Masked racers roll out at the Shasta Gravel Hugger race that kicked off the season on March 6th.
(Photo: OBRA)

It appears bike racing — even mass start events — can happen safely despite the lingering presence of Covid-19 and its variants.

The Oregon Bicycle Racing Association announced this week that after hosting four large bike races so far this year, they’ve had zero reported cases of the virus.

“It has been inspiring to see how much work our professional race promoters put into their events to make them safe while maintaining the raw excitement and energy we all feel at a bike race,” OBRA Executive Director Chuck Kenlan said in a statement Thursday.[Read more…]

Portlander Molly Cameron in Bicycling.

Anti-transgender legislation proposed in many states across the country has spurred local cycling leaders to step up, speak out, and fight back.

According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), 31 states are currently considering bills that would limit health care to transgender youth and/or prevent transgender youth from playing sports.

Arkansas is one of the states leading the charge. It’s also slated to host the 2022 UCI Cyclocross World Championships. In addition to this high-profile event that’s likely to draw many racers from the Portland region, Arkansas has become a cycling mecca in recent years. That’s because it’s home to Walmart, whose young heirs’ love of cycling has led to massive investments to attract bike companies and riders seeking fun trails.[Read more…]

Bridge City CX, which debuted in 2019 and was cancelled in 2020, hopes to make a triumphant return as a championship race this season.
(Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

If all goes according to plan there will be robust cyclocross season this year.

That was just part of the good news shared by Oregon Bicycle Racing Association (OBRA) Executive Director Chuck Kenlan in a letter to members on Monday.

It has been a roller-coaster of a year for OBRA, Oregon’s sanctioning body for bike racing. When the reality of the pandemic hit last March the organization laid off staff and cancelled dozens of scheduled events (their main source of revenue outside of membership fees). Now as Covid-19 vaccinations work their way through the state, the hibernation of competitive cycling might come to an end before the end of this year.[Read more…]

A cyclocross race at Alpenrose in 2019 and the cover of the Dairyville Gazette from August 1962.

The beloved racing event site at Alpenrose Dairy is now permanently closed. [Read more…]

Clara Honsinger (left) and the stars and stripes on the podium.
(Image via Flobikes.com video)

Riding past the World Champ like it’s no big deal.

Portland local Clara Honsinger continued her ascension into the top ranks of cyclocross with a second place finish at the UCI World Cup in Namur, Belgium on Sunday.

Honsinger (Cannondale P/B Cyclocrossworld.com) stormed through the field and set her sights on a podium finish about half-way through the grueling, one-hour race. On the third lap, Honsinger pedaled past current World Champion Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Alpecin-Fenix) for third place. “It’s wonderful to see from the American,” said race commentator Anthony McCrossan, who was clearly impressed with the 24-year-old rising star. Not satisfied with a podium position, Honsinger rode the difficult Namur course with enough skill and speed to catch and pass Denise Betsema (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) for a comfortable second place finish.

It’s a massive accomplishment for Honsinger to not only get her first European World Cup podium, but to do it at Namur which is considered by most people to be the toughest course on the circuit.

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Honsinger won the U.S. Under-23 National Championship in 2018, then followed it up by winning the Elite National Championship last year. Honsinger raced for Portland-based Sellwood Cycle Repair – Team S&M the past two years and signed a pro contract with the Cannondale – Cyclocrossworld.com team back in August.

Sunday’s performance sets Honsinger up well for the Covid-shortened World Cup scheduled. She’ll have three more races before the UCI World Championships on January 30th.

Keep up with Clara and support her season by following her on Instagram.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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A Class 1 “Talon” e-MTB from Giant.

It’s been one year and one day since Portland hosted its last sanctioned, competitive cycling event. In many ways, 2020 was a lost season for local racers, but 2021 will look a lot different — not only because we are likely to emerge from the Covid cocoon, but because electric bikes will be welcomed into the racing scene for the first time.

In a statement today, Oregon Bicycle Racing Association Executive Director Chuck Kenlan announced that the 2021 season is already coming into focus. Weekly racing is slated to re-start in April and May’s schedule is filling up. “We are approaching the race season with caution and expect the earlier races to run using modified formats that follow the state guidance for outdoor recreation,” Kenlan shared. “Our plan is to work with promoters to help them make their races as safe as possible and still allow for a fun competition.”

Kenlan also said OBRA’s new liability insurance policy will cover events that include a category for “Class 1” electric bikes. [Read more…]

(Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

It’s been 116 days since the last officially sanctioned bicycle race happened in Oregon.

The coronavirus crisis forced the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association (OBRA) to cancel all races on March 12th. What was expected to be a four week hiatus turned into nearly four months. Dozens of events have been cancelled statewide, resulting in a major blow to OBRA’s finances, a hit to promoters’ pocketbooks, lots of frustrated athletes, and a loss of tourism dollars for the many cities and small towns that host races.

That sad streak will be broken this Sunday when racers show up to Blodgett, Oregon (just east of Corvallis) for the 33rd annual Mudslinger cross-country mountain bike race.[Read more…]