THE DALLES — The Cherry Blossom Cycling Classic will be one of six regional qualifiers across the United States for the Nature Valley Pro Ride, which selects top amateur men and women for composite Nature Valley Cycling Teams that will compete against the pros at the 12th annual Nature Valley Grand Prix.

Nature Valley Pro Riders who are invited to compete in the Nature Valley Grand Prix — held in East Central Minnesota and Western Wisconsin June 16-20 — earn free entries to the race, generous travel stipends, team clothing, housing, ground transportation and staff support for their composite teams. They will also receive pro-level recognition before, during and after the events, including pre-race call-ups and participation in promotional and media appearances.

2010 regional qualifiers:

* April 10: Hillsboro-Roubaix – St. Louis, MO
* April 10-11: Rock Hills Spring Bicycle Races – Charlotte, NC
* April 23-25: Cherry Blossom Cycling Classic – The Dalles
* May 1-2: Barrio Logan Grand Prix & Mark Reynolds San Luis Rey Classic – San Diego, CA
* May 15: Bear Mountain Road Race – New York, NY
* May 30-31: Mt. Hamilton Classic Road Race & Memorial Day Criterium – San Jose, CA

Sunday’s Banana Belt #2 offered more nice weather for a full schedule of racing. Twelve age- and skill-graded categories took to the roads around Henry Hagg Lake for the second of three series races. The uphill finish of the counterclockwise course provided an extra test (and pain) for riders. And breakaways, solo or otherwise, seemed to have better luck making the efforts pay off. Next Sunday’s battles will decide the series winners and who walks away with some nice Fuji prizes, including complete bikes and frames.

Check out the PHOTO GALLERY. (more…)

HENRY HAGG LAKE — Fresh off his 6th place overall GC finish last week at the Callville Bay Classic in Nevada, Team Exergy’s Austin Arguello capitalized on his current good form and slipped in front of his breakaway companions to take Banana Belt #2 Sunday.

Arguello and four others broke away from the group with about three laps to go in the six-lap, 66-mile race. Hutch’s-Eugene rider Rob English and Rubicon-ORBEA’s Quinn Keogh initiated the move after getting a gap on the field following a hot spot sprint through the uphill finish on the counterclockwise course. John Browning (Echelon/ZteaM), Aaron Sander (Cyclepath) and Arguello quickly joined them at the front.

The lead group organized itself and immediately began setting a pace that had the field behind strung out in pursuit for the remainder of the race. But the chasing effort had little effect on the leaders as they continued to power away and add more time to their advantage.

“Once the gap was about a minute and a half or two minutes, we felt pretty confident because we were working well together,” Arguello said.

That’s when thoughts started turning to the finish as the leaders started the last lap with a comfortable lead. English attacked immediately after the leaders started heading uphill just past the lake’s dam. Browning and Arguello hopped on his wheel while Sander and Keogh struggled and fell off the pace. But Sander got a second chance when the lead trio started jockeying for the finish. The Cyclepath rider latched back onto the leaders with about a kilometer to go.

“It reminded me of a track race,” Arguello said of the cat-and-mouse games in the final stretch. (more…)

MCMINNVILLE — Westwood Velo’s William O’Donnell won his second time trial of the season Saturday at the As The Raven Flies Time Trial near McMinnville.

O’Donnell’s time of 26:23.97 over the 12 mile out-and-back course was good enough for the top spot in the Pro/1/2/3 men’s race and the fastest overall time of the day. Hutch’s-Eugene rider Rob English was next fastest at 26:31.09. Ironclad Performance Wear’s Trevor Spahr was third fastest on the day at 26:37.49.

Thereapeutic Associates/GENR8 rider Karey Miles set the fastest time for the women at 31:52.99. Miles finished ahead of teammates Jill Howe (32:17.91) and Pamela Archer (33:40.30).

For more photos check Matthew Haughey’s Flicker set.

RESULTS
As The Raven Flies Time Trial #1
McMinnville
Saturday, March 6

Men 1/2/3
1. William O’Donnell (Westwood Velo)
2. Rob English (Hutch’s-Eugene)
3. Trevor Spahr (Ironclad Performance Wear)

Senior Women
1. Karey Miles (Therapeutic Associates/GENR8)
2. Jill Howe (Therapeutic Associates/GENR8)
3. Pamela Archer (Therapeutic Associates/GENR8)

Women Cat 4
1. Brenda Spinney (Pacific Power Blue Sky)
2. Grace McCabe (Pacific Power Blue Sky)
3. Melanie Pratt (Portland Velo)

Men 4/5
1. Colby Wait-Molyneux (Specialized River City Bicycles)
2. Ron Sines (Pacific Power Blue Sky)
3. Andrew Hayes (Mountain View Cycles)

Masters 50+
1. John O’Brien (ZteaM)
2. Peter Gierga
3. Jeff Tedder (Hammer Velo)

Masters 40+
1. Rob Annen (United Finance)
2. Ron babcock (Portland Velo)
3. Doug Palmer (Half Fast Velo)

Complete OBRA results are HERE.

The OBRA Board of Directors Wednesday reinstated rider Steven Beardsley’s win in the Pro/1/2 men’s race at Sunday’s Banana Belt #1. Beardsley (Gentle Lovers) won the field sprint but was relegated to the back of the lead group for his celebration in tight quarters. Officials initially awarded second-placed rider Brad Gebhard (Old School Racing) the win.

But Wednesday’s ruling changes Beardsley’s sanction from a relegation to a warning, leaving his win intact. OBRA Executive Director Kenji Sugahara announced the decision on OBRA’s monthly e-mail newsletter.

“In consultation with the chief ref and Board of Directors, the relegation has been changed to a warning,” Sugahara wrote to members.

He went on to clarify the rules regarding race celebrations:

“There is no specific rule against saluting — but depending on circumstances you could be sanctioned for dangerous riding if you choose to do so. Here’s what’s important to us. Don’t do anything that could put other riders at risk. Use your head. Hands on the bars is always preferred, and if someone crashes because of you or you create a disturbance behind you, you will be sanctioned. Don’t salute before the line.”

Beardsely was obviously pleased with the ruling and said he believed OBRA needed to come up with some guidelines to keep things safe but also allow riders to still celebrate in the spirit of the sport.

PlanetZ/Echelon announced today it has formed a partnership with professional cyclist Chris Horner for the inaugural Sept. 26 Echelon Gran Fondo in The Columbia River Gorge.

Horner, a resident of Bend, will serve as an event ambassador and aid in creating greater awareness of the organization’s commitment to community focused cycling events that raise money for local and national cancer institutions. The majority of entry fees and additional donations contributed by participating individuals and teams will support the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute and LIVESTRONG.

Horner has been a dominant figure for more than 15 years in international pro cycling and is a member of the newly formed Team RadioShack with Americans Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer and Jason McCartney. He said he’s excited to partner with Echelon and the community of Portland.

“When I was approached by Echelon and learned about their event goals, a unique opportunity was created for me to support the beneficiary organizations and participate on my home turf,” Horner said.

The primary local beneficiary of the Echelon event is the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, considered one of the nation’s top cancer centers. With the latest treatments, technologies, hundreds of research studies and approximately 400 clinical trials, the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute is the only cancer center between Sacramento and Seattle designated by the National Cancer Institute — an honor earned only by the nation’s top cancer centers. (more…)

The opening round of the Banana Belt series went off under perfect spring conditions, with clouds burning off and temperatures warming throughout the day. The race was also the first event of the Oregon Cup.

Check out the PHOTO GALLERY (more…)

UPDATE (3/4/10): After reviewing rider Steven Beardsley’s protest, the OBRA Board of Directors adjusted his sanction for dangerous riding to a warning and reinstated his win in the Pro/1/2 men’s race.

HENRY HAGG LAKE –Alice Pennington’s repeated attacks in the Women’s Cat 1/2/3 race at Banana Belt #1 paid off with a win after the Veloforma rider eventually broke away and rode solo for a lap and a half. Relegation upset the top spot in the Men’s Pro/1/2 race.

Steven Beardsley (Gentle Lovers) won a bunch sprint in the Pro/1/2 men’s race but was relegated for dangerous riding when he took his hands off the bars for a victory salute in tight quarters. Officials awarded the win to Bike Gallery’s Brad Gebhard, who finished ahead of Jacob Rathe (Jelly Belly) and David Oliphant (Therapeutic Associates/GENR8).

The men’s field finished intact after repeated failed attacks from small groups of riders over the five-lap, 55-mile race. In a furious sprint for the line, Beardsley was neck and neck with Rathe on his left. Gebhard was sitting on his wheel and came up fast on his right. Beardlsey fought past the Jelly Belly U23 rider with a late surge in the final meters, but the he immediately let loose the bars for a traditional two-handed salute. Judges determined the move endangered other riders and relegated Beardsley, giving the win to Gebhard, who had just nipped Rathe to the line in a photo finish.

Pennington Powers Away From Women’s Field
In the Cat 1/2/3 women’s race, Veloforma showed up with a full squad of nine riders and had plenty of ammunition to wear down the competition over the race’s 44 miles. But it was Pennington, the team’s most experienced rider, who eventually snapped the elastic with a solo move and quickly started piling up time on the field.

“I just kept attacking on the hills,” Pennington said of her escape route. “They would chase, and finally when nobody was chasing I just kept going.”

The mountain bike specialist from Hood River time trialed nearly 20 miles to the finish, gaining more than three minutes over the field on her way to the line.

“It’s easy to stay out of sight on this course,” she said. “So you really have to be motivated and organized even to catch someone off by themselves.”

Cherry Pie winner Leia Tyrrell, a Cat 3 who rides for Oregon State U., said the large Veloforma team put its numbers to use early and often on the rolling lakeside roads, and once Pennington broke free there was no bringing her back.

“There was attack after attack after attack. I was like, ‘uh, oh,’ ” Tyrrell said. “I’m not sure where I was when (Pennington) got away, but she was off the front, and then she was a mile away.” (more…)

Have you been winning a few too many races in your category and suddenly find you’re a marked rider? When the course isn’t difficult enough to make a selection, crafty racers get creative.

Bissell Pro Cycling Team’s Paul Mach, winner of last year’s Mt. Hood and Cherry Blossom cycling classics, explains how he and another well-known NorCal rider escaped the peloton during the Paskenta Century, a Chico, Calif., Super Bowl Sunday ride “that is taken very, very seriously by the locals.”

Pay attention marked riders:

“The first part was dramatic but not climactic. Ian (Boswell) spent it getting a flat and chasing back on. I spent it learning that there wasn’t any wind to break things up. Thus, forcing more creative racing.
This creative racing resulted in a 60 mile break that started with 5 riders but dwindled down to just me and Jesse (Moore) for the last 25 miles.

“So how did it happen that two well-marked riders got off the front on an almost totally flat course? Well, I’m going to tell you, because it’s my blog and I’m really proud of it. First, Jesse lit up a wicked counter attack to get off the front. Perfect, because he wasn’t coming back by himself, so I just needed to find a way to get up there with just a few others.

“It took a while, but the perfect situation finally formed; 2 small chase groups just within reach. I attacked and bridged up to the first one. The peloton responded, as always, and caught us. As the tired guys were sitting up and blocking the fresh guys, I countered and bridged to the next group. “We worked well together for a few minutes until we caught Jesse, and that was the start of 2+ hours of hard riding.”

Moore and Mach went on to finish first and second. Read the entire post on Paul Mach’s blog.

HENRY HAGG LAKE — Forecasts of mostly clear skies and temps nearing 60 for this weekend’s Banana Belt opener will make the race a bit different from any of last year’s rain-slogged, snow-postponed events.

KOIN 6 meteorologist Bruce Sussman says Friday’s and Saturday’s rains should clear out nicely for Sunday’s romp around Hagg Lake southwest of Forest Grove.

The three-race Banana Belt series is a traditional staple of spring racing in Oregon. The 11-mile loop offers some challenging hills and a fast downhill finish when the course runs clockwise for races #1 and #3. Race #2 is scheduled to run counterclockwise, which adds an uphill finish. The Pro/1/2 men start with 5 laps and add a lap each week. The Cat 3 men start with four laps with an additional lap each week. The Pro/1/2 women race four laps on week one and are joined by the Cat 3 women for an Oregon Cup event. There will be no Cat 1/2 women’s race on weeks two and three.

Free Cat 4 Women’s Post-Race Clinic Each Week
Coaches (and elite racers) Russell Cree and Tina Brubaker from Upper Echelon Fitness will host a free post-race clinic after each Cat 4 women’s race in the Banana Belt series. They’ll observe the race from lead and follow vehicles so that they can offer commentary on what happened and why (or why not) during each race. Interested riders should:

• Listen for Russell Cree’s announcement on the start line
• Make the race exciting and action-packed
• Meet at the Upper Echelon tent 15 minutes after the race finish
• Receive constructive feedback on the race

Parking at the lake is free the first weekend but will cost $5 for the last two races. Parking pass can be purchased at the front gate; arrive early to avoid the line.