Back to PIR

Well, it has happened, I have returned to my roots and begun racing back at PIR (Portland International Raceway). Racing is a broad term, I don't know how many of my competitors last night would have classified my efforts as racing.

To start the night off Ironclad lead the first two laps in single file line at a light pace, a sort of moment of silence and reflection, for our fallen teammate Kristin McCarthy (Kmac). In case you haven't heard she was in a bad bike/concrete tango at a Monday night PIR that has left her in the hospital with some head trauma and broken bones (and a trashed bike). It was kind of the 3/4 group to allow us to lead the two laps, it meant something special to a lot of people.

Once the two laps were over the fun began in earnest and the pace jumped to light speed. Not 1k into the race pace a Beaverton Bike Club racer experienced a full tubular tire blow out sending his ass to the pavement and several other racers (not asses) to the grass. Amongst the illustrous group was none other that Brian Barker, my nemesis. Just kidding Brian, you haven't earned the title nemesis, yet.

A few laps later I started to experience a bad combination of things, boredom for the back of the pack and the realization that I didn't have what it took to actually compete when the race came down to the line. Also I didn't want to be, that guy, and sprint for a 35th place finish. So as the group came down the home stretch things began to slow down and bunch up, as they always do, so I made my break. The field was busy looking to the right at Dave as he made the same jump as I was making on the left side of the track, so I got away completely free. We met in the middle of the track, inverted and then I shot off the front to give him a wheel, for a better break. You can see me looking to my right making sure that I wasn't about to take both of us out as we were heading for inversion, I didn't want to zig if he was going to zag. Shortly there after Dave fell off and someone from the Shower's Pass team joined on. I didn't last long, as I knew I wouldn't, and shortly there after I was dropped from the race and I retired to the sidelines.

Dropping was fine, I knew it would happen, unfortunately my master plan of getting 4 or 5 people to jump with me and stretch the field was also a grand failure. Either the field wasn't paying attention or they just knew I didn't have a snowball's...

Oh well, as long as I learned, even though I didn't like what I learned.


A sampling of the nights participants. Thanks Eryn for the great photos.