clinics start next week.
(Photo: Jonathan Maus)
With the Portland-area road racing season all but over, the buzz about ‘cross season is coming on strong.
Local ‘cross lovers can be found any night of the week honing their skills in parks around the city. Last night, I saw a guy practicing dismounts and run-ups on the stairs at Peninsula Park.
Thanks in part to the Cross Crusade — which got noticed by the NY Times last year — Portland has one of the wildest and most fun cyclocross scenes anywhere in the country. Don’t believe me? Check out my past coverage and photos of all the action.
Even if you’re a complete newbie, there’s really no good reason to not get into the spirit. That’s especially true given that local cross racing legend Erik Tonkin has just announced his Cyclocross Skills Clinics.
last year’s clinics.
(Photo: Jonathan Maus)
Tonkin’s clinics take place at Alpenrose Dairy (6149 SW Shattuck Rd.) and begin next week on September 5. They happen every Wednesday in September (that’s the 12th, 19th, and 26th). I attended one last year and found it not only improved my technique but also gave me a chance to connect with other ‘cross lovers.
The clinics start at 6:30 pm and last about an hour. You can register for the whole series for $25 and Juniors and kids (ages 0-18) are free! Individual clinics are $10 a piece.
Anyone who pre-registers will be entered into a drawing for a free Kona cyclocross bike. Read more about the clinics and find out how to register here.
last year (with Tonkin in the
background).
(Photo: Jonathan Maus)
New this year is another ‘cross clinic featuring another one of Portland’s cyclocross superstars, Molly Cameron. She’ll be sharing her secrets at a beginners ‘cross clinic on September 7th at Brentwood/Darlington Park (SE 62nd and Ogden) at 6:30pm. There’s a $2 suggested donation that goes toward helping with Molly’s racing career. For more info email begofosite [at] gmail [dot] com.
Start training, attend a clinic, get your bike all dialed-in, and stay tuned for more coverage of all the cyclocross action!
Thanks for reading.
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Too hot to think of cross right now.
Soon though . . .
Tune in to the KBOO Bike Show next Wednesday (or later listen to the podcast) to hear from Wendy Williams and Erik Tonkin on racing cross.
Wednesday, Sept 5
9-10 am
90.7 KBOO.fm
PODCAST: BikeShow.PortlandTransport.com
Agree with TonyT. I wish this bleeping sun would up and take a hike.
Mud please, now!
Thanks for the tip, Ayleen.
bring on the rain and cowbells. we are waiting.
All levels? Never tried, but willing.
cross is all inclusive. There are different categories for everyone, masters, men, women, and all have an A, B, or C, or even beginner categories.
ANYONE can participate. they even have a unicycle class.
isn\’t molly a guy??
This is great, and the related posts are, too. Anything with mud and alcohol and bikes.
Yes.. so.. what IS it? And how do you enter.
What is \’cross? I consider it to be a wet, muddy, gross mutation of mountain biking and running, only on skinny tires with drop bars. And when I use the word \”running\”, what I mean is clawing your way up a ditch, jumping over barriers (the \”six pack\”), and tumbling down a lot if you\’re me.
You enter by showing up 1+ hours before the race you want to be in. If you\’ve never done it, I\’d recommend the \”beginner\” category.
I showed up last year to watch and decided that while it\’s a good spectator sport, it looked like it\’d be way more fun to do. So I borrowed a bike and did, and it was a blast. I\’d never raced before, and never thought that I would, and it was great fun.
I\’m sorta new to cross. I raced back in the early 80\’s in the bay area. Now that I\’m healthy again and cross seems so popular I want to try it again. I\’m even trying to keep a blog http://www.themuddycurmudgeon.blogspot.com (first one ever) of my cross experience. at any rate, I have some questions about things that have changed in 25 years or so:
#1 we used to run the brakes motocross style, but in pictures I\’ve seen teh world cup dudes don\’t anymore? Why not? Is it just them or is everyone running Right side = Rear end?
#2What kind of brakes are best? Everone used to run MAFAC\’s but now the closest I\’ve seen to that are the PAULS. Are they worth the $$? My new bike has some crappy ones that won\’t stop squeeeling.
#3 We used to run single chainring cuz the chain would fall off with the double. I still see some dudes with that but are derailers so much better now that everyone pretty much goes double?
#4 Tubulars. Dudes still run tubulars right? I dig the ride, man. Clinchers on teh road are better now but still not the same ride. Sew ups are like doin-it without a rubber.
Now, knowing that I will be among many newbies and some dusting off the rust, where is more scheduling info.? I need to start thinking- maybe training. Any good training sites, and gear info. too?
http://www.crosscrusade.com
There\’s some good pics to get you fired up too. I\’m fired up. Can\’t wait to meet folks, race hard and tailgate for the big boyz race. I\’ve got an El Camino with some serious pre-game history.
Cross effin rules!