Velodrome clean up day

Here's an email I recently received from Mike Murray:

We are going to plan to have the annual Alpenrose Velodrome Clean Up day on
Sunday, April 11. I want to make sure that no one does this rather than
going to the Ice Breaker Crit but if you are not going to Eugene and you
want to give back to the bike racing community, hang around with friends
while not dressed in Lycra and help us get ready for the track racing
season, plan to go to Alpenrose Velodrome on 4/11. We will start at 9:00 AM
and be there until late in the afternoon or until we get everything done.
Come for all or part of the day. Plan to paint, pull weeds, put up sponsor
signs, clean buildings and transport the equipment we need out of storage.
We will provide lunch. Like most rack events, this will get rescheduled if
it rains.

Mike Murray

I did this last year and it was a lot of fun. Great way to get a start on your summer tan(bring sun screen because it can get hot out there!)

There should be the requisute track photo but I'm enjoying a vacation in sunny California so I thought I would just share a photo of that instead!

Mini Motordome debuts in sputtering effort

The Checka, now known as Mini Motordome, hauled two tired fools out to Alpenrose for the first race since crushing(empty beer cans) in Durango at the SSWC. For two laps all was right with the world, but the day's heat and work had worn Bobby thin and he tweeted me to inform of his withdrawal, and set his sights on training for next week while vowing to quit smoking(do you see what I just did Bobby?). I was semi killing it and passed some peeps comming off the back, but after dropping a chain seven times, I just wanted to hang out with Bobby.

But all was not lost, as good times were had running to the start with 10 seconds to spare, spending 30 minutes messing with MM's headlights, seeing a lot of friendly faces out there enjoying themselves, and informing Bobby of a vegan burrito truck he somehow didn't know of yet.

Well, the wheel slippage has been solved, I hope. And for the first race ever for my night's trusty sidekick, he figured a lot out and was all smiles afterward. He rode great in Durango, so he'll do well in cross. After some serious road miles and possibly running freewheels, next week is looking up.

Blind Date!

Blind Date! at Alpenrose.

What could be more romantic than spending the evening under the lights at Alpenrose? How about spending the evening at Alpenrose riding through the mud with a few hundred other people? The Blind Date starts Wednesday September 23rd at 5 PM. at the Alpenrose Dairy in Portland, Oregon. This four week series will be contested on lit courses in the dark and is fully sanctioned by the Oregon Bike Racing Association.

This will be a cyclocross course with grass, meadow, dirt, gravel, asphalt, run ups, barriers and quick changes in direction. The course will be properly illuminated for cyclocross racing, but not floodlit like PGE park at night. Feel free to use a bike light and or helmet light if you want supplemental lighting. The toddler cross and kiddie cross at 5 pm will be on easier sections of the course.

Schedule

5:00 pm Kiddie cross (no parents on course) and Toddler Cross. (parents may run along)
5:10 pm Juniors. (30 minute race)
6:00 pm Category C men and women. (45 minute race)
6:50 pm Category B, Men and Women. and Single Speed (45 minute race)
7:45 pm Category A Men and Women. (1 hr. race)

I DON'T THINK IT'LL BE DARK YET!!!