Shane Gibson

Wow. What a blessed day in Oregon we had for Cyclocross. THREE races to
choose from in the state. Two in the NW section of the state, and the
Outlaw Series down South.

Today I got to sample TWO of the THREE races on tap in our great state. I
raced this morning in the Clydesdale category - and thoroughly loved the
course, and really appreciated the changes to the course that Kenji and
team made this year. As Ron stated - a nice change up. Still flat - can't
get away from that, but more twists and turns, and the weather definitely
makes the course tricky. If you think you can blitz this course 'cause
it's flat and has a couple of good straight stretches, you're sorely
mistaken. A fun course - and EZ Orchards (the host property) really
stepped up with great prizes for the catgories. Those Pumpkin Donuts were
a Clydes sweet dream... :)

I trundled up to Edgefield for the Pedalers at the Poor Farm - and was yet
again impressed. The course at Edgefield was seriously tough, and took
advantage of the hill slope ... to a quad burning, lung busting degree.
Some epic run ups, slippery sections, most of the climbing was easily
ridable even on my first SS race ever ... and a FUN FUN technical course.
I loved all of the twists, turns, run ups, downhills, and side hills at
this course - definitely a technical riders dream course. Don't miss out
on this one next year, gang!

I loved the mix-up between the two courses. Both were top notch races in
their own right, and I hope that next year we see both of them, but on
non-competing dates. Thank you to Kenji and Ken for spending the hard
hours, time, and work to put these races together. Both were gorgeous
courses, and both were an absolute blast to race. I met several newbies to
the CX sport at both venues, and I'm certain they've been hooked. You
seasoned racers that chose to (or had to) sit these out seriously missed
out on some Class AA+ offerings.

~~shane

--
"Opportunities multiply as they are seized." - Sun Tzu