Rapha Racing's Littlehales prevails at PIR Tuesday night race

Todd Littlehales (Rapha Racing) took the last Tuesday Night PIR race for June. With early June winners Steven Beardsley (Gentle Lovers) and Mike Northey (Land Rover-ORBEA) competing in Beaverton at the Alpenrose Six Day, Littlehales was left to battle Cyclepath Racing's Christian Tresser, who also won the Monday Masters series for June, for the Tuesday overall.

Littlehales finished ahead of Austin Arguello (Hammer/CMG Racing) and Tresser. Brad Pauly was fourth, and Land Rover-ORBEA's Bobby Sweeting was fifth.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
PIR Tuesday Night Series,
Portland, June 30

Cat. 4/5
1. Depenbrock, Al (Pacific Power Blue Sky) 15
2. Siemens, Jordan 12
3. Seward, Ryan (CAPA Cycling Team) 10
4. Ferron, Joseph (CAPA Cycling Team) 8
5. Ralston, James (Hammer Velo) 7
Cat. 3/4
1. Allen, Gary 18
2. Staples, Joe 17
3. Crawford, Mark (Ironclad Performance Wear) 11
4. Shirkey, Paul (Chain Agents) 10
5. Voldengen, Erik (Beaverton Bicycle Club) 9
Pro/1/2/3
1. Littlehales, Todd (Rapha Racing) 18
2. Arguello, Austin (Hammer/CMG Racing) 17
3. Tresser, Christian (Cyclepath Racing) 13
4. Pauly, Brad 12
5. Sweeting, Bobby (Land Rover-ORBEA Benefiting the Lance Armstrong Foundation) 12

Land Rover-ORBEA'S Northey tops Tuesday PIR field

Land Rover-ORBEA's Mike Northey, fresh off his third-place finish in a tough road stage at the NRC Nature Vallery Gran Prix in Minnesota, rode to a top finish Tuesday night at PIR. Northey finished ahead of Rapha racing's Todd Littlehales and Aaron Sander of Cyclerpath Racing.

In the Cat. 3/4 race, Brian Gumpert finsihed ahead of Ironclad Performance Wear's Jeff Harwood and Life Cycles' Jeremy Garbellano.

Capa Cycling Team's Ryan Seward too the Cat. 4/5 race, Alan Stewart (Oregon State) second, and Jordan Siemens thrid.

RESULTS
PIR Tuesday Night Series
June 23

Cat 4/5
1. Seward, Ryan (Capa Cycling Team) 15
2. Allen, Stuart (Oregon State) 14
3. Siemens, Jordan 13
4. Anderson, Eric (Pacific Power Blue Sky) 8
5. Pugh, Lance (Beaverton Bicycle Club) 7
Cat 3/4
1 Gumpert, Brian 18
2. Harwood, Jeff (Ironclad Performance Wear) 13
3. Garbellano, Jeremy (Life Cycles) 12
4. Staples, Joe 12
5. Allen, Gary (Liberty Cycle) 9
Cat 1/2/3
1. Northey, Mike (Land Rover-ORBEA) 19
2. Littlehales, Todd (Rapha Racing) 14
3. Sander, Aaron (Cyclepath Racing) 11
4. Marcy, Steve (Rapha Racing) 10
5. Romney, Eric 8

Complete OBRA results are HERE.

Beardsley wins PIR Tuesday Nighter

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
PIR Tuesday Night Series, June 9

Cat. 4/5
1. Seeds, Darrin (Yakima Bike Vigilantes) 15
2. Trask, Andrew (team cthulu) 12
3. Siemens, Jordan 12
4. Ralston, James (Hammer Velo) 8
5. Allen, Stuart (Oregon State) 7

Cat. 3/4
1. Allen, Gary Liberty Cycle 26
2. Zack, George (Beaverton Bicycle Club) 21
3. Gumpert, brian (Showers Pass) 19
4. Anderson, Rob (Team Oregon) 16
5. Prettyman, Joe (Beaverton Bicycle Club) 12

Cat. 1/2/3
1. Beardsley, Steven (Gentle Lovers) 34
2. Babcock, Ron (Portland Velo) 15
3. Riffle, Jason (HPC/Hammer Nutrition) 14
4. Tracy, Dean (Land Rover/ORBEA)11
5. Blanchard, Adam (Therapeutic Associates Cycling/GENR8) 11

Beardsley wins PIR Tuesday race; Ironclad supports hospitalized teammate

Gentle Lovers' Steven Beardsley picked off his first PIR win of the season Tuesday night as the Pro/1/2/3 field covered 16 laps of the 1.9-mile racetrack. Beardsley finished ahead of Land Rover-ORBEA's Mike Northley and Cyclepath Racing's Christian Tresser.

The Ironclad Performance Wear Cycling Team led the peloton at a cruising pace through the first two laps of the Cat. 3/4 race in a show of solidarity with teammate Kristin McCarthy, who was hospitalized with serious injuries she suffered in a crash in the women's race Monday night.

Once the racing started, Liberty Cycles' Gary Allen took the top prize in the Cat. 3/4 race ahead of Ironclad riders Dave Dezellem and Mark Crawford. In the Cat. 4/5 event, Capo Racing's Sam Radokovich finished ahead of Trevor O'Neal and James Ralston (Hammer Velo).

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
PIR Tuesday Night Series, June 2

Cat. 4/5 - 30 finishers
1. Radokovich, Sam (Capo Racing) 15
2. O'Neal, Trevor 15
3. Ralston, James (Hammer Velo) 10
4. Pugh Lance, (Beaverton Bicycle Club) 8
5. Anderson, Eric (Pacific Power Blue Sky) 7

Cat. 3/4 - 58 finishers
1. Allen, Gary (Liberty Cycle) 15
2. Dezellem, Dave (Ironclad Performance Wear) 13
3. Crawford, Mark (Ironclad Performance Wear) 13
4. Thompson, Cliff (Beaverton Bicycle Club) 12
5. Ballantine, Jeff (Portland Velo) 7

Cat. Pro/1/2/3 - 85 finishers
1. Beardsley, Steven (Gentle Lovers) 22
2. Northley, Mike (Land Rover-ORBEA) 12
3. Tresser, Christian (Cyclepath Racing) 12
4. N/A
5. Leonard, John (Rapha Racing) 10

Browning wins PIR Tuesday Nighter

Cyclepath's John Browning took the overall Pro/1/2/3 win at the Portland International Raceway Tuesday Night Series, which covered 33 miles on the counterclockwise course in just over 70 minutes for an average speed of nearly 28 mph.

Racers, who faced a stiff headwind on the backside of the course but were pushed through the long finishing straight by a corresponding tailwind, circled 18 laps with three hot spot sprints. Land Rover-ORBEA showed up in full force and spent a lot of time on the front pushing the pace, but in the end Browning finished ahead of Evan Elken (Land Rover-ORBEA), John Leonard (Casa Bruno), Aaron Coker (HPChiropractic-Hammer Nutrition) and Cyclepath Racing's Christian Tresser, PIR's perennial front runner.

In the Cat. 3/4 race, Liberty Cycle's Stephen Fitzgerald took the top prize ahead of Kevin Condon (Gentle Lovers), Jeff Nelson (Yakima Bike Vigilantes), Gary Allen (Liberty Cycle) and North River Racing's Dean Anderson. Beaverton Bicycle Club's George Zack won the Cat. 4/5 race, ahead of Johannes Weber (Ironclad Performance Wear), Mark Biedrzycki (Portland Velo), Patrick Jason (Webcyclery.com) and Andrew Trask (Team cthulu).

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
PIR Tuesday Night Series, May 26

Cat. 4/5 - 32 Finishers
1. Zack, George (Beaverton Bicycle Club) 17
2. Weber, Johannes F.B. (Ironclad Performance Wear) 13
3. Biedrzycki, Mark (Portland Velo) 10
4. Jackson, Patrick (WebCyclery.com) 9
5. Trask, Andrew (Team cthulu) 8
Cat. 3/4 - 59 Finishers
1. Fitzgerald, Stephen (Liberty Cycle) 15
2. Condron, Kevin (Gentle Lovers) 14
3. Nelson, Jeff (Yakima Bike Vigilantes) 12
4. Allen, Gary (Liberty Cycle) 10
5. Anderson, Dean (North River Racing) 8
Cat. Pro/1/2/3 - 68 Finishers
1. Browning, John (Cyclepath Racing) 15
2. Elken, Evan (Land Rover/ORBEA) 12
3. Leonard, John (Casa Bruno) 12
4. Coker, Aaron (HPChiropractic/Hammer Nutrition) 11
5. Tresser, Christian (Cyclepath Racing) 10

Coker picks off blustery PIR Tuesday night win

After hovering near the top podium spots in nearly every Tuesday night race so far this spring, Aaron Coker (HP Chiropractic/Hammer Nutrition) finally ascended to the top rung at a dry-but-windy edition of the weekly series.

The Men's Pro/1/2/3 field covered nearly 31 miles in just under 70 minutes for an average speed of more than 26 mph. The clockwise course sent riders headlong into a stiff wind for the length of PIR's exposed, extended straightaway.

The Land Rover-ORBEA riders were out and at the front as usual in their blazing yellow kits, although they may have been laying off the high-end efforts after their exploits in Silverton Sunday afternoon.

A crash in the first few laps of the race knocked the group out of rhythm momentarily, but the wind more than anything else seemed to dampen efforts to get away and make it stick. The bunch was in no mood to fool around, quickly reeling in the few serious breakaway attempts.

At the end of the night, Coker topped PIR ironman Christian Tresser, a perennial Tuesday night podium placer who also finished second in the Masters 1/2/3 race Monday night and leads the Masters May series overall. Hammer/CMG Racing's Marcel deLisser was third, ahead of Portland Bicycle Studio's Molly Cameron and Therapeutic Associates' David Root.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
PIR Tuesday Night Series, May 19

Cat. 4/5 - 31 finishers
1. Trask, Andrew (Team cthulu) 15
2. Weber, Johannes F.B. (Ironclad Performance Wear) 15
3. McDade, Stephen (Beaverton Bicycle Club) 12
4. Reagan, Edward
5. Anderson, Steven (Fred Meyers) 7
Cat. 3/4 - 48 finishers
1. Condron, Kevin (Gentle Lovers) 20
2. Leritz, Aaron (Team S&M) 13
3. N/A number on wrong side
4. Monnig, David (Ironclad Performance Wear) 10
5. Osolin, Christopher (Mopha) 9
Cat. Pro/1/2/3
1. Coker, Aaron (HPChiro/Hammer Nutrition) 18
2. Tresser, Christian (Cyclepath Racing) 14
3. DeLisser, Marcel (Hammer/CMG Racing Team) 12
4. Cameron, Molly (Portland Bicycle Studio) 10
5. Root, David (Therapeutic Assoc.) 8

Littlehales repeats week-three PIR win

Rapha Racing's Todd Littlehales repeated his week-three win (pictured in this file photo) at Portland International Raceway Tuesday night ahead of Cyclepath's John Browning and Sunset Cycle's Jonathan McCoy. April overall winner Christian Tresser may have had tired legs from his Monday Night Masters win the evening before and finished seventh.

Portland Bicycle Studio's Kelly Ryan won May's first week in a crash-shortened event ahead of Ryan Taylor (Land Rover/ORBEA) and Chris Haverty (Bridgetown Velo).

Hot-spot and finish points are totalled to arrive at the overall race result each night. Points for the monthly contest are then assigned 10 deep: 15, 12, 10, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. Ties go to the most recent highest result.

In the Cat 3/4 race, Mopha's Christopher Osolin took the night, finishing ahead of Robert Vigeant (Team Oregon) and Matthew Neff (Aeolus Cycling). Beaverton Bicycle Club's Stephen McDade won the Cat 4/5 race ahead of Darrin Seeds (Yakima Bike Vigilantes) and Johannes Weber (Ironclad Performance Wear).

RESULTS
PIR Tuesday Night, May 12

Cat 4/5 - 37 finishers
1. McDade, Stephen (Beaverton Bicycle Club) 15
2. Seeds, Darrin (Yakima Bike Vigilantes) 12
3. Weber, Johannes (Ironclad Performance Wear) 12
4. Zack, George (Beaverton Bicycle Club) 11
Cat 3/4 - 55 finishers
1. Osolin, Christopher (Mopha) 17
2. Vigeant, Robert (Team Oregon) 13
3. Neff, Matthew (Aeolus Cycling) 12
4. Condron, Kevin (Gentle Lovers) 11
5. Brush, Walton 10
Pro/1/2/3 - 76 finishers
1. Littlehales, Todd (Rapha Racing) 15
2. Browning, John (Cyclepath Racing) 12
3. McCoy, Jonathan (Sunset Cycles/CycleOne) 10
4. Coker, Aaron (HPChiro/Hammer Nutrition) 10
5. Gates, David (Bridgetown Velo) 10

Ryan takes win at crash-shortened PIR Tuesday night

(UPDATE: Complete photo galleries are now posted HERE).

Portland Bicycle Studio's Kelly Ryan claimed the PIR Pro/1/2/3 win Tuesday after a nasty crash at the back of the Cat. 3/4 field sprint prematurely ended the race. Two riders hit the tarmac hard and required medical attention. Both riders were eventually able to stand up on their own.

Results for the Pro/1/2/3 race were based on hot-spot sprint points, with Ryan's four points enough to take the win. Land Rover-Orbea's Ryan Taylor and Bridgetown Velo's Chris Haverty each finished with three points. Guiness Cycling's Cliff Heaberlin and Hammer/CMG's Marcel deLisser trailed with two points each.

In the Cat 3/4 race, the Ironclad crew seemed determined to animate the race early, frequently sending riders down the road in pairs or alone. Specialized River City Bicycles, Gentle Lovers and Portland Velo were also well represented, and Beaverton Bicycle Club had a strong contingent working for the Cherry Blossom Classic cat. 4 overall winner, 15-year-old Joe Prettyman, who made it into at least one break attempt.

In the end, River City and Gentle Lovers won the day. Walton Brush (River City) and Kevin Condron (Gentle Lovers) each tallied 15 points. Jacob Cummings finished with 10. Brian Gumpert (Showers Pass) notched eight.

RESULTS
Pro/1/2/3
1. Ryan, Kelly (Portland Bicycle Studio) 4
2. Taylor, Ryan (Land Rover/ORBEA) 3
3. Haverty, Chris (Bridgetown Velo) 3
4. Heaberlin, Cliff (Guinness Cycling Team) 2
5. deLisser, Marcel (Hammer/CMG Racing Team) 2
Cat 3/4
1. Brush, Walton (River City Bicycles) 15
2. Condron, Kevin (Gentle Lovers) 15
3. Cummings, Jacob 10
4. Gumpert, Brian (Showers Pass) 8
5. Cornilles, Gary (Specialized River City Bicycles)
Cat 4/5
1. Weber, Johannes (Ironclad Performance Wear) 15
2. McDade, stephen (Beaverton Bicycle Club) 12
3. Anderson, Eric (Pacific Power/Blue Sky) 10
4. Brown, christopher 8
5. McCasker, David 7

Tresser tops Cameron at PIR Tuesday Nighter

The fourth time proved to be the charm for Cyclepath's Christian Tresser at this week's PIR Tuesday Nighter.

Tresser battled Portland Bicycle Studio's Molly Cameron throughout the night, eventually taking the win with 17 final points over Cameron's 15. Tresser has been at the front every Tuesday throughout April but couldn't quite climb to the top spot on the podium until this week.

Rapha Racing's Jon Grochau won the first race of the season. Land Rover-Orbea's Logan Hunn won week two, and Rapha Racing's Todd Littlehales took week three's overall win.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS

Cat 1/2/3
1. Tresser, Christian (Cyclepath Racing) 17
2. Cameron, Molly (Portland Bicycle Studio) 15
3. no visible number 12
4. no visible number 8
5. Heaberlin, Cliff (Guinness Cycling Team) 8

Cat 3/4
1. Ratliff, Brian (Portland Velo) 17
2. Crawford, Mark (Ironclad Performance Wear) 13
3. Leritz, Aaron (Team S&M) 13
4. Burger, Steven (Sunset Cycles) 8
5. Pollock, Jeffrey (Portland Velo) 7

Cat 4/5
1. O'Neal, Trevor 15
2. Garbellano, Jeremy (Guinness Cycling) 12
3. kenoyer, steve 10
4. Emerson, Mike (Capitol Velo) 8
5. Corkill, Rick 7

Land Rover-Orbea's Hunn Conquers PIR's Second Week

Land Rover-Orbea's Logan Hunn stormed into PIR Tuesday, contesting every hotspot and taking the final sprint for the day's overall win.

Bridgetown Velo's Chris Haverty was second with 12 points. Aaron Coker (HP Chiropractic/Hammer Nutrition) finished third with 11. Cyclepath's Christian Tresser had a good night fighting for the hotspot sprints, winning one and finishing second in another. But he earned no points in the finishing sprint and dropped to 8th overall with five points.

The Pro/1/2/3 group covered nearly 24 miles in less than 50 minutes, with a tailwind driving sprints past 40 mph as the field covered the course counterclockwise.

Portland's pro cycling team used the weekday training race to practice launching Hunn off the front while the rest of the team bunched things up in the pack, making for an uneven pace. The team eventually launched Hunn over the line first in an exciting curb-to-curb finale.

More Photos HERE.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS:
Pro/1/2/3
1. Hunn, Logan (Land Rover/ORBEA) 23
2. Haverty, Chris (Bridgetown Velo) 12
3. Coker, Aaron (HPChiro/Hammer Nutrition) 11
4. Browning, John (Cyclepath Racing) 8
5. Mauer, Jason (Fred Meyer) 8

Cat 3/4
1. D'Elia, Matt (Portland Velo) 15
2. Birman, Dan (Beaverton Bicycle Club) 12
3. Harwood, Jeff (Ironclad Performance Wear) 12
4. Mansker, Kevin 11
5. Ratliff, Brian (Portland Velo) 7

Grochau Takes PIR Opener, Benjamin Third

(UPDATE: Corrected version with Kelly Benjamin in third overall and Christian Tresser in second)

Colavita/Sutter Home pro Kelly Benjamin celebrated her first-ever PIR Tuesday with a third-place finish, slipping away from the field on the last lap with John Grochau, an experienced hand on PIR's tarmac who brought home the win for Team Rapha.

Benjamin, a recent transplant to Portland, joined Grochau at the front of the race and the pair built enough of a gap to hold off the charging field by seconds. Benjamin credited Grochau with powering the move.

"He did most of the pulls," she said. "So I just kind of sat back in the finish."

Although Benjamin finished second on the road, Tresser earned some hot spot points which moved him ahead of her on overall points.

Tuesday's race marks the beginning of the Portland International Raceway Tuesday Night tradition that has become a staple of the local racing scene. The races run every Tuesday night through August. Benjamin said she enjoyed the wide-open racing and would definitely be back.

Word-RCB's Randy Word came across the line in fourth. The win is Grochau's best result at PIR since he finished third in July of last year.

Monday Night PIR Series Begins May 4

Beginning May 4 through Aug. 31, hundreds of cyclists will also take over PIR on Monday nights as the River City Bicycles Monday Night Race Series kicks off its 13th season.

There will be separate races for Novice Masters Men (aged 30+), Novice Women, an Open Women category for any age and ability, and two categories for more experienced Masters Men.

"Bicycle racing continues to grow in Oregon, and we see new racers each year trying it out," said race organizer Jim Anderson. "PIR is a great place to learn about racing. We're adding clinics for novice women and men who want to see what the sport is all about in hopes of seeing a growth in the novice category."

Anderson said prizes will be awarded, but the emphasis is always on learning and having fun. The series will expand it's efforts to reach out to new racers with clinics focused on the basics of how to get started racing. Men's clinics will be every first Monday of the month and the women's sessions will be every second Monday. Kendra Wenzel of Wenzel Coaching will run the women's clinic, and the mens clinic will be overseen by Russell Cree of Upper Echelon Fitness. Clinics will run approximately 30 minutes before and after each race.

Entry fee is $13 for women and master men, $5 for women under 18. Racers who avoid traffic on I-5 by bike commuting -- or by taking MAX -- to PIR receive $1 off entry, and race organizers will donate $1 to the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA), a local non-profit working to make Oregon one of the best places in the world to ride a bike.

Top racers win gift certificates from River City Bicycles each night and for the monthly series. Consistent riders in all categories for the season will have a chance to win a Showers Pass jacket. Racing starts at 6:15 p.m.

More information at: www.racemondaynight.com or info@racemondaynight.com