Mt. Hood Cycling Classic
The 2009 Mt. Hood Cycling Classic presented by Pacific Power is excited to celebrates its 7th addition. Weather has been amazing and snow is melting quickly. Back for 2009 will be the epic Scenic Gorge Time Trial. This is a marquee stage that rivals anything in the world as well as a new variation to the classic Wy'East Road Race. No other event offers you the support that MHCC does. We have neutral support lined up to serve you, really killer swag bags to hand out and a $20,000 prize purse thanks to our amazing sponsors! This race is one not to miss. It is the most brutally beautiful race in America.
Technical Updates
We are working to have the technical guide up on the web site by this Friday for everyone to see. Thanks once again to River City Bicycles who has provided us bottles so that we can provide neutral support in the form of water. We will also have neutral wheel support available. Do not let the inability to have your support crew there detour you from coming out and racing. I also wanted to take this opportunity to let everyone know that we will be running shuttles for the time trial again this year. Shuttles will be leaving every 40 minutes to take riders and bikes from the finish back to the start. CAT 3/4 Women since you will be starting 15 miles from the finish we will provide a shuttle to take you and your bike from the staging area at Mt. Hood Meadows out to Billy Bob Snow Park for Saturday's road stage start should you need assistance. As we mentioned before the women's CAT 3-4 race has been shortened to 3 days and the masters men will now start on Thursday afternoon instead of Thursday morning.
Important Registration Information
Just a reminder that you MUST register by midnight Eastern Standard Time (9:00 p.m. Pacific) this Wednesday May 20th in order to avoid the dreaded late fee. In order to better serve those who cannot sign up until later we are modifying our late registration policy. We will reduce the late registration fee from $25 to $10 with no shirt or pint glass. W will also be extending the registration cancelation deadline to June 1st for a full refund. It is a tough economy out there right now and we feel your pain. For more information or to register go to www.mthoodcyclingclassic.com
Tour de Hood Recreational Tour
For those of you who are not racing or are not up to racing shape but want to experience one of the truly epic mountain stages in the U.S. you are invited to participate in the Tour de Hood Recreational Ride. The event offers one or two day packages that take participants over the stage 3 Wy'East Road race course on Saturday morning before the pros line up and out on the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Highway on Sunday before the stage 4 Downtown Criterium. Catered meals after each ride, cool swag, Full Sail Beer, and fully supported courses make this a great option for those who are not fully prepared to competitvely tackle one of the toughest stage races in America or if you are looking for something for your spouse to do while you are racing. For more information check us out on the web at www.tourdehoodride.com
For those of you who are riding the technological revolution we will be posting continuous updates on course accessibility, conditions, and technical information on both Twitter and Facebook. Sign up today to be the first to be in the know. You can find links to both on our website.
We hope to see all of you at the starting line!
Sincerely,
Chad and Crew