ATHLETICS
MAC Cycling Enters Fall Cyclocross Season M
AC cycling enjoyed a marvelous summer of fun and riding. In July
and August, several MAC riders trav- eled to Europe and rode in the Pyrenees, Provence, the Loire Valley, the Alps and in Switzerland. As one rider said, “The scenery was like turning page after page in a picture book; just idyllic.” Riding the same mountains as the Tour de France racers really shows how difficult these climbs are and how good those racers are.
MAC Team Time Trial Championship
MAC held its annual Team Time Trial Championship Aug. 18. For the second year in a row, the Cycling Committee’s member coaches won the event, going a single second faster than the all-star team of MAC triathletes. Cycling Coaches Mike Sheppard, Shari White and Ian Penner were joined by Cycling Committee member Joe Lontai in the slimmest of margins over Doug Oblitz, Matt Gustafson, Wayne Tonning and Patrick Wallace. The competition was held on a 10-mile
course on Sauvie Island. The racers competed in groups of three- or four-person teams with the time for the team taken on the third rider. Thirty-one riders on eight teams competed. After the competition everyone sat down for dinner at a local restaurant. Custom trophies made by Shari White and Art Blumenkron were presented to the winning team.
The Team Time Trial is a great race
for all riders to try. Sharing the pace and riding as a team gives all the riders great satisfaction; several have said that this is the most fun they have ever had on a bike. The Cycling Committee plans to host this event again in 2011, and hopes for even more riders to give it a try.
Cyclocross for 2010 and 2011 Oregon has the best cyclocross
program in the United States, and it is based in Portland. Cyclocross can be seen as a combination of road biking, moun- tain biking and cross-country running. Cyclocross events are held on a circuit with pavement, grass, hills, mud and some barriers that requires a rider to get off the bike and run before remounting the bike. Riders of all skill, athletic ability and fitness level participate every year. The season starts Sunday, Oct. 3 at
Alpenrose Dairy in Portland and continues through December. The series even has a Kiddie Kross race. This is a non-competi- tive event for those age 12 and younger. The local race organizers have started
a new program to get Oregon youngsters to ride cyclocross. This race series is dedi- cated to kids racing cyclocross in Oregon. These races are in the Willamette Valley, from Salem to Eugene; youngsters from age10 through 18 are welcome. There are separate races for boys and girls, and in two-year age increments.
The Cycling Committee has started
a program to help MAC members learn more about cyclocross and how to ride it. The committee holds some practice sessions this fall for MAC riders to learn skills. Contact Sarah Burchard in Athletic Services for more information, or sign up for the MAC Yahoo group at http://sports.
groups.yahoo.com/group/MACCycling. The site also has a wealth of informa- tion on training and great maps for rides around the area. There are two special events that
deserve attention. The cyclocross races held on Halloween weekend in Astoria are especially fun to watch since the racers wear costumes while competing. It is well worth the trip to watch these races, and even better to dress up and compete. The U.S. Nation Cyclocross Championships held in Bend from Dec. 8 through Dec. 12. This is a fantastic chance to see some of the world’s best athletes compete in Oregon. Admission to the course is free, and food and hot drinks are available each day. Last year the racing was world class, and U.S. racers went on the win medals at the world championships in Europe. More information on these two events is
on the MAC Yahoo page, and the Cycling Committee’s page at
theMAC.com. –Robert Burney WM
MAC cyclists assemble before the start of the Team Trial Championship in August. This annual event allows cyclists to share the pace and ride as a team. Next in store for MAC cyclists is cyclocross season, which begins Saturday, Oct. 3.
OCTOBER 2010 | The Wınged M | 55
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