(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)
To understand how vibrant and healthy Portland’s bike racing scene is, you needn’t look any further than Portland International Raceway (PIR) on a Monday night. Nestled in former wetlands just north of Kenton and west of I-5, PIR hosts two major weekly race series’ — one for dirt lovers and one for the roadies.
The Monday Night Bike Race Series run by Team Oregon happens every week between April 16th and August 27th. Riders tackle a 1.9 mile lap around PIR’s scenic, flat, and fast course. It’s a mass-start race for a set number of laps. There are weekly clinics for beginners and many people say that PIR is the perfect place to give criterium-style road racing a try.
Just a few hundred yards from the start of the road race, a much different type of bike racing happens. The Short Track Series runs on Mondays from June 4th to July 30th (except for July 2nd). The Short Track course changes every week, but it’s always dirty, fast, challenging, and a lot of fun.
I went out yesterday to soak up some of the action (admittedly, I shot a lot more photos of Short Track). To give you a taste of what happens out there, here are some of my favorite photos…
Hecklers!
This guy somehow managed to be almost completely covered in mud…
And his kids were a little freaked out about it…
Speaking of mud, this little shredder is learning how to ride in it…
Then this happened…
But mud isn’t just for the little ones…
And while it’s always about fun, these guys and gals push themselves. Hard…
And now, let’s switch over to the road…
Like a pack of wolves about to capture its prey, this poor guy doesn’t stand a chance out there all alone…
Anyone who has raced knows what this moment feel like…
And, if you’re lucky and strong, you might also know what this feel like…
Thanks to our amazing local race teams, promoters, sponsors and to the folks at PIR for letting bikes take over the place on Monday nights…
