Category: Juniors

  • Junior Cyclocross Series Race #6 Recap: McMenamins Edgefield

    Junior Cyclocross Series Race #6 Recap: McMenamins Edgefield

    The sixth and final round of the 2025 Junior Cyclocross Series on Sunday, November 2, at Cyclocross Crusade: McMenamins Edgefield marked the second consecutive weekend of a dreary Saturday followed by a Sunday with dreamy cyclocross weather! With sun and just enough mud to make things fun—without sacrificing drivetrains—our junior racers flew up a steep, paved starting climb reminiscent of the Koppenbergcross that took place earlier last week, followed by line choices galore and some heavy sections courtesy of deep mud and soggy bark chips. From my perspective, it was the most challenging race of the year and a perfect way to see how much everybody improved over a few short months!

    Vivi McManuis ended the series the same way she began it back at Oak Hill School CX with a win for Team Booger, her fifth win of the series in the Junior Women 9-12 3/4/5s. Bobbi Buswell earned her fourth silver medal and jumped onto the final step of the series podium ahead of Vivi’s teammate Phoebe Hogue, who ended up second overall.

    Isla Hundhausen (Boise Young Rider Development Squad) sped to a win in the 13-14 Junior Women 3/4/5 field, with Gabby Linn in second for the day and Madeleine Duval in third. This is a reversal of the series, with Gabby ultimately ahead of Isla and Sydney Chapin in the title battle.

    Dialed Cycling Team’s Taylor Ferdaszewski came in for their first victory of the season, claiming the overall gold in the process, and was followed by Kayla Lyda in the 15-16 3/4/5 Junior Women. Maya Feldman-Wang and Ari Tabish—both racing for Team Booger—are tied with Mayumi Sugahara for second overall, and each rider has won one round and thus remain in a dead heat after a tiebreaker! With no representatives in the Junior Women 17-18 competition at this round, Kepri Sroka remains the uncontested champion of this category.

    Caleb Farley of Team Booger capped off a mirror image of Vivi McManuis’ accomplishment for the Junior Open 3/4/5 9-12 season with his fifth win in five showings, with Ryan Kraemer Steigerwald making his first podium of 2025 in second and Luka Dedrick (Grouptrail Cycling p/b Ruckus Composites) placing third. I would also like to give a shoutout to Everett Hawes, who laid down a gauntlet in the new-as-of-Sunday “Most Hand-ups Given” competition with a staggering 30 hand-ups, limited only by a lack of gummy worms with which to further bless our adult racers. Any challengers next season will need to be on top of their game to match Everett’s mid-race fuel supplements!

    Dylan Glazer earned another title on behalf of Team Booger in the Open 13-14 3/4/5 field with his win ahead of Garett Hawes (Marys Bicycle Club). Garett was followed through the line by his teammate Ezra White, mirroring their second and third placings respectively, for the series.

    Bjorn Swanson (Team Finger) earned his second win of the year, chased home by Jordan Rathmanner and Leo Herriges (Team Oregon p/b Rodda Paint) in the 15-16 3/4/5 Junior Open field. Bjorn earned the series title with his effort, with Leo slotting himself into second over Andrew Chapin. Oliver Woods did Planet PDX Cycling proud with his third win in the JCS this year, further opening his lead in the Junior Open 17-18 3/4/5 competition. Alex Tipton took silver on the day and earns the same for the season.

    Addison Temple took a victory on behalf of Boise Young Rider Development Squad in the Junior Women 1/2/3 13-18 field, and finishes her season in third for this field. Whitney Hayden and Morgan Filer, both of Team Booger, had already firmly established their positions in first and second for the series, with no changes after Edgefield.

    Minutes after earning himself a podium space in the Open 1/2 field, Jack Abel (Team Booger) edged out Ollie Litinsky of Team Oregon p/b Rodda Paint in the Junior Open 1/2/3 13-18 for his second win of the year. An absent Johnie Hogue (Team Booger)—having already maximized his series points—remains atop the field, with Jack and Ollie rounding out the series podium.

    Our omnipresent photographer, OBRA board member and racer Chlöe Spritz was behind the lens again at Edgefield, and her photography website has been updated with albums of the Junior Cyclocross Series Race #6 and the adult fields on both Saturday and Sunday. Please thank her for all she does for the OBRA community the next time you see her!

    End of Season Party

    It’s hard for me to believe, but this is almost the end of the road for the 2025 OBRA Junior Cyclocross Series. I want to extend a massive thank you to the parents and kids that make our sport so special. Cycling isn’t easy—and cyclocross in particular is a handful—and I cannot overstate how much I appreciate the financial, logistical and mechanical hurdles you all navigate with grace!

    All that’s left is to properly recognize everything our juniors have achieved and learned over the series at our Junior Cyclocross Series Awards Party, on Sunday, November 23, from 12 to 4 p.m. at Steeplejack Brewing’s NE Broadway location. We’ll have newly-designed leader’s jerseys (including one for anyone who led midseason but did not finish in front!), medals and prizes for all podium places, a free raffle and  a box for your suggestions on how we can improve upon what we’ve built this year. You’ll also receive a link to a survey soon, and I look forward to hearing more about what worked and where improvement is needed.

    Our event will be immediately followed by Cyclocross Crusade’s celebration, and I hope all of you will stick around to enjoy it. If you or somebody you know was either leading their category earlier in the series or at the end and cannot make the party, please email me to make sure everyone receives their just rewards!

    Final Cyclocross Races of the Season

    Finally, there are still have four races at three venues on the OBRA calendar between now and the end-of-season party! First is the 2025 OBRA Cyclocross Championships at a new venue in Independence, Oregon, next Sunday, November 9. Intel from Erik Tonkin is that we’ll be enjoying a start on main street, the deepest mud of the year and another bike wash after getting spoiled with one at Edgefield. There are even whispers of a (cold) shower onsite! See more information and get registered for CX Bike Indy.

    The following weekend, November 15 and 16, is a doubleheader that anyone who enjoyed round one of the Junior Cyclocross Series this year will want to attend. Oak Hill School Supercross will add mud to an already tricky course. And, if you have even a fraction of the love for night racing that I do, you won’t to miss the CX-Mas Lights Night Race at Washougal MX Park on Saturday, November 22. This race will take place the night before our end-of-season party and I don’t want you to miss what I expect to be a stark, slopping contrast to the grass cries that characterize early-season weeknight events.

    —Robin

  • Junior Cyclocross Series Race #5 Recap: Cascade Locks

    Junior Cyclocross Series Race #5 Recap: Cascade Locks

    If our juniors dipped their toes into wet cyclocross conditions two weeks ago at Heron Lakes, the fifth and penultimate round of the 2025 OBRA Junior Cyclocross Series (JCS) at Cyclocross Crusade: Cascade Locks this past Sunday was a proper muddy bath! Following a day of wind so severe to cause the cancellation of the last heat of racing, we were blessed with intermittent precipitation and only a hint of an occasional breeze during our races.

    The racers braved corners consisting of standing water, slippery mud—and even slicker hidden rocks—the most sand of the year and the inevitable, fading braking power of worn pads such conditions engender. I got to see lots of muddy teeth courtesy of finish line grins, sure signs of a fun race!

    Caleb Farley of Team Booger nabbed his fourth win out of five races in the Open 9-12 Category 3/4/5s, maxing out the number of points he can claim in the series and wrapping up the overall title with one race to go. Everett Hawes of Marys Bicycle Club placed second on the day, opening his overall lead to Ryan Kraemer Steigerwald, and Ryan also claimed third at Cascade Locks.

    The Open 13-14 3/4/5 field saw Everett’s older brother Garett Hawes (Marys Bicycle Club) take his first win of the 2025 JCS, just two seconds ahead of Booger’s Dylan Glazer, with Logan Trost of Bicycle Attorney in third. Dylan leads Garett by just two points with one race to go! Bjorn Swanson of Team Finger took the overall lead for the Open 15-16 Category 3/4/5 competition with a win ahead of Andrew Chapin (Team Booger), and is also leading by just two points.

    Vivi McManuis (Valkyr Cycling) continued her series dominance with her fourth straight win and has earned the overall title in the Junior Women 9-12 3/4/5 with the maximum possible point total. Phoebe Hogue of Team Booger placed second and moved into the same place for the series. They were accompanied by Grouptrail’s Lily Thayer-Osborne, who occupied the final step on the podium. The top two places in the 3/4/5 13-14 Junior Women’s race went to unaffiliated racers Isla Hundhausen and Gabby Linn, and Ada Souders (Team S&M) placed third and consolidated her series lead over Gabby.

    Team Booger’s Maya Feldman-Wang took the 15-16 Women’s 3/4/5 victory and Taylor Ferdaszewski placed second to move into the series lead on behalf of Dialed Cycling. We did not have any representatives from the Open or Women’s 17-18 3/4/5 fields at this race, meaning that Oliver Woods (Planet PDX Cycling) can rest easy as the winner of the former and Kepri Sroka remains the leader of the latter.

    The Junior 1/2/3 13-18 races saw two victories for Team Booger, with Johnie Hogue snagging his third win of the series in the Open category to cement his overall title, and Whitney Hayden moving into the lead in the Women’s field. Whitney was followed home by Addison Temple, and I’d like to give a shoutout to her team, Boise Young Rider Development Squad, for making the drive out from Idaho for the weekend!

    As usual, our abundance of local photographers has resulted in lots of media! Chloë Spritz has a dedicated JCS album as well as a more comprehensive one for anybody interested in reviewing their own muddy escapades, and Jay Ortiz also captured loads of junior racing action in his recent post on Insta.

    I can’t believe that next Sunday, November 2, is the final stop of the 2025 OBRA Junior Cyclocross Series! It will be the second day of another Cyclocross Crusade doubleheader weekend, this time at McMenamins Edgefield in Troutdale. I hope to see the highest turnout of the year! I haven’t had the opportunity to race this revamped classic course, but I’m told it has considerable climbing and some tricky off-cambers, and looking at this week’s forecast, I think we’re in for some serious mud!

    I’d be remiss to not mention that Saturday’s race is also Costume Day! If you haven’t yet been to an OBRA Halloween race, the atmosphere is unmatched, and you’ll get to see seriously silly costumes.

    A final reminder that our end-of-season awards party will be at noon on Sunday, November 23, at Steeplejack Brewing Company on NE Broadway, in collaboration with Cyclocross Crusade. I look forward to celebrating all of the hard work that our junior racers have put in over the past two months with all of you!

    —Robin

  • Junior Cyclocross Series Awards Party on November 23

    Junior Cyclocross Series Awards Party on November 23

    I’m excited to announce that we will have our OBRA Junior Cyclocross Series awards party on Sunday, November 23, at one of the best event venues in Portland, the NE Broadway location of Steeplejack Brewing Company! The celebration kicks off at noon, and I hope you’ll stick around for the overall Cyclocross Crusade Series awards.

    Along with other OBRA people, I will be there along with the crew from the Cyclocross Crusade Series, and awards for both series will be given between 12 and 4 p.m. We’ll have a full set of separate medals, new leader and race winner jerseys from Castelli, podium prizes and a raffle!

    Before then, the series awards for Harvest Cyclocross will be given at Zaaldercross CX on Saturday, October 18, and Race #4 of the Junior Cyclocross Series will take place on Sunday, October 19. Cyclocross Crusade: Coyote Run #2 will feature a lot of sand, the biggest run-up in Oregon cyclocross and—weather permitting—a nice little lake to clean your bike in once the racing is done. See more info about the race, and please note, this is the second of a double-header at the venue. Both days are recommended, but only Sunday’s race offers Junior Cyclocross Series points.

    —Robin

  • Junior Cyclocross Series Race #4 Recap: PIR Heron Lakes

    Junior Cyclocross Series Race #4 Recap: PIR Heron Lakes

    With just one night of rest and some additional rain, our juniors were able to enjoy what just might have been the best iteration of a classic OBRA cyclocross venue at Cyclocross Crusade: PIR Heron Lakes. The venerable monolith and a huck-to-flat B-line, enough mud to make things slippery without annihilating drivetrains, and line choices changing from one lap to the next all made for engaging racing and spectating!

    We are spoiled to have had two local photographers on the day: Chloë Spritz was out in official capacity and you can find her work here; Jay Ortiz has several galleries in his Instagram profile and is generally happy to share if you shoot him a DM!

    Hattie Usher pipped Bobbie Buswell by just two seconds to lead the Women 9-12 Category 3/4/5 race with Phoebe Hogue nabbing third. Vivi McManuis remains atop the series with her trio of wins. Ada Souders took a win in the Women’s 13/14 Cat 3/4/5s, and in doing so, grabbed the series lead. In the Women’s 15/16 Category 3/4/5 race, Ari Tabish raced home ahead of Taylor Ferdaszewski. Ari and Mayumi Sugahara are now tied atop the overall standings. Madeleine Duval soloed to victory in the Women 1/2/3 13-18 race, but Morgan Filer retains her lead in the series.

    In the Junior Open races, Caleb Farley flew in for his third win of four races ahead of Luka Dedrick and Everett Hawes for the day’s 9-12 podium. Caleb is narrowing the gap, but Everett is still out in front for the series. Alex Usher joined his sister Hattie in victory, and Garett Hawes and Ezra White followed him in second and third for the Open 13/14 3/4/5 field. With that second place finish Garett nabbed the series lead.

    With his win in the Open 15/16 field, Luke Tabish represented another family with two siblings atop the podium. Bjorn Swanson and Axel Weaver took the remaining medals for the day. Leo Herriges fell just short of the podium, but is now the overall leader courtesy of his fourth. Trekken Paddock was our Open 17/18 Cat 3/4/5 victor, with Oliver Woods retaining his first place overall. Johnie Hogue took his second consecutive Open 13-18 Category 1/2/3 and separated himself from his prior co-leaders in doing so. Ollie Litinsky nabbed second place in his first race, having moved himself up to the 1/2/3s from the 3/4/5s.

    —Robin

  • Junior Cyclocross Series Race #3 Recap: Columbia CX

    Junior Cyclocross Series Race #3 Recap: Columbia CX

    We were met with the mystery of a new venue for round three of the 2025 Junior Cyclocross Series with Columbia CX, the penultimate race of the Harvest Cyclocross series. With plenty of sand asking the unanswerable question of whether to ride or run, twisty, awkward singletrack and unbeatable views of enormous cargo ships passing in the background, this is a venue that will be a treat to return to.

    Caleb Farley took his second victory of the season in the Open 9-12 Category 3/4/5 field ahead of Cyrus Brown and Oscar Clay, but Everett Hawes’ consistency paid off and he held onto his series lead with a fifth place. Ollie Litinsky made it three wins out of three races in the Open 13/14 Cat 3/4/5, chased by Dylan Glazer and Garett Hawes. Ollie, Dylan and Garett sat in the same positions overall.

    Lincoln Sanchez grabbed gold in the Open 15/16 Cat 3/4/5 field in a close battle with Andrew Chapin and Jasper Daun rounded out the podium. Ryder Jones, Nicolas Dvorsky and Lincoln all share one win in one showing and are locked together in the series lead. Oliver Woods braved the sand to take home a win in the Open 17/18 Category 3/4/5s, further consolidating his series lead.

    Johnie Hogue and Whitney Hayden were the victors in our Open and Women’s 13-18 Category 1/2/3 fields, gaining valuable experience racing in sand. Johnie is tied with Jack Abel and Fisher Gunderson for the overall podium in another instance of three victors over three races, and Whitney is now nipping at the heels of Morgan Filer for the lead of their overall.

    In the youngest of our Women’s 3/4/5 categories, Vivi McManuis took her third consecutive victory and now leads the 9-12 age group. Phoebe Hogue and Emberly Gaudreault chased her home. Sydney Chapin soloed to victory in the Women’s 13-14 3/4/5 field and is now tied atop the series standing with Gabby Linn.

    Chloë Spritz was out taking photographs for us, as was Jay Ortiz, who is typically happy to share his original files if you ask.

    —Robin

  • Free Junior Racing in 2020

    Free Junior Racing in 2020

    We are lucky to have many different options for Junior Racers to race for free in OBRA for 2020.

    Races and Race Series with free Junior Racing for 2020:

    We would love to see you out at these races. This list will be updated as more races/clinics are added to the calendar with free junior racing. Links will also be updated as new information becomes available.

    OBRA’s goal is to have free junior racing at all of our events. If you are interested in partnering with OBRA to make this happen, please email Joel Fletcher (OBRA Marketing, Development, and Junior Racing Director) at jfletcher@obra.org.