Portland’s ‘cross scene is wild, crazy and lots of fun. We’ve got the world’s largest participatory cross series (The Cross Crusade), tons of talented racers, and plenty of mud and cold to top it off.
Browse the articles below to experience the unique flavor of Portland cyclocross.
[Erik Tonkin] Here I am at 4am Wednesday morning, finally sitting down to work on what I started a week ago, an article well overdue at this point. The clichés “better late than never” and “something is better than nothing” come to mind. Of course, those tired old sayings cut more than a slice of … Read more
Yesterday I finally made it out to one of the Alpenrose Cross Clinics put on by Team S&M and Sellwood Cycle Repair. I’ve heard the clinics have been very popular since they started earlier this month and this one (the final one) was no exception. There were at least 100 participants all looking to hone … Read more
[Editor’s note: This is the first contribution from local cyclocross racer and co-owner of Sellwood Cycle, Erik Tonkin (it was actually written a few weeks ago). Stay tuned for more articles and race recaps from him throughout the season.]
[Kids love mud and bikes.] Last year, Portland’s cyclocross scene was one of the biggest in the country. At one Cross Crusade event (Alpenrose) there were 760 competitors, making it the largest event of its kind in the history of U.S. cross racing. What’s not to like? Whether you watch or ride, it’s really just … Read more
[Kevin Hulick.Photo: Doug O.] Kevin Hulick will be sponsored by Vanilla Bicycles for the 2006 cyclocross season. Hulick, who won the “A” category in the prestigious Cross Crusade series last year, will join accomplished racers Shannon Skerritt, Molly Cameron, and Rhonda Mazza aboard a swanky new Vanilla cross bike this fall. Hulick, who went to … Read more
During Euro ‘Cross Camp, Geoff Proctor and I concluded that he (with USA Cycling) really nailed it when they made a top-30 finish at a world cup tantamount to discretionary selection to our world championship team: it is, in fact, really tough to finish in the top-30 at a WC. Consider the American results at … Read more
What would I do without my friends? Last year and this year, they’ve helped me stage a pseudo but otherwise full-on ‘cross race, so Rhonda and I could get in a serious training effort as we prepare for ‘cross worlds. Yes, life in general is easy with such willing (and clearly none too bright!) pals, … Read more
[Erik Tonkin – more photos here] Local racer and co-owner of Sellwood Cycle Repair, Erik Tonkin has just been named to the U.S. team for the 2006 UCI Cyclocross World Championships. He joins his wife Rhonda Mazza who was recently named to the women’s team. Congrats to the world’s facest ‘cross couple! The big race … Read more
It just wouldn’t be a Euro ‘cross camp without learning some lessons the hard way. Well, on Sunday I paid the price for being too greedy and overconfident. But first, let me offer some background info. This year I came to camp focused on the first 4 races because they would effect team selection for … Read more
Be very careful what you wish for. I prayed for a good old slogger, but somebody upstairs took me a little too literally. After Loenhout’s 1 in 1,000 high-speed ‘crosses (easily the fastest I’ve done), the pendulum swung way back to make Hooglede the 1 in 1,000 slow-speed ‘cross (easily the slowest I’ve done). Consider … Read more
We just got back from the Loenhout GVA, and all our guys in the elite race finished it up. The course was spectacularly short and fast due to the cold (-1C = 30F) and dry conditions today. ‘Twas a 5min. lap, and we did 12 of ‘em, averaging I think over 20mph. There was a … Read more
Portland resident and Sellwood Cycle Repair employee Erik Tonkin is racing his heart out on the World Cup cyclocross circuit. His candid reports reveal how tough the racing is: Oh my god that was hard. Thankfully, even the top guys consider it one of the toughest. The sand is long and deep and then wet … Read more