September 30, 2008
Racer Profile: Brian Johnson
In the fall of 2005 Brian Johnson was reading an article in Willamette Week about the Cross Crusade and thought it sounded pretty ridiculous. But when he saw that the first race would be happening at Alpenrose Dairy, just blocks from his house, he changed his tune and decided to give it a try. "The race was rainy, sloppy, goopy, slippery and over in 45 minutes," he says. "As a mountain biker having fallen from grace, I loved it and wanted more." The next season Brian came fully decked out in a new cyclocross bike "and Cycocross got even more fun!"
Brian, a 37-year-old who loves riding bikes, says training is really not his style. "I work and I'm a family man so riding time is at a premium, so when I get out I do like to maximize the opportunity by pushing myself, throwing in some "fartlek" intervals by charging up hills, racing to a sign-post, that sort of thing. But I still like to have fun - it's got to be fun."
And while racing cyclocross really is fun for Brian, the sport is not without it's challenges. Sometimes he finds it difficult to endure the elements, or finding the extra little bit within himself to push himself through the next lap or over the next barrier "and doing that again and again when I feel like I'd rather just lay down and take a nap," he says.
True to the spirit of cyclocross, Brian has a great attitude about completing races and considers every race a victory.
"Every time I don't barf at the end is a little victory! Every rider passed on the inside of a tricky turn, every well executed transition, every little near-disaster averted. Just getting out instead of sitting on my duff inside, warm and dry, is a victory against the slings and arrows of aging."
In Oregon, there's no denying the mud when it comes to cyclocross season, so riders have learned to embrace the challenge. "The day of my first race was rainy and the course was muddy - a perfect introduction to cyclocross. I was riding my mountain bike and the mud was so thick and sticky that my wheels stopped turning! The wheels looked like giant donuts. My shoes had collected so much mud that they had grown to look like clown shoes. I was hooked!"
To all of you aspiring cyclocrss racers out there, Brian has one piece of advice: "Don't forget to have fun! I was talking to my 5 year-old son about a recent kiddie race and asked him if he had fun. He said 'Yes! That's what it's about. And seeing who finishes first.' If you're not in the top 5 and not getting paid to place, it's not worth getting bent out of shape about. Go out and have fun and be glad that you can and that you're not one of those poor souls stuck indoors watching football on TV."
ORbike is offering you an in-depth view of the cyclocross scene! Brian spoke to us as part of a series of cyclocross interviews we're running this season. Read additional interviews and learn more about the racers here
Comments (1) | Posted by orbike at 8:36 PM | Permalink | TrackBack
September 29, 2008
Oregon Manifest
The bicycle industry has been experiencing a banner year and Portland is at the heart of it. A new study just released by Alta Planning and Design concluded a 38% growth in Portland's bike economy since 2006! Perfect timing for Oregon Manifest, the collective vision of Portland's cycling and creative communities who've come together to dream up and develop the most original, spirited and spectacle-laden boutique bike show in the nation. The show will feature an unconquerable mix of custom framebuilders, bike-centric vendors, bike culture squads and blowout parties, crowned with a Sunday cross race to bring home the glory.
At the Friday night Opening Night Blowout, there will be an special retro screening of the best Filmed by Bike movies from the last six years of this Portland film festival. The free screening takes place at the amphitheater of Wieden+Kennedy, 224 NW 13th Avenue, times TBA. It's going to be monumental, it's going to be fun and it's going to be more bike love than you can wrap your bar tape around. This one? It's going down in the history books. The Blowout kicks off at 7:01pm and goes until midnight. In the fine words of the Oregon Manifest organizers, "Ladies and Gentlemen, this is where we get down!"
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September 26, 2008
Jerks vs. Everybody Else
I'm one of the hosts of the KBOO Bike Show, and that combined with editing this blog means that people constantly speak with me about bikes vs. cars: things bikers should do better, drivers should do better, who is right, who is wrong and tension on the road. I struggle with this topic - constantly wanting to remind people that we all make mistakes and we could all stand to be more respectful on the road. I am exhausted from hearing stories of bikers running stop signs because it is not the fact that they are on a bike that is the problem, it's how they are navigating the road.
So I was grateful for Shelby Wood's article in today's Oregonian where she chronicled her experience starting as a bike commuter. Wood offers an authentic view of what it is like for someone to start commuting: the fear of crossing lanes to make a left turn, being sure she'll wipe out on a steep hill. And at the end of the article, Wood summed up road tension so accurately when she said, "It's not cyclists versus motorists. It's jerks versus everybody else."
No longer is the car the main way we all get around. There is more of a mix of transportation modes than ever before. So let's see what we can all do, personally, to share the road. We shouldn't need signage and regulations to remind us to be respectful of the other road users around us.
Read the full article here.
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September 25, 2008
Racer Profile: Tori Bortman
People who know Tori Bortman and her outgoing personality probably aren't surprised that she was a theater major in college, but they may be surprised to know that, as a kid, she was the last pick for every single team. Surprised, that is, because Tori has taken to cyclocross racing like a fish to water.
"At the first race I watched there was mud, cowbells, beer and every spectator was a cheerleader. I never thought it would be me, but I had seen the light. Or more accurately the good times within the rain, cold and muck. This was racing where no one cared if you won but everyone was concerned with you having a good time. Racing against yourself and for the greater good of fitness and mud in yer eye. Silly stuff. I was in love."
Sure, Tori has fun with it, but she also trains hard. "I do my regular rides throughout the summer. Two to four days a week at 25-60miles. I try to run at least once or twice a week as well. This is base training for what comes later." Tori likes to participate in the Cross Crusade series clinics. It's also at that time that she starts to train at local parks. "I find ones where I can do laps that imitate the cross courses - barriers, uphills, stairs, dirt, gravel - and do interval training in laps." And, ever a determined person, Tori adds that she takes on special challenges to push herself.
"I find a hill I really don't like and work on hill repeats." As in, over and over again. That's dedication.
Tori says the skills are the biggest challenge on the course. "I'm not naturally bestowed with the best sense of grace. Dis- and re-mounting the bike, running up rocky slopes or jumping over barriers with your ride slung across your shoulder takes a lot of flow. The other biggest challenge is to pace yourself. If you give it your everything too early in the race you'll loose it by the end. If you can learn to pace and then sprint in the last lap, that's best."
And though she absolutely loves the racing, she admits that there are days when being on the sidelines looks pretty fun. "Sometimes just deciding to race is a personal victory. You get to the race and it seems like it would be just as much fun, just as good to be a cheerleader for a day. So much easier than racing. The girl who never exercised in me comes out full force with a litany of reasons to not get on the course. So I have to psych myself up to get in it to win it. Even if I never win, every finish is a victory."
Racing came easily to Tori, but strutting around in spandex was a whole other hill to climb. "I vowed years back to never be seen in public in spandex. The hardest day I ever had to face was being seen by leagues of handsome, fit, men... while wearing spandex. Ugh. But now I'm over it. I realize they're too busy racing to pay attention and I look just like every other woman out there. We are all brothers and sisters of the mud."
To all of you aspiring cyclocross victors, Tori would like to impart this little bit of wisdom: Speed isn't nearly as important as skills. The biggest hurdle is getting out on the course. Then any fool can do it. Look at me!
Stay tuned for more profiles of cyclocross racers throughout the season.
Comments (2) | Posted by orbike at 12:58 AM | Permalink | TrackBack
September 24, 2008
Racer Profile Series: Fall Means Cyclocross
No longer does the fall season mean it's time to hang up the bike, grab a good book and curl up inside. When fall comes, the cyclocross fans come out in droves. Rain, shine, mud - they don't care. In fact, the more mud, the more thrilling the race. I love cyclocross because it's a sport that is entertaining to watch. But even more than that, the racers and organizers have fun with the races. They don costumes, stage drinking spots on course (optional short cuts if you drink a shot, for instance) and encourage crowd participation.
Maybe cyclocross has been such a hit here in Oregon because we're largely outdoorsy people who are used to being out in the rain and fickle weather. Or maybe it's just that there's something extra goofy about Oregonians who ride and make the races fun.
So we thought we'd take this season to get to know some of those racers. Who is racing this season? And why? We'll be talking with cyclocross veterans and brand new racers, including our own Tom Knipe, an ORbike team member who dubs himself the "commuter dad". You can read Tom's first installment here.
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September 19, 2008
Commuter Dad Tries On Racing
By ORbike team member Tom Knipe
This past Sunday, I considered every excuse not to take part in my first bike race in 10 years - a so-called farm crit: Kruger's Kermesse at Kruger's Farm on Sauvie Island. I hadn't trained. I'm carrying 20 pounds of extra weight that I affectionately refer to as my "dad fat" (a price that I once was happy to pay for my two wonderful kids under the age of three, but am now growing tired of). No one was really expecting me to be there.
And I didn't have a bike...
The notion started at a family dinner a couple of weeks ago at the house of Beth and Joe Kurmaskie (a.k.a. the Metal Cowboy). Kris Schamp, the organizer behind Kruger's Kermesse, was at the dinner table with us. When I told him that I had been considering trying out cyclocross this year, Kris immediately assured me that his race would be a "good pre-cyclocross training race with bumpy roads, but a flat course and no dismounts." He also offered to solve my no-bike problem by lending me his very nice and tall cross bike. Perfect. Joe, ever the motivator, buoyantly offered to join me for moral support, and the date went on the family calendar.
I should qualify the no-bike part. I have a dinged-up 1974 custom Colin Laing steel touring bike with front and rear racks, side-pull brakes, full fenders, and ball joint attachment for my kids' Chariot trailer on the rear axle. The only thing remotely "cyclocross" about my bike is that it has a beefed up rear wheel (for carrying laptop, a change of clothes, and 20 lbs of 'dad fat' between North Portland and downtown), and cyclocross style brake levers on the top of the handlebars. It's a commuter. And so am I.
A couple of days before the race, Joe tells me that he has a respiratory infection and can't race with me. He offers to show up at the farm for moral support, knowing that a sub-par performance from him just won't do. People have read his Metal Cowboy books about climbing mountain passes in the Rockies with 400 pounds of kids and gear in tow, and they will expect him to tear up the field - certainly in the Beginners class anyway, the class he had agreed to join with me.
A moment of decision comes on Sunday morning. With Joe out, the peer pressure is off. Kris had offered me his bike, but I hadn't called to confirm. I'm wishing that I had ridden a couple more times to train. Man, would it suck to come in last. But really, what do I have to lose, except some dad fat and a bit of pride? It's being in the race that counts. I sense the weight of family life and impending middle age and treat this as a metaphor for life. I load my 1974 commuter bike on the roof rack just in case the bike doesn't come through, pack snacks and diapers, and head out to the farm.
I have a hard time finding Kris. I imagine that he is in "organizer" mode, and has about 50 things on his mind other than his casual, unconfirmed offer at dinner. I find him talking with "Farmer Don" Kruger about the unseasonably hot weather and how it may affect the racers and the course. He has already loaned his bike to a Junior rider for the first race. My options are to bump up to Category C and face sure embarrassment or tighten down the screws attaching my racks and fenders and give my commuter a workout in the Beginner's category in the first race. I choose the commuter challenge.
What a hoot. The Kurmaskies and my kids provide moral support from the sidelines but I don't even see them until I've made my six bumpy, dusty laps and crossed the finish line. Alice says, "Daddy, you didn't see me because you were going so fast!" Either that, kiddo, or just trying not to puke or crash (didn't do either). And it turns out I didn't come in last - I got 32nd out of a field of 47. Let's just call it room for improvement. Cross Crusade starts October 5th. If you know of anyone trying to sell a 62+ cm used cyclocross bike, please have them contact me. I'm going to need a bike.
Comments (1) | Posted by orbike at 9:38 PM | Permalink | TrackBack
September 16, 2008
Community Cycling Center Benefit
Russell St. BBQ is celebrating its 5th anniversary by throwing a party for the Community Cycling Center, a non-profit organization in Portland that helps provide bikes and programs to low-income youth. The BBQ will take place at Wilshire Park, NE 33rd and Skidmore on Saturday, September 20th from 12-4. Organizers say it's happening rain or shine, so bring a picnic blanket, friends and settle in for an afternoon of bicycle fun in the park.
Plates of the renowned Russell St. BBQ with all the fixins plus sweet tea or lemonade will be sold for for only $5, a steal of a deal if you know how yummy Russell St. is. Alan Singley and Pants Machine and Julia Dawn will perform live and there will be a bicycle photo booth.
Proceeds from the food sales will support the Community Cycling Center's Holiday Bike Drive, a program that provides bikes to children in need during the winter holiday season.
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September 10, 2008
Parents on Bikes Presentation
This month at PDOT's Bicycle Brown Bag series, the lunchtime free presentations, the topic is Parents on Bikes: Bike & Walk to School Day all year-round! School. Work. Shopping. Playdates. How do they do it? Find out from our panel of biking parents the secrets to cycle success with kids in tow. The presentation is Thursday, Sept. 18th, from 12:00-1:00 pm in the Portland Building, 1120 SW 5th Avenue, second floor, Room C. Bring your lunch and get ready for a great discussion.
Bike + Walk to School Day is Wednesday, October 8th. Parents and kids statewide are encouraged to join millions around the world who are improving their health, their community and having a ton of fun by walking or rolling to school.
Comments (0) | Posted by orbike at 9:25 PM | Permalink | TrackBack
September 2, 2008
Cyclocross on the Radio
Are you a cyclocross racer? What has it been like for you? Why do you race? Love the mud? Hate the mud? It is what it is?
Wednesday, September 3 on the KBOO Bike Show we'll be talking about cyclocross and they want to hear from you! Call in with your experience during the second half of the program (9:30-10am) -- 503-231-8187
THE KBOO BIKE SHOW
Airing bicycle news, views and culture since 2001
1st Wednesday of the month
90.7fm
9-10am
Podcast and archives - click here.
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