Kris Schamp
Greetings OBRA racers!
For those of you who didn't receive my earlier e-mail, I like to post a quick reminder that we are less than 4 weeks away from the second edition of the Horning's Hustle MTB Season Opener.
This fun and exciting race is the first stage of the Oregon MTB XC Series and will be held at Horning's Hideout, located in the forested foothills of North Plains, only a 35' drive from downtown Portland.
More a MTB circuit race than a traditional XC MTB race, riders will do multiple 20-30' laps on a 5 mile course featuring a lot of up and downs over fire roads, primitive cat tracks, some single track descents and grassy pastures. The compact course makes for a very spectator-friendly race, so bring your friends and family. To top it off, we'll have music, hot drinks and food and a bonfire to keep everyone warm. In good tradition, we'll close the day with awards and we'll raffle off a bunch of cool prizes. For more details on pre-registration, course lay-out, schedule, categories and directions, visit our web site at:
http://www.portlandracing.com/mtb
Here are some other updates I thought you might be interested in:
1) Race course: While very similar to last year's course, we added a whole new loop around the back of the fishing pond. It will include a "rideable" creek crossing, which should be a lot of fun. As it stands now, Pro/SemiPro and Expert riders will do 4 laps (approx. 20 miles), Sport/Singlespeed riders will do 3 laps (approx. 15 miles), and Beginners/Juniors will do 2 laps (approx. 10 miles). Each lap has about 1,000 feet of climbing. Further, like in cyclocross, all riders will finish on the same lap as the race leader in their category, so if you get lapped, you'll end up doing one less lap than the leader. (But you still will get to spend an equal amount of time racing your bike.)
2) Categories & Prizes: we will track 16 different categories and have some cool awards for the top-3 in each category. We will also have a $250 cash purse for the top-3 in the Pro/Semipro Men and Pro/Expert Women.
3) FREE kiddie race: this race - for kids age 12 and under - will take place around 1pm, after all regular races are done. The "beginner kids" (those on trikes and mini-bikes) will do a 2' mini-loop around the start/finish area, the "expert kids" will do a longer 5' loop.
4) Pre-riding and camping: the course will be only open for pre-riding on Saturday April 5 from 10am to 6pm. If you live further away from Portland, there is the option to camp overnight at the venue. Please contact Horning's Hideout directly for more details on their camping facilities and the fee.
5) Sponsors: Chris King, Cyclepath and Clif Bar have stepped up to support this race with more than $1,500 worth of raffle prizes and goodies! Stay tuned for more details on all the cool prizes that we'll give away.
6) Volunteers: we are still looking for volunteers to help out before, during and after the race, and to help set up the course on Saturday morning. If you or your friends, partners, or kids are interested in helping out, please contact Tom Hoffman (503-475-3417). Already a big thanks to anyone who has offered to volunteer so far. We wouldn't be able to do it without your help!
That's it for now. We are looking forward to seeing you all at the race. This is the very first MTB race of the season and it's going to be a fun one! Bring your friends. Bring your family. Let's kick off the season in style!
~Kris
Kris Schamp
www.portlandracing.com