Doug Ollerenshaw
(Photo © J. Maus)

Last time we checked in with ex-Portlander Doug Ollerenshaw he was recovering from a heart-breaking crash at the end of the Twilight Criterium. Also that night, he broke the news that he was retiring from racing and leaving Portland to go to graduate school in Georgia.

Ollerenshaw is the consummate good guy so it was sad to see him go -- not just from Portland, but from the racing scene. Thankfully, according to CyclingNews.com, he couldn't stay away for long:

Retired pro Doug Ollerenshaw will lead the Southeastern US regional Team www.myogenesis-racing.com presented by United HealthCare, the team announced this week. Ollerenshaw... will be mentoring and racing [although not seriously, as he explains below] with the team. Ollerenshaw raced his final year with the Rock Racing squad after seasons with Health Net and Jelly Belly.

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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 president of the Hagens Berman Cycling Team. (more...)

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

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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 down the road while rush-hour traffic sat in a gridlock all around the course.

227 of America's fastest cyclists (143 men and 84 women) went through the start ramp -- which was located right in front of Salmon Street Fountain. They tested their bodies and machines against the clock in front of hundreds of appreciative fans. (more...)

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 Beijing Olympics and, with its prime place on the National Racing Calendar (NRC), it has been given the highest possible ranking (in terms of importance) on the U.S. racing circuit. (more...)

Northwest Portland resident Doug
Ollerenshaw competing in
the Tour of California.
(Photo: Stefan Heymanns/Flickr)

The Amgen Tour of California -- a seven stage, 650-mile race that featured the world's top teams and riders -- wrapped up in Pasadena California on Sunday. Among the finishers were all the big names of elite international racing including the legendary sprinter Mario Cipollini, World Champion Paolo Bettini, and Paris-Roubaix winner Tom Boonen.

Also mixing it up in the Peloton was a name familiar to many Portlanders; our very own hometown hero Doug Ollerenshaw.

The Northwest Portland resident is a member of the controversial and star-studded Rock Racing team and he rode to a very respectable 37th place overall finish. (more...)

Winner of the pro race, John Murphy.
View Gallery
(Photos by Jonathan Maus)

The Portland Twilight Criterium wasted no time warming up to its new North Park Blocks location. The race -- which has been held around the South Park Blocks for the past five years -- thrilled a massive crowd on Friday night.

This event is what bike racing is all about.
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Racers blur past spectators
at the '06 event.
(Photos by Jonathan Maus)

Imagine standing a few feet from a whirring pack of racers as they speed by, elbow-to-elbow, at over 40 miles per hour, throwing sparks from their pedals as they hammer into sharp turns.

Tomorrow night is your chance to experience this when some of the nation's top professional bike racers battle it out at the sixth annual Health Net Portland Twilight Criterium. (more...)

Doug Ollerenshaw on a
ride around Sauvie Island.
File photo: 2/23/06

Northwest Portland resident and professional racer Doug Ollerenshaw finished second in today's opening stage of the Tour de Georgia. The event is one of the premier races in North America and draws top competitors from around the world.

Ollerenshaw is riding for the Health Net Pro Cycling Team (presented by Maxxis).

Last year started out rough for "Doug O" when he fractured his hip in an early season race in Belgium. Later in the year, a gnarly crash in Australia landed his rear-end in the newspaper.
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[Ouch!]
Photo: Herald Sun

Portland-based professional bike racer Doug Ollerenshaw—who I rode with back in February—is currently in Melbourne, Australia battling with world's top road racers in the week-long Herald Sun Tour stage race.

On Monday, at the finish of the second stage, Doug was in a crash. From the picture you can tell it was bad, but the worst part is that this photo ended up being plastered on the inside back cover of the Herald Sun newspaper, the largest circulation newspaper in Australia.

Here's more on the story from Doug's blog:
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[Action from last
year's event.]

The South Park Blocks will be taken over by super-fast cyclists tomorrow night at the fifth annual Health Net Portland Twilight Criterium. I went last year and had a great time.

The spectating is awesome. These guys come whizzing by, inches away from you...and as darkness falls, things get crazy.

This year they'll have live music, a beer garden, a food court and free helmets for kids until 7:30 (provided by Health Net). Come down and support a great local race. You can even cheer on Portland's very own Doug Ollerenshaw (just heard Doug will not be there), a member of Team Health Net (seen here in last year's race).
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[Doug's new ride.]

Like many serious bike racers, Doug Ollerenshaw always dreamed of racing in Europe. Last month he finally got his chance. He traveled to Belgium with his Team Health Net/Maxxis teammates for his first and long-awaited foray into European racing.

It was a harsh introduction. His first race, the Trophee des Grimpeurs,was a technical city circuit in a suburb north of Paris. It was cold, rainy and the course was full of slick cobbles, dreaded traffic circles, and some of the fastest bike racers in the world.
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The Tour of Georgia is the biggest professional bike race in North America. The six stage race draws the top teams and cyclists in the world. Among them is Portland's very own Doug Ollerenshaw, a member of the Health-Net Maxxis team.

A few months ago I rode along with Doug on a training ride around Sauvie Island. Now, due to the wonders of his new GPS-enabled cycling computer, we can all ride along with him at the Tour of Georgia. Check out this link for a list of rides (including a recent training ride up on Skyline Blvd.) and click around to view all sorts of neat information including his heart rate and elevation charts.
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Yesterday I met up with pro bike racer, Doug Ollerenshaw. Doug is a Portland native and races for Health Net/Maxxis, one of the top teams in the U.S.

Long time BikePortland.org readers might remember hearing about him last April when I reported on his epic victory at the Sea Otter Classic race down in California. You also might have seen him at the Twilight Criterium which took place downtown last August.
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Last weekend I attended the Sea Otter Classic...a "celebration of cycling" that is like Woodstock for bike lovers.  Oregon based cyclists had a great showing.  Most notable was Portland's own Doug Ollerenshaw who won the Pro Road Race!  You can read more about his amazing ride here.

I also ran into Molly Cameron (owner of VeloShop in downtown Portland) who had a great showing in the Semi-Pro field.
 

Other Oregonians in attendance included racer Evan Plews, Dan Houghton,  the mechanic for Team Subway and Doug from BicyclingHub.com.