![](http://bikeportland.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/upperechelon.jpg)
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.
Joining Cree in this new venture are Evan Elken, Shawn Bostad, and Doug Ollerenshaw — all of whom are well-known in the Pacific Northwest bike racing scene. Elken and Ollerenshaw have competed (and won) at the highest levels of pro road racing in America and Bostad is a veteran triathlete and runner.
Cree — who holds a Doctorate in Physical Therapy — is an Oregon native who recently returned to the state after 10 years away. His past clients have included members of the Garmin-Chipotle Team (who competed in the Tour de France) and Olympic cyclists who competed in Beijing, but Cree says, “it’s often the beginning, recreational cyclists that become the most rewarding clients.”
— For more information, check out UpperEchelonFitness.com