Emerging From The Snow Banks

Well, the blog has faced an extended stagnant period brought about by a rare Northwest Oregon snowstorm that dumped about three feet of powder on my currently impassible driveway (at about 1,000 feet of elevation). That wasn't necessarily a problem. The real drag was the four-day power outage covering the holidays. It was definitely an old-timey Christmas here. But now Oregon Cycling Action is back in ... uh ... action.

It might take a while to get my sh#t back together (it was once?), but I'll soon be posting some photos of my version of the ARCTIC BLAST.

By the way, shoveling snow is great cross training.

Cyclo "Right" Cross, Followed By An Upper Cut

I've gotta admit, when I first read the following on Todd Wells' blog post about the U.S. National Cyclocross Championships in Kansas City, I thought maybe it was a joke:

"Hear that Myerson and Baker got in a fist fight out on the course. Didn't get to see it but I heard it happened right in front of Proctor and Gully. Saw Page's mechanic get jumped by two guys right after the race and punched in the face multiple times after being tackled on a bunch of Richard Sachs bikes."

But then I read the same damn thing on VeloNews.com, which posted a photo of the scuffle. And apparently there's video coming. And Richard Sachs is threatening a lawsuit. Oh my!

This should certainly help endear the sport to a more mainstream American audience. I foresee a big fat broadcasting deal with Versus next year. They love this kind of thing on that network. Mixed Martial Arts Cyclocross ... ... hmmmmm!

Classic Video: A Mechanic In Panic ...

This epic battle for the 1985 Paris-Roubaix title features a showdown for third between mud-covered Sean Kelly and Greg Lemond.

You'll hear the dulcimer tones (and tunes) of John Tesh's commentary and background music, and don't forget to pay attention to this video's best Liggettism: "A mechanic in panic is not a good one ..."

Enjoy!

Trebon, Gould Take Season-Long Cyclocross Series

With his win in the Elite Men's race at the U.S. National Cyclocross Championships last weekend in Kansas City, Ryan Trebon (Kona) of Bend also sealed the USA Cycling Cyclocross National Calendar series title..

Jeremy Powers of Hadley, Mass., finished second in the season-long standings with 479 points, while his Cyclocrossworld.com/Cannondale teammate Tim Johnson, Middleton, Mass., was third.

Luna Mountain Bike Team pro Georgia Gould of Fort Collins, Colo., who came in second-place at the national championships, earned the Elite Women's USA Cycling Cyclocross National Calendar overall crown with 289 total points.

C3-Sollay rider Laura Van Gilder of Cresco, Pa., came in second in the standings with 234 points, while Rachel Lloyd (Giant Berry Farms) of Fairfax, Calif., was third. Spike rider Katie Compton of Colorado Springs, Colo., won her fifth consecutive Elite Women's title on Sunday, which moved her into fourth place in the domestic standings.

The final standings after all 40 contests on the USA Cycling Cyclocross National Calendar:

Men's Standings
1. Ryan Trebon (Bend, Ore.) 620
2. Jeremy Powers (Hadley, Mass.) 479
3. Tim Johnson (Middleton, Mass.) 461
4. Jamey Driscoll (Jericho, Vt.) 460
5. Todd Wells (Durango. Colo.) 437

Women's Standings
1. Georgia Gould (Fort Collins, Colo.) 289
2. Laura Van Gilder (Cresco, Pa.) 234
3. Rachel Lloyd (Fairfax, Calif.) 206
4. Katie Compton (Colorado Springs, Colo.) 200
5. Maureen Bruno-Roy (Arlington, Mass.) 193

Versus Ready To Broadcast Tour Down Under

As advertised on the website for the Tour Down Under, the Australian race is your "chance to see Lance ... who in 2009 will compete in Adelaide for the first time in his comeback race. Don't miss the opportunity to see the 7-time Tour de France winner doing what he does best."

Unless you're planning a trip south early next year, you may have to settle for the taped 1/2 hour summaries provided each day by Versus.

The network announced its broadcast schedule for the Tour Down Under, which begins Sunday, Jan. 18, and runs through Jan. 24. Versus will broadcast a 30-minute highlight show each of the first five days of the race. The final stage Jan. 24 will be streamed live on Versus’ Web site, and a one-hour highlight show will air the following day.

(Pacific time)
1-1:30 p.m. - Sunday, Jan. 18
1:30-2 p.m. - Tuesday, Jan. 20
1:30-2 p.m. - Wednesday, Jan. 21
1:30-2 p.m. - Thursday, Jan. 22
1:30-2 p.m. - Friday, Jan. 23
No0n-1 p.m. - Saturday, Jan. 24
2-3 p.m. - Sunday, Jan. 25

Hat Tip to bikerumor.com, which also reported that NBC may outbid Versus for rights to televise the Giro d'Italia.

Get Some National Championships Video

Here's some video of the Elite women's and men's races at the U.S. National Cyclocross Championships in Kansas City on Sunday. From the good folks at VeloNews.tv ... ...


There are more videos HERE, including both days of the USGP Portland Cup Dec. 6-7.

Trebon Powers To National Championship

(UPDATED BELOW With More Oregon Rider Results)

Bend's Ryan Trebon (pictured here at the USGP #5) won the Elite Men's race of the U.S. National Cyclocross Championships today in Kansas City.

Trebon (Kona), who a week ago won the Crank Brothers U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross #6 in Portland, finished ahead of Cyclocrossworld.com/Cannondale's Jamey Driscoll in second and third-placed Johnathan Page (Planet Bike), a three-time national champion who races mostly in Europe.

Trebon previously won the Elite Men's U.S. Cyclocross National Championship in 2006. Tim Johnson (Cyclocrossworld.com/Cannondale), who won the USGP #5 in Portland and the overall series crown, won the national championship race in 2007.

ELITE MEN'S TOP FIVE
1. Ryan Trebon (Kona)
2. Jamey Driscoll (Cyclocrossworld.com/Cannondale)
3. Jonathan Page (Planet Bike)
4. Jesse Anthony (Jamis)
5. Tim Johnson Cyclocrossworld.com/Cannondale)

ELITE WOMEN'S TOP FIVE
1. Katie Compton (Spike Shooter)
2. Georgia Gould (Luna)
3. Rachel Lloyd (California Giant Berry Farms)
4. Laura Van Gilder (C3 Sollay)
5. Amy Dombroski (Velo Bella-Kona)

OREGON FINISHERS
MEN
13. WICKS, Barry, Corvallis (Kona)
16. TONKIN, Erik, Portland (Kona)
17. WORAS, Solomon, Winthrop, WA (Vanilla Bicycles)
27. DECKER, Carl, Bend (Broadmark)
28. CAMERON, Molly, Portland (Vanilla Bicycles)
34. BABCOCK, Sean Corvallis (Team S&M)
54. HULICK, Kevin, Portland (Gentle Lovers)
61. YEATER, Davy, Portland (River City Bicycles)

WOMEN
9. BUTLER, Sue, Portland (MonavieCannondale.com)
12. MAZZA, Rhonda, Portland (Vanilla/Team S&M)
13. WILLIAMS, Wendy, Portland (River City Bicycles)
18. VAN METER, Emily, Portland (River City Bicycles)
34. FLAHERTY, Colleen, Portland (Veloce)

Veloce's Sheagley Third In Kansas City

Portlander Eric Sheagley (Veloce-Felt) took third today in the Men's Masters 35-39 age-graded division at the U.S. Cyclocross National Championships in Kansas City.

Oregon Bicycle Racing Association state cyclocross champion Kevin Hulik just missed the podium, coming across the line in fourth. Sheagley finished 1.21 behind winner Brandon Dwight (Boulder Cycle Sport). Hulik was 2.24 behind.

Sheagley (pictured here at the Kruger's Crossing race on Sauvie's Island) is the OBRA Men's Masters champion in the time trial (35-39), the criterium (30-39) and the track 1k TT (35-39) at Alpenrose Velodrome.

Sheagley's podium place follows on the heels of Friday's win by OBRA member Wendy Williams (40-44) and a second place finish by her River City Teammate Emily VanMeter (30-34).

Find A more complete list of Pacific Northwest finishers HERE.

Wendy Williams Scores National Championship

OBRA's own Wendy Williams won the Women's 40-44 National Cyclocross Championship Friday in Kansas City.

Williams (pictured here racing at the Washington County Fairgrounds) was also winner of Oregon's eight-race 2008 Cross Crusade series and Portland's unsanctioned Single Speed Cyclocross World Championships in 2007. She rides for River City Bicycles.

Emily VanMeter, Williams' River City teammate, earned the silver medal in the Women's 30-34 race, which was won by Maureen Bruno-Roy (MM Racing p/b Seven Cycles). VanMetter finished second in this year's Cross Crusade series.

The U.S. Cyclocross National Championships began Thursday and continues through Sunday, when the country's Elite men and women will compete for their titles. The same riders who battled this weekend in Portland at the U.S. Gran Prix will be vying for the chance to wear the stars-and-stripes jersey next season.

In the Elite Men's race, Bend's Ryan Trebon will be hoping to win back the title he earned in 2006 but lost to Tim Johnson in 2007. In the Elite Women's race, Sue Butler, who took third and fourth in last weekend's USGP races, will be trying for a podium spot.

Dave Zabriskie's Nuts

I'm not sure what to make of this. Any ideas?