Kris Schamp
Hey everyone,
Hope you are ready for a fun day of racing at the farm tomorrow! We have more than 150 people pre-registered already and we are expecting a ton more tomorrow, so if you haven't pre-registered, make sure to budget enough time before your race.
The last couple days, I received quite a few emails from racers (many of whom novice racers) asking about tomorrow's course, what type of bike/tires they should ride, and if there will be a chance to pre-ride the course. So here it goes...
1) Course:
The course map is posted online at http://tinyurl.com/54rund
The course is a 1.5 mile loop, with 50 feet of elevation gain per lap, exclusively on farm roads. There are no paved sections or singletrack. There are some potholes of various depth (all easily navigable if you are paying attention on where you're riding), some sections that are covered with loose soil, and some gravel and off-camber corners. None of the course is technical, but you have to pay attention where you are going (be careful sitting in other people's wheel) and adjust your speed to the conditions and your own bike handling skills (especially in the corners and on the downhill section).
2) Bike/tire choice:
Based on what we saw at previous editions of this race, most people will be racing cyclocross bikes, with dry-weather cyclocross tires (like the Michelin CX Jet). If you don't have a cyclocross bike, you'll be perfectly fine racing on a regular road bike or a mountain bike. Just make sure to put on tires that are right for the conditions (if possible, I would stay away from thin/slick tires without some profile or heavy/knobby MTB tires).
3) Pre-riding:
We will be setting up the course this afternoon from 1 to 3pm, during which you are free to come and pre-ride (not race). Just make sure to be conscious and courteous towards other farm visitors, farm workers, and neighbors, some of whom might be using the same farm roads today to get around. Tomorrow, we will also allow pre-riding from 9am to 11am.
Note: Pre-riding the course while races are ongoing is not allowed and can result in disqualification. However, we will do our best to accommodate a 10' pre-ride session between race heats, but only after the last rider has come through on his/her last lap. If you want to pre-ride between races, just line up at the start line towards the end of the ongoing race and wait until the chief ref (Brian List) gives the OK.
That's all.
See you at Kruger's!
~Kris
Kris Schamp
kris@portlandracing.com
PS: make sure to bring cash for parking ($5/car) and food/drinks.