(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.
Doug — who’s studying biomedical engineeering at Georgia Tech (not law at Emory University as reported in Cyclingnews) — got in touch with us and said he doesn’t plan to do any serious racing, “other than jumping into a a few ‘cross races”. He said he got involved with the Myogenesis team only to help mentor some of the younger racers.
Doug says he’s enjoying his studies, but says the “bike commuting atmosphere” in Atlanta is quite a bit different than Portland.
“I’m liking it more as I begin to understand it better. Unfortunately though, given the political climate and the huge budget shortfalls, I don’t think this city will be likely to invest in improving its cycling infrastructure anytime soon. I think that’s pretty far down the priority list. But maybe I’m wrong.”
If he’s looking for another way to fuel his competitive spirit, maybe Doug will get involved bike advocacy. That might be tougher than any race he’s ever done.
Thanks the the update. He’s always seemed like a very decent guy and I’m glad to see he’s giving back to the younger guys. I’d be interested in reading more about his studies and if they’re related to cycling in Part II.