Nelson Frink, Oregon Racing

Hey Guys,
I'm back from a windsurfing vacation in Oregon with Jan and my sons, and pleased to read about the successful racing by team members at various races. I was sorry to miss the action at the Specialized/Sierra Nevada crit.
If any of you are traveling to Oregon this summer, there are some great race opportunities you should consider, with some type of regularly scheduled race almost every weeknight (http://app.obra.org/schedule ). My son Brian and I had a blast at the Alpenrose Velodrome, which is free and open to the public when not being used for races. Track bikes aren't required. With it's 43 degree banked turns, 16.6 meter radius, and 268 meter length it's one of the shortest and steepest tracks in the country. I was hoping to get back for Thursday or Friday night races, but couldn't make it. Monday and Tuesday night races at Portland International Raceway are available, and I missed the Monday night masters races but got in on the Tuesday night elite races on the 1.9 mile flat course. I placed 11th in the Cat4/5 race, and then immediately joined in the ongoing Cat3/4 race which was started during the final lap of the 4/5 race. I placed 18th in the Cat3/4 race. Wednesday night I raced in
the Mt Tabor Series, which are weekly circuit races around a park on an extinct volcano in Portland. The 1.1 mile loop winds gradually around the park, with a 180 degree turn at the top of a 130 ft climb. I raced the masters 40+ open, and found it challenging to hold on through the climbs. The pack slowed to a near standstill at the top, and it was like waiting in line to get around the corner and then chasing hard to get back on. I decided to try swinging around wide to keep my speed up and clipped my pedal and went down as I accelerated out of the corner. My saddle got twisted out and tipped down and I dropped out. On Saturday we went to the Cirque du Cycling festival in Portland, and I was hoping to race the crit in the Cat3/4's, but the race filled before I could sign up. It was nice to see a crit lined with spectators the whole way around.

Nelson