July 31, 2007

Hottest Day Ride Attempts Largest Water Fight

Hop on your bike, ride with friends, eat some snacks along the way, but hurry back to the finish line because that's where all the action is, or so it seems (the ride is pretty great too). The Hottest Day of the Year Ride is a benefit for the Community Cycling Center and the organizers are going for the largest water fight on record. There will be free squirt guns (no outside guns or soakers allowed) and plenty of room outside the Lucky Lab on Quimby. There is a also a "No Squirt" zone of people who are grouches - or just don't want to get wet. The record is 1,120 and last year they had 900.

The finish line also features a make-your-own sundae station with tons of toppings to make it just right. This fun ride is an easy, flat, urban 15 miles and there is also an extended 40-mile route.

Register here

Comments (3) | Posted by orbike at 9:15 AM | Permalink | TrackBack

July 29, 2007

Mt. Bike Oregon - 250 Riders Rock Oakridge!

The July weekend of Mt. Bike Oregon rocked the trails in Oakridge with 250 riders. The epic Middle Fork trail was as popular as ever. Limited to 40 riders a day, this awesome ride was in high demand. So was the Alpine trail, with riders begging to get on the shuttles every day. While the number of riders is limited in order to maintain the condition of the trails, there is certainly no lack of riding options throughout the day.

Read more about the event on BikePortland.org here and here and check out these photos.

Riders awoke early every day and were eagerly awaiting hot coffee to get the day started. After a hearty pancake-sausage-eggs breakfast, it was off to the shuttle sign up table to contemplate the day's rides, then over to the yellow school buses to load up for the trail. Riders were gone all day, riding as many trails as time or their bodies would allow. At night, exhausted riders returned to camp for a shower, a refreshing dunk in the ice-cold river and a dinner that was rushed to make way for the beer garden. Free beer was served all night long.

Tanya from Cannondale came up to lead clinics for women and Jason Bietz from River City Bicycles in Portland provided ascending and descending clinics in the evenings. The Bike Gallery crew wrenched on bikes to keep them in working order and a team of 60 guides - mostly from the Disciples of Dirt Eugene club - kept riders safe on the trails.

If you missed out, don't worry, there's still another session in August.

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July 24, 2007

Video Footage of Madisons

A lot of you got really excited about the Madison races at Alpenrose this past week, especially once we broke it down for you and helped you understand what it is all about. But still, I know a lot of you didn't get a chance to make it out to the Six-Day. Don't worry, here's a chance to see a lesser version of the excitement. Check out this footage of some of the race, including helmet cam footage shot while racing on the track. There are subtitles along the way to help explain the action.
[ watch the video ]

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July 22, 2007

Live From Mt. Bike Oregon

Jonathan Maus, of the very popular blog BikePortland.org, will be down in Oakridge for Mt. Bike Oregon. Jonathan is a long-time mt. biker, but with all of his urban reporting for BikePortland.org, he hasn't hit the trails much since he moved to Portland from Santa Barbara, California.

Here's where it gets really cool:

Jonathan will be reporting daily from Mt. Bike Oregon. If you're not signed up for this weekend mt. bike getaway, you can tune in to BikePortland and see what you're missing. It's also a bonus feature for the event participants who come from Canada and all parts of the US - their friends and family back home can virtually share in the adventure. Jonathan will post photos and recaps of each day on the trails.

BikePortland.org is a daily, online news magazine that covers the Portland, Oregon bike scene. Jonathan founded the site in 2005 soon after moving to Portland Santa Barbara. Jonathan got his start working on marketing and PR in the bicycle industry, but once in Portland it quickly became evident there was a need for fast-paced, relevant reporting on the quickly-evolving bike culture. Cyclists in Portland pull a lot of weight in local government and they have the potential to influence major decisions. Jonathan has been at the forefront of local-gone-national issues such as the story of a bike commuter punched by a bus operator, legislation and tickets for fixies not having brakes and a story about a radio DJ on Jammin' 95.5 who advocated road violence against cyclists.

BikePortland also features a forums section for discussion, stolen bike listings through which many bikes have been recovered, a calendar of events, bike industry job listings and other resources. Sure, it's Portland-based, but the breadth of bicycle information Jonathan covers is fascinating to readers from around the globe.

So why is Jonathan excited to head to Oakridge? " I used to to have great trails and epic riding right outside my door," he explains. "I used to do big, backcountry overnighters on the weekend right from from my front door. but when I moved to Portland I pretty much had to cut out that part of my life (I don't like driving to ride)... So I'm very psyched get dirty and get back in the groove of real trail riding. It's sort of like getting back to my roots... mountain biking is where my real obsession with bikes began. I smile just thinking about getting back out there...I hope I haven't lost all my skills but I'm eager to find out!"

And what is he most looking forward to? "Fast, narrow, technical singletrack with lots of turns and switchbacks (hope they have some of that) and I especially like technical singletrack climbing, it's like an anaerobic chess game, you have to think of your moves and strategy ahead of time while you can hardly breathe! And also just getting out into the woods, away from the noise of the city, and of course the camaraderie that riding always brings."

So from July 27-29, tune in to BikePortland.org and get your daily MBO fix!

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July 20, 2007

Free Pizza for Bikers

Now through the end of the month, you can get a free slice of cheese pizza at Pizza A Go Go on Williams in N. Portland. I've written a few times about Williams being a bustling bike route. In order to redeem the free slice, their ad says, just show your "sweat and helmet". And bring the ad, which you can find in this week's Mercury.

Comments (0) | Posted by orbike at 7:21 AM | Permalink | TrackBack

July 19, 2007

Quick Racing News

From OBRA:

Even though it is the Six-Day we will have points races for other categories.
Entry fee for the pts races is only $5.00. We start at 6:00 so come early.

WOMEN Points Race
B progressive points
A Win & Out
Cat 4/5 Point Race
B scratch
A points
Cat 1/2/3 points
B B Madison
A A Madison

For more information, contact cmurray@obra.org or see the OBRA website.

Comments (1) | Posted by orbike at 10:19 AM | Permalink | TrackBack

July 18, 2007

Hot off the Press: ORbike Mid July Newsletter

Our latest newsletter just hit the e-mail boxes. Did you get yours? If you're not signed up, do so today. Our free newsletter is a summary of what we think are some of the best races and rides around the state. We send it out to 62,000 cyclists, and you should be one of them. The ORbike newsletter provides concise news, insider info and comes out just twice a month - a really great way to find out about the coolest events.

See our front page to sign up today.

Comments (0) | Posted by orbike at 12:23 PM | Permalink | TrackBack

July 16, 2007

Portland Century

The new Portland Century routes are available! This year's full century is gorgeous. It takes riders out to Gresham and down south of Sandy to Eagle Fern Park. Heading out of the park is where some of the most intense climbing happens, but also some of the best scenery. Highlights of this route include spectacular views of Mt. Hood, fern-lined wooded roads, tree farms, quiet rural roads and plenty of wildlife along the way. I drove through the course and it is simply gorgeous. Elevation maps are not yet up but should be shortly.

This year also features a half century and a quarter century. All routes have rest stops along the way every 20 miles or less. Some rest stops feature extensive food like Hot Lips Pizza, Laughing Planet Burritos and cool fruit smoothies.

[ routes ]

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July 13, 2007

I-bike-205

Tonight in Portland is the big I-bike-205 festival. They're showing off the new route that bikers can safely take during construction along that corridor. There is a nice short ride followed by festivities and food. Sounds like it will be a lot of fun and there are plenty of good bike groups that will be there with info, including Team ORbike! Look for Helen and Mary out there and say hello!

[ more info ]

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July 12, 2007

Alpenrose Six-Day : Meet the Madison

It's time for the annual Alpenrose Six-Day, July 16-21. That means, six full days of racing at the Alpenrose velodrome featuring Madison races.

The Madison is an event in track racing named after Madison Square Garden in New York. Teams compete, but only one rider needs to be racing at any stage. Periodically, the teams change riders by "tagging" their teammates, usually performing slingshot action with linked hands to transfer as much of their momentum as possible to the racing rider, though a teammate may also be propelled into the race by a push of the rider's racing shorts. The non-racing teammate then moves to the top of the circular banked track to recover before the next stint.

SCHEDULE:
MONDAY
Madison Pursuit, Madison Race

TUESDAY through SATURDAY
Two Individual Races and a Madison Race

THURSDAY and SATURDAY
Individual Races and a Madison for Six-Day riders
Racing for other categories, single day riders

Madison racing hints | History of Six-Day Racing

Comments (1) | Posted by orbike at 9:29 AM | Permalink | TrackBack

July 9, 2007

Another Vancouver Pile-Up

Yesterday I witnessed yet another pile-up of bikes on Vancouver Ave. in Portland. It started with most of us leaving the city via the Broadway Bridge. It quickly became evident we were all making the same left turn onto Vancouver. While waiting at that light, we picked up a few more riders. By the time we heading up Broadway, there were 15 of us, jostling for position as the light changed, speedies in front, conversationalists in back, mid-range riders in the center. It didn't take long for us all to spread out, but it was nice to have, on this popular bike route, a moment of a random big group of us all riding together.

Comments (7) | Posted by orbike at 1:57 PM | Permalink | TrackBack

July 6, 2007

What are you Wearing to The Night Ride?

The Night Ride is Saturday, what are you wearing? The costume contest this year is going to be off the hook. They're giving away Amtrak Cascades tickets, passes to the Hottest Day of the Year Ride and Filmed by Bike DVDs. Biggest, brightest, best group costume and best pun are the judging points. Come prepared to strut your stuff!

Online registration is closed, but you may still register at the event or tonight at the Lucky Lab Brew Hall (NW Quimby at 19th) from 4-7 pm during Packet Pickup.

This ride is a benefit for the BTA, so it's not to be missed.

Comments (3) | Posted by orbike at 9:53 AM | Permalink | TrackBack

July 3, 2007

Bike Racing on the Radio

The KBOO Bike Show wants to hear from you!

KBOO BIKE SHOW
First Wednesday of the month
9-10 am
* 90.7 fm (live) * KBOO.fm (live) * Podcast

This month on the program, interviews with bike racers to discuss the sportier side of bike culture. What's the attraction to riding to fast? Why is there sometimes a disconnect between racing and the bike commuter world? What's the local racing scene like and where is it headed? Tune in on July 4th and find out from racing experts Doug Ollerenshaw and Wendy Williams.

Call with your comments during the program at 503/231.8187.

Comments (0) | Posted by orbike at 9:49 AM | Permalink | TrackBack

July 2, 2007

Rider Profile: Tara Clawson

Last year Tara Clawson had so much fun at Mt. Bike Oregon with her friend that this year she bought a gift pass for her husband. "I know he'll dig the riding," she says. Tara says her favorite trail is Alpine, and she can't wait to get back out there.

On a typical week, Tara, a 49-year-old from Sandpoint, ID, rides 2-3 times on singletrack that's - get this - right behind her home. She says it's only a 3-4 mile ride, but we say, still, it's right behind your house. How great is that? "When the snow melts off of Schweitzer mountain," Tara adds, "I try and ride their trail system at least once a week."

Tara enjoys riding all over her region. "Up here in the northern panhandle of Idaho we have some great riding. A little bit of everything. Our bike club, Pend Oreille Pedalers, has done a great job building new singletrack and buffing out existing trails. Our ski resort has some really challenging downhill rides. It's mostly tight technical riding, not a lot of wide open trails. Great scenery."

This photo is of Tara and her kids riding in Nelson, B.C. She adds, "Girls rock!!"

Comments (2) | Posted by orbike at 9:57 AM | Permalink | TrackBack