the 2005 event.
(File photo)
Racers and organizers are getting ready for the ninth annual Alpenrose Challenge.
The event — which is free to spectators — will feature three full days of track racing action on southwest Portland’s world-famous Alpenrose Velodrome.
The race will draw top track talent to Portland to compete on the legendary steep banks of the track for a share of a $12,000 purse.
Race Director and event founder Mike Murray says,
“Nine years ago we wanted to create a local event that featured national and international caliber riders and would showcase the unique attraction that is bicycle track racing, and we succeeded.”
Racers will duel each other and themselves in a wide variety of formats including: 4K Pursuit, 500-meter and 1-kilometer Time Trials, Sprints, Miss & Out, Keirin, Madison, Flying Lap, 10-mile, and Olympic Sprint.
If that’s all Greek to you, race organizers have put together a handy “Track Racing 101” guide on their website.
Racing starts this Friday (7/6) and goes through Sunday from 10am to 4pm each day.
Thanks for reading.
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It has been pretty aweosme getting to the track early 4 times in the last week just to see the sprinklers on watering the track and making it so you can\’t ride.
The Alpenrose Challenge is definitely a world-class event and we are really lucky to have such talent coming to Portland. Mike Murray and all the volunteers deserve a huge round of applause for making this happen.
Year round Alpenrose Dairy, OBRA and scores of volunteers do a fantastic job maintaining this free track.
Adjusting schedules and/or checking with the Dairy when they will be watering is a small concession to make in order to keep the infield green and attractive for this weekend.
I encourage everyone to check this event out. The Madison and Keirin races alone are worth it.
I agree that it is good to be having this event, but the watering schedule is wacko. The guys that run Kids On Track don\’t even know when they will be watering.
Just saying that there is no mention of it anywhere and the timeing makes not a whole lot of sense.
How about watering at night when no one rides the track.
sorry for being selfish
The watering schedule was posted to the obra@list.obra.org list serve and communicated to all the people who are running events at the track, including the Kids on Track group. What the note said was:
\”Alpenrose is trying hard to get the grass in the infield at the velodrome watered and looking good especially for the Alpenrose Challenge. They are having a hard time doing this because every time they set out the hoses and sprinklers someone comes by and turns them off because they want to ride on the track.
PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS!!!
For your scheduling needs they will be watering:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM and 12:00 noon to 2:00 PM
Tuesdays and Thursdays 7:00 AM to 12:00 noon\”
This schedule was worked out between me and the Dairy to allow the track to be dry for scheduled sessions and to give the Dairy staff the time they need to lay out hoses and sprinklers.
Watering at night would be a good idea but the Dairy does not have grounds maintainace staff that works night shifts. They also have other responsibilities so working around individual riders schedules is just not going to happen. I expect that after the AVC the Dairy will stop watering and the grass will be allowed to return to brown.