grow the young development team’s roster to 13 road riders and add three development track riders with a focus on the 2012 Olympics in London,” said Norrene Godfrey, the team’s co-owner and co-founder. “We are looking to grow the team slightly to help a few more young riders reach their dreams while leading five-to-six charity rides throughout the U.S. in 2010. and sending even more cancer survivors to the LIVESTRONG Challenge events in Seattle, California, Philadelphia and Austin.”

Rubicon’s two-year partnership with Land Rover will end Dec. 31, 2009, and in order to continue on with the team goals for 2010, Team Rubicon-ORBEA needs to come up with a title sponsor by the UCI deadline Nov. 5.

“Securing a title sponsor by the Nov. 5 deadline will be tough to meet, but not completely impossible,” Godfrey said. “If there’s anything we’ve learned from working with the Lance Armstrong Foundation over the last nine years, it is that you never tell a cancer survivor they can’t. You build your support network and you ask for help when you need it. We are asking the global cycling community for help.”

Team Rubicon-ORBEA was born when Godfrey, a competitive cyclist, lost her mother to cancer in the fall of 2001, after being diagnosed with lung cancer and given only six months to live. Although her mother gave up on life after hearing the “c” word, Norrene was determined to not give up on her mother. Norrene contacted a friend at Nike, who reached out to Lance Armstrong directly. Lance sent Norrene’s mother one of his race jerseys with the inscription, “Fight Mom - Lance Armstrong.”

That simple gesture of kindness encouraged Norrene’s mother to wage her own personal war on cancer; giving her the strength to fight and push through countless hours of chemotherapy treatments. Even though Norrene’s mother lost her battle, she lived longer than anyone ever expected; allowing her the chance to enjoy one last summer and watch Norrene get married.

In order to repay Lance for his kindness and “pay it forward,” Godfrey dreamed of a cycling team that would ride in support of the Lance Armstrong Foundation and its fight against cancer. In 2008, Team Rubicon-ORBEA partnered with carmaker Land Rover to create Land Rover-Orbea; Benefiting the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The team is built up of primarily young development riders between the ages of 19-25 from the United States, New Zealand and Canada. When traveling to NRC races throughout the U.S., the young professional riders spent countless hours visiting children’s hospitals, handing out LIVESTRONG wristbands and helping some extremely sick children have a moment of fun during long regiments of chemotherapy and other daily treatments.

However, the squad’s goodwill does not stop with hospital visits. The Land Rover- ORBEA team raises funds and awareness for the Lance Armstrong Foundation by leading charity rides in Philadelphia, Utah and Portland, among other ctities, sending seven cancer survivors to the Seattle, Philadelphia and Austin LIVESTRONG Challenges. The team has also raised more than $71,000 in donations for the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

“(Owners and co-founders) Norrene and David Godfrey are the two most ‘neverdie’ people Orbea has met,” said Justin Slarks, Director of Marketing ORBEA-USA. “The two of them are the glue that has held this team together since its creation and are the two who have put all of their personal time and energies into one of the best vehicles for stewardship out there.

“Team Rubicon/Orbea is the one constant in our sponsorship program” Slarks added. “And we hope to continue as the team’s bicycle sponsor for years to come.”

The team earned great acclaim in 2009 for its criterium stage win at Tour of
Gila by Roman van Uden, who sprinted to victory in star-packed field that included Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner. Mike Northey followed up that win by taking the U23 New Zealand Criterium Championships, and Dean Tracy won the U.S. National Team Sprint Championships in Carson, California.

The young Land Rover-ORBEA team also won the best young rider jersey at Nature Valley Grand Prix and the climber’s jersey along with the team overall GC at Tour of Delta.

“For a first year professional development team, the results were great,” Norrene Godfrey said. “But what’s truly amazing about this team is what they do off the bike, when not racing, that has them winning the hearts of so many.”

Race organizers like Nature Valley Grand Prix director David LaPorte also seemed pleased to have teams whose message transcends the sports itself.

“It was a pleasure to have Land Rover-ORBEA at our events this year”, LaPorte said. “Our goal is to grow the fan base of cycling fans, and they did a great job of interacting with the people in our host communities and at our events. They are excellent ambassadors for the sport and for their sponsors. This is a great opportunity for any company who’s interested in engagement marketing.”

Information about the team can be found at www.landrover-ORBEA.com, including a short video, a complete team resume and more.

Cameron wins first ever Cross Crusade CX; Williams continues winning streak

2009-10-18T19:19:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: The complete Cycling Action photo gallery for this race is now posted online HERE.

SHERWOOD -- Popular Portland ‘crosser Molly Cameron (Portland Bicycle Studio) took the win during the Cross Crusade Sunday in Sherwood when series leader Sean Babcock (Team S&M) flatted in the closing laps of the Men’s A race. Despite taking a tumble on the last lap, Masters national champion Wendy Williams (Hudz-Subaru) continued her dominance over the Women’s A field when she won her third straight in another tight back-and-forth battle with Veloforma’s Alice Pennington.

Approximately 1,300 racers showed up at the Sherwood Equestrian Park south of Portland for the third installment of the eight-race series. The incessantly bumpy and often-vertical course started on some upper pasture slopes before swooping into the woods for some extended singletrack and then a grinding climb with a heartbreaker kicking pitch back to the finish. The course offered a little bit of everything, but the clearing skies failed to provide the key ingredient for mud.

Williams and Pennington wasted little time renewing their duel in the 60-minute Women’s A race. The Hudz-Subaru rider struck first, opening a small gap with Serena Bishop of Bend’s Sunnyside Sports while Pennington chased behind after dropping her chain.

“That happened on the second lap,” Pennington said of the mechanical mishap. “That’s where I lost contact with Wendy and the Sunnyside rider.”

While Williams whittled Bishop off her lead pace at the front, Pennington mounted a furious chase behind and was able to catch up with the Sunnyside rider with about two laps remaining.

“On the next lap I caught up with Wendy,” Pennington said. “But it took the whole race. And then I just didn’t have it. She just stomped it on the last climbs and I didn’t have it anymore.”

Williams, who said the course required lots of power “and maybe some finesse through the corners,” took a tumble on the last lap but was able to quickly regain her rival.

“Alice just passed right on through,” she said of the last lap dramatics. “Luckily I was able to catch back on and we went through the barriers together. I got onto the road first and just put the hammer down. I didn’t want it to go to a sprint finish.”

Pennington has now finished second to Williams twice, and she finished third in Rainier behind Seattle rider Kari Studley. Williams continues to pile onto her series lead and shows no signs of letting up, which doesn’t seem to deter Pennington.

“It’s just a matter of getting more fitness so that I can actually attack and drop her,” Pennington said.

In the men’s race, the powerful duo of Erik Tonkin (Kona) and Babcock set off on a blitzkrieg pace reminiscent of their field-detonating effort the week before at Rainier.

“We were hoping to try and break down that lead group a little smaller and then see if we couldn’t getaway,” Babcock said. “So that worked out really well.”

The plan worked very well, just like it did the week before when Babcock won with Tonkin following in second. In fact, the pair finished third and fourth during the opener at Alpenrose, and but for the presence of Kona stars Ryan Trebon and Barry Wicks snagging the top two spots, Tonkin and Babcock have had a virtual headlock on the Men’s A series.

But Cameron, who just returned from several NACT races back east, including a 6th place finish at UCI Cincinnati, wasn’t content to sit back and watch that happen. The Portland pro chased hard after a slow start and soon caught Tonkin, who had slipped off the Team S&M rider’s lead pace.

“Babcock’s definitely the strongest rider in Oregon right now,” Cameron said. “And I knew this course really suited Tonkin and Babcock because it’s so mountain-bikey and lots of singletrack, but I got up to the front pretty well.”

The cyclocross world cup veteran quickly hit a snag and pitted on the first lap for a mechanical, and by the time Cameron got back to the front, Babcock had motored away from Tonkin, who was chasing in second.

“I felt OK, and I was still motoring,” Cameron said. “I motored up to Erik and I attacked every time up the climb. We were reeling Babcock in, but I tried to drop Erik for three laps, and when Babcock finally stuck it, me and Erik were both wasted and backed off for a lap.”

That’s when Babcock built a lead of about a minute and seemed to be cruising to his second series win. But the plan and its flawless execution unraveled when his tire started to lose air. And with Cameron charging fast from behind, it didn’t look good for Babcock.

“I was hoping I could get to the pit before I got caught, but Molly and Erik were going pretty fast,” he said.

With Cameron and Tonkin riding away to the finish, Babcock seemed relegated to chasing for leftovers. But Tonkin -- who previously joked that he’s training Babcock to take his spot when Kona fires him -- played the perfect-teammate card and eased up, allowing the young rider past to collect the second-place series points.

“Erik and Sean were playing good teammates,” Cameron said. “I just opened a good gap, and he couldn’t close it down. It was a really good course. I have to admit, of all the places I could win, I’m just completely shocked I could win here. There’s a lot of singletrack. I think I just got a lucky break.”

But it’s a lucky break that could pay big dividends later as Cameron tries to battle past the Babcock/Tonkin one-two punch and take the overall series crown.

“(Babcock) can outclimb me any day of the week,” Cameron admitted. “But if we can get some good tactical races and some good technical races, I might be able to take him.”

Cameron said the race for the overall is still very wide open.

“Tonkin will be there,” Cameron said. “And Chris Sheppard (Santa Cruz/Shimano/WTB) should be back out here soon. And who knows when Barry (Wicks) and Ryan (Trebon) will be back. But I’m here for the rest of the series.”

Babcock will be back, too, and he said next week’s decidedly flatter course at the Washington County Fairgrounds should create another big battle for series points.

“We’ll probably have to figure where on the course we can really attack; maybe in a bumpy section or in a turns section,” Babcock said. “Kevin Hulick (Vanilla Workshop) is really good at the accelerations and the cornering like that, so it could get interesting. It’ll be good.”

And how did Babcock feel about this week’s bad luck and his missed chance for consecutive wins?

“It was the perfect course for it,” he said. “But with that flat tire, it made it kind of difficult. Oh, well. There are a lot of races left in the season.”

(Check back later for the complete Cycling Action photo gallery for this race).

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
Cross Crusade #3
Sherwood Equestrian Park
Oct. 18

MEN A
1. Molly Cameron (Portland Bicycle Studio)
2. Sean Babcock (Team S&M)
3. Erik Tonkin (Kona)
4. Kevin Hulick (Vanilla Workshop)
5. David Roth (Signal Cycles)
WOMEN A
1. Wendy Williams (Hudz-Subaru)
2. Alice Pennington (Veloforma)
3. Serena Bishop (Sunnyside Sports)
4. Rhonda Mazza (Team S&M)
5. Erin Playman (Gentle Lovers)
MASTERS MEN A
1. Eirik Schulz (Specialized/River City)
2. John McCaffrey (Bicycleattorney.com)
3. John Mitchem (Guinness)
4. John Bravard (Cyclepath)
5. Tim Butler (River City Bicycles)
MASTERS WOMEN A
1. Renee Scott (Sunnyside Sports)
2. Julie Swearingen (Mounatin View Cycles)
3. Rhonda Morin (Sorella Forte)
4. Jill Hardiman (Dirty Finger)
5. Eileen Kelly-Foulston (Sorella Forte)
SINGLESPEED
1. Seth Patla (River City Bicycles)
2. John Rollert (Webcyclery)
3. Luke Demoe (HTFU)
4. Craig Etterige
5. Leland Gilmore (River City Bicycles)

NACT heads to Canada this weekend

2009-10-15T15:21:00.000-07:00

The newest addition to the North American Cyclocross Trophy Series, the GNC Toronto International Cyclo-Cross, is both the mid-point of the series and the first time the NACT has raced in Canada. Organizers have put together two great courses for both “mountain goats and speedsters.” Racers will look for any advantages — flat and fast, or hilly and hard — to shuffle the NACT series standings and win a piece of the $24,500 in prize money.

Advantage: Elliott. Natasha Elliott (Louis Garneau) enters the third round of the NACT series in second place but is heading back north for home field advantage. Elliott went two for two in Gloucester and the Louis Garneau racer also took home double wins at Toronto in 2008. Challenging Elliott is Pepper Harlton (Juventus Cycling Club) at her first NACT race of the year. Harlton and Elliott recently finished second and third to newly-crowned Canadian national champion Alison Sydor and Toronto will be a rematch.

Advantage: Cannondale. Like Elliott, the Cannondale boys will be happy to return to Toronto. Last year, Tim Johnson and Jeremy Powers switched steps atop the podium on Saturday and Sunday. Look for a repeat of 2008 as both Powers and Johnson look to move closer to the top spot of the leader’s boards with strong performances in Toronto. With current leader Jonathon Page (Planet Bike) and second place Christian Heule racing in Europe, the top two steps are up for grabs. After finishing thirteenth at Star Crossed, Cannondale teammate Jamey Driscoll has consistently placed in the top five and leads both Johnson and Powers in the standings in third place overall. Bissell’s Andy Jacques-Maynes is another challenger to Cannondale contingent. Jacques-Maynes finished third and fourth in 2008 and is sandwiched between Johnson and Powers in the overall standings.

There will be plenty to see and do in Toronto this weekend. Urban Male Magazine in conjunction with Cameron’s Brewing Company, are hosting a pre-race party at downtown Toronto’s iconic Brunswick House at 481 Bloor Street West on Friday, October 16. Registration is open at www.bikereg.com and www.ontariocycling.org. For more full standings and information, see http://www.nacyclocross.com and www.torontocyclocross.com. Follow us on Facebook and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/NACT.

(Submitted by the NACT)

Sheppard out for October with broken finger

2009-10-07T12:25:00.000-07:00

Canadian citizen and Bend resident Chris Sheppard said Tuesday that he'll have to miss this weekend's Canadian national championships as well the upcoming U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross and North American Cyclocross Trophy series races. The Santa Cruz/Shimano/WTB rider was putting the final touches to his form when he crashed descending some singletrack.

Sheppard has been a familiar face in the Oregon racing scene since taking up residence in Bend, and he was recently the top Oregon finisher at the second NACT series race in Washington, chasing from the back of the pack at the UCI Rad Racing GP to finish 8th in a race won by former world champion silver medalist Jonathan Page.

X-rays confirmed a fracture of the proximal bone in Sheppard's ring finger on his left hand. The injury has left him in a soft cast for a month, and Sheppard said he won't risk re-injuring the finger because he could face surgery if another mishap were to occur.

"My entire 'cross season revolved around the October races", Sheppard said via e-mail. "Santa Cruz Bicycles stepped up to continue what has really been a fun, successful season. Yes, missing nationals while being fit hurts, but I am more disappointed for letting down my sponsors."

Sheppard hopes to make a return to cyclocross action at the Boulder Cup UCI weekend.

(Photo courtesy of Chris Sheppard)

Cross Crusade #1 photo gallery posted online

2009-10-06T22:49:00.000-07:00

The complete cycling action photo gallery for Cross Crusade #1 at Alpenrose is now posted on line HERE.

Pacific Power's Oregon Junior Cyclocross Series notches second race, five more to go

2009-10-06T14:00:00.000-07:00

The Pacific Power Oregon Junior Cyclocross Series is in full swing with two of the seven series races now under its belt.

Twenty-four juniors competed at the first race and 26 lined up for the latest running at Heiser Farms, part of the Willamette Valley Cross Series.

The junior series so far has five two-race winners who are well on their way toward the abundant swag ponied up by sponsors Redline and Kona, including four bicycles/frames. Scoring is based on the best five-of-seven races, so there's still time for others to get their hat in the ring.

Current two-race winners:

Carina Hahn (Team Rose City) Girls 17-18
Marisa Reid (Z Team) Girls 13-14
Haley Wilson (Pacific Power Blue Sky) Girls 10-12

Kolben Preble (Hammer Velo) Boys 17-18
Sam Rosenburg (Hutch's-OIC) Boys 13-14

Complete OBRA results are HERE.

The series started Sept. 13 at Eugene's Psycho Cross #1 and continues Oct. 17 at the Psycho Cross #2 in Eugene.

There will be two grand prizes for the girls, and two for the boys. The grand prizes will be awarded on a lottery system, with one lottery ticket per race entered. The series winner will get 15 additional lottery tickets, 14 more for second, and so on. The grand prize lottery will be on the Nov. 29 race In Eugene. Riders do not need to be present to win but must participate in at least 4 races to qualify. Scoring is based on the best five of seven races.

Entry is just $5 per race and there will be a free 10 minute cyclocross clinic before the 10 a.m. starts. There's more information on the race flier HERE.

The next race in the seven-race series is the Eugene Psycho Cross #2 Oct. 17.

REMAINING SCHEDULE
Race 3: 10/17 -- Saturday, Psycho Cross(Eugene)
Race 4: 10/24 -- Saturday, Willamette Valley Cross(Salem)
Race 5: 11/7 -- Saturday, Willamette Valley Cross(Salem)
Race 6: 11/21 -- Saturday, Psycho Cross(Eugene)
Race 7: 11/29 -- Sunday, Psycho Cross(Eugene)

Mugging in Massachusetts: The Jonathan Page - Tim Johnson crash video

2009-10-06T10:35:00.000-07:00

This video, captured by Colt at Cyclingdirt.com, shows Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com rider Tim Johnson moving inside Jonathan Page at the NACT race in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and cutting out the Planet Bike rider's front wheel while passing. Page is obviously less than pleased with the maneuver, and you can hear what sounds like Jeremy Powers (Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com) instructing his teammate Jamey Driscoll, "We're waiting."

Page will now be heading off to Europe for his world cup campaign while Johnson focuses on the NACT and the USGP, but it will be interesting to see if this incident fuels a longer feud between two of America's best cyclocross riders.

Oregon's Sue Butler leads women's NACT series; Page earns leader's jersey in men's competition

2009-10-05T17:08:00.000-07:00

GLOUCESTER, Mass. -- Maybe there was magic in the mud in Gloucester as the second round of the North American Cyclocross Trophy saw Jonathon Page’s U.S. finale, Tim Johnson’s return to form, and Natasha Elliott’s stamp of dominance.

With previous NACT leader Christian Heule back in Europe, Page (Planet Bike) moved comfortably into the red jersey with his win on Saturday and second place on Sunday.

The Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com team has three riders in the top 10 with Jamey Driscoll in third, Johnson in fourth and Jeremy Powers in sixth. With Page heading back to Europe, the green and black onslaught of Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com will look to take control of the series as the NACT crosses the border into Toronto.

Bissell rider Andy Jacques-Maynes' fifth-place finishes on both days put him in – you guessed it – fifth place overall. Newcomer to ‘cross Chris Jones kept his eye on the podium with third- and sixth-place finishes. The Champion System rider sits in seventh overall, ahead of Danish champion Joachim Parbo and Jesse Anthony (Jamis). Russell Stevenson of Washington rounds out the top 10.

The Kona contingent was noticeably absent from Gloucester this past weekend, as they headed to Portland to help christen the 2009 Cross Crusade at Alpenrose, but a return of the bright orange boys could contribute to some more jostling in the series standings.

Portland's Sue Butler (Monavie-Cannondale) had her work cut out for her as she raced to keep her NACT leader’s jersey. Although top rival Helen Wyman (Kona) has returned to Europe for World Cup racing, Louis Garneau rider Natasha Elliott’s back to back wins moved her into second place overall, only 25 points behind Butler. With the series moving to Canada, Elliott may use the hometown crowd to wrest the jersey from Butler.

Although she didn't race in Gloucester, Luna's Alison Dunlap moved down one position into fourth overall. Laura Van Gilder (C3 Athletes Serving Athletes), Mo Bruno-Roy (Mm Racing/Seven Cycles), and Amanda Carey (Kenda/trainwitheric.com) all used Gloucester to move into fifth through seventh. Though Wendy Williams stayed in Oregon to race, the Hudz-Subaru rider kept her ninth place behind the also absent Kari Studley. Rebecca Wellons (Team Plan C) rode her way to 10th overall with two top 10 finishes at Gloucester.

With Elliott headed for the home-field advantage in Canada, and both Powers and Johnson past winners in Toronto, the 2009 GNC Toronto International Cyclo-Cross will ensure the NACT series continues as a points battle. Organizers also have some extracurricular events planned. On Friday, Oct. 17, Urban Male Magazine in conjunction with Cameron’s Brewing Co will host the TICC pre-race party at downtown Toronto’s iconic Brunswick House (481 Bloor Street West).

Registration is open at www.bikereg.com and more information can be found at www.ontariocycling.org and www.torontocyclocross.com. With the largest cyclocross purse in North America, racers’ eyes are on the prize as the series hits its halfway point. For more full standings and information, see http://www.nacyclocross.com. Follow us on Facebook and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/NACT.

(Submitted by the NACT)

Trebon and Williams conquer Crusade opener

2009-10-04T17:53:00.000-07:00

Riding his singlespeed, Ryan Trebon led a trio of Kona riders onto the podium of the Men's A race at Alpenrose Sunday during the Cross Crusade opener. Wendy Williams (Hudz-Subaru) battled Alice Pennington (Veloforma) throughout the Women's A race and moved ahead on the last lap to cruise in for the win.

More than 1,400 riders flooded the fields of Alpenrose Dairy in southwest Portland for the opening salvo of the 2009 Cross Crusade. Despite rain earlier in the week, blue skies and pleasant temperatures on race day kept the course from showing any signs of mud.

The course featured a starting pavement loop through the wild west town, long stretches of fast-but-bumpy grass pastures with some slightly off-camber turns, a steep-but-short run up, a winding loop in and out of the velodrome onto more grass, and then a treacherous cement staircase with a single switchback.

Trebon and Wicks played hookie from the North American Cyclcross Trophy circuit this weekend in Gloucester, Mass., to race a little closer to home. Trebon warmed up for the Men’s A race by taking out the field in the Singlespeed event. Then he rode the same singlespeed bike to a win in the Men’s A race in front of Kona teammates Wicks and Erik Tonkin.

“I didn’t want to fly across the country,” Trebon said of his decision to skip Gloucester and stay close to home for the Cross Crusade opener at the dairy, giving the team mechanic a break as well. “This is a great race. It’s hard. I like it better than the USGP races we do at PIR.”

Team S&M’s Sean Babcock, Vanilla’s Shannon Skerritt and Portland Bicycle Studio’s Molly Cameron joined the Kona trio at the front of the men’s field in the early running. But when Wicks and Trebon decided to drop the hammer in the closing laps of the 60-minute race, the pair quickly built a 15-20 second gap over the rest.

Babcock and Tonkin formed a chase behind. Skerritt, a Masters national champ in 2005, said he tried to hang with Kona’s dynamic duo early but lost touch when Trebon put the hammer down after the steep cement staircase.

The battle for third was left for Tonkin and Babcock, who rides for a club sponsored by Tonkin’s Sellwood Bicycle Repair shop. In the finale, the pair exited the last set of barriers together and turned a 180 onto the velodrome apron for the sprint to the finish about half a lap away. Babcock got stuck behind traffic and was forced to go onto the track’s banking while Tonkin took the shorter route on the apron. The popular Portland ‘cross world cup veteran held off the charging young rider and got third. Babcock settled for fourth. Skerritt was fifth. Cameron experienced technical difficulties but hung on for sixth.

WOMEN A

Current Masters 40-44 champion Wendy Williams (Hudz-Subaru) and Veloforma’s Alice Pennington made it a two-rider battle royale at the front of the 60-minute Women’s A race.

Distancing themselves from the rest of the field early in the race, the pair punched and counter-punched throughout the race. Although nothing stuck, the constant back and forth drove the pace and gave the pair a sizeable lead over the rest of the field.

“It was a lot of back and forth,” Williams said of her daylong dual with Pennington. “Things went well until I crashed.”

Williams took a fall exiting the velodrome as the men’s field was entering through the same gate, but the Hudz-Subaru rider managed to fight her way back to Pennington, who came into the Cross Crusade opener having won three races in a row.

With time winding down, Williams poured on extra coal in the closing laps and opened a gap on her Veloforma rival, finishing comfortably ahead of Pennington for the win and the early series lead. Team S&M’s Rhonda Mazza won the battle for third ahead of Megan Faris (River City Bicycles) and Emily Van Meter (Hudz-Subaru).

The complete Cycling Action photo gallery for this race is now posted online HERE.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
Cross Crusade #1
Alpenrose Dairy
Oct. 4

Men A
1. Ryan Trebon (Kona)
2. Barry Wicks (Kona)
3. Erik Tonkin (Kona)
4. Sean Babcock (Team S&M)
5. Shannon Skerritt (Vanilla Bicycles)

Women A
1. Wendy Williams (Hudz-Subaru)
2. Alice Pennington (Veloforma)
3. Rhonda Mazza (Team S&M)
4. Megan Faris (River City Bicycles)
5. Emily Van Meter (Hudz-Subaru)

Bjesse-Puffin medals at collegiate nationals

2009-10-03T13:16:00.000-07:00

Local rider Amelia Bjesse-Puffin earned two podium spots last week at USA Cycling's Collegiate Track Nationals in Trexlertown, Pennsylvania.

After a grueling match with some of the nation's best, Bjesse-Puffin (Portland State University) walked away with a Bronze medal in the Womens 500m event and a Silver in the Womens Sprint.

"I didn't go to collegiates last year because I wasn't fast enough," said the PSU senior. "I wasn't going to go and waste everyone's time and money when I knew I'd be little more than pack fodder. This year I did, however, beat both of last year's returning medalists in the 500 meter, resoundingly."

Bjesse-Puffin, who can often be found sporting the BRIHOP jersey on the banks of Alpenrose Velodrome in southwest Portland, said the results are the best of any national-level competition she's done.

"I'd like to think I made PSU rec club proud," she said. "I work so hard all year, it's nice to see it pay off. We are in the gym or doing bike workouts six days a week."

"I would have liked to win a national jersey," she added. "But the girl who did is an excellent racer and I just wasn't as fast as her this year. But I'm always getting faster, which I owe in no small way to my coach, Brian Abers."

RESULTS
USA Cycling Collegiate Track National Championships
September 24-26, 2009
Trexlertown, Pa.

Women’s Sprint
1. Colleen Hayduk (Kutztown University)
2. Amelia Bjesse-Puffin (Portland State University)
3. Stephanie Torres (Bard College)
4. Lauren Shirock (Penn State)
5. Elena Dorr (Illinois Institute of Technology)

Women's 500m
1. Colleen Hayduk (Kutztown University)
2. Mary Costelloe (Kutztown University)
3. Amelia Bjesse-Puffin (Portland State University)
4. Sierra Siebenlist (Marian College)
5. Elena Dorr (Illinois Institute of Technology)

(Submitted by PSU Cycling Team / courtesy photo)

Cycling Tweet of the Week

2009-10-02T16:50:00.000-07:00

"Someone asked why I wasn't going to Gloucester. Two words 'Cross Crusade.' Gloucester is a great race but come on, Alpenrose is a classic!"

Ryan Trebon (@ryantrebon)
Friday, Oct. 2, 1:50 p.m.

Cameron scores on first Blind Date attempt; Veloforma's Pennington cruises to second win

2009-09-30T23:09:00.000-07:00

Molly Cameron notched a win Wednesday night in the Men's A race of the Blind Date at the Dairy cyclocross race at Alpenrose Velodrome. Portland's Alice Pennington cruised to her second straight victory in the Women's A race. The win marks the Veloforma rider's third cyclocross win in as many starts.

Cameron (Portland Bicycle Studio) opened a gap early in the race with week-one winner Joshua Berry (BODE) and Veloshop's Steven Hunter. The trio flew over the course together for the majority of the race, setting consistent lap times before Cameron and Berry started to ride away from their lead-trio companion.

When Hunter continued to lag behind with about 20 minutes of racing reamaining, it looked like the finale would boil down to a battle between Cameron and Berry. But Cameron held the lucky hand Wednesday night when Berry flatted in the closing laps. The BODE rider maneuvered his bicycle to the pit and grabbed a spare bike, but Cameron was long gone. Berry was able to hold onto his second place spot. Hunter held off a late race charge to take third.

UPDATE: The complete Oregon Cycling Action photo gallery for this race is now posted online HERE.

RESULTS
Blind Date at the Dairy
Portland, Sept. 30

Men A
1. Cameron, Molly (Portland Bicycle Studio) 13
2. Berry, Joshua (BODE) 13
3. Hunter, Steven (Veloshop) 13
4. Yeater, Davy (River City Bicycles) 13
5. Schulz, Erik (Specialized/River City) 13
Women A
1. Pennington, Alice (Veloforma) 12
2. Bagely, Rachel (Motordome/Ira Ryan Cycles) 11
3. Schweitzer, Jennifer 11
4. Love, Christy (Team S&M) 11
5. Brown, Audrey (Team S&M) 11
Singlespeed
1. Gilmore, Leland (River City Bicycles) 9
2. Criss, Alexander (River City Bicycles) 9
3. Patla, Seth (River City Bicycles) 9
4. Ehmke, Larry (Grundelbruisers) 9
5. Weaver, Ryan (River City Bicycles) 9

Complete OBRA results are HERE.

A quartet of Cross Vegas videos

2009-09-30T08:58:00.000-07:00

Dreaming about tonight's Blind Date at the Dairy at Alpenrose? Maybe this video from Cross Vegas will help get the blood flowing.

OBRA member Emiliano Jordan was in Las Vegas last week for Interbike and brought back some great video from Cross Vegas. Enjoy.

The start ...

A late chase in the men's race ...

The first half of a split women's field ...

Katie Compton way off the front ...

NACT heads for Massachusetts this weekend

2009-09-29T10:14:00.000-07:00

PHOTO: Helen Wyman (Kona), Sue Butler (MonaVie/Cannondale) and Wendy Williams (Hudz-Subaru) wait for the start at Star Crossed Sept. 19 in Redmond, Wash. Wyman's return to Europe should help shake up the NACT standings.

The North American Cyclocross Trophy cowbell train makes its first East Coast stop at the Great Brewers Gran Prix in Gloucester, Mass., this Saturday and Sunday.

British national champ Helen Wyman and Swiss national champ Christian Heule walked away with the series-leader jerseys after the first weekend of racing in Washington at Star Crossed and the Rad Racing GP Sept. 19 and 20, and then the big show at Cross Vegas Sept. 23.

But with Wyman and Heule headed back to Europe, leading U.S. riders Jamey Driscoll (Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com), Andy Jacques-Maynes (Bissell) and Jeremy Powers (Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com) will be looking to take advantage of the empty top spot and move up.

Likewise Tim Johnson (Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com), Maureen Bruno Roy (MM Racing/Seven Cycles) and Lyne Bessette (October Factory Racing) will try to leave their first impression on the series and earn some points. Both Johnson and Bessette have won at Gloucester in the past. Look for the married couple to try and make it a family affair atop the podium once again.

There are some dark horses, however, after Chris Jones’ (Champion System) strong showing in Washington State last weekend followed by second place at Cross Vegas, the road rider turned ‘cross racer shouldn’t be a surprise to his competitors. Bruno Roy took fifth and seventh at the Gran Prix in 2008 and will be looking to improve on her past results in front of the partisan New England crowd.

(Submitted by the North American Cyclocross Trophy series).

Collision with auto ends New Zealand plans for Land Rover/ORBEA's Roman Van Uden

2009-09-28T18:06:00.000-07:00

PHOTO: Roman Van Uden won OBRA's Rehearsal Road Race last May in Rainier.

Land Rover/ORBEA pro Roman Van Uden's racing season has been cut short by a traffic accident. While his American cohorts were recovering form a long domestic road season or gearing up for cyclcocross in the states, Van Uden returned to his home country of New Zealand and was preparing for the upcoming race season there, including the UCI Tour of the Southland.

But a collision with a car Friday, Sept. 25, sidelined the tall, powerful sprinter who won the Tour of the Gila criterium in front of Lance Armsstrong, Levi Leipheimer, Chris Horner and a talented field of America's best domestic racers.

Van Uden told his story to New Zealand's online cycling magazine, roadcycling.co.nz:

"On Friday the 25th of September, while going for a little late afternoon cruise in Auckland (some would call this period 'Rush Hour') my ride came to an abrupt end when a driver turned across my lane to enter a driveway.

"This accident was unavoidable as I was hidden behind a queue of traffic and a gap was left by another motorist for the car to enter the driveway. Traveling quite quickly, I had very little time to react and could not miss the car.

"I was launched off my bike and landed on a curb, slightly winded. I only suffered very minor grazing to my right elbow and knee but what at the time felt like a sprained wrist later turned out to be my second broken scaphoid of the year."

Read the complete story HERE.

Cycling Tweet of the Week ...

2009-09-28T12:04:00.001-07:00

"do NOT and i mean NEVER tell george hincapie how to ride a bike."

--Bob Roll (@bobkeroll), noon, Monday, Sept. 28. Responding to critics of the veteran Euro pro and current national champ after he posted a pic of himself with his wife and son at a coffee shop. Hincapie was astride his city bike with no helmet. His infant was behind in a seat wearing a pretty slick looking mini Giro.

Babcock and Pennington win their battles at Barlow

2009-09-27T21:00:00.000-07:00

GRESHAM -- Sean Babcock and Alice Pennington made the most of the sunny weather and summer temps Sunday by storming to wins at the 2009 Battle at Barlow.

The temperate weather and early season anticipation brought out more than 650 riders to Sam Barlow High School southeast of Gresham. Numbers throughout the day in most categories showed a consistent 15-20 percent increase over last year. The large number of riders wore in the course nicely for the elite racers who followed.

In the Men's A race, Babcock (Team S&M) hung with one of his club's sponsors as he and Erik Tonkin (Kona), owner of Sellwoood Cycle repair, opened up a nice gap on the rest of the field by the end of the first lap. The pair continued to hang together over the relatively lengthy course, which featured exposed off-camber grass sections (made all the more difficult by a blustery eastern wind), long stretches of pavement, a barrier-interrupted descent into a ravine and its plank bridge, and then the brutal, infamous run-up over railroad ties before more careening through the woods.

The Kona-S&M duo worked fluidly over the difficult course, steadily building a lead together before Babcock got a gap on his Kona companion in the last lap, cruising in for a comfortable win. Tonkin crossed the line a handful of seconds later for second. Tonic's Ian Brown finished third ahead of Joshua Berry (BODE) and Taylor Kneuven (Johan Bruyneel Cycling).

Pennington's road to victory proved a little easier than Babcock's. The Veloforma rider quickly distanced herself from the rest of the competition in the Women's A race and soon began lapping riders in the 60 minute event that was on the course at the same time as the Men A and Masters Men A races. Brigett Brown (River City Bicycles) won the battle for second ahead of Abby Jenkins (Super Relax 8) in third and Sunny Gilbert (Pacific Power/Blue Sky) in fourth. Team Group Health's Jen Akeroyd finished fifth.

RESULTS
Battle at Barlow
Gresham
Sunday, Sept. 27

Women A
1. Pennington, Alice (Veloforma) 8
2. Brown, Brigett (River City Bicycles) 8
3. Jenkins, Abby (Super Relax 8)
4. Gilbert, Sunny (Pacific Power/Blue Sky) 8
5. Akeroyd, Jen (Team Group Health) 6
Men A
1. Babcock, Sean (Team S&M) 8
2. Tonkin, Erik (Kona) 8
3. Brown, Ian (Tonic Fab) 8
4. Berry, Joshua (BODE) 8
5. Kneuven, Taylor (Johan Brunnel Cycling) 8
Masters Women A
1. Swearingen, Julie (Mountain View Cycles) 5
2. Jennings, Julie (Sunnyside Sports) 5
3. Hardiman, Jill (Dirty Finger) 5
Masters Men A
1. Bravard, John (Cyclepath) 8
2. Diviney, David (Cyclepath) 8
3. Brown, Mike (Therapeutic Associates/GENR8) 8
Women B
1. Kandra, Lindsay (Hammer Velo) 5
2. Jones, Lindsay 5
3. Sung, Esther 5
Men B
1. Monnig, David (Ironclad Performance Wear) 6
2. Braun, Mathew (Team S&M) 6
3. Spahr, Trevor (Ironclad Performance Wear) 6
Singlespeed
1. Rollert, John (Webcyclery.com)
2. Gilmore, Leland (River City Bicycles)
3. Luelling, Brent (Capitol Subaru Cycling)

The complete Cycling Action photo gallery for this race is now posted online HERE.

Wisconsin's Planet Bike Cup Sunday races wrap up USGP opening weekend

2009-09-27T19:58:00.000-07:00

The first two races of the U.S. Grand Prix of Cyclcocross are in the books. Three-time world champion Erwen Vervecken of Belgium leads the men's race. Katie Compton of Colorado leads the women.

The next set of weekend races will be the Derby City Cup Oct. 24 and 25 in Louisville, Kentucky. The Knapp's Cyclery Mercer Cup follows Nov. 14 and 15 in Mercer County, New Jersey. And the series culminates in Portland with the Stanley Portland Cup Dec. 5 and 6 at Portland International Raceway.

RESULTS
U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross
Madison, Wisc.
Sunday, Sept. 27

ELITE WOMEN

1. COMPTON, Katherine (Planet Bike)
2. NASH, Katerina (Luna)
3. GOULD, Georgia (Luna)
4. BUTLER, Susan (Monavie/Cannondale.com)
5. SYDOR, Alison (Maxxis/Rocky Mountain)
6. DUNLAP, Alison (Luna)
7. DOMBROSKI, Amy (Richard Sachs-RGM)
8. WINFIELD, Deidre (C3/Athletes Serving Athletes)
9. WENTWORTH, Kristin (Planet Bike)
10. HASKELL, Devon (Velo Belo)
18. PLAYMAN, Erin (Gentle Lovers)

ELITE MEN

1. VERVECKEN, Erwin (Revor/Baboco)
2. TREBON, Ryan (KONA)
3. PAGE, Jonathan (Planet Bike)
4. KABUSH, Geoff (Maxxis/Rocky Mountain)
5. HEULE, Christian (Rendementhypo)
6. POWERS, Jeremy (Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld)
7. DRISCOLL,, Jamey (Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld)
8. SCHOUTEN Tristan (Planet Bike)
9. WICKS, Barry (Kona)
10. JONES, Christopher (Champion System)
25. SKERRITT, Shannon (Vanilla Bicycles)
27. HULICK, Kevin (Vanilla Bicycles)
32. BLACKWELDER, Mark (Gentle Lovers)

Battle at Barlow video

2009-09-27T19:03:00.000-07:00

Erik Tonkin (Kona) and Sean Babcock (Team S&M) quickly distanced themselves from the Men's A field at Sunday's Battle at Barlow. Here they tackle the infamous railroad tie run-up.

U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclcross first round results

2009-09-26T13:56:00.000-07:00

RESULTS
U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross
Planet Bike Cup
Madison, Wisc.
Saturday, Sept. 26

ELITE WOMEN
1. Katie Compton (Spike Shooter)
2. Katerina Nash (Luna Pro team)
3. Georgia Gould (Luna Pro Team)
4. Amy Dombroski (Richard Sachs-RGM)
5. Alison Sydor (Rocky Mountain-Maxxis)
6. Sue Butler (MonaVie/Cannondale)
7. Deidre Winfield (C3-Athletes Serving Athletes)
8. Alison Dunlap (Luna Pro Team)
9. Devon Haskell (BH USA)
10. Kristin Wentworth (Planet Bike)
21. Erin Playman (Gentle Lovers)

ELITE MEN
1. Jeremy Powers (Cannondale/Cyclcrossworld.com)
2. Erwen Vervecken (Revor-Baboco-Champion Systems)
3. Jonathan Page (Planet Bike)
4. Ryan Trebon (Kona)
5. Geoff Kabush (Rocky Mountain-Maxxis)
6. Chris Jones (Champion System)
7. Jamey Driscoll (Cannondale/Cyclcrossworld.com)
8. Jesse Anthony (Jamis)
9. Andy Jacques-Maynes (Bissell)
10. Tim Van Nuffel (Rendement-Hypo Cycling)
19. Molly Cameron (Portland Bicycle Studio)
28. Shannon Skerritt (Vanilla Bicycles)
29. Kevin Hulick (Vanilla Bicycles)

Live coverage for USGP

2009-09-25T19:59:00.000-07:00

If you're unlucky enough to find yourself in front of a computer this weekend, check out Cyclocross Magazine's online coverage of the U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross opening round in Madison, Wisconsin.

The live text updates start both Saturday and Sunday at 11:30 a.m.

Find out more HERE, or log onto cxmagazine.com at race time.

Lyne Lamoureux of Podium Insight is also keeping tabs on the races via her live Twitter updates @ http://twitter.com/podiuminsight

Oregon rider results from Cross Vegas

2009-09-25T17:32:00.000-07:00

RESULTS
Cross Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Sept. 23, 2009

ELITE MEN
6. Ryan Trebon (Kona)
14. Carl Decker (Giant)
18. Adam Craig (Giant)
21. Molly Cameron (Portland Bicycle Studio)
30. Carson Miller (Land Rover-ORBEA)
69. David Yeater (River City Bicycles)
78. Aaron Tuckerman (Land Rover-ORBEA)

ELITE WOMEN
6. Sue Butler (MonaVie/Cannondale.com)
16. Wendy Williams (Hudz-Subaru)
18. Emily Van Meter (Hudz-Subaru)

Blind Date goes well; second date looks brighter

2009-09-23T23:18:00.000-07:00

Approximately 300 competitors showed up for the first Blind Date at the Dairy cyclocross race at Alpenrose in southwest Portland Wednesday night.

The first race of the evening, Category C Men, B Women and Beginner Women packed well over 100 riders onto the course that wound around and through the Alpenrose Dairy headquarters/playground that features the velodrome, baseball fields and a mini-car racetrack. As daytime turned into evening and then into night, generator-powered lights illuminated the far corners of the course that the parking and ballfield lights couldn't reach. The darkness didn't seem to slow the racing as the elite racers took to the course.

BODE's Joshua Berry (pictured at left) quickly separated himself from the rest of the Men's A field and survived a crash to easily take the win in front of Ian Brown (Tonic) and Steven Hunter (Velo Shop). Veloforma's Alice Pennington cruised to a comfortable win in the Women's A race ahead of River City Bicycles' Bridget Brown and Gentle Lovers' Dawn Riddle.

Like most first dates, the evening wasn't without a few awkward moments. The last race of the evening was cut short when officials decided several dark spots on the course presented too much danger for riders. But promoters promised to have that hitch cleared up with more lights by next week. Overall, participants seemed to enjoy the weeknight chance to 'cross, and several raved about the course.

The four night Blind Date at the Dairy series runs Wednesday nights through Oct. 14.

Schedule
5:00 - Kiddie cross (no parents on course)
and Toddler Cross (parents may run along)
5:10 - Juniors (35 min.)
6:00 - Category C Men, B Women and Beginner Women (45 min.)
6:50 - Category B Men and Single Speed (45 min.)
7:45 - Category A Men and A Women (1 hour)

Register onsite up to 10 minutes prior to your race and preferably at least 30 minutes prior. Cost: Kids free, juniors $8, senior men and women $15.

Find more information HERE.

The Complete Cycling Action photo gallery for this race is now posted online HERE.

Butler and Trebon both sixth at Cross Vegas

2009-09-23T22:02:00.000-07:00

RESULTS
Cross Vegas
Las Vegas, Sept. 23

Elite Women
1. Katie Compton
2. Katerina Nash
3. Georgia Gould
4. Kelli Emmett
5. Mary McConneloug
6. Sue Butler (Portland)
7. Helen Wyman
8. Alison Powers
9. Amy Dombroski
10. Laura Van Gilder

Elite Men
1. Jamey Driscoll
2. Chris Jones
3. Jonathan Page
4. Jeremy Powers
5. Erwin Vervecken
6. Ryan Trebon (Bend)
7. Todd Wells
8. Christian Heule
9. Ben Berden
10. Barry Wicks

OBRA riders snag podium spots at Star Crossed

2009-09-23T13:26:00.001-07:00

While the contingent of Oregon elite riders were in the parking lot readying to kick off the North American Cyclocross Trophy at Star Crossed, an even greater number of OBRA riders was already making its presence felt in the amateur ranks.

Oregon riders took five of the top-10 spots in the Masters Women 35+ race. Heather Gunderson (Veloforma) finished second, with Verloce/Felt's Beth Burns following not far behind in fourth. Sorella Forte had a great showing up north, with Kim Reuter finishing fifth and Rhonda Morin in eighth. Vigninie Calme (Cyclepath) was ninth. Anne Linton (Sorella Forte) and Anne Leitheiser just missed the top 10, finishing 11th and 12th, respectively.

Oregon women dominated the podium in the Cat 3/4 event. Hammer Velo's Anna Vaughn took the top spot, followed Alalaea Berry in second and Lindsay Kandra in third. Bridgetown Velo's Margi Lifsey just missed the top 10, crossing the line 12th.

Veloce Felt's Michael Benno (pictured above) scored a third place spot in the hotly contested Masters Men Cat 1/2 30+ race. Team S&M's Bradway Scott finished close to the podium, finishing sixth. Of the 74 starters in the 30+ race, 14 DNF'd.

In the Singlespeed event won by Jason Williams, Cyclepath's Patrick Wilder finished third. Jacob Furniss (Revolver-Cascadia) was fourth. Ironcald Performance Wear's Bryan Voytilla rounded out the top 10.

Complete Star Crossed results for all categories are HERE.

Complete Rad Racing GP results for all categories are HERE.

Butler, Heule lead NACT after first weekend

2009-09-23T12:50:00.000-07:00

When the dust from the first weekend of racing settled, the North American Cyclocross Trophy standings were quite a contrast to the previous year. Swiss champion Christian Heule leads Jonathan Page (Planet Bike) by 10 points with Andy Jacques-Maynes (Bissell) in third. Jeremy Powers’ (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) second place finish ahead of Page at Star Crossed put him in fourth place, six points ahead of teammate Jamey Driscoll. National champion Ryan Trebon (Kona) is in 11th, after pulling out of Sunday’s race, and Tim Johnson (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) is absent from the points all together.

The women’s standings have some semblance to 2008 with Sue Butler (MonaVie/Cannondale.com) leading Britain’s Helen Wyman by 15 points. Wyman’s flat on Sunday resulted in a fourth place finish and cost her some valuable NACT points. Alison Dunlap’s (Luna) first weekend back in the office put her in third place in the overall standings. Kari Studley (Velo Bella) and Wendy Williams (Hudz-Subaru) round out the top five.

The next race in the NACT series is the Grand Prix of Gloucester in Gloucester, Mass., Oct. 3. and 4. Powers, Dunlap, Trebon and Johnsen have all won at Gloucester, setting up a potential shake-up in the overall standings. For more complete standings and information, see http://www.nacyclocross.com. Follow us on Facebook and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/NACT

(Submitted by the North American Cyclocross Trophy Series).

Oregon's Elite 'crossers carve up Washington results at Star Crossed and Rad Racing GP

2009-09-22T18:24:00.000-07:00

Oregon riders flooded the ranks the of the Elite men's and women's races at the big kick off to the national cyclocross season in Washington last weekend. Results of the women's race Saturday read like a who's who of Oregon cyclocross racing.

The big winner was Portland's Sue Butler, who walked away with the lead in the North American Cyclocorss Trophy series. The MonaVie/Cannondale.com rider kicked off her pro season in style with a second place finish Saturday night at Star Crossed in Redmond. Kona's new rider Helen Wyman, the current British national champion, won that race, but Butler stormed back Sunday to win the Rad Racing GP and take the overall NACT lead when Wyman finished fourth.

Beyond Butler's podium finish on Saturday, Oregon riders Emily Van Meter and Wendy Williams, riding this season for Hudz-Subaru, finished 6th and 7th, respectively. Megan Faris (River City) was 11th, Team S&M's Rhonda Mazza was 13th, Gentle Lovers Erin Playman was 18th, Serena Bishop (Sunnyside Sports) was 21st, and Audrey Brown (Team S&M) was 25th.

Butler climbed to the top podium spot on Sunday's Rad Racing GP course under sunny skies and bone-dry conditions in Lakewood. Riding away with Wyman after getting a gap on the "Knapp Time" run-up, an 80-meter ascent into Hell, Butler benefited from an untimely flat for her British breakaway companion.

"I heard her say 'I believe I've punctured,'" Butler said after the race. The MonaVie/Cannondale.com rider continued to pour on the pace and crossed the line with plenty of room to spare. Luna's Alison Dunlap, who finished third at Star Crossed, was second. Local rider Kari Studley finished third.

Williams, of Hudz-Subaru, finished sixth in a close two-up sprint. Oregon riders Alice Pennington (Veloforma), Mazza and Van Meter rounded out the top 10, taking 8th, 9th, and 10th, respectively. Faris was 12th, Bishop was 18th and Brown crossed the line 20th.

Portland's Molly Cameron (Portland Bicycle Studio) finished 12th Saturday night in the rain-soaked Elite Men's Star Crossed, won by Swiss national champ Christian Heule. Cameron and Bend's Chris Sheppard (Santa Cruz/Shimano/Wtb/Giro) avoided a first-lap crash that took out Bend resident and current national champ Ryan Trebon. Trebon toughed out his road rash and battled back for fourth. His Kona teammate Barry Wicks finished 14th. Team S&M's Sean Babcock, who went down in the same first-lap crash that took down Trebon -- caught fabulously on YouTube -- finished 16th. Shannon Skerritt (Trek-VW-Bikegallery) came in 19th, with the rest of the Oregon riders sprinkled liberally throughout the remaining spots.

Trebon's hard fall in Saturday's race caught up with him Sunday, when he dropped out of the race after finding himself unable to hold the leaders' pace. Jonathan Page and Heule went on to finish first and second in that race.

Sheppard was the top Oregon finisher Sunday, crossing the line 8th. Wicks was 9th. Babcock was 13th. Bend's Cody Peterson (Hutch's) finished 18th. Gentle Lovers' Mark Blackwelder was 33rd. Scotty Carlisle (Therapeutics Associates/Genr8) was 34th. Capitol Subaru Cycling's Brett Luelling was 36th. Vanilla Bicycles' Kevin Hulik crossed the line 38th. Ryan Weaver was 39th. Matt Fox of Sunnyside sports was 44th.

Complete Star Crossed results for all categories are HERE.

Complete Rad Racing GP results for all categories are HERE.

Monday means school's in session

2009-09-21T15:41:00.000-07:00

The PDX School of 'Cross opens tonight at Portland International Raceway. With the cyclocross season officially started and revving toward top speed when the eight-week Cross Crusade begins Oct. 4, Portland 'crossers may be itching to add some tuning to their own skills, and there's no shortage of opportunities

Top Portland cyclocrossers Erik Tonkin, Molly Cameron and Sue Butler will be on hand with a host of others to guide various groups through challenges and lessons. When the clinics end and the last of the autumn twilight fades, the Night Race will give participants a chance to further hone their skills. Marked by small Knog lights, the PIR course will provide a fun, self-scored chance to race.

Registration for the PDX School of Cross (and the race) is $10.

More information HERE.

There's also still time to catch one of the Cyclocross Skills Clinics every Tuesday and Thursday through Oct. 1. Cameron, who scored a 12th place finish at the slippery Star Crossed pro race in Seattle, will lead the Tuesday night clinics with help from other races. Tina Brubaker hosts the women-only clinics on Thursday nights.

Find more information HERE.

Check out this School of 'Cross promotional video.

SCHOOL OF CROSS from Dave Christenson on Vimeo.

2009 Hood River Double Cross results

2009-09-21T15:13:00.000-07:00

RESULTS
Hood River Double Cross
Sept. 19 & 20

SATURDAY

MEN A
1. Thompson, Ben 12
2. Brown, Ian (Tonic Fab) 12
3. Kneuven, Taylor (Johan Brunnel Cycling) 12
4. Hunter, Steven (Veloshop) 12
5. Plews, Evan (Capitol Subaru Cycling) 12
WOMEN A
1. Stoick, Brigett (River City Bicycles) 10
2. Wille, Kristin (Portland Velo) 9
SINGLESPEED
1. Redden, Andy (White Salmon) 7
2. Fabrizius, Erik (Veloshop) 7
3. Folts, Anderson (Veloshop) 7
4. Urban, Brad (Veloshop) 7
5. Murphy, Kyle (Team High School) 7

SUNDAY

MEN A
1. Kneuven, Taylor (Johan Brunnel cycling) 12
2. Thompson, Ben (Sunnyside Sports) 12
3. Brown, Ian (Tonic Fab) 12
4. Schmitt, Damian (Sunnyside Sports)12
5. Ryan, Kelly (Portland Bicycle Studio)12
WOMEN A
1. Akeroyd, Jen (Team Group Health) 11
2. Stoick, Brigett (River City Bicycles) 11
3. Wills, Heather (Veloforma)10
4. Schweitzer, Jennifer 10
SINGLESPEED
1. Rollert, Johnny (WebCyclery.com) 8
2. Redden, Andy (White Salmon) 8
3. Lemieux, Jason (No l./Ice)8
4. Olmstead, Adrian (HUP United)8
5. Dorfer, John (The Royal Family)8

Complete OBRA results are HERE.

Some slippin' and slidin' at Star Crossed

2009-09-21T12:59:00.000-07:00

Was it slippery at Star Crossed? Judge for yourself ...

YouTube video by "sprklnld"

Quartet of OBRA riders will anchor ZteaM national masters team for 2010 Schedule

2009-09-18T18:26:00.000-07:00

ZteaM has announced its nine rider masters national team roster for 2010, and it's anchored by a quartet of OBRA regulars.

The team will be headed by UCI world time trial champion David Zimbelman Hood River. He'll be joined by OBRA Cat 2 rider Karsten Hagen of Bend and Matt Slater, a Cat 2 from Portland. Mick Walsh, a Cat 1 from Seattle, is also a regular rider on the OBRA masters circuit.

The team of age 40+ riders will compete in a series of races in New Mexico, Oregon, and California, including select stage races such as the Tour of the Gila, The Mt. Hood Cycling Classic, and The BMC Cascade Cycling Classic.

The master’s team will also serve as cycling mentors for ZteaM’s club members including hosted club rides and mentoring for younger cyclists. An announcement on ZteaM Elite will follow in two weeks.

ZteaM 2010 MASTERS NATIONAL TEAM ROSTER

David Zimbelman CAT 1 (56)— Hood River, Oregon
-2009 World Time Trial Champion 55+
-2009 Oregon TT Champion 55-59 (4th overall)
-2009 Oregon Washington TT Champion
-2009 Cherry Blossom Classic (1st overall) 40+/50+
-2009 Cascade Classic (1st overall) 45+
-4 time USA Cyling National Road and TT
-2 Time FICA National Champion
*Karsten Hagen CAT 2 (41)— Bend, Oregon
-2009 Oregon Masters TTT Champion
-2009 Eugene Celebration overall winner 40+
-2009 Cherry City Criterium 1st place 40+/50+
-2009 Piece of Cake Road Race 1st place Masters
*Matt Slater CAT 2 (46)--Portland Oregon
-2009 Oregon Masters TTT Champion
-2009 Hood River Crit series 1st
*Mick Walsh CAT 1 (48) Seattle,Washington
-2009 Washington State Hill Climb Champion
-2009 Oregon TT Champion 45+
-2009 Oregon Masters TTT Champion
*Janne Hamalainen CAT 1 (48)— Tulsa Oklahoma
-----*Tulsa Wheelman rider
-2009 Masters US Road Champion 2009 45+
*Will Gault CAT 1 (40)— Tulsa Oklahoma
-----*Tulsa Wheelman rider
-2009 Oklahoma Elite Road Champion
-2009 Oklahoma Time Trial Champion
-2009 Oklahoma Criterium Champion
*Cale Reeder CAT 2 (45)—California
-2009 BAR 45+ California Points Leader, CA
*Peter Brown CAT 2 (48)—Tucson, Arizona
-2009 Arizona State 45+ Road Champion
-2009 Arizona BAR points leader
*Hunter Ziesing CAT 2 (49)—San Francisco, CA

Big cyclocross weekend on tap for Northwest

2009-09-18T13:39:00.000-07:00

FILE PHOTO: Jeremy Powers (left) and Ryan Trebon, two of the nation's top 'crossers, will renew their friendly rivalry this weekend in Washington.

The next few days will be a cyclocross bonanza for Pacific Northwest racers and fans. The Hood River Double Cross offers a full schedule of OBRA races both Saturday and Sunday. In Washington, the North American UCI season begins with Starcrossed Saturday night at the Marymoor Velodome in Redmond and the Rad Racing GP Sunday in Tacoma.

HOOD RIVER DOUBLE CROSS

Fall is a beautiful time in and around Hood River, with the abundant orchards turning out their best colors. It's also Harvest time. So it's no surprise that the Hood River races drew more than 300 riders last year. Forecasts for blue skies mean this year's incarnation will likely be another popular event. Saturday's races will run at the Hood River Valley High School. Sunday's races will take place at the Hood River County Fairgrounds. Racing starts both days at 9 a.m. and winds up around 4 p.m.

You can find more information HERE.

STARCROSSED AND RAD RACING GP

World Championship medalist Jonathan Page, current national champion Ryan Trebon and past national champion Jeremy Powers are signed up to race under the lights in Redmond, Wash., Saturday night at Starcrossed, the opening round of the North American Cyclocross trophy. Six-time national champion Alison Dunlap is coming out of retirement for the race and will be contending against British champion Helen Wyman. OBRA's own Sue Butler, who won the race last year, will also be mixing it up.

On Sunday, racers will travel down I-5 to Lakewood, Wash., to test out their legs on the 80 meter “Knapp” run-up at the Rad Racing GP, the second race of the NACT.

You can follow the North American Cyclocross Trophy on Twitter @NACT.

Hegyvary gets big payday at Texas Tough Criterium

2009-09-17T19:11:00.000-07:00

FILE PHOTO: Adrian Hegyvary of Seattle's Hagens Berman team makes his way in a breakaway during the Hood River Criterium of the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic.

DALLAS, Texas -- A name that should be familiar to Oregon race fans hit a big payoff Thursday night in Texas.

Adrian Hegyvary of Seattle's Hagens Berman squad made his way into the winning breakaway at the Texas Tough Gran Prix Criterium, the second-to-last stop in the USA CRITS Series, and scored his big payout by winning the $2,500 Gambler's prime with two laps to go. Hegyvary added to his prize by taking fourth overall and going home with $5,400 for his night's work.

"Here's the synopsis," he wrote on HIS BLOG. "Went off solo about 5 laps into the rainy 75min race, stayed off the front in every break (about five), won three big primes (including the gambler's prime), then finished fourth. For my efforts I'm bringing home $5,400, the biggest take of the race. Texas... not so bad.

Hegyvary's also had a busy season in Oregon. He won two stages of April's Cherry Blossom Classic, was one of the most aggressive riders during June's Mt. Hood Cycling Classic and took the Portland Twilight Criterium in August.

He made it into a five-rider break late in the race with Team Type 1's Michael Creed, National Criterium Champ John Murphy (OUCH-Maxxis), Mountain Khakis's Adam Myereson and eventual winner Keith Blackgrove of Hotel San Jose, according to a live report by Lyne Lamoureux of Podium Insight.

The USA CRITS Series will wrap up Thursday, Sept. 24, in Las Vegas during Interbike.

Cycling Tweet of the Week

2009-09-17T12:37:00.000-07:00

Team Type 1 breakaway specialist Michael Creed posts some of the more cryptic-yet-entertaining updates you'll find in cycling Twitterdom ...

"I taped a bullet to the letter. And I wrote below it, 'The next one will be coming at you a lot faster, so take a good look at this one.'"

Michael Creed (@michael_creed) Sept. 17, 12:35 p.m.

Catching up with Omer Kem

2009-09-16T11:05:00.000-07:00

PHOTO: Omer Kem drives the pace up to Cooper Spur during the 2009 Mt. Hood Cycling Classic in June. Teammate Paul Mach won the stage, and eventually the overall, in no small part because of Kem and his Bissell teammates' efforts.

In a recent report, Lyne Lamoureux of Podium Insight catches up with Salem's Omer Kem, who rides for the Bissell Pro Cycling Team and just finished up with the Tour of Missouri.

Kem talks about his professional racing future as he nears the dreaded age of 28 and is faced with the USA Cycling Age Rule. He also reflects on his physical and mental recovery from the devastating crash in the Tour of California earlier this year where he broke his pelvis. Kem talks about upcoming races in Australia and New Zealand, and he discusses his domestique role at Bissell. From the article ...

"That’s always been my role and you have to balance that with a lack of personal results with the fact that we won the tour," said Kem about Mt Hood.

Read the entire Podium Insight article HERE.

OBRA women grab top two spots on Mt. Baker

2009-09-15T19:02:00.001-07:00

GLACIER, Wash. -- A pair of OBRA racers were the two fastest women at Washington's Mt. Baker Hillclimb Sunday.

Jenny Slawta (Landshark) covered the 24.5 mile course in 1:31:00 for first. Alice Pennington (Veloforma) rode the scenic mountain course just 33 seconds slower at 1:31:33 for second.

Slawta's effort was 18th fastest overall time among the more than 500 starters. Pennington was 22nd overall. Washington rider Russell Stevenson set the fastest time of the day at 1:25:16.

The Mt. Baker hillclinb is a 24.5 mile challenge for recreational, competitive and first-time cyclists that features more than 4,300 feet of climbing. RIDE 542 follows the Mt. Baker Highway (SR542) from the town of Glacier (955 ft. elevation) to its end at Artist Point (5140 ft. elevation).

The highway, which winds up and along the Nooksack River, through giant old growth cedar groves and under several glaciers, is closed for the event. Gradual grades dominate the course until the last 2.5 miles, when the road turns skyward. The majority of the course is through undeveloped wilderness area managed by the U.S. Forest Service and Washington Department of Transportation. Artist Point is the western most access to the North Cascades National Park.

RESULTS
Mt. Baker Hillclimb
Glacier, Washington
Sept. 13, 2009

Women
1. Slawta, Jennifer 1:31:00
2. Pennington, Alice 1:31:33
3. Brynjolfson, Kristine 1:34:53
4. 159 Grace, Lise 1:35:13
5. 246 Roschen, Lauren 1:36:51

Men
1. Stevenson, Russell 1:25:16
2. MacDonald, Nathan 1:25:40
3. Rathkamp, Ben 1:26:44
4. Maris, Shannon 1:26:50
5. Vukets, Dave 1:26:52

Complete results are HERE.

(courtesy photo)

Starcrossed: It's a Thriller!

2009-09-14T15:52:00.000-07:00

Check out this commercial by Evan Schmitt for the upcoming Starcrossed, the opening round of the North American Cyclocross Trophy. The race at Marymoor Velodrome in Redmond, Washington, is Sept. 19. The Rad Racing GP, round two of the NACT, is the very next day near Tacoma.

Junior Cyclocross Series revs up in Eugene

2009-09-14T12:13:00.000-07:00

EUGENE -- Race #1 of the Pacific Power Junior Cyclocross Series is in the books with more than 20 young Oregon riders well on their way to a chance of winning one of four 'cross bikes at the end of the eight-race stretch.

The series is intended to encourage junior participation in cyclocross and build the kind of grassroots program that has produced so many great national- and international-level riders on the road and mountain bike.

The series started Sunday at Eugene's Psycho Cross #1 and continues Oct. 3 at the Willamette Valley Cross in Salem.

There will be two grand prizes for the Girls, and two for the Boys. The grand prizes will be awarded on a lottery system, with one lottery ticket per race entered. The series winner will get 15 additional lottery tickets, 14 more for second, and so on. The grand prize lottery will be on the Nov. 29 race In Eugene. Riders do not need to be present to win but must participate in at least 4 races to qualify. Scoring is based on the best five of seven races.

Entry is just $5 per race and there will be a free 10 minute cyclocross clinic before the 10am starts.

SCHEDULE
Race 1: 9/13 Sunday, Psycho Cross(Eugene)
Race 2: 10/3 Saturday, Willamette Valley Cross(Salem)
Race 3: 10/17 Saturday, Psycho Cross(Eugene)
Race 4: 10/24 Saturday, Willamette Valley Cross(Salem)
Race 5: 11/7 Saturday, Willamette Valley Cross(Salem)
Race 6: 11/21 Saturday, Psycho Cross(Eugene)
Race 7: 11/29 Sunday, Psycho Cross(Eugene)

RESULTS
Pacific Power Junior Cyclocross Series
Race #1 at Psycho Cross
Eugene, Oregon
Sept. 13

Junior Boys 17-18
1. Preble, Kolben
2. Fawcett, Brian
3. Alling, Austin
Junior Boys 15-16
1. Dulap, Colin
2. Schauer, Trevor
3. Fawcett, Keith
4. Simon, Jarron
Junior Boys 13-14
1. Rosenburg, Sam
2. Brady, Julian
3. Oliver, Adam
4. Stevens, Michel
5. Dudenhoefer, Simon
6. Rider, Joseph
Junior Boys 10-12
1. Dudenhoefer, Philip
2. Fisher, Mitch
3. York, Orion
Junior Girls 17-18
1. Hahn, Carina
2. Reid, Sierra
Junior Girls 15-16
1. Ford, Isabel
Junior Girls 13-14
1. Reid, Marisa
2. Martel, Dana
3. Fisher, Natalie
Junior Girls 10-12
1. Wilson, Haley
2. Rosenburg, Emma

Sheppard gets win at 1st Sufferin' on the Summit

2009-09-13T22:43:00.000-07:00

FILE PHOTO: Chris Sheppard wins the Cascade Chainbreaker in Bend last May.

HILLSBORO -- For the second day in a row Bend racers found success at the top of Bald Peak south of Hillsboro.

Chris Sheppard, winner Canada's B.C. Bike Race and The Intermontane Challenge earlier this summer, took the Pro Men's race at Sufferin' on the Summit the day after fellow Bend resident Ryan Trebon won the Pain on the Peak cyclocross race covering much of the same course.

Sheppard (Santa Cruz/Jamis) covered seven laps of the course in 1:29:55, finishing more than five minutes ahead of second placed Sean Babcock, who also suffered on the summit during the previous day's cyclocross race.

Vanilla Bicycles' Shannon Skerritt finished third, covering seven laps in 1:40:00. Evan Plews, who finished fifth at the previous day's cross race, finished three minutes later for fourth. team S&M's Jon Myers was fifth at 1:32:13.

RESULTS
Sufferin' on the Summit
Hillsboro, Oregon
Sept. 13, 2009

Pro Men
1. Sheppard, Chris (Santa Cruz/Jamis) 7 1:29:55
2. Babcock, Sean (Team S&M) 7 1:35:12
3. Skerritt, Shannon (Vanilla) 7 1:40:00
4. Plews, Evan (Capitol Subaru) 7 1:43:02
5. Myers, Jon (Team S&M) 1:32:13
Singlespeed
1. Rosenfeld, Jake 6 1:35:41
2. Visser, Chris 5 1:36:50
3. Grabowski, Donovan (Half Fast Velo) 4 1:23:13

Complete OBRA results are HERE.

'Cross Goes Hollywood

2009-09-13T21:15:00.000-07:00

Professional videographer and Portland Velo member Burk Webb was on hand at Saturday's Pain on the Peak with a gliding camera rigged to a cable. He was filming many of the riders as they swooped down into and through the woods. The video should be appearing on the Portland Velo site.

Four seconds of flight ...

2009-09-13T16:33:00.000-07:00

Trebon tackles the barriers at Pain on the Peak.

Trebon, Butler take toasty Pain on the Peak wins

2009-09-12T18:57:00.001-07:00

UPDATE: The complete Cycling Action photo gallery for 2009 Pain on the Peak is now posted online HERE.

HILLSBORO – Ninety-degree heat added a little extra hurt to the second annual Pain on the Peak Saturday.

U.S. National Cyclocross Champion Ryan Trebon (Kona) showed why he wears the stars-and-stripes jersey by riding away from the Men's A field, lapping all but one rider. Portland's Sue Butler (Monavie-Cannondale.com) won the Women's A race ahead of hard-chasing Rhonda Mazza (Team S&M).

The intemperate temps didn’t stop more than 300 competitors from showing up for the first cyclocross race of the season in the Portland Metro area. The 305 riders added up to a 20 percent increase over last year's inaugural Pain on the Peak, held on a 90-acre parcel atop Bald peak south of Hillsboro.

Landowner Bruce Colwell, nephew of Sunset Cycles owner Roger Colwell, opened his property and its panoramic views of the valley below to cycloross for the second year, and the first-ever mountain bike race on the property will be Sunday’s Sufferin’ on the Summit.

But Saturday was all about the ‘cross. The course wound through a recently cut hayfield at the top of the property before swooping into a woods and the welcome relief of its shade. But the climb back out and up featured a sharp right onto a 50-meter jolting ascent, then some false flats and eventually back to the hay to start it all over again.

Trebon’s closest challenge in the 60-minute Men’s A event came from the guy who traveled with him from Bend to the race. Dedicated Athlete’s Cody Peterson was the only rider to finish on the same lap as the national champ, also covering 12 laps of the hilly course.

After Portland Bicycle Studio's Molly Cameron, winner of the Cross Over stage race last Labor Day weekend in Eugene, crashed on the first lap and needed a bike change at the pits, it was left to Vanilla Bicycles’ Kevin Hulick to battle Peterson for second. Although the Bend rider eventually won the second podium spot, Hulick hung on through the dust and heat for third, completing 11 laps. BODE’s Joshua Berry was fourth, and Evan Plews (Capitol Subaru Cycling) was fifth, both with 11 laps.

The tough course and the heat exacted a toll on the riders, even at the front of the race.

“It’s hard, man,” Trebon said. “It’s hilly. It’s always doin’ something up or down. It’s a grind.”

The grind seemed to suit the tall, powerful rider. Trebon’s lap times over the course hovered around five minutes; his slowest was 5:09 compared with six- or seven-minute lap times on most courses he does.

“It just feels like it’s uncomfortably long out there,” he joked. “I like this race. You just suffer for a full-on hour out there.”

Trebon will be heading north next Saturday for the Starcrossed cyclocross race in Seattle and the Rad Racing GP Sunday in Tacoma, the opening salvo of the 2009 North American Cyclocross Trophy and the beginning of a long run of national and international races. He said he’ll probably race Cross Crusade #1 at Alpenrose before leaving Oregon until the USGP finale in Portland and the USA Cycling National Championships in his hometown of Bend. Pain on the Peak’s difficult course provides a good early season jump start.

“It’s good to get ready for the rest of the year by doing this one,” he said. “It’s harder than a lot of races we’ll do. There aren’t as many people that come out to it, but it’s still a hard race even just to finish.”

Sue Butler, winner of the Women’s A race, also got some great racing in her legs ahead of next weekend’s NACT opener in Seattle -- with about 20 minutes of extra fine tuning kicked in for good measure. Racing with the Men’s A and Masters Men A 35+ categories this season instead of the all-women’s field, the A Women got an extra 20 minutes of racing with the bump from 40 minutes to 60.

Butler (Monavie-Cannondale.com), winner of this year’s Canadian Intermontane Challenge in 100-degree heat, set a blistering pace in the opening laps that shattered the field. Team S&M’s Rhonda Mazza, in her first race of the season, led the chase behind. Butler and Mazza each covered 10 laps in the 60-minute event. Gentle Lovers’ Alalia Berry and Team Group Health’s Jen Akeroyd covered nine laps for third and fourth, respectively.

The 60-minute format was a new experience for many of the women.

“It was just demoralizing looking at my watch and seeing 30 minutes, and I’d be, ‘Oh God, I’m only halfway there,’ because usually I’d only have 10 minutes,” Butler said. “That extra 20 minutes is hard. But it’s nice because there were no passing issues. It wasn’t like ‘on your left, on your right, on your left, on your right,’ the whole time.”

Butler said she believes promoters made a good choice when they decided to move the Women’s A category in with the elite men and 35+ in a little reshuffling to try and ease course congestion.

“I think the women will benefit and get faster because they can actually go as fast as they need to go,” she said. “I think when you’re racing with all the women together, you could never go 100 percent. You don’t want to hit anybody, and you want to be courteous. For training purposes I think it will be a lot better.”

Then she thought about it a little more.

“I guess it’s going to be good for me,” she laughed. “It doesn’t feel good. Maybe when it’s 60 degrees it will feel good, but it certainly didn’t feel good today.”

RESULTS
Pain on the Peak (partial)
Hillsboro, Sept. 12

Men A
1. Trebon, Ryan (Kona)12
2. Peterson, Cody (Dedicated Athlete)12
3. Hulick, Kevin (Gentle Lovers)11
4. Berry, Joshua (BODE)11
5. Plews, Evan (Capitol Subaru Cycling)11
Women A
1. Butler, Sue (Monavie-Cannondale.com)10
2. Mazza, Rhonda (Team S&M)10
3. Berry, Alalia (Gentle Lovers)9
4. Akeroyd, Jen (Team Group Health)9
5. Stoick, Brigett (River City Bicycles)9
Singlespeed
1. Fabrizius, Erik (Veloshop)8
2. Bushnell, Spencer (Therapeutic Associates Cycling/GENR8)8
3. Patla, Seth (River City Bicycles)8
4. Dye, Todd (Pacific Power Blue Sky)7
5. Hall, Matthew (IRA Ryan Cycles)

Complete OBRA results are HERE.

Trebon, Sheppard & Page go 1-2-3 at Bend's Thrilla Cross Series #2

2009-09-11T16:36:00.000-07:00

BEND -- Some of the nation's top cyclocrossers got a chance to go head-to-head a little early this year as National Champion and Bend resident Ryan Trebon faced off against visiting Jonathan Page, a former silver medalist in the world championships, and Bend mountain bike pro Chris Sheppard.

Trebon (Kona) came out on top, covering 9 laps of the course made up of Bend's infamous high desert dust. Page (Planet Bike) reportedly crashed hard and settled for third behind Sheppard (Rebound Physio/Santa Cruz Bicycles).

In the Women's race, Serena Bishop (Sunnyside Sports) bested teammates Julie Wose and Suzanne King.

RESULTS
Thrilla Cross Series #2
Bend, Sept. 10

MEN A
1. Trebon, Ryan (Kona Bicycles)
2. Sheppard, Chris (Rebound Physio/Santa Cruz Bicycles)
3. Page, Jonathon (Planet Bike)
4. Thompson, Ben
5. Peterson, Cody (Hutch's)
WOMEN
1. Bishop, Serena (Sunnyside Sports)
2. Wose, Julie (Sunnyside Sports)
3. King, Suzanne (Sunnyside Sports)
4. Julson, Lea (Therapeutic Assoc.)
5. Vega, Veronica (Sunnyside Sports)
MEN 40+
1. Engel, Matt (Bend Bike N' Sport)
2. Hagen, Karsten (ZteaM)
3. Wolnick , Dan (WebCyclery.com)
4. Albright, Mike (Redline)
5. Juenger, Jim (Sunnyside Sports)
MEN B
1. Brown, Mike (Therapeutic Assoc.)
2. LaPlaca, Doug (Bend Bike N' Sport)
3. Heinrichs, Steve
4. Sargent, Andrew
5. Abel , Henry (WebCyclery.com)
BEGINNER WOMEN
1. Lundstrom, Amy (WebCyclery.com)
2. Palubeski, Lynda
3. Deaver , Carrie (B.B.)
4. Furber, Aimee
5. Gaskin, Dara (Bend Bike N' Sport)
JUNIORS
1. Su, Andy (Clearchoice/Hutch's/Bend Dental)
2. Dunlap, Colin (Sunnyside Sports)
3. Sprague, Cole
4. Stevens, Mitchell (Sunnyside Sports)
5. Reinecke, Griffin (Bend Bike N' Sport)

Cycling Tweet of the Week ...

2009-09-11T15:12:00.000-07:00

Yest. through the feedzone I watched this quickstep dood hang onto his feed bag for 5K b4 tossin it to a cute girl. He said "DID YOU SEE!"...

...i said "yeeaahh...nice job buddy" He then explained: his souigner puts a polaroid picture of himself with his number on the bags.....

...In his deep Belgie voice finishes it off with "YAH, old Belgian trick it works everytime." Haah! Who thinks of that!???

Jelly Belly's Jeremy Powers (@JeremyPowers) during the Tour of Missouri. Sept. 11, 9 a.m. Pacific.

Three-time World Champ Vervecken will compete at USGP kick-off in Wisconsin

2009-09-09T14:54:00.001-07:00

PHOTO: Jeremy Powers, Tim Johnson and Ryan Trebon celebrate success on the 2008 USGP Portland Cup podium.

The U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross announced today that three-time World Cyclocross Champion Erwin Vervecken will compete at the inaugural 2009 USGP Planet Bike Cup Sept. 26 and 27 in Sun Prairie, WI.

The Wisconsin races are the latest addition to the USGP series, which is expanding for 2009 from three weekends to four and culminates Dec. 5 and 6 at Portland International Raceway with the Stanley Portland Cup.

Racing for the Belgian squad Team Revor-Baboco-Champion System, Vervecken will headline the strongest field of racers ever assembled for the USGP, according to series director Joan Hanscom.

"We are thrilled to have Erwin compete at the USGP Planet Bike Cup," Hanscom said. "He is a superstar of unparalleled talent and is sure to animate every moment of racing. For him to be so enthusiastic about competing in the US and at the USGP speaks to the growing importance of the U.S. 'cross scene. We are excited to see how U.S. riders stack up against him early in the season -- especially with the depth of the fields racing here."

Vervecken will face off against Planet Bike super power and World Championship Silver Medalist Jonathan Page; the rising European duo of Christian Heule and Tim Van Nuffel; and a field rich with domestic superstars including former and reigning USGP and National Champions like Cannondale/ CyclocrossWorld.com rider Tim Johnson and teammates Jeremy Powers and Jamey Driscoll; Kona’s Ryan Trebon, the current national champion, and Barry Wicks, Todd and Troy Wells, and Geoff Kabush.

Hanscom said the women’s fields for the Planet Bike Cup and the rest of the series are no less stacked with talent. Planet Bike’s Katie Compton -- herself five-time National Champion and World Championship Bronze medalist -- will make one of her few U.S. appearances before heading off to Europe to focus on the World Cup circuit. Compton will face off against the LUNA Chix juggernaut of USGP Champions Katerina Nash and Georgia Gould, alongside their newly un-retired LUNA teammate Alison Dunlap. Alison Sydor and Portland's own Sue Butler should also be on hand. Women’s cross has never looked so powerful.

Visit the USGP website HERE.

MODogs raffle means a chance to win Levi's bloodstained and torn Giro Astana jersey

2009-09-09T09:03:00.000-07:00

Although you may be familiar with cycling photographer Jonathan Devich's Epic Images on the pages of CyclingNews.com and most other major cycling publications, you probably didn't know that he's a big-time dog lover who's devised a great plan to help the Missouri Humane Society.

And that means you have a chance to win some incredible cycling memorabilia, including the blood-stained, torn jersey from Levi Leipheimer's stage 11 Giro D'italia crash.

This past July, federal authorities broke up the largest dog-fighting ring in U.S. history. It ensnared people operating in five states, including Missouri, where the Humane Society of Missouri took in more than 400 dogs rescued from the ring. But with so many dogs coming into their care at once, the MHS sent out a plea for donations.

“I have three rescue dogs, two of which are pit bulls,” Devich told Lyne Lamoreux of Podium Insight. “I thought the breakup of this ring happening around the same time Michael Vick got signed to a new professional contract was auspicious. Knowing that I would be in Missouri for the Tour, I wanted to do what I could to help. This seemed like a great opportunity to mobilize the cycling community to help the Humane Society of Missouri care for these rescued dogs.”

This is where you come in! Devich's MODogs program will donate 100 percent of his Tour of Missouri print sales to the Missouri Animal Cruelty fund. Moreover, Devich has created a $5 "e-raffle" for some of the amazing donations he's received from the cycling community. Items include:

*Signed Italian National Cyclocross jersey from David Frattini.
*Signed cyclocross jersey from Tim Johnson.
*Signed OUCH-Maxxis jersey from Floyd Landis.
*Signed Jelly Belly jersey from Brad Huff.
*Signed jersey by Tibco's Brooke Miller.
*Signed Columbia-HTC jersey.
*Signed Garmin Slipstream jersey.
*Signed Tour of Missouri yellow jersey.
*Signed Team Type 1 jersey.
*Signed Tour de France KOM jersey from Franco Pellizotti
*Signed Astana team jersey worn by Levi Leipheimer in Giro D'italia crash.

To buy MODogs raffle tickets and purchase Devich’s Tour of Missouri prints, visit www.epicimages.us. For raffle tickets, simply click on the image of the raffle ticket and add as many as you want to your cart. You can purchase raffle tickets throughout the Tour of Missouri. Prizes will be awarded during the week following the Tour of Missouri.

These contributions are greatly needed for the care and rehab of hundreds of mistreated animals.

Cameron, Gilbert win Cross Over Stage race

2009-09-07T22:27:00.000-07:00

(Photo courtesy of Lynn Luelling)

EUGENE -- Molly Cameron (Portland Bicycle Studio) took the Men's A win in the very first running of the Cross Over Stage Race Labor Day weekend in Eugene. Sunny Gilbert (Pacific Power Blue Sky) took the overall title in the Women's A event.

Gilbert pulled off the hat trick on her way to the overall win, starting with the stage 1 time trial Sunday morning and then the 'cross crit later in the afternoon. She capped it off Monday, winning the stage 3 long course by 54 seconds over second-placed Jacqueline Cohen (Sagebrush Cycles) and 1:27 over third-placed rider Ellen Miller (pacificpedaling.com).

Cameron nearly pulled off the hat trick in the overall victory but slipped a notch on the opening time trial, finishing five seconds behind Brett Luelling (Capitol Subaru Cycling), who also competed in the Singlespeed event. But Cameron bounced back quickly, taking the afternoon criterium in 33 seconds in front of chasing the chasing group of Matt Ritzow (Paul's Bicycle Way of Life), Ethan Stehley (Wheelworks) and Andrew Bennett (Team Redline).

The Portland Bicycle Studio rider sealed the deal over Sunday's stage 3 long course, finishing 1:10 over Stehley in second. Luelling, who lost more than seven minutes in the stage 2 cross crit, finished third on the final stage, 2:30 down.

FINAL GC RESULTS
Cross Over Stage Race
Eugene, Sept. 6-7

Men's Cat A
1. Cameron, Molly (Portland Bicycle Studio) 2:03:15
2. Stehley, Ethan (Wheelworks) +1:53
3. Ritzow, Matt (Paul's) +6:57
Women's A
1. Gilbert, Sunny (Pacific Power)1:28:33
2. Cohen, Jackie (Sagebrush Cycles) +1:33
3. Miller, Ellen (PacificPedaling.com) +3:12
Single Speed
1. Ethridge, Craig 1:44:55
2. Luelling, Brett (Capitol Subaru Cycling) +4:42
3. Thramer, McKenzie +12:28

Complete stage 1 time trial results HERE. 9/6/09

Complete stage 2 'cross crit results HERE. 9/6/09

Complete stage 3 long course results HERE. 9/7/09

Some wet-and-wild Portland Cup cyclocross video

2009-09-06T13:03:00.000-07:00

The Portland Cup cyclocross races on Dec. 1 and 2, 2007, marked final weekend of the year's U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross series and was greeted with torrential rain, a bit of snow and a mighty windstorm. The conditions made for some great racing, captured here on video by cyclofile.com.

Cycling Tweet of the Week:

2009-09-04T18:12:00.000-07:00

" http://twitpic.com/gi2sv - Uhh... "

*Lance Armstrong @lancearmstrong
9/4/09 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time

More than 120 riders contest Thrilla Cross #1 Thursday in Bend

2009-09-03T23:28:00.000-07:00

The OBRA 2009 cyclocross season kicked off in earnest Thursday night when more than 120 riders showed up for the first of the Thrilla Cross Series in Bend.

The four-race series started this week and runs Sept. 10, 17 and Oct. 1.

USA Cycling National Cyclocross Champion Ryan Trebon (Kona) tested his legs in the Men's A event but flatted out of the race. Chris Sheppard (Santa Cruz/Giro/Fox), winner of the multi-day Canadian mountain bike stages races Intermontane Challenge and The B.C. Bike Race earlier this year, won the Men's A race. Hutch's Cody Peterson was second and James Williams (Cannondale Factory)was third.

Serena Bishop won the Women's race, finishing ahead of Amber Clark (team Beer) and Lea Julson (Therapeutic Associates/GENR8).

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
Thrilla Cross series #1
Sept. 3, Bend

Women
1. Bishop, Serena - 8 Laps
2. Clark, Amber (Team Beer) 7 Laps
3. Julson, Lea (Therapeutic Assoc.) 7 Laps
4. Kenlan, Karen (Bend Bike n' Sport) 7 Laps
5. Uetrecht , Stephanie (WebCyclery.com) 7 Laps
Men A
1. Sheppard, Chris (Santa Cruz/Giro/Fox) 9 Laps
2. Peterson, Cody (Hutch's) 9 Laps
3. Williams, James (Cannondale Factory) 9 Laps
4. Thompson, Ben - 9 Laps
5. Schmidt, Damian (Sunnyside Sports) 9 Laps
Men B
1. Brown, Mike (Therapeutic Assoc.) 8 Laps
2. O'Neal, Trevor 8 Laps
3. LaPlaca, Doug (Bend Bike N' Sport) 8 Laps
4. Sargent, Andrew 8 Laps
5. Pfeil, John 8 Laps
Masters Men 40+
1. Engel, Matt (Bend Bike N' Sport) 8 Laps
2. Baker, David (Sunnyside Sports) 8 Laps
3. Albright, Mike (Redline) 8 Laps
4. Luoma, David (Guiness Cycling/Sunnyside) 8 Laps
5. Wolnick , Dan (WebCyclery.com) 8 Laps
Juniors
1. Dunlap, Colin (Sunnyside) 7 Laps
2. Stevens, Mitchell (Sunnyside Sports) 6 Laps
3. prague, Cole 6 Laps
Beginner Women
1. Kovach, Nicholle 6 Laps
2. Engel, Cynthia 6 Laps
3. Lundstrom, Amy 6 Laps
4. Fisher, Carry (Pacific Power Blue Sky) 6 Laps
5. Deaver , Carrie (Bend Bike N' Sport) 6 Laps

Lance's secret NorCal recruitment tapes revealed?

2009-09-03T15:10:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder what it's like when a top-tier domoestic rider gets called up to the big show in Europe?

This as-yet-to-be-uh,hmm-verified super-secret transcript posted on NorCal Cycling News reveals the inner workings of cycling masterminds like Lance and Johan as they attempt to lure Jacques-Maynes brothers Ben and Andy onto the 2010 Radio Shack team. Their Bissell teammate Paul Mach, winner of the 2009 Cherry Blossom Classic and Mt. Hood Cycling Classic, also gets invited along because of his cool name.

In this excerpt, Lance explains the importance of regular Twitter updates as Ben listens on the phone in his Utah hotel room.

Lance: ...So lets see here… my file says you are a college man too… hmm… never went to college myself, learn anything good there?
Ben: Definitely – I went back to school after turning pro – it was a great experience.
Lance: Well – doesn’t hurt to have a few college kids around, I mean Taylor was okay for a while till all that Tugboat/I Believe crap. Let me ask you this… Do you have a Twitter account?
Ben: I do, don’t use it much though.
Lance: I’m thinking I might require all Team Radio Shack Riders to post five times a day. Think you can handle that? We’d all get together after rides and races and do our updates… its great publicity and team bonding. Think you can handle that?
Ben: I don’t see that being an issue – don’t you run out of things to post?
Lance: Nah – just put up stuff like – “Listening to Mandy Moore – Awesome” or “Time to call my good friend Mary Kate O.” makes people think you’re just like them.

Read the rest HERE.

OBRA announces four-week Wednesday night cyclocross series at Alpenrose Dairy

2009-09-03T00:11:00.000-07:00

Portland metro area racers just got another reason to get excited about cyclocross. Starting Wednesday, Sept. 23, and running through Oct. 14, the Blind Date at the Dairy will provide an opportunity for weeknight fun.

OBRA announced the new four-week Wednesday night series at Alpenrose this week. Sponsored by Alpenrose Dairy, OBRA, Field Jerger LLP Law Offices, Peer Technologies and Dogs are Cool Photography, the races start at 5 p.m. and will finish under the dairy's lights.

Schedule
5:00 p.m. Kiddie cross (no parents on course) and Toddler Cross. (parents may run along)
5:10 p.m. Juniors. (30 minute race)
6:00 p.m. Category C men and women. (45 minute race)
6:50 p.m. Category B, Men and Women. and Single Speed (45 minute race)
7:45 p.m. Category A Men and Women.

Registration: Register on site up to 10 minutes prior to your race and preferably at least 30 minutes prior.

Cost: Kids free, juniors $8, senior men and women $15.
Sign up for all four races on the first night for $60 and receive a really cool Blind Date at the Dairy T-shirt for $10.

Cameron, Terrell win final Monday night PIR races

2009-08-31T22:32:00.000-07:00

RESULTS
River City Bicycles Monday Night Race Series
Portland International Raceway
Aug. 31

Novice Women
1. Lewis, Leigh 15
2. Fanning, Linda 12
3. Thompson, Lynn 10
4. McCasker, Cindy (Portland Velo) 8
5. Parker, Rachael (Olson's Hammer) 7
Novice Men
1. Nor, Adam 15
2. Murphy, Douglas 12
3. Sundberg, Joseph 10
4. Hein, Mark 8
5. Geschke, Grant 7
Masters Men 4/5
1. Aldersebaes, Dave (Ironclad Performance Wear) 20
2. Berndardt, Eric 19
3. Kowalsky, Greg (Team Oregon) 12
4. Anderson, Eric (Pacific Power Blue Sky) 8
5. Cecotti, Shawn 7
Masters Men 1/2/3
1. Cameron, Molly (Portland Bicycle Studio) 16
2. Creem, Joshua (Portland Bicycle Studio) 16
3. Holcomb, Joseph (Specialized River City Bicycles) 15
4. Alling, Chris (Fred Meyer/Lakeside Cycling Team) 9
5. Mallison, Dickie (Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop) 8
Senior Women
1. Tyrrell Leia (CAPA Cycling Team) 22
2. Bussell,Cara 19
3. Livingston, Denise (Three Rivers Racing) 10
4. Reeve, Lisa (Veloforma) 12
5. Moss, Jan (Team Group Health) 7

ZteaM's Zimbelman wins Masters World Championship Time Trial in Austria

2009-08-31T13:06:00.000-07:00

PHOTO: OBRA rider David Zimbelman on his world championship ride in Austria. Photo courtesy of ZteaM.

OBRA rider David Zimbelman has added a fresh rainbow jersey to his collection of cycling trophies. The 55-year-old White Salmon, Wash., resident won the Masters 55-59 World Championship Time Trial earlier this month in Austria.

The ZteaM rider also finished third two days later in the World Masters Road Race Championships after breaking away solo in the 55-59 category race. He was eventually swallowed up by the field but hung on for bronze.

Zimbelman's impressive palmares include multiple national road championships, multiple national time trial championships, multiple team time trial national championships, and a national stage race championship. The former professional road racer has won numerous state championships (more than 35) and notched wins at this year's Cascade Classic, Gila, Mount Hood, Elkhorn, Eugene Celebration, Walla Walla, and Steamboat Springs.

Turnbull, English cap season with victories at Eugene Celebration Stage Race

2009-08-31T12:30:00.000-07:00

EUGENE -- Lisa Turnbull won the Senior Women's overall with a dominating performance that saw her take two stage wins and never finish off the podium in each of the four stages. The Therapeutic Associates Cycling/GENR8 rider won the McBeth prologue and the stage two Maxon Road Race. She finished second in the stage three Coburg Time Trial and third in the stage four Celebration Criterium.

Midtown Direct's Rob English used his time trialing skills to take control and win the Men's Pro/1/2 category. English set the pace with the best time in the prologue but dropped to third overall after a 15th-place finish in the Maxon Road Race. He climbed back into the overall lead with another win in the time trial, and then he secured the overall win Sunday evening, finishing with the field during the final criterium.

OVERALL RESULTS
Eugene Celebration Stage Race
Aug. 28-30

Women Cat 4
1. Vaughn, Anna (Hammer Velo) 2:27:04.00
2. Atwill, Amanda (Bend Bike n' Sport) +:43
3. Simmons, Mindy (Hammer Velo) +:52
4. Fletcher, Sara (Bridgetown Velo) +1:52
5. Reinhart, Katherine (University of Oregon) +2:06
Women Cat 1/2/3
1. Turnbull, Lisa (Therapeutic Associates/GENR8) 3:44:49.00
2. Akeroyd, Jen (Team Group Health) +1:21
3. Brynjolfson, Kristine (Westwood/Cannondale) +1:33
4. Madison, MacKenzie +1:52
5. Wilcoxson, Jade (Flywheel Bicycle Solutions) +2:34
Masters Men 40+
1. Hagen, Karsten (ZteaM) 3:28:53.00
2. Quirk, Dan (Veloce/Felt) +1:46
3. Holland, Steven (Finnegans Toys/Discover Chiropractic) +2:17
4. Vijmoet, Dan (Hutch's) +3:09
5. Frerichs, Ron (Hutch's) +3:35
Cat 4/5
1. Johnson, Kevin (Adventure's Edge) 3:36:35.00
2. Lewis, Winter (Green Ridge/In Focus) +:12
3. Wait-Molyneux, Colby (North River Racing) +:40
4. Bagshaw, Sean (Flywheel Bicycle Solutions) +:46
5. Hartz, Whitfield (Oregon Trail Racing) +1:31
Cat 3
1. Krause, Mark (Land Shark) 5:01:19
2. Shepherd, Davis (Hutch's) +:21
3. Gray, Spencer (Etna Brewing Co./DeSalvo)+:32
4. Chiou, George (Nike Cycling) +:59
5. Reitz, Dave (Etna Brewing Co./DeSalvo) +1:26
Pro/1/2
1. English, Rob (Midtown Direct) 4:43:35.00
2. Elasser, Philip (Fanatik Bike Co.) +:54
3. Applequist, Kai (Bob's Bicycles) +1:04
4. Mittermann, Galen (Midtown Direct) +1:14
5. Bourcier, Paul (Hutch's/OIC) +1:55'

Complete OBRA results are HERE.

Hamilton takes final PIR Tuesday night

2009-08-26T18:14:00.000-07:00

RESULTS
PIR Tuesday Night Race Series
Aug. 25, Portland

Cat 1/2/3 -- 61 finishers
1. Hamilton, Chris (Rapha Racing) 17
2. Tresser, Christian (Cyclepath Racing) 15
3. Ginsberg, Mark (Ruckus) 14
4. Gates, David (Bridgetown Velo) 14
5. Arguello, Austin (Hammer/CMG Racing) 8

Cat 3/4 -- 49 finishers
1. Spahr, Trevor (Ironclad Performance Wear) 17
2. Allen, Gary (Liberty Cycle) 17
3. Lightman, Alex (Word-RCB) 16
4. Gallant, Brendon 14
5. Bedford, Stephen (Word-RCB) 14

Cat 4/5 -- 28 finishers
1. Burton, Michael (Fred Meyer/Lakeside Cycling Team) 15
2. Chasse, Derrick 13
3. Rogers, Ian 13
4. Kellogg, Sean 8
5. Catto, Reily 7

Complete OBRA results are HERE.

Rathe finishes 6th in Germany's Regio-Tour

2009-08-25T17:01:00.000-07:00

OBRA's Jacob Rathe (Hammer/CMG Racing) finished sixth and brought home two yellow jerseys from the Rothaus Regio-Tour Internationale stage race Aug. 20-23 in Germany.

The 18-year-old Portland racer, a member of the USA Cycling Junior national Team, won the first stage of the race and held the yellow jersey through the end of stage two. But the American squad, which included Bend's Ian Boswell, ran into some tough luck on stage three and missed the day's winning move. Rathe dropped to fourth at 43 seconds down and slipped two more places on the final stage as teammates continued to abandon the difficult international junior race.

OVERALL RESULTS
Rothaus Regio-Tour Internationale
Aug. 20-23

1. Pfeifer, Ron GER 09.56.10
2. Fricke, Tassilo GER +04
3. Sütterlin, Jasha GER +09
4. Krieger, Alexander GER +32
5. Schlichenmaier, Tim GER +33
6. Rathe, Jacob L. USA +43
7. Lergenmüller, Tobias GER +51
8. Krauwel, Bas NED +54
9. Freienstein, Raphael GER +1.20
10. De Groot, Daan NED +1.32

Other Americans
47. Eastman, Ryan P. USA +8.14
58. Mannion, Gavin J. USA +12.53

Tyrrell, Tresser top Monday PIR fields

2009-08-25T16:15:00.000-07:00

RESULTS
River City Bicycles Monday Night Series
PIR, Aug. 24

Novice Women
1. Hackenberg Emily (ZteaM) 15
2. McCasker Cindy (Portland Velo) 12
3. Thompson Lynn 10
4. Daniel Heather 8
5. Armbrust Tori 7
Novice Men
1. Usher, Craigan 18
2. Hewitt, Dan (Mt. View Cycles) 12
3. Lehto, Danny 10
4. Bauch, Todd 10
5. Murphy, Douglas 7
Masters 4/5
1. Lanners, Eric (Word-RCB) 16
2. Anderson, Eric (Pacific Power Blue Sky) 15
3. Deaton, Christian 10
4. Polonsky, Jon 8
5. Dirks, Tony (Mt. View Cycles) 8
Masters 1/2/3
1. Tresser, Christian (Cyclepath Racing) 21
2. Wessel, Robin (Team Oregon) 12
3. Schwaeber, Steve (Veloce/Felt) 11
4. Holcomb, Joseph (Specialized River City Bicycles) 10
5. Ryan, Kelly (Portland Bicycle Studio) 8
Women
1. Tyrrell, Leia (CAPA Cycling Team) 20
2. Reeve, Lisa (Veloforma) 18
3. VanValkenburg, Heather (Land Rover-ORBEA) 13
4. Larson, Elena (Therapeutic Associates Cycling/GENR8) 9
5. Levo, Jenn (Bridgetown Velo) 9

Cycling Tweet of the week

2009-08-24T16:43:00.000-07:00

"Pain on the Peak CX race Sept. 12. Gotta be there. It's a great race and probably one of the most difficult courses I did last year." Aug. 23 ... U.S. National Cyclocross Champion Ryan Trebon -- @ryantrebon -- about the Pain on the Peak 'cross race Sept. 12 on Bald Peak outside Hillsboro, Oregon.

Get more information about Pain on the Peak HERE.

Featheringill, Kovalcik win Team Beer Track Race

2009-08-23T16:46:00.000-07:00

OMNIUM RESULTS
Team Beer Track Race
Alpenrose Velodrome
Saturday, Aug. 22

Women Cat 4
1. Cartwright, Liz (Beaverton Bicycle Club) 17
2. Shepard, Amy 11
3. Severson, Tiffany (Team Beer) 10
Senior Women
1. Featheringill, Jen (Bike Central) 19
2. Alves-Hyde, Hanan (North River Racing) 14
3. Charbonneau, Emily (Therapeutic Associates/GENR8) 8
Cat 5
1. Harwood, Jeff (Ironclad Performance Wear) 17
2. Ratliff, Brian (Portland Velo) 17
3. Dixon, Robert (Word-RCB) 5
Cat 4
1. Riehl, Damian 17
2. Lightman, Alex (Word-RCB) 10
3. Duff, Cameron (Word-RCB) 10
Cat 3
1. Arguello, Austin (Hammer/CMG Racing) 17
2. Hansen, Jake (Word-RCB) 10
3. Culpepper, Clint (Team Beer) 8
Masters Men
1. Alling, Chris (Fred Meyer/Lakeside)17
2. Thompson, Cliff (Beaverton Bicycle Club) 15
3. Hausner, Rob (Beaverton Bicycle Club) 11
Senior Men
1. Kovalcik, Zak (Team Beer) 21
2. Beardsley, Steven (Gentle Lovers) 10
3. Adamson, James (Veloshop) 8

Complete OBRA results are HERE.

Mitterman/Turnbull lead Co-Motion Classic tandem race after first stage

2009-08-22T18:48:00.001-07:00

RESULTS
Stage One
Co-Motion Tandem Stage Race
Aug. 20-23
Eugene, Oregon

Cat A
1. Galen Mitterman / Lisa Turnbull (Midtown Direct) 2:30:45
2. Davis Shepherd / Greg Shepherd (Hutch's) +:02
3. Nick Skeuzick / Daniel Vrijmoet (Hutch's) +7:49
4. John Cacabelos / Margareta Germeaux (RCC) +8:09
5. Todd Sahl / Patrick Mann (Co-Motion Tandem) +8:15

Cat B
1. Ryan Champion / Amy Champion (Galen Cycles) 2:50:32
2. Patrick Jackson / Jenny Vannoy (WebCyclery.com) :00
3. Dave Campbell / Jo-Hanna Wienert (Hutch's) +2:21
4. Zqwen Peterson / Jessica Cutler (Cucina Fresca) +2:29
5. Mike Petersen / Carol Peterson (Capitol Velo) +2:33

Cat C
1. Johathan Vinson / Ames Vinson (Gentle Lovers) 1:05:23
2. Russell Gauthier / Alec Gauthier (IC3) +:12
3. Eric Downing / Cooper Sprocket (Downing Mission) +:12
4. Paul Duncan / Eli Duncan (Second Summer Tours.com) +:12
5. Cameron Bittle / Carson Bittle (Co-Motion) +:20

Rathe slips to 4th in Germany with one stage to go

2009-08-22T13:22:00.000-07:00

OBRA racer Jacob Rathe and the rest of the USA cycling Junior National Team experienced the highs and lows of cycling today at Germany's Rothaus Regio-Tour.

Rathe started Stage Three in yellow after winning Stage One and keeping the lead after Stage Two. His teammates Lawson Craddock and Nathan Brown sat 12th and 13th, ready to help Rathe's cause. Bend's Ian Boswell was 78th after nursing a bad knee.

But things went a little south today when the large homegrown contingent of Germans decided to take control of the race and dominated all but two of the top 10 spots. The local press worded it this way ... "Deutsche Dominanz: Ron Pfeifer siegt in Wehr."

Ron Pfeifer, who sat in second place overall just four seconds behind Rathe coming into the stage, made it into a breakaway with no American riders. The USA boys went to the front and eventually pulled back a chase group and nearly half a minute on the leaders, but it wasn't enough to save Rathe's yellow jersey. Rathe finished in the first chase group but lost enough time to fall to fourth, 43 seconds back. The team moved down to fifth on GC with one stage remaining. Boswell eventually abandoned.

OVERALL RESULTS
Rothaus Regio-Tour
After Three Stages

1. Pfeifer, Ron GER 07.48.12
2. Krieger, Alexander GER 07.48.44 +32
3. Sütterlin, Jasha GER 07.48.52 +40
4. Rathe, Jacob L. USA U.S.A. Nat. 07.48.55 +43
5. Lergenmüller, Tobias GER 07.49.03 +51
6. Krauwel, Bas NED 07.49.06 +54
7. Schlichenmaier, Tim GER 07.49.18 +1.06
8. Fricke, Tassilo GER 07.49.30 +1.18
9. Freienstein, Raphael GER 07.49.32 +1.20
10. Ansari, David GER 07.50.10 +1.58

USA Cycling National Team riders
42. Eastman, Ryan P. USA 07.53.48 +5.36
57. Craddock, Lawson G. USA 07.55.02 +6.50
75. Mannion, Gavin J. USA 07.58.27 +10.15
81. Brown, Nathan USA 07.59.35 +11.23

This cyclist invasion comes with perks

2009-08-22T07:33:00.000-07:00

PHOTO: With an assist from Chris Baldwin (far right), Cindy Beard passes the Ouch-Maxxis pro squad on a Saturday morning training ride. It's just one of the perks for the Bend resident, whose family hosted the team during the Cascade Cycling Classic in July.

Part of the exceptional coverage the Bend Bulletin provided during the Cascade Cycling Classic July 21-26 included this insightful article about some of the perks that go along with hosting an entire team of professional cyclists for a week.

From the Bend Bulletin article:

“I would say we get more out of it than (the riders) do, because it’s just so much fun,” said Tim Beard, smiling from the shade of an umbrella on the front deck of his family’s home on Bend’s Awbrey Butte. “For me, it’s the highlight week of the year.”

For six years, the Beards have been hosting the Health Net cycling team — USA Cycling National Racing Calendar winners for five consecutive years. Now known as OUCH, the men’s professional cycling team, made up of world-class riders from Australia to Portland, are in Bend again for the annual Cascade Cycling Classic.

“The other thing that is super neat is, now that we have been hosting a lot, we know guys that are riding in the Tour de France now … Ryder Hesjedal, Tyler Farrar, people that have stayed at our house. So at night, we sit around with all the riders and watch the Tour together, and they give us the inside of who is doing what. … Every night we do that.”

Read the entire Bend Bulletin article HERE.

Portland's Jacob Rathe keeps yellow jersey after two stages of Germany's Rothaus Regio-Tour

2009-08-21T20:24:00.000-07:00

PHOTO: Rathe makes some new friends on the podium after his Stage One win. / Courtesy photo

Riding with the USA Cycling Junior National Team, OBRA cyclist Jacob Rathe (CMG Racing) won the first stage of the 25th Rothaus Regio-Tour in Germany this week and continues to hang onto the the yellow jersey after two stages.

Rathe, who finished 17th earlier this month at the World Championship Road race in Moscow, grabbed the overall lead on Stage One when he led a break most of the race, then escaped from that group with two other riders and took the three-up sprint for the stage win and race lead.

Or, as the official race website put it ...

"Jacob Rathe aus den Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika war der große Abräumer auf der ersten Etappe der 25. Rothaus Regio-Tour International. Der 18-Jährige aus Oregon gewann den Sprint in Buggingen gegen Ron Pfeiffer (Rheinhessen), Tobias Lergenmüller (Hessen) und Tim Schlichenmaier (Württemberg). Die Etappe war 104,7 Kilometer lang und wurde in Heitersheim gestartet."

You can read that complete report HERE.

With two stages to go, Rathe holds a slim lead over a bevy of tough German riders. His teammates Nathan Brown and Lawson Craddock sit 12th and 13th. Bend's Ian Boswell is 77th.

OVERALL RESULTS
Rothaus Regio-Tour
After Two Stages

1. Rathe, Jacob L. USA 5:33.59
2. Pfeifer, Ron GER 5:34.03 +04
3. Lergenmüller, Tobias GER 5:34.07 +08
4. Schlichenmaier, Tim GER 5:34.22 +23
5. Krauwel, Bas NED 5:34.27 +28
6. Krieger, Alexander GER 5:34.33 +34
7. Freienstein, Raphael GER 5:34.36 +37
8. Ansari, David GER 5:34.36 +37
9. Bechter, Ramon SUI +38
10. Fricke, Tassilo GER 5:34.37 +38

USA Junior National Team riders
12. Brown, Nathan USA 5:34.49 +50
13. Craddock, Lawson G. USA 5:36.07 +2.08
34. Mannion, Gavin J. USA 5:38.52 +4.53
57. Eastman, Ryan P. USA 5:38.52 +4.53
77. Boswell, Ian P. USA 5:38.52 +4.53

Cycling Tweet of the week

2009-08-21T17:14:00.000-07:00

"Watching Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Baldwin's choice." OUCH-Maxxis rider Roman Kilun @RKilun commenting on the morning entertainment choice, Friday, Aug. 21, at host housing for Tour of Utah.

Rapha Racing's Leonard takes Tuesday PIR race; summer series ends Aug. 25

2009-08-21T16:54:00.000-07:00

PHOTO: John Leonard (Rapha Racing) off the front at PIR earlier this month.

RESULTS
PIR Tuesday Night Series
Aug. 18

Cat 4/5 - 21 finishers
1. Rosenhouse, Ivan 15
2. Drake, Kevin 12
3. Higgs, Isaac 10
4. Catto, Reily (Beaverton Bicycle Club) 9
5. Pugh, Lance (Beaverton Bicycle Club) 8
Cat 3/4 - 37 finishers
1. Stearns, Michael 15
2. Harwood, Jeff (Ironclad Performance Wear) 14
3. Saltzberg, David (Bridgetown Velo) 12
4. Allen, Gary Liberty Cycle 11
5. Moore, Jim (Specialized River City Bicycles) 8
Cat 1/2/3 - 57 finishers
1. Leonard, John (Rapha Racing) 24
2. Miller, Benjamin (Guinness Cycling Team) 18
3. Tresser, Christian (Cyclepath Racing) 12
4. Riffle, Jason (HPChiro/Hammer Nutrition) 8
5. Ginsberg, Mark (South Town Velo) 8

Complete OBRA results are HERE.

Harwood, Miles win Monday night PIR races

2009-08-21T16:42:00.000-07:00

RESULTS
River City Bicycles Monday Night Race Series
Portland International Raceway, Aug. 17

Novice Women
1. Bruening Joy 15
2. McCasker Cindy (Portland Velo) 12
3. Fanning Linda 10
4. Hackenberg Emily (ZteaM) 8
5. Thompson Lynn 7
Novice Men
1. MacLeod, Douglas 15
2. Wilson, Craig 12
3. Sundberg, Kevin (Showers Pass) 10
4. Murphy, Douglas 10
5. Coca, Tony 8
Masters Men 4/5
1. Dirks, Tony (Mt. View Cycles) 23
2. Loeb, Curtis 12
3. Anderson, Eric (Pacific Power Blue Sky) 12
4. Lanners, Eric (Word-RCB) 9
5. Radich, Matt (Cat 6 Racing) 8
Masters Men 1/2/3
1. Harwood, Jeff (Ironclad Performance Wear) 15
2. Tresser, Christian (Cyclepath Racing) 12
3. Allen, Gary (Liberty Cycle) 11
4. Holcomb, Joseph (Specialized River City Bicycles) 10
5. LeBus, Joshua (Bridgetown Velo) 8
Senior Women
1. Miles, Karey (Therapeutic Associates Cycling/GENR8) 21
2. Reeve, Lisa (Veeloforma) 20
3. Letts, Caitlin (Bridgetown Velo) 13
4. Tisdale, Sarah (Sorella Forte) 9
5. Heathman, Lisa 7

Complete OBRA results are HERE.

Louder's little link to the sun's UV rays

2009-08-18T13:02:00.000-07:00

The little red button BMC's Jeff Louder was sporting on his helmet at the Bend Memorial Clinic Cascade Cycling Classic in July wasn't just a fashion statement. The sensor was collecting UV data that was being sent to Germany for study as part of the battle against melanoma.

From the VeloNews.com report by Kathie Reid:

"Actually he was wearing an ultraviolet radiation dosimeter, AKA: a UV collection device. Made by Biosense in Germany, the device absorbs UV rays through a film that is sent back to the German lab for data analysis to quantify Louder's UV exposure at the race."

Read the Complete VeloNews.com article and check out more Cycling Action photos HERE.

OBRA Crit Championship video clips

2009-08-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

Below are some very brief video clips from the OBRA Criterium Championships Saturday in Albany.

SENIOR MEN

SENIOR WOMEN

CAT 3 MEN

Cat 3 Davis Sheppard sets best mark Sunday at OBRA Hillclimb Championships

2009-08-16T20:59:00.000-07:00

MT. HOOD -- Cat 3 rider Davis Sheppard set the overall fastest time at the OBRA Hillclimb Championships Sunday at Government Camp on Mt. Hood. The Hutch's-OIC rider needed just 25 minutes, 28 seconds to cover the 5.6 mile course that features 2,000 feet of climbing.

The Timberline Hill Climb Time Trial starts at Government Camp and climbs steadily through a wooded area of alpine fir on a narrow twisting service road that's closed to traffic. The last half-mile pitch to the finish at Timberline Lodge is especially challenging.

Therapeutic Associates Cycling/GENR8's Andrew Boone set the second fastest time of the day at 25:36, just eight seconds slower than the leader. ZteaM's David Zimbelman won the Masters 55-59 category with the third fastest overall time of the day at 25:42, just 14 seconds off Sheppard's winning pace.

Landshark's Jenny Slawta set the best women's mark at 29:53, just ahead of Alice Pennington (Veloforma) at 30:33 and Jacqueline Cohen (Therapeutic Associates Cycling/GENR8) at 32:30. Team S&M's Rhonda Mazza was fourth fastest woman on the day at 32:34.

Complete OBRA results are HERE.

PIR racing begins winding down, last chance to catch rider clinics

2009-08-16T18:09:00.000-07:00

August tips its hat to another season of Monday and Tuesday racing at PIR by offering a bonus week of racing for the women and masters. The five-Monday month means an extra week of racing for the Monday night series, which finishes Aug. 31. The Tuesday night series finishes six days earlier on Aug. 25.

The extra week makes three more opportunities for beginner and novice riders to take advantage of race clinics offered by OBRA Cat 1 racer and Upper Echelon Fitness coach Chris Swan.

Swan said the clinics have averaged about 10 riders a night and cover everything from basics like number-pinning to more advanced lessons on bumping, cornering skills and pack riding.

The Aug. 17 clinic will focus on pacelines and echelons. The hour-long pre-race clinic will cover tricks for saving energy, riding smoothly and safely maneuvering in the group, improving riders' ability to move in the peloton as well as improving the ability to work with other riders in race, training or on group rides.

Other clinics cover race tactics and how to execute tactics in a race.

"It mostly pertains to PIR, but I also try to broaden out to other races as much as possible," Swan said. "If riders have questions about specific races coming up, I'll give them a little insight into that race and also how PIR experience transfers to other races."

The weekly clinics also include in-race instruction from coaches on the course, tips and advice, as well as post-race analysis and conversation.

Swan said the clinics have drawn riders of all skill levels.

"We've had people who show up and it's their first race and they have no idea how to pin a number on or even what the categories are," he said. "We've even had a couple Cat 3s that have been racing for awhile that already have a private coach but they come here and check out the skills. It's always good to learn more about handling the bike."

Riders participating in the clinics also get one upgrade point for the class, or they may use the clinic to count as one race toward their upgrade to category 4 or 3. No prior clinic or race participation is needed to attend.

Clinics begin at 5:15 p.m. at the racetrack and cost $15. Sign up is at the Monday PIR registration table.

Nicoletti, Wilcoxon take OBRA crit championships on exciting Albany course

2009-08-15T23:11:00.000-07:00

PHOTO: Senior Women's winner Jade Wilcoxon (left, in red) kicks for the line Sunday in Albany.

ALBANY -- Gentle Lovers' workhorse Sam Nicoletti scored his first Senior Men's win in fashion Saturday by taking the OBRA Criterium Championship on a fast six-corner course in Albany.

Jade Wilcoxon (Flywheel Bicycle Solutions) took the Senior Women's title earlier in the day in front of fast-charging field, with Pamela Archer (Therapeutic Associates Cycling/GENR8) second and Tina Brubaker (Veloforma) in third.

Wilcoxon rode safely in the group, chasing down attacks and joining others briefly off the front before things came back together as the finale approached. The powerful sprinter bolted into final corner and onto the long finishing straight, where she was immediately challenged by Archer and Brubaker. But the challengers couldn't close down the gap opened up by the Flywheel rider's initial burst.

Attacks early and often typified the Senior Men's race. Favorites Steven Beardsley, who was leading a contingent of five Gentle Lovers riders, and Chris Hamilton (Rapha Racing) tried reapeatedly to make something happen, while riders from well-represented teams such as HPChiro, Team Oregon, and Therapeutic Associates joined the action upfront.

With the big guns watching each other and covering most of the moves, a group of four darkhorses -- soon whittled to just three -- rolled off the front and dangled just out of reach of the bunch.

"I don't think a lot of people see me as much of a threat," said Nicoletti, who atatcked with 10 to go and was soon joined by HPChiro's Jason Riffle, unattached rider Sean Passage and Therapeutic Associates' Tim Jones.

While the leaders shed Riffle after a lap prime, the peloton didn't seem to be pressing the chase.

"Before today my best place was 14th," Nicoletti said. "So I don't think anybody was too hot to chase me."

In fact, the chasers behind were left in a typical conundrum. If they chased too hard, they'd be towing Nicolettti's teammate and pre-race favorite Beardsley to the finish line.

"I didn't think we were rolling too fast," Nicoletti said. "So the guys behind must have been really sticking to everybody else. With two to go I knew they weren't going to make the rest of it up. We were just dangling off the front, and I saw (Gentle Lovers') pink on the front behind us, so..."

With Passage taking a monster pull on the last lap to keep the breakaway in front of the quickly closing field, Nicoletti sat in and prepared his sprint, where he jumped out of the last corner into the closing straight.

"I can usually get out of my saddle and sprint a little bit," he said. "Enough today."

PHOTO: Masters men 50-59 winner Dickie Mallison on the podium with second-place finisher Michael Manning.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
OBRA Criterium Championships
Aug. 15, Albany, Oregon

JUNIORS
Jr. Women
1. Fiona Graham (Specialized/River City Bicycles)
2. Hannah McDade (Beaverton Bicycle Club)
3. Audrey Green
Men 15-16
1. Joe Prettyman (Beaverton Bicycle Club)
2. Austin Boswell (Lowes Cycling Team)
3. Colby Wait-Molyneux (North River Racing)
Men 17-18
1. Phelan Kostur (Fred Meyer/Lakseside Cycling Team)
2. Zach Bowden (Fred Meyer/Lakseside Cycling Team)
3. Stephen Jones (Land Shark)

PHOTO: Tina Brubaker (Veloforma) navigates a corner in the Senior Woman's race.

WOMEN
Cat 4
1. Kalli Phillips (Poplollies)
2. Amanda Atwill (Bend Bike 'n' Sport)
3. Alice Chang (Hammer Velo)
Masters 30-39
1. Jill Howe (Therapeutic Associates Cycling/GENR8)
2. Lisa Turnbull (Therapeutic Associates Cycling/GENR8)
3. Tessa Sugahara Team group Health)
Masters 40-49
1. Jan Moss (Team Group Health)
2. Betty Tucker (Pacific Power Blue Sky)
3. Meg Mautner (Bike Central)
Masters 50+
1. Cary Fisher (Pacific Power Blue Sky)
2. Melissa Boyd (Pacific Power Blue Sky)
3. Flo Liebowitz (Pacific Power Blue Sky)
Senior Women
1. Jade Wilcoxon (Flywheel Bicycle Solutions)
2. Pamela Archer (Therapeutic Associates Cycling/GENR8)
3. Tina Brubaker (Veloforma)

PHOTO: CAPA Cycling Team's Joe Dengel (left) beats Word-RCB's Alex Lightman to the line in the Men's Cat 3 race Sunday.

MEN
Cat 4
1. Geoffrey Green (Capitol Velo)
2. Erik Mills
3. Rob Angelo (Therapeutic Associates Cycling/GENR8)
Cat 3
1. Joe Dengel (CAPA Cycling Team)
2. Alex Lightman (Word-RCB)
3. TJ Paskewich (Therapeutic Associates Cycling/GENR8)
Masters 30-39
1. Donald Reeb
2. Chris Hamilton (Rapha Racing)
3. Mark Hibbard
Masters 40-49
1. Eric Martin (WebCyclery.com)
2. Mark Steger (NIKE)
3. Todd Fawcett
Masters 50-59
1. Dickie Mallison (Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop)
2. Michael Manning (Three Rivers Racing)
3. Ivan Meadors (Finnegan's Toys/Discover Chiropractic)
Masters 60+
1. Ron Magnus
2. John Forbes (Fred Meyer/Lakseside Cycling Team)
3. Don Hanson (ZteaM)
Senior Men
1. Samuel Nicoletti (Gentle Lovers)
2. Sean Passage
3. Tim Jones (Therapeutic Associates Cycling/GENR8)

Cascade winner Stevens keeps it going in France

2009-08-14T13:01:00.000-07:00

PHOTO: Evelyn Stevens on the way to winning Stage Two of the Cascade Cycling Classic last month in Bend.

2009 Cascade Cycling Classic women's winner Evelyn Stevens, a racer whose meteoric climb to the top of the domestic podium started at her first bike race less than a year ago, took her hot streak to France and added another win to her palmares.

Stevens won stage four of La Route de France on Thursday. Riding for the USA Cycling Women’s National Team, Stevens used her finishing kick to sprint ahead of fellow American Kim Anderson and moved to second place in the general classification.

VeloNews.com has the complete story HERE.

USGP of Cyclocross expands series categories, registration opens today

2009-08-14T00:28:00.000-07:00

The 2009 U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross opened registration today for all four weekends of racing.

The eight race series is comprised of the Planet Bike Cup in Madison, WI, on Sept. 26 and 27; The Derby City Cup in Louisville, KY, Oct. 24 and 25; The Mercer Cup presented by Knapp's Cyclery in Mercer County, NJ, Nov. 14 and 15; and The Stanley Portland Cup in Portland Dec. 5 and 6.

New for 2009, each Saturday of the USGP weekend has received a UCI C1 designation, and each Sunday will be C2. Of the six UCI races currently on the U.S. calendar, four are USGP races.

Also new for 2009, the USGP has expanded the categories that will be included in the overall series scoring. Overall series competitions will now include Masters Men 35+, Masters Men 45+, Elite Men, U23 Men, Elite Women and Junior Men 17/18.

Register online for the USGP Portland Cup HERE.

Collura , Reeve close out Hillsboro Mid Summer Criterium Series with victories

2009-08-12T23:08:00.000-07:00

RESULTS
Mid Summer Criterium Series
Hillsboro, August 12

Women Cat 4
1. Levo, Jenn (Bridgetown Velo) 20
2. Arendt, Casey (Bridgetown Velo) 15
3. Cveras, Lynne (Sorella Forte) 12
Master Women
1. Moss, Jan (Team Group Health) 20
2. Parker, Rachael (Olson's Hammer) 15
Senior Women
1. Reeve, Lisa 20
2. Miles, Karey (Therapeutic Associates Cycling/GENR8) 15
3. Chase, Stephanie (Veloforma) 12
Men Cat 4/5
1. Case, Steven 20
2. Cronrath, Raleigh (Finnegans Toys/Discover Chiropractic) 15
3. Emerson, Mike (Capitol Velo) 12
Master Men 1/2/3
1. Benno, Michael (Veloce/Felt) 20
2. Bannink, Jeff (Team Type 1) 15
3. Quirk, Dan (Veloce/Felt) 12
Men Cat 1/2/3
1. Collura, Sal (VELO Television) 20
2. Beardsley, Steven (Gentle Lovers) 15
3. Swan Chris, (Team Oregon) 12

Complete OBRA results are HERE.