Author: Chuck Kenlan

Dear OBRA Community,

As we near the end of the 2022 racing calendar, we at OBRA have three big thankyous to send out. First, to our outstanding race promoters. They work countless hours and stress over the details of permits, sponsorship, volunteers, registrations etc. to bring you memorable experiences. The second thank you is to the communities and agencies that welcome us to race on their streets, parks, trails and backcountry roads. Without these partners, bike racing in Oregon would not exist. Finally, I want to thank the OBRA members that show up at the races, compete and cheer on other racers. Participating in OBRA races has a unique sense of community which is 100% due to our members.

The OBRA annual meeting and awards party will be on January 21, 2023. This year we will be going back to an in-person meeting. Time and location will be forthcoming. The annual meeting is where members of the association come together to hear reports on the previous year, elect board members and propose changes to the racing and administrative rules. Each year two board members are elected at the annual meeting. If you are interested in running for the board, please reach out to me: ckenlan@obra.org and board president Stacy Westbrook swestbrook@obra.org.  I will need a couple of paragraphs about you and you will be given 5 minutes to introduce yourself at the annual meeting. If you want to propose changes to the OBRA racing or administrative rules, please email me your proposal. Please include which rule you are amending or where you envision a new rule being placed in the rules. Here are the racing rules and administrative rules  Although an OBRA member can offer input and debate the proposed rules, per our bylaws, voting is done by one representative of each 2022 OBRA member team.

2023 OBRA individual and team memberships are now available at the OBRA store. OBRA will be raising the annual adult individual membership dues in 2023 to $50. In the month of December, memberships will remain at $40. In 2023 U-23 memberships will remain $10 and junior memberships will remain free. Team dues will also remain the same at $155. We have also added a non-binary (NB) gender option to the member profile.

Due to the membership fee increase, and the overall cost of bike racing, OBRA now has a financial assistance program to help people with financial hardship begin or continue to race. Things that this program can cover are: annual OBRA memberships, race entry fees, and bike maintenance, travel etc. To apply for financial assistance, fill out this form.  A committee of OBRA board members and staff will review the application and get back to you. The form can be found on the OBRA homepage under the “resources” menu item.

Another price increase is on the OBRA member benefit Spot insurance policy. It will be going from $79 per year to $107 per year. The bad news is that quite a few OBRA members with this policy fell off their bikes this year. The good news is that they had the policy to cover their out of pocket medical expenses. The price increases to $107 on January 1. If you want to take advantage of the $79 premium now, you can do it when you renew your membership during the month of December.

Hope to see everyone at the annual meeting and awards party on January 21.

Chuck

Greetings, OBRA Members,

With the upcoming 2022 race season fast approaching, we want to help you take your training and racing to the next level with a brand new Stages Cycling power meter or Dash bike computer.

Stages are generously offering all active 2021 OBRA members 20% off any of their power meters or other items. To take advantage of this deal, please email both Chuck (ckenlan@obra.org) and Joel (jfletcher@obra.org) and one of them will get back to you with your discount code. The code can be used once per member on up to three items. You will also need to make sure you have created a Stages account and are logged in to that account for the discount to take place.

Click here to view all of the Stages Cycling products.

This discount can be used by active OBRA members only. If you aren’t an active OBRA member or haven’t renewed for 2022, and would like to join, please click here: obra.org/membership/new.

Dear OBRA Community,

It has been an amazing 2022 so far; race numbers are back to 2019 numbers (in some cases higher) and OBRA membership is up 20% from last year, on track to reach the 2019 numbers. Other than track, we have a full slate of OBRA Championship races starting at the end of the month. You will find out more information on them later in the newsletter.

The OBRA racing rules are typically amended at the OBRA annual meeting. The board can also amend them if they are time sensitive. This year, the board has amended three of the rules:

• Removed the COVID mitigation rules
• Changed the minimum racing age from 10 to 9 for all disciplines (it was 9 for CX only)
• Clarified the time trial rules on what constitutes the racers start time

I will bring these rules up for a vote at the annual meeting at our next annual meeting.

The OBRA equipment program is an important part of what we do. The reason we have a full calendar is that race promoters that put on one or two races a year don’t have to purchase their own equipment or rent equipment for a very high price. When we were asked to remove all our equipment from Alpenrose, our friends at Castelli offered the use of their secure parking lot. It looks like this is coming to an end as the owner of the property has plans to develop part of the area. We are looking at all possible solutions but finding it difficult to locate a property that is secure and convenient for our equipment manager and the promoters. Please, if any of you know of a secure property, let me know. We have one box truck, a box trailer, an open trailer with the CX cones. A large space in a RV storage facility will work but it is a long wait for a space to become available.

Thank you to all our hard-working race promoters and to you for showing up and pinning on a number. See you at the Championship races!

Chuck

With the NICA schedule having its first race weekend on August 28th and 29th OBRA and Mudslinger Events have decided to move the Junior Mountain Bike Championships to earlier in the season at Alsea Falls XC on July 24th. We hope this move will allow more NICA racers to race at Alsea Falls.

We hope this will open up more NICA racers to come to experience the racing at Alsea Falls. This will be a great junior event and all juniors will race FOR FREE at the Alsea Falls Junior MTB Championships.

More race information can be found here: mudslingerevents.com/cyling-race-events/alsea-falls-xc-race

Registration can be found here: bikereg.com/alsea-falls-xc

NOTE: All non-junior categories will still have their OBRA MTB Championships at Left Coast XC on August 29th.

See you there!

Greetings OBRA Community,

Although it looks a bit different, bike racing is back! The Shasta Gravel Hugger and Echo Red to Red took place in March. I want to thank the race promoters for instituting solid COVID risk mitigation plans and for the racers that complied with them. Congratulations to all of the OBRA members who found themselves on the virtual podiums and to the members that may have done their first race. I also want to congratulate our friends to the north for pulling off the CX test event in Port Angeles. I understand that this is an exciting new venue with aspirations for running UCI events.

As you can see on the OBRA race calendar that there are quite a few events scheduled though it is far from the numbers in past years. Many of the venues are still hesitant to host events and some jurisdictions are still not permitting events. We will keep you abreast of new events being scheduled as things start to open up more. A few events that I added to the calendar this week are time trials at Hagg Lake (Banana Belt Course) on May 9-10, a criterium series in Bend beginning on June 23, and, wait for it… Zaldercross on October 3 which will be a part of the early season CX series.

Our membership numbers continue to grow as well as our OBRA team memberships. We are tracking all of the single event memberships this year and are offering discounted annual memberships to these people. After two races we are already seeing this payoff. Thank you to those people that took advantage of the discount and welcome to OBRA! For the OBRA teams, remember that the membership must be renewed for the team name to show up in results and for the team to qualify for the team BAR competition.

I will be at the Mudslinger XC this Saturday. I look forward to seeing you there.

— Chuck

To highlight some of our OBRA Members, new for 2021 we will spotlight a different OBRA member each month. For April we bring you, Brenna Wrye-Simpson from Portland, OR. Enjoy!

Name?
Brenna Wrye-Simpson

Where do you live?
I live in Portland, OR.

What team do you race for?
On the road, I race for DNA Pro Cycling Team, a women’s professional road racing program based in Salt Lake. During the cyclocross season, I race for Team S&M!

What is the first OBRA race you participated in?
2012 Barton Park Cyclocross Crusade! It was so fun and on course and off. I remember the sensations of a fast, turbulent downhill starting chute, the loud cheers and exuberant energy from the rows of team tents, the heavy breathing on the run-up with some quiet reprieve before the off-camber drop. It was all so new and overwhelming and so dang fun at once. It was a great first-time experience. It opened the door to how racing could be approachable and something I could do, versus something I saw others do but could not relate to. It also introduced me to a new host of people who became my friends. And this last part is what it took to keep me racing–I didn’t line up at a race again until I met the wonderful people of the Ironclad Cycling Team (now Rainier Beer Cycling Team). I joined the team and had the opportunity to learn the fundamentals “emphasis on fun” of road racing with a squad of other women new to the sport, surrounded by supportive senior teammates who were excited to share their love of the sport with us. It was an incredible gift!

What do you enjoy about racing in OBRA?
OBRA is an energetic, accessible, encouraging community. If you want to get involved in any aspect of racing, it’s possible to plug right in and start doing so, whether that means racing every subtype of bike racing there is, or if you want to learn how to officiate, volunteer your abilities at an event, help promote an event, join a team, start a team, join the OBRA board, or introduce a rule or topic for consideration within the community at the OBRA annual meeting. The intention behind the organization is that the sport and its constructs should and can be accessible, and choosing to get involved makes us a stronger community. I am so grateful for the care and continuing interest that has been extended to me and my development as an athlete and community member, and it means a lot to me to be able to keep paying this energy forward so others can find the success and support network they want and need, too.

What is your favorite OBRA race?
It’s impossible to pick just one! I love so many for different reasons! The Cascade Cycling Classic for its gorgeous, incredibly hard courses and diversity of competition levels (from beginner to pro!). The Franz Bakery Crit for its fun, swoopy course, and incredibly fun environment. Bridge City Cyclocross!!! For the beach, the Party Zone, the amusement park backdrop, and the vivacious energy. PIR for weeknight bike practice and speedwork. Gorge Roubaix in all its iterations for its unforgiving, beautiful courses. Tabor for the weeknight picnics and more midweek character building.  And so many more. We have such a diversity of events!  Thank you to the hardworking promoters who keep us moving!

What would you tell people who are thinking about racing for the first time?
If the flashy trappings, high-end gear, and bright, matchy-matchy kits are intimidating, disregard ’em and remember that everyone’s a little nervous when they’re about to do something difficult. Run whatever gear you have. Pick an event that looks intriguing and go with a friend. Share the first-time experience together! The OBRA community wants and welcomes new faces, you’ll come out of the experience with some good memories and new friends. Bring lots of snacks and water and don’t forget to keep eating and drinking 🙂
Also, on this note, experienced OBRA members, keep bringing your friends to events!  It’s a lot easier to try something for the first time if you’re guided by someone who has been there before.

What new races would you like to try in the future?
Six Hours of Mt. Hood! I have yet to try racing MTB and I’d love to race this unique, often team-based event that’s well known for its great environment and fun course. It’s also a special event for my shop/employer, Sellwood Cycle Repair. We’re a sponsor and it’s a high point on our calendar every year.

To highlight some of our race promoters across OBRA, new for 2021 we will spotlight a different promoter each month. For April we bring you, Will Laubernds from Camas, WA. Enjoy!

1. Name?
Will

2. Where are you located?
As of late, Camas Washington. Previously I was in Portland right by Alpenrose (RIP).

3. What race(s) do you put on?
Currently just Tuesday Night PIR. In the past, I have put on a few other races and series and helped other promoters with their races.

4. What made you start promoting bike races?
When I raced for Team Oregon we put on Monday Night PIR to help fund some of our racing expenses. After getting that experience I started working with other local promoters helping them with their events, which led to me putting on events myself.

5. What would you like the OBRA membership to know about your races?
That we can’t wait till the races at PIR can start safely again!

6. What is your favorite thing about promoting bike races?
For sure the community we have here in OBRA. I’ve met a lot of my best friends through bike racing and putting on a weekly race series over the summer is a great way to connect with everyone.

7. What advice would you give to any team or individual that is considering putting on a race?
Do so as a team or with a partner to help cover all your bases and grow your event.

8. What is the greatest challenge you face in promoting your race?
You are at the mercy of a lot of factors outside your control like the weather, wildfires, other overlapping events. It takes a good amount of luck and some planning to have successful seasons year after year.