The Alpenrose course was full of surprises, like this dual-option stairway run-up.Slideshow below(Photos © J. Maus)

The opening race of the Cross Crusade series set a record for attendance yesterday. Kenji Sugahara, the director of the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association says that, despite the wet weather, 1,267 racers participated.
That number is up from 1,078 participants [...]

I love the rough-and-tumble outer shell of the otherwise cuddly sport of cyclocross. With it’s usually grueling weather, tough courses, and party-like atmosphere, the sport’s promoters revel in its rowdiness.
The first ‘cross race of the season was named Pain on the Peak and this weekend, racers will head south on Saturday to the Rickreall [...]

Veteran bike racer and physical therapist Russell Cree has opened Upper Echelon Fitness (917 SW Oak St.) in downtown Portland. The business will offer coaching for cycling and triathlon, state-of-the-art bike fitting, and exercise physiology services to all skill levels.
Cree, 32, previously ran a similar business in Seattle and is also the former vice [...]

Ryan Trebon, shown here at a cyclocross race, is ranked 4th.(Photo © J. Maus)

Professional mountain bikers from Oregon currently hold four of the top five rankings in the USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Cross Country Calendar Standings.
Here are the rankings:

1. Barry Wicks (Corvallis, Ore) 359
2. Adam Craig (Bend, Ore.) 334
3. Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Boulder, Colo.) 328
4. [...]

Screenshot of pdxcross.com/div>
Heidi Swift at The Everyday Athlete Blog introduced me to pdxcross.com this morning. It’s a great-looking new blog that is the work of a group of professional photographers who plan to document the Portland cyclocross scene.
They’ve already uploaded slideshows from last weekend’s Pain on the Peak and the Kruger’s Kermesse.
Check out the [...]

Mud and smiles coming soon.- Watch slideshow below -(Photos © J. Maus)

There is no denying that the cyclocross season is upon us.
The first sign is always an increase in sales of ‘cross bikes and parts on the OBRA email list. Then, I hear shop employees telling me how everyone is coming in to gear [...]

You can rent this bike: Now there’s no excuse not to give ‘cross a try!

In the latest sign that Portland is gearing up for another crazy cyclocross season, a downtown bike rental business has announced they’ll offer cyclocross bikes as part of their fleet.
Eric Roden, the manager at Waterfront Bicycles (now at 10 SW Ash [...]

Wanna race? Meet the Team rides are a great way to start.(Photo © J. Maus)

If you’re new to Portland’s bike racing scene and you want to ride with a team, you should consider hooking up with the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association’s (OBRA) “Meet the Team” rides.
So far, eight rides are planned on consecutive Saturdays [...]

The 2nd annual Single Speed Cyclocross World Championships (SSCXWC) have opened for registration.
The event is scheduled for November 8-9 and will take somewhere in or near Portland (awaiting confirmation of exact location).
Dani Dance of the Portland Single Speed Collective and an employee at Portland-based River City Bicycles is the woman behind the race. She [...]

The VIP Lounge was packed as racers sped by during the Twilight Criterium Friday night.(Photo Gallery — Photos © J. Maus)

Last Friday night, the Health Net Portland Twilight Criterium succeeded in turning bike racing into top-notch entertainment.

The racers, which included some of the fastest pros in America, blazed through the North Park [...]

Short Track series organizer Kris Schamp.(Photos © J. Maus)

The Portland Mountain Bike Short Track Race Series, which wrapped up its six-race series at Portland International Raceway (PIR) last night, has tallied a record number of participants.
Event founder and organizer Kris Schamp reports that for the first time ever, there were over 400 entries [...]

And they’re off!(Photos/video © J. Maus)

Last night, the Zoobombers were invited out to PIR to test their mettle on the course used by the Mountain Bike Short Track Race Series.
Race Organizer Kris Schamp said he wanted them to come out because he’s always envisioned the event as a “different type of race”.
“It’s not [...]

Jacob Rathe in his Team USA gear.(Photos © J. Maus)

17 year-old Jacob Rathe will have a lot to tell his Lincoln High School classmates when he returns to school for his Senior year this fall.
On Monday, he’ll board a plane to Cape Town, South Africa where he’ll compete in the UCI Juniors World [...]

[Update 7/9 **SPOILER ALERT -- SEE BELOW***]

American star George Hincapie flying the new blue Team Columbia kit.(Photo: Team Columbia)

A team flying the logo of Portland-based Columbia Sportswear is having one heck of a Tour de France.

Team Columbia has been near the front of several stages and, after four stages, the team ranks in second [...]

Racers in repose between heats.More imagesSlideshow below(Photos © J. Maus)

On Friday, the local racing community came together to support an injured friend.
Zak Kovalcik (pictured here at the event) broke his collarbone while racing at Alpenrose Velodrome a few weeks ago and, without insurance and being unable to work (he is a bike messenger), [...]

Zak Kovalcik competing on the day of his crash.Velodrome in May 2007.(Photo: Ed Norton)

Friends and supporters of local racer Zak Kovalcik are rallying after a crash last week left him with a broken collarbone. Kovalcik is unable to work while his medical bills (from this and a previous racing injury) pile up.
Kovalcik, a member [...]

(Photo © J. Maus)

Track racers have been battling it out in Porltand’s southwest hills at the Alpenrose Velodrome Six Day Challenge this week.
The event is the official FIAC National Six Day Championships and the final day of competition is this Saturday.
The racers are dueling in a variety of events for their share at [...]

Levi Leipheimer at the Tour of California in February.(Photo: Aerotheque)

France’s loss is Oregon’s gain.
With their Astana Cycling Team not invited to the Tour de France (after being linked to a doping scandal in 2007), top professional road racers Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner have decided to race in the Bend Memorial Clinic Cascade Cycling Classic.
The [...]

(BikePortland file photo)

30 year-old bike racer Colby Brooks collapsed while participating in the singlespeed race at the Portland Mountain Bike Short Track Series held tonight at Portland International Raceway (PIR).
Race organizer Kris Schamp was riding alongside Brooks just moments before the incident. He told me via telephone this evening that according to several witnesses, [...]

The Short Track course is long on fun.More photos here(Photos © J. Maus)

Mountain bikers will be the main event at Portland International Raceway (PIR) tonight when the Mountain Bike Short Track Series kicks off. The series will continue each of the next six Mondays through the end of July.
Organizer Kris Schamp says given [...]

Portland-based Columbia Sportswear has announced that they have taken over sponsorship of Team High Road (formerly T-Mobile) and new jerseys with “Team Columbia” will debut at the start line of the Tour de France.
This would be first time a Portland company was a title sponsor of such a high-profile racing team. Team High Road [...]

Bicycle racing in the north Mississippi Avenue neighborhood on June 14th 2008
Hundreds of racers will take to the streets for this inaugural event – Cirque du Cycling Criterium
Portland, Ore. Bicycle racing comes to North Portland for the Cirque du Cycling Criterium presented by Laughing Planet Café, which is just part of a full afternoon of [...]

Whether you watch or race (or both) Mt. Tabor never disappoints.(Photo © J. Maus)

Beginning tonight — and for the next six Wednesday evenings — Mt. Tabor Park in southeast Portland will be home to fast descents, strenuous climbs, and plenty of bike racing action.
The River City Bicycles Mt. Tabor Series will pit various [...]

The Mt. Hood Cycling Classic in downtown Portland.(Photos © J. Maus)

A study released yesterday by two Georgia colleges found that the Tour de Georgia — a week-long professional road race that wrapped up in April — contributed $38 million to that state’s economy. That news comes on the heels of an announcement to expand [...]

These guys had the best seat in the park.(View Photo Gallery)(All images © J. Maus)

After Tuesday’s opening Prologue, the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic made its way a few miles east to Mt. Tabor Park where over 200 of the nation’s fastest cyclists competed in a 1.3 mile, multi-lap criterium race.
A warm sun, high clouds, and [...]

A rider leaves the start ramp. Waterfront Park is in the background.View the Stage 1 Photo Gallery(Photos © J. Maus)

The Mt. Hood Cycling Classic got off to a fast start in downtown Portland last night.
It was a surreal sight. All the northbound lanes of Naito Parkway were closed and lycra-clad pro bike racers sped [...]

After a downtown time-trial on Tuesday, racers will tackle Mt. Tabor.(Photos © J. Maus)

The sixth annual Mt. Hood Cycling Classic will kick-off in Portland early next week. The event be the most prestigious professional cycling race ever held in the city.
Race director Chad Sperry says the race will be a qualifier for [...]

The eye of the tiger.(Photo © J. Maus)

Hoping to give kids the same thrill that mom and dad get out of bike racing, organizers of the Tuesday night racing series at Portland International Raceway will hold the first “Kids Rule” race tomorrow night.
Local racer Neil Green said his six year-old son didn’t want to play [...]

This just in from event organizers:

The 2008 Mt. Hood Cycling Classic Needs Volunteers and Hosts
The Mt. Hood Cycling Classic, a Gorge classic, is back again this year and kicks off in less that a month! This world class professional cycling race gears up Tuesday, May 13 and finishes on Sunday, May 18. Check [...]

This just in from local race promoter Jim Anderson:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
JIM ANDERSON
RACE ORGANIZER
503-975-8229
JIM-ANDERSON@COMCAST.NET
www.racemondaynight.com
Bicycle races at Portland International Raceway start up for the summer – Featuring an introduction to bicycle racing clinics for women!
Summertime at Portland International Raceway on Monday nights means bicycle racing. For 2008’s series we are featuring clinics to introduce women to the [...]