cmur-@obra.org
Oregon Cyclocross Season Hurdles to a Close
with VeloShop's Blue Lake Park Race
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Oregon's hotly contested and wildly popular cyclocross
season comes to a mud-strewn conclusion Sunday, December 18, when Veloshop
hosts the third race of its cyclocross series at Blue Lake Regional Park in
Northeast Portland. Veloshop, a popular downtown Portland bike shop,
previously hosted cyclocross events in Bend and Hood River.
Hundred of cyclocross racers are expected to take-on the challenging Blue
Lake course, with its rolling grass fields, hairpin turns and ever-popular
sand pit. Racing starts at 9:30 a.m. and continues all day, with the Men's
Category A, Single Speed, and Masters race taking place at 2 p.m. There's
even prize money at stake: Veloshop is offering $400 in prize money for the
top finishers in the Category A Men and Women events.
The competition at Blue Lake, like all bike racing in the state, is
sanctioned by OBRA, the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association
Blue Lake Regional Park is located between Marine Drive and Sandy Boulevard
off Northeast 223rd Ave., in east Multnomah County. Parking for all
vehicles participants and spectators alike costs $4. For more details on
Blue Lake Regional Park, visit
www.metro-region.org/article.cfm?articleid=149.
Cyclocross bike racing is a specialized form of cycling competition that
requires riders to race on a closed-loop circuit, over grass, pavement,
gravel, and mud, with barriers and steep run-ups mixed in for additional
challenges. Cyclocross requires special techniques and fitness dismounting
the bike at speed, running, carrying the bike over barriers, shouldering it
up hills, and maintaining speed through turns and over uneven, muddy
terrain.
For complete information on the Veloshop cyclocross series visit
www.veloshop.org. Learn more about and all types of bicycle racing in Oregon
at www.obra.org, site of the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association. ###
Gary Medley
Medley Communications
704 NE 43rd
Portland, Oregon 97213 USA
503/239-3948 tel & fax
503/516-1468 mobile
garym-@comcast.net
Candi Murray