(File photo)
Last night was not the type of roller-coaster ride I expected to have at my first mountain bike race of the year.
I rode out to Portland International Raceway (a short ride from north Portland) to revel in the whoops, turns and twists of Kris Schamp’s ever-popular MTB Short Track course. Minutes before the singlespeed race, Schamp let me hop on his beautiful new Trek 69’er (which fit like a glove).
I was eager to clear my head with some good, old-fashioned, elbow-to-elbow bike racing.
The gun went off, I tore into the first turn with a giddy grin. And then it was over. Rear tire blowout. I was bummed. But that’s the thing about racing: it’s full of highs and lows.
Fortunately, for the other 200+ racers that showed up, it was a perfect night for racing and the course was phenomenal.
But don’t take my word for it. Sit back and enjoy this short slideshow of the action:
Created with Paul’s flickrSLiDR.
Thanks for reading.
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I\’m so jealous. I couldn\’t make it to the race, but it\’s partially my own fault for blowing out my legs over the weekend. Next time, Gadget, next time.
Same here – niece\’s 4th birthday. The decision was easy to make though.
Next Monday!
I was wondering how you managed to race in the SS race and take pictures of it! Great shots, thanks.
Jonathan,
Thanks for coming out and race (I am sorry about that piece of wood you ran into). Beautiful shots too (as always!)
For any bikeportland.org readers who wonder what the short track hoopla is all about, just check out this freshly posted video compilation of yesterday\’s races:
http://www.portlandracing.com/video-07-02-2007.html
It\’s a blast!
Excellent pics & great camera angles.
Enjoy your site as always, every morning.