Candi Murray
They have some good pics also
http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=114885957532&h=WOc-b&u=C6BbR&ref=n
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Story below
NASCAR for BICYCLES
This weekend's racing features local velodrome, and a sport's blinding speed
By Eric Bartels
The Portland Tribune, Jul 16, 2009
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The AVC features a $13,000 purse, one of the richest in the country, but
organizers say this weekend's races would be hotly contested - money or no.
"People will see the competitiveness," says Warner. "Fans have always been
impressed by the sheer speed and by the athleticism of the riders. They're
touching shoulder to shoulder and they're not even flinching."
He calls the Tour de France a "yawnfest" by comparison.
"We have adrenaline and short attention spans. Road racing is a big, long
chess match. Track racing is a video game."
"I'm a road racer," says Kelly Benjamin, a Portland-based circuit pro who
will compete at the AVC, "but I would rather watch a track race than a road
race."
"We call this NASCAR for bicycles," says Garcia, who conducts the
velodrome's weekly classes with the help of several volunteers. "We do
drafting, slingshots. We get crashes. There are a lot of similarities."
Garcia says most new arrivals to the sport just want to try it - not
actually race.
The reasons are obvious even at the velodrome's weekly races for locals.
Whether in three-lap sprints or longer endurance events, cyclists hurtle
around the track at top speed, their wheels inches from other riders.
"I've had my gloves cut because my hand was being mowed by a guy's rear
wheel," Garcia says.
"This is a lot like being on the freeway," Garcia told last week's class, a
dozen or so newcomers scattered on the velodrome's grass infield. "You can't
just move around the track willy nilly."
City a 'breeding ground'
Track cycling involves what is known as a fixed-gear bicycle. It has no
derailleur because there is no shifting and riders must pedal nonstop. Nor
are there brakes. Other modifications are designed to give riders greater
maneuverability.
"You develop leg speed and control of the bike by not having brakes," Garcia
says. "You have to have the ability to change direction very quickly."
TRIBUNE PHOTO: L.E. BASKOW . Area cycle racers work for position on a turn
of the heavily banked Alpenrose Dairy Velodrome as part of an Oregon Bicycle
Racing Association event earlier this month.
The unorthodox dimensions of the Alpenrose facility add an additional layer
of complexity.
"The uniqueness of the track itself allows us to have better track-handling
skills," says Garcia.
"This is probably the hardest track in the country, if not the world," says
Chipp Ross, a stocky, 52-year-old Portland furniture maker who will race
this weekend.
A lifelong cyclist, Ross says he got hooked on track racing ten years ago
when he showed up at Alpenrose with his mountain bike.
"I said 'My God, this is hard,' " he recalls. "It's such a test of your
willpower and your inner demons. One voice says 'You're a superstar.' The
other one says 'Give it up. Nobody's gonna care.' "
Around Portland, more people are caring about track cycling, which has led
to interest in an indoor velodrome that could serve the community
year-round.
"You can only use Alpenrose three months out of the year," says Murray, who
once competed against Tour de France winner Greg Lemond.
There have been discussions about creating a facility inside Memorial
Coliseum, but questions about the building's future and differing visions
within the cycling community have been a hindrance, some say.
Still, track cycling's rising popularity is contributing to a growing
consensus, at least within the track cycling community.
"Portland is a great breeding ground for track cyclists because we have a
track and we have a very active track community," says Warner. "Our
participation numbers are enormous. If there's going to be a successful
indoor velodrome in the United States, it will be in Portland."
Candi