Mud or not, the fun remains.
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

It feels strange to write this during a heat wave, but cyclocross season is here. And if you’re new to Portland’s bike scene, let us be the first to tell you this is a very big deal.[Read more…]

Clara Honsinger (Team S & M CX) after winning the U23 race at Cyclocross Nationals.
(Photo: USA Cycling)

I’ll cut right to the big news of the weekend from the Cyclocross National Championships in Louisville, Kentucky: Portland’s Clara Honsinger nabbed a national title!
[Read more…]

I love bike racing. Last year I got hurt and had to stop, so I picked up my camera and experienced cyclocross through the lens of a camera rather than from the seat of a bike.

This season, I have been fortunate enough to be given access and opportunity to photograph cyclocross outside of Oregon. It was the first time I stepped outside the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association (OBRA) cyclocross bubble and I could finally put it all into context. What I have come to realize is that, while there are vibrant cyclocross scenes in pockets around the country, what we have in Oregon is special. [Read more…]

(Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

For many Portlanders who care about our country, last week’s new cycle was very stressful.

The Junior T’s (children of Team Lazy Tarantulas) showed up in force!

What better way to escape for a few hours than attempt to ride a bicycle on mud as slick as ice? That’s what many people did yesterday at the second race in the Cyclocross Crusade series held at Alpenrose Velodrome in the hills of southwest Portland.

It’s been a while since I focused on capturing images of a cyclocross race, and I picked an epic one. After a dry opening day on Saturday, rain returned on Sunday and soaked the top layer of dirt on the technical, hilly course. As late morning rain fell, it became difficult to even walk on some in some areas (I slammed on my butt several times just getting these images).
[Read more…]

A weekly ride in Forest Park is a staple for Team Nonstop.
(Photo: @teamnonstop/Instagram)

Welcome to the first of what we hope will be many more local team/club profiles!

Portland is full of great groups of people who share a love for riding bikes. If you’re looking for inspiration — whether it leads to racing or not — we hope these short profiles will help you find your people.

We’ll kick off the series with Team Nonstop. I’m not sure if it was their fun Instagram account or the cool tank tops they wore at a recent Short Track race that first caught my eye. Either way, I knew they were up to something worthwhile. I asked Carley Leins to share a bit more about the team…

[Read more…]

Drew Coleman in a still from his GoFundMe campaign video. Watch it below.

Sellwood neighborhood resident Drew Coleman has a vision for his next project. But he needs a bit of help to realize it.

Coleman is a filmmaker who started shooting local cyclocross races this summer. He’s also started a YouTube channel under the Local Cycling Network banner. Now he wants to cover the biggest race of the year: the Cyclocross National Championships which take place in Reno, Nevada next weekend. This time around he wants to do try something new: Coleman wants to shoot the race and the culture that surrounds it, on film. He’s bought a 1983 Canon 814 xl-s camera and he’s looking for support to buy the film which runs about $1.53 per second.

He’s launched a GoFundMe campaign and hopes to raise $2,500 for the trip and the film.

Here’s more from Drew about the project:
[Read more…]

That smile, that strawberry helmet, those sweatpants: This kid is pure Portland cyclocross spirit.
(Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)

We’re right in the thick of this year’s cyclcross season. And from what I’ve seen and heard it’s been a good one.

First things first though. Have you seen the River City Bicycles recap video of the Cyclocross Crusade race at Alpenrose a few weekends ago? It’s hilarious and it’s not what you’re expecting (scroll down to watch).
[Read more…]

Race young man! Race free!
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

Here on BikePortland we often talk about removing barriers to bicycling. When it comes to racing, the barrier is often a finanical one as equipment costs and race entry fees can quickly make the sport inaccessible too all but the most well-heeled.

That’s why we were happy to see that the Portland Trophy Cup, a five race series that starts tonight at Portland International Raceway (just north of the Kenton neighborhood), is letting everyone 18 years and under race for free. For everyone else each race entry costs $18 a week. That might not seem like a big deal, but for some young racers it might be the difference between staying at home or showing up.
[Read more…]

Time to start planning your practicing, racing, spectating, and costumes.
(Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)

Believe it or not, it’s time to start think about cyclocross.
[Read more…]