Stray Fortune

Fergus Kinnel fixes Jason's headset.

Cold rain on the last ride of 2015 did little to cool the boiling desire of these intrepid athletes.
Veteran Captains like Bergman and Kinnell are a reassuring sight in the parking lot.

Super up and coming talents like Tony "The Rock" Escobar, and Jason "Counselor" Skelton make for exciting times on the open road.

Weekend rides are the place where details get surmised and challenged. When holidays and family are busy, it is easy to lose track of winter clothing, summer fitness, and ideal equipment adjustment.

With the traditional Cyclisme winter regime of Rocky Rabbit fast approaching, this was the last casual adventure before the longer harder rides begin.

Men of Stature.

Hard Waters

Rain, sleet, snow and slick leaves color the streets of November.

Jason Skelton leads out Water's to Eastmoreland.

Category 4 Oregon Bicycle Racing season points winner for velodrome racing, Ben Waters, is doing his winter training, and everyone on his team wants a piece of him. From city limits signs to crests of big climbs, Ben is finding plenty of competitive exuberance amongst his Cyclisme mates.

Cresting Paris-Roubaix

Younger riders attack the start with fraudulent bids for victory, while elder statesmen stay like they are earning food for their family's table.

Fergus and Tony mind Ben.

Merely the "off-season" for some, Cyclisme packs are attacking like there is no tomorrow.

Poor Ben has to be vigilant as attacks come from all sides.

Surprise!

Fergus Kinnel and Tony Escobar are two 40-plussers who are taking it to their 27 year old pal. Honing his skill with hard knocks and big sprints, they are winning practices so Ben is ready to win RACES!

Cross-WORD Cross!

2009 Masters Track Champ

Every year for five years running!

Since 2011, Cyclisme road/criterium star,
Master's Track Champ,
and team sponsor,
Randy Word,
has promoted a cyclocross race at Pat's Acres in Canby, Oregon.

It's called The Cross-Word CX Challenge.
(see flyer here)
(see results here)
Check out Yung Pine Blog on "Canby Crossword" (here)

Randy started racing in the 1980s with the Raindance Velo team, and traveled with Brad Gebhard, and Mike Shepard.
Though Road racing might be what Randy is best known for, Randy is also an aficionado of many disciplines of racing.

Randy's knee at PIR.

In fact, he races motorcycles and karts too. On his motorcycle in 1999 Randy Won the Open Supersport Expert class. That's 170mph dragging your knee on the ground.

Thus the connection with Pat's Acres, a local kart racing venue. Randy met Chris Egger, the owner, in 2007, when Randy's son Ethan took up kart racing.

Cross Word is an especially fun family event that features guest appearances at the kiddies race by Darth Vader and Spider Man.

Spider man and his spider fans throw webbing, at ya!

Randy Word came to Cyclsme Racing programs back in 1996 following years of training with Oregon Stars,
Danny Knudsen and David Auker.

Two venerable Cyclisme Lore mercenaries.

Activist

Davidsons.

Dad, 

Brad 

is glad 
Phote Credit: Christopher Garvey 2015

he had
some time to race cyclocross 
this year.

Brad is not doing too bad, 
either.
Catted up from the C's in September,

Brad Davidson was able to experience racing near the front for the first part of the Cross Season, and has not moved back in the pack much in the new upgraded category of Bs.

In his zeal and focus, Brad has even stepped up to advocate within the peloton for positive changes to the rules effecting new racers like himself.

Take a look at a few of Mr. Davidson's words:

Brad Davidson - October 9, 2015 at 4:01 PM

Unlike the Crusade call-up points schedule which is apparently fixed-depth, the upgrade points schedule varies by race type and field size:
http://www.obra.org/upgrade_rules.html#cyclocross
... but yeah, it would be nice if the upgrade points list existed somewhere outside Candi's spreadsheet, like maybe at the bottom of the user page where it lists your category?

Not sure it'd help the immediate issue though, which stems from folks earning call-up points and then getting upgraded. There's been a lot of list chatter about the whole upgrade/series points/call-up issue with no clear solution other than just drinking a beer and trying not to think about it too much.

Brad Davidson - September 30, 2015 at 3:31 PM

I don't think a rule change is necessary. I get why promoters want to do things like leader jerseys and series podiums - it's fun to be recognized and rewarded for your skill - but look at how that's worked out for GPRM. I'm just a lowly B newbie, but it feels like everyone who's received a leader jersey in a lower category has been upgraded in short order - sometimes before they even get a chance to wear it in a race.

The long and short of it is that you don't get to win much, and I think that's how it's intended to be. Just a few podiums and you are kicked up to the next category. If you're good, and racing even half of what's available in the Portland metro area, that can happen in just a week or two. If promoters kept that in mind, it might feel a little bit less like folks are getting punished for their success.

Category B has been pretty good to me so far, all things considered. I've been doing better in the weekly series than at Cross Crusade, where (unless you have a call-up) much is dependent on when you're picked to line up. Lots of crashes and early-race slowdowns if you're at the back of the chute. Even so, there's been some fun back-and-forth battles with folks, people are starting to recognize me and come up to chat after races, etc. At this point I'm hoping to spend a year or more in B to build some sort of continuity. I've got another 2 years before I'm eligible for any of the Masters 35+ categories.

Smooth!

Ben lifts.
See Ben lift.

See Ben lift in the style of Cleen and jerk.

Sunday, see God.

See Ben win the sprint.

Be 
strong 
and 
courageous, 
for 
your work 
will be 
rewarded.  
2 Chronicles 15:7

Fergus, Mickey and Ben meet at RCB.

 
Of course, intensity  

Early appeal for Justice.

this big might just help you meet your maker prematurely.




Steep climbing to Fairmont Loop made Sunday a soul burner of Biblical proportions. 

Willy anaerobic.

Meeting at River City Bicycles at Noon, Mickey led the climb up the team's traditional, "Paris Robaix," but Ben retained the sprint sign on Fairmont. A week later it was Tony Escobar.

Boys sit out a lap

Justice "Jetty" Spears made an early appeal for preeminence when the climb was still on Montgomery, but had to run with his bike when the slope hit SW Upper.

Fun on Fairmont Loop.

First lap around Fairmont was spent teaching Jetty the pace line, 
then 



Ben and Fergus gave a more advanced lesson on the second lap.

Ben is taking the team in hand, and shaping a racing machine. 

Fall is the power season.

Warrior in Pidgeon.

Ball hollow halves.

One leg hollows on the ball.

Good form 

is 
fundemental.

Especially with Olympic lifts

Victory arrives in push press preparation.

like
Cleen and Jerk.

Lighter weights
and

Tony is getting ready.

compartmentalizing the movement into separate practice routines, is key.
Before the big  
January Team miles of Rocky Rabbit Winter Training,
a little weight lifting is great.

The training regimen in this video is ideal.

Tony's hang cleen quick.

Joshua is fast.

Leg speed and power are the building blocks of a fast bicycle racer's engine.

Climbing hills, and spinning on stationary rollers are just part of the Cyclisme Racing Program's recipe for winter season preparaton.

Fall season power comes first.

Ben Waters boil in 2015!

Ben Waters is just getting started.

Sprint savant, Ben Waters  
won the OBRA Cat 4 Track BAR 2015. (see) 
Jaden Salama finished Second in Junior BAR! (see)

Ben Waters and Jaden Salama.

For a few Thursday summer nights at Alpenrose, and summer Saturdays too, combined with Junior, Jaden Salama, Ben Waters was a lurking terror of the Cat 3/4/5 packs.
Eventually the dynamic duo's alternated attack fusion of off the front power, was slashed by OBRA when they "Catted up" to the next pack up "Cat 3," just Ben Waters.

Ben Waters leads out and wins another point!

A natural sprinter who loves to wait.

The combination was split up and all Alpenrose Velodrome Category 4 Men's

Salama, Waters, and Bergmann approach Olympic Sprint.

TRACK FANS EVERYWHERE
were dismayed.





Nobody deserved Cat-up more!
'
Waters immediately began to instigate attack after attack before the best of the next pack up. He even attacked for the finish line, and won! It was a sight to see.

He began to win in the Match Sprint on Friday Nights! In the July Series Ben Waters finished an amazing 6th overall.
His pure sprinting style was complemented by his Kilo and 4k form.
 

Salama was left alone with the 4s.

In the State Champ Kilo for Cat 4s, Cyclisme finished Silver and Bronse with almost identical times.

2	5561	Jaden Salama	Word-RCB by Cyclisme	01:22.57
3	5456	Ben Waters	Word-RCB by Cyclisme	01:22.68

Senior Track Champs 2015

Ben Waters took silver in the cat 4 Match Sprints

Senior Track Championships come at what feels like the middle of the season. Rain only released it's hold on the steep concrete banks a couple of months ago. But now it is time to demonstrate who has the best Team Pursuit Team in Oregon - and SW Washington?

Well it's a mirage of course. People are racing all over the place on mountain bikes, in road races, crits and time trials. Some very able teams don't partake in this OBRA thing called "Championship Track."

Best 3 out of 5 Teams.

Luckily though, despite not having run a true 4k once this year, the kind of training Cyclisme Racing programs offers, worked. It was so similar, so relevant, we went a little bit fast with 5:46 and beat some people.

All in all, we demonstrated boys could compete with men, lose barely, and be the most popular act in the house.

Crowd favorite Oly Sprinters Jaden, Willy, and Joshua.

The crowd became raucous when Joshua led out his Junior team's Olympic Sprint, almost dropping his elder teammate.
Joshua thrilled and entertained the sun baked bystanders.
It was the loudest the audience had been all day.

Race the 3/4's

Jaden holds of the pack!

"What event should I race? Jaden's voice blared out on the speaker phone. "Should I race the Juniors, the 3/4's, or both?"

Brad heard from outside the car window and yelled:
"Race the 3/4's!"
 "Thanks a lot Brad," the post pubescent voice rang back."

Race the 3/4s Jaden! says Brad.

"Does our our strategy change, now that I'm a 4?" Jaden asked meekly.
"Stop it," I ordered. "Everything is the same."

Launching a bazooka and holding it for long enough to lap the field, or at least make a selection is a tall challenge.

Lsst lap. He has been away 11.

But last Thursday Night, after having been "Catted Up" by Candi Murray from the 5s into the Track Cat 4s, Jaden Salama attacked at the whistle and held off the pack for an entire 12 lap Temp (point a lap) Race.

Iron Man is in hot Pursuit!

When the race was over, Jaden came off quick in total exhaustion.
I ran over to him and exclaimed, "did you ever imagine you could do something like that?"
"I get it," he coughed out.

Field is shattered

No one has a wheel.

Cyclisme Style

Four generations, one Team!

Team Style! Tony 42, Brad 34, Jaden 16, Cliff 57

At the 2015 EDDY (division) Championship in Eugene, our Team Time Trial team was made up of four generations .

Something always sets Cyclisme apart. Often, not speed.

It's the style.

Para-Olympic - Style!

Since the early nineties, Cyclisme represented benevolence, good form, simplicity and team, and it always developed it's own style.

Aero - STYLE!

LORE Style! Nils, Trevor and Kent.

When in doubt, always returning to these simple fundamentals, Cyclisme keeps finding ways to create a feeling of victory.

The victory was sometime heralded on the podium, and sometimes only in the heart.


This year, the "Saturday Practice" boys are leading three age divisions of the  Oregon ITT Cup. Their support of each other is their strength.

Simple STYLE! Cliff and Joshua.

Notably,  this month, the OBRA web page used a photo of an Elite Cat 1/2 field racing at the Velodrome. In the picture three historically famous stars of the Cyclisme Racing Program were featured. Nils Tilstrom in 2nd, Trevor Sparr in 5th, and Kent Ross in 8th.

Early Season Podiums

Alex gets Silver in the Juniors Omnium

Bergmann protected Jaden in the 4/5s at every turn.

Alpenrose Velodrome is a lively venue often featuring National Champion Zak Kavolchik, and Saturday's Track Daze Omnium was no exception.

Alex raced against Cat 3, Peter Newlands.

Juniors, 
Alex White, 
and 

Pete and Tim look on the Junior race as Beardsley crosses.

Jaden Salama,

Confidence and reflection on a big day.

as well as "the old man of the road,"
Tim Bergmann raced in two categories of the three race Omniums.

Alex finished 2nd in the Juniors while Jaden sprinted his way into 3rd in the 4/5s. Also in the 4/5's Bergmann managed a nice scoring 6th while working for Jaden.