Kent Ross

Rookie Extraordinaire
by
Jake Hansen

This last Winter Junior Cyclocross Star Keegan O'Neill introduced a new junior to our team by the name of Kent Ross.

With his newly-built-up KHS road bicycle donated by Flo Liebowitz, and built up by Crank, Kent has been training hard.
He trains in the women's ride on Saturday out to Sauvie Island, then on Sunday out to Rocky Rabbit and at the Atomic Ranch with the clean and jerk in the driveway. Kent does it all. He can't get enough.

He has not missed a weekend since joining the team and his athleticism shines on long hills like those leading out of the Rock Creek river Valley.

Kent can sprint too! He has been making the Master's Men work hard for their Fijian Vacations (aka the sprint to the orange cone) at Tuesday night Master's practice.

Junior Team Captain, DeyShaun Lee, has quite a team brewing with the likes of Kent Ross and Keegan O'Neill under his tutelage. They have been doing yoga together at Crank.

Consistent work coupled with Kent's enthusiasm and passion for riding his bicycle have us all seeing big things on the horizon for the young bicycle racer.

A new set of Goals

LEARNING CURVES
By M.M.Blomberg
Jan.24^th, 2011

I have a new set of goals and a new list of questions for the 2011 race season, but I wanted to share some insights from my very busy first year of racing in 2010. Thanks to my coach JB, Word-RCB Team, Team S&M and the many people that shared their spirit and experience with me in 2010.

Fitness + nutrition + recovery = Performance. A smidge of determination and a smattering of crazy helps too.

You don’t know how good of a hill climber you are until you race Mt. Tabor. It’s harder than it looks.

Base training does not mean riding around the base of a hill.

It doesn’t matter which direction you start at PIR, there will ALWAYS BE A HEADWIND.

Ride with folks that are stronger than you once a week (more if you love to suffer and your ego can take it).

If you get a chance to meet/ride with a pro/cat 1 in your style of racing, ask questions but be respectful of their time.

PRE RIDE, PRE RIDE, PRE RIDE! The suffering you know is better than the suffering you don’t see coming.

Drafting is like a big hug that keeps you safe in its’ loving embrace.

Getting dropped feels like someone loaded your bike with 20 extra pounds of sucking.

Gravel and knees don’t mix but I seem to mix them a lot.

You can never tell how fast someone is by looking at them.

Gu Chomps are both a snack and a meal depending on the ride.

Crashing during a race hurts more three days later, bruises take a week to fully form and it never hurts quite as bad when people are cheering for you.

Leave the wheel that doesn’t serve you, there is usually a better one close by.

We all give up something for racing. Usually it’s yard work.


Happy New Year!

Steep Hill

Hard Work



Deep Breathing

Winter Weather Riding!

Out of the dense dark fog, Death emerges!



If they want to make the race season earlier and earlier, well, we'll be ready for them.
No 8am Willamette Valley Road Race is going to surprise Cyclisme this year.
We're rollin!



Hills won't surprise us either, but the toll of fatigue combined with freezing rain makes the ride home a death march.

Recruitment Ride in January!

Cyclists Unite!
by
J.Fritzgerald B.

Upon arriving at Ristretto Coffee Roasters,
I was treated to a warm welcome from a car window full of friends.


Winter Recruitment is alive and well at Cyclisme.

Pacelines are again being described by pedestrians while walking on the sidewalk, just like last year.

The spirit of cooperation is high this year, fueled by some smart fast cyclists.

Winter however, only barely cooperates, as she doesn't send a full gail, but 37 degrees and raining still
challenges the senses.


Marching along in easy gears for legspeed in the early season,
Cyclisme moves over the land
with a brisk traveling clip.


Everyone is strong and motivated,
divided maybe only by the debate over rain fender length.



Rainfenders are useful and polite, for sure, but mud face pride is compelling.

Pacline Practice in Ladd's!

Good Paclines take practice. In a group dynamic, racers interact with the wind while turning both left and and right. When they become tired they still have to remember where they are at on the course.


Ladd's Addition is a neighborhood featuring four Rose gardens built off a central Euro-style traffic circle. In our practice, the Team circulates around these block wide gardens then sets up on the central circle for a 150yard sprint down a yet unused element of the neighborhood.

It takes a lot of thinkin'.

Go Snow Rocky!

Dedicated were the souls who descended into the snow laden Rock Creek Valley Sunday.
Snow and cold were real factors, but pace and tempo, set by strong men of the day, Isaac and Jake were factors as well.

From a starting pack of nine, it was the smallest, Kent Ross who emerged as the real star.
His little body seemed to be thrilled about his new bicycle and with every pedal stoke he celebrated.

Dave Wingard rode great, and Mielle was as brave and tenacious as ever.