Kris Schamp

All,

This coming Saturday we are kicking off the OBRA fall race season with the inaugural Kruger's Kermesse Farm Crit. We hope to see you all out there racing, cheering, and having a good time. Here are a couple updates I thought you might be interested in:

1) Course Update:
Yesterday, I was at the farm for a final check on the course and things look great. Check out the course preview slideshow with some photos and pointers about the course: http://tinyurl.com/yozm67
The great thing about the dry, sunny weather, is that the course is now perfectly suitable for road bikes! According to the latest forecast, it will remain sunny and dry through Sunday, so expect a super fast course! Still, there are plenty of ruts and a couple of potholes, so I wouldn't go too skinny on the tires.

2) Pre-riding on Wed and Thu:
I talked to Don Kruger yesterday and he is totally fine if folks want to come out and pre-ride the course on Wednesday or Thursday afternoon/evening between 4 and 7pm. The course won't be marked yet, but if you bring a print-out the course map, it should be easy to find your way around.

3) Registration:
Pre-registration has closed, but you can still register on Saturday up to 15 min before your race. You can also still sign up for the team relay through end-of-day Tuesday. We have already seven 10-person teams signed up (and another 2 pending), but we would definitely love to see a couple more 2-person teams to increase the fun. Just reply to this e-mail with your names and the category you plan to race in and then bring the paperwork and pay for your race on Saturday.

4) Bib Numbers:
Whether you have already pre-registered or not, please make sure to budget enough time before your race to pick up your bib #. All racers will use the Cross Crusade bib numbers, except for Beginner Women and Women A, who will receive special plates for this race (to avoid duplicates with other categories in their race heats). Team relay racers will wear their regular bib numbers and will receive an additional team relay plate (that will attach to the handlebars).

5) Wanted: Volunteers!
We are still in dire need of a couple hands to help out during the race, especially at registration and some course marshals. If you like to volunteer - and in the process get to race for free - just reply to this e-mail.

6) Camping:
Another reminder that there will be the opportunity to camp at the farm on Saturday evening (for the super-low fee of $5). We hope that this will appeal to racers and spectators who live further away from Portland and who like to hang out throughout the end of the event (the live band will play from 4pm through close to 8pm). So spread the word to your out-of-town riding buddies and friends, and let's throw a party!

That's it. If you have any questions, check our web site or just shoot me an e-mail. I am looking forward to seeing you all on Saturday at the farm. Should be a blast!

~Kris

Kris Schamp
www.portlandracing.com

PS: if you subscribe to the e-mail feed of the OBRA chat list and received this message twice (through OBRA chat and directly from me), you can easily unsubscribe from the Portland Racing mailing list by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of my earlier message.

Kris Schamp

Hi everyone!

We are less than 3 weeks away from the inaugural Kruger's Kermesse Farm Crit (http://www.portlandracing.com/kermesse/) and it looks like everything is falling together pretty nicely. Here are a couple updates that I thought you might be interested in:

1) Important - revised race schedule:
Per request from a number of women racers, we decided to stage the Women B and Women Masters together with the Beginners and Juniors. The Master Men 50+ will race together with the Master Men B and C. The new race schedule looks as follows:
1:00pm - Beginners, Juniors, Women B, Master Women (45 min)
1:45pm - Kiddie Race (Beginner 2 min, Expert 5 min)
2:00pm - Men B, Men C (45 min)
3:00pm - Master Men B, C, 50+ (45 min)
4:00pm - Men A, Master Men A, Women A, Singlespeed (55 min)
5:00pm -Team Relay (10 laps)
6:00pm - Awards (Cat A), Raffle, Good Times!

2) Bib Numbers:
We will use the Cross Crusade '07 bib numbers, so please leave your road bib #s at home. Also, make sure to budget enough time before your race to get through registration and pick up your bib number at the OBRA tent. Like in cross, your bib number will go on the left side.

3) Pre-registration:
To make it easier on our registration volunteers, we encourage you to pre-register for the race and save $5 off the regular race fee. The pre-registration deadline is Friday September 7, so don't put it off too long. Also, bear in mind that for logistical reasons we won't have day-of race registration for the team relay races. For more info on how to pre-register, go to:
www.portlandracing.com/kermesse/info.html

4) Live from Sauvie Island: Slowly Rising!
Good news for all you music lovers: we were able to line up a top-notch, local, five-piece band who will set the night on fire with a mix of roots-rock, blues, funk and what not. According to lead singer and guitarist Chris Martin (who is a former national level Cat A bike racer) "the boys and I are psyched to step out of the McMenamins/Laurelthirst pub scene for some good-time outdoor diversion." They will play about 50/50 originals and covers, including material from the Allman Brothers, The Band, Phish, Jimi Hendrix, Van Morrison, Beck, Little Feat, Tom Petty, and of course The Grateful Dead!

4) Sponsors:
Chris King, Clif Bar, Pyramid Brewing, Bike Gallery and Kona have stepped up to support this new event with great raffle prizes and goodies! Stay tuned for more details on all the cool prizes we'll have up for grabs!

6) Camping:
Don Kruger has friendly offered to provide an area on his farm where out-of-town racers and spectators will be able to pitch their tents on Saturday evening, though it will require advance reservation. If you plan to camp out, just shoot me an e-mail with the number of tents and people in your party.

That's it for now. We hope that this new race will provide the perfect segway from the road season into cyclocross season, but we'll need you to come out and help us find out. Bring your friends. Bring your family. See you at the farm!

~Kris

Kris Schamp
www.portlandracing.com

PS: I received a ton of e-mails from folks asking me what type of bike they should race. While much will depend on the weather conditions leading up to the event and the state of the course (read: dry or mud), it looks like cyclocross bikes will be the safest bet. You could try your chances on a road bike with beefy tires, but if you have a cross bike, it would still seem wise to park it in the pits, just in case. Also, while this race is billed as a farm crit, the race will feel more like a fast, non-technical cyclocross race. We will use the same categories and rules as in cyclocross and there won't be any free laps.