USGP Portland Weekend

Heated massage pillow. I have to say it first, because it is the main reason I can sit here and write. It's Sunday evening, and the end of the USGP men's race also marked the end of CycloSportif waffles for the 2008 season.

It was quite a weekend - Saturday would have led us to believe that Portland cyclocross was related to Belgium cyclcross only by measure of affinity and not weather. It was another dry and sunny day - so nice, in fact, that we vendors noticed a significant lack of spectating at the races. We hypothesized that Portlanders were gardening at home or out riding on such a beautiful day - outside "doing" rather than watching. That said, it was still a good day for CycloSportif and the scene was quite impressive. Our local Cross Crusade series may be the biggest in the world in terms of participation, but the USGP feels like Formula One. There was an endless row of pro team tents and pro team trailers with pro team mechanics and, of course, pros. Warming up on trainers. Looking rad and fast.

For Cross Crusade races, I make a certain amount of waffle batter (usually five gallons) and when I'm done, that's it. Usually that means I'm sold out by 1:30 or so. For the USGP, I had to commit to waffles as long as beer was being served. Saturday I went through about eight or nine gallons of waffle batter. I had just received a shipment of Swiftwick socks and on a whim picked out some of the new 12" cuff merino wool ones. People were totally into them for 'cross and winter riding and I sold a bunch. Check them out, they rock. The Walz wool and corduroy caps were also a hit.

At 4:45 we were suddenly advised that we had to have everything broken down and be off of the premises by 5 pm. There is a Christmas lights display at PIR at night and they lock up the inner part of the track. We did what we could, hoped for the best and sped out of there. I went home, bathed our daughter, cleaned the equipment and made another five gallons of waffle mix, and then headed out to the Cyclocross Superstar Seminar (http://superstarcyclocrossseminar.wordpress.com/) presented by my buddy John at Elite Athletics World and Simon Burney's new clothing company, Schlamm. It was rad to sit and talk to such accomplished 'cross racers and, once we got up the nerve, to ask them anything and everything about racing 'cross. Definitely check out Simon's clothing - www.cyclocross-stuff.com. His crossline clothing shows a ton of attention to detail and decades of experience thinking about what 'cross racers need.

It was a really intimate setting and I learned a lot - thanks, guys (and gals)! Most people wanted to know about equipment and training. I wanted to know about where these pros saw 'cross racing going and what the reasons might be. Would 'cross continue to grow, with a longer and longer season replacing cross country mtb? Seems very plausible to me - 'cross is very accessible to lots of people because the races are short and the venues are usually closer to home. We think of it as a fall/winter sport, but it doesn't have to be. Is that something these pros would want? A long 'cross season that they could fully devote themselves to as a primary discipline? I heard two interesting answers hitting at the same problem: money. Sounds like the bike industry would only support 'cross racers to the extent 'cross bikes become a larger segment of sales. And therefore a racer would only do 'cross of they are ensured of prize money or start money. I hadn't thought of the bike industry issue - since we don't have big advertising and fee-paying spectators to subsidize racers, the bike industry would have to pick up the tab. Hmmm. I'll have to think about that. For now, it definitely seems like 'cross is the best option for promoters and others looking to grow interest in bike racing. If you race a mountain bike in March or April all the way through July, why wouldn't you want to race a 'cross bike? What do you think?

Anyway, I left the seminar at 10 pm and headed to the grocery store for more supplies, then back home to make a few more gallons of waffle batter and load up the truck for the next day. Yep, I was tired.

Sunday reminded us that the Portland/Belgium connection runs deep, as deep as the ruts of derailleur-ripping mud from cold, wet rain. At 7 am, it was surprisingly warm. At 9 am, it had dropped 10 degrees. At noon, the rain came and we were once again the muddiest race of the season. As a partial confirmation of the sun/attendance inverse-relationship hypothesis, the crowds were larger and not many seemed deterred by the worsening weather. The waffle lines were steady all day long. 4:30 came and Ryan Trebon rocketed to a stellar win. No surprise that I was rooting for him, but his ability to rise up under pressure is amazing. If he needs to win, he does. When that's against Tim Johnson and Jeremy Powers after they worked him over the day before, he still does. And I have to mention our other local, Sue Butler. She's had an awesome season and capped her pre-nationals program with a podium finish today. Yeah, Sue!

And then the day was over. There's a big Cross Crusade party tonight, but I'm too tired. And the heated massage pillow feels to nice. I'll deal with cleaning tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who came by for a waffle, or some clothes, or just to say hello. And thanks to the Cross Crusade guys for putting an amazing amount of time, effort and love into Portland cyclocross.

Don't worry, waffles will be there next year. For now, check back soon and the website will be fully operational soon. Really. It has to be. I've got lots of clothes, no 'cross races, and you need some stuff. And your friends and family need gifts, too!