Kris Schamp
Hello OBRA racers,
Before we are heading into the holiday weekend, I want to pass along a couple last-minute updates I sent out earlier today about Sunday's Six Hours of Mount Hood, which is shaping up to be another fun bike race you don't want to miss out on!
Note: the race flyer with all the details is posted at: http://www.portlandracing.com/6hrs
1) Course Conditions: all systems are go!
As usual around this time of the year, the trails at Skibowl are in great shape. While they received some heavy snowfall on the mountain this past spring and there is still quite some snow on the north-facing slopes of the resort, Petr Kakes and his Skibowl crew have been working hard this week clearing any remaining snow on the course. I talked to Petr yesterday and he confirmed that the race course will be all rideable and marked by 2pm Saturday, when we will officially open the course for pre-riding.
As those who raced last year can testify, he Multorpor Loop has some great flow and is a blast to ride, with plenty of room to pass riders or let others pass. While the loop includes some decent climbing sections (though not much need for a small chain ring), the singletrack is so much fun that you won't get tired of it, even after 6 hours of racing. In addition, each lap will end with a fast, non-technical flat-to-downhill stretch back to the start/finish area at Skibowl West, giving you a chance to recover or catch up with others before starting your next lap.
As for tire choice, big tires with medium sized knobbies and slightly high pressure are probably in order, as the descent down the Powerline Trail can be rough (depending on your speed). Obviously, there will be some wet spots along the course due to the melting snow, so you might consider bringing some fenders (unless you don't mind some splatter).
A course map and more details of about the course are posted at http://www.portlandracing.com/6hrs/course.html
2) Saturday activities: pre-riding, registration, and camping.
If you are coming out on Saturday, we plan to have the course all set up and marked by 2pm (though if you are familiar with the trails, you are free to start riding it earlier in the day). From 4pm to 6pm, we will have registration open on the Skibowl West parking lot (both for on-site registration and for pre-reg race plate & racer packet pick-up). Please bring cash or checks, and proof of your current OBRA membership (unless you plan to buy an OBRA license this weekend).
If you plan to camp out, but don't want to go through the trouble of trying to find a camp site on a holiday weekend at one of the various Forest Service campgrounds, we will provide racers the option to car-camp on the Skibowl West parking lot for a nominal fee of $10 per car (includes access to bathrooms and presence of night guard).
3) Sunday morning: registration, free coffee, live music and GO!
Day-of-race registration will open at 7:00am and close at 9:00am. If you haven't registered yet, please make sure to be there by 8am the latest, in order to avoid that you don't get through registration in time. Also, whether you plan to register on Sunday or Saturday, I like to ask that you *PLEASE* take a minute and fill out the online waiver (see web flyer for link). It will save time and paper, and help our officials to read and record your racer data correctly. Thanks!
>From 8am on, we will serve free Nossa Familia coffee in the cafeteria (inside the main lodge). And to get you all amped for your race, Dan Kaufman - our official event videographer - and his CrankMyChain! Band will lighten up the scene with live music. At 9:30am we will host a pre-race racer briefing, which all racers must attend. Then, at 10am sharp, races will get underway, staggered with 30" breaks between categories.
4) Race Support:
Throughout the race we'll have a fully stocked food station, featuring Hammer Heed energy drink, Larabar nutrition bars, fresh fruit, and PB&J sandwiches. Butch Wells, expert mechanic at Sellwood Cycles Repair will be on hand near the start-finish area, providing free mechanical support. Post-race, racers will also enjoy a free cup of chili and $1 beers (at least for those over 21), courtesy of our beer sponsor Hopworks Urban Brewing.
5) Awards, Prizes & Raffle... and some real cool finisher trophies!
Like last year, the top-3 podium finishers in each category will go home with some very classy custom medals and we'll wrap up the day with a raffle, with some real cool prizes, courtesy of our sponsors Sellwood Cycle Repair, Chris King Precision Components, Hopworks Urban Brewing, and Nossa Familia Coffee. But even if you don't end up on the podium or get that lucky raffle ticket, you will part with some cool bling in the form of a classy finisher tag. In addition, pre-registered riders and the first 100 racers to come through registration on Sat/Sun will receive a custom Six Hours pint glass... so there is another good reason to not wait until 8:30am to show up at registration!
That wraps it up. If you have any questions, just shoot me an email. I'm looking forward to seeing you on Sunday!
~Kris
Kris Schamp
www.portlandracing.com
PS: On Saturday evening, Dan Kaufman and his band CrankMyChain! will be playing at the Ratskeller Alpine Bar & Pizzeria in Government Camp, just a 5 minute walk from the Skibowl parking lot. They'll be playing from 10pm to 1am, then again from 8 to 9am at the race, and - to top it off -Dan and guest guitar player Robert Ping will be racing as a two-person relay team (all while capturing all the action on video and entertaining their kids in between laps)...how is that for Six Hours rock stars!