USGP Weekend Bend

A great weekend of racing for the Silverado crew. We had some stellar results from all who raced. Bart had a hard fought win on Sun in the masters race. Serena was well inside the top 20 with a stacked field of elite women. D mixed it up with the elite men and managed to stay on the lead lap. Matt jumped in the 35+ race at the last minute and raced his ass off. We had a blast out there with friends and spectators. A big thanks to Bendistillery and to Thump Coffee for keeping us well stocked with both coffee and booze. And thanks for the support in the pits to Don and to Heather for the donuts! It was a great weekend of racing in Bend. Here’s some video.

Support

Screen Shot of Sunnyside Sports Homepage Featuring Matt – Photo by Matt Lasala

We are so lucky to have the support that we do. As cross season gets underway we realize what a difference it makes to have the right equipment and support from our sponsors so we can do what we love to do. Please visit our sponsors page. These sponsors make our season possible, they believe in what we are doing and support cycling in general. Let them know that you appreciate their support by supporting their products and businesses. When we set out to find sponsors we found folks that we thought made the best equipment and whose businesses we could stand behind. We can do what we do becuase our equipment works in the conditions we use it in. When you see us out there ask us about what we are using- We hope you show these folks some love, not just because they are supporting cycling, but because basically- they KICK ASS-

Oh and lets pray for some mud!

-SWELL VELO CREW

Cyclocross is here!

It’s that time of year again! We are psyched. Hope to see you out there.

Photos: Dmroth & 541images

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mid Season Race Report

The 2012 mountain bike season has been good for Swell Velo.  We rode hard and won races; took the Oregon XC Mountain Bike Series win, won a national championship, and still have a full schedule ahead of us!

Sisters Stampede, held over Memorial Day weekend in Sisters, brought the whole team out to play.  In a strong field, Serena took the win in the Women’s race, ahead of Sue Butler.  Brig suffered from a flat tire late in the race, recovered well, and finished 6^th, and James cracked the top 10.

Return of the Jedi, a 3-race weekend held in southern Oregon, resulted in a repeat of Serena’s Jedi Master Status – taking the win with the lowest accumulated race times of the Short Track, Super D, and cross country races.

Pickett’s Charge, our “home course” race & put on by Sunnyside Sports, resulted in a win for Serena, a 5^th place finish for  Brig and broken derailleur for Damian.  Damian put his MacGyver skills to work and earned a double-high five for his efforts to finish the race after a nasty mechanical.

The Blitz to the Barrel, Dash for Cash was a fun night all around for the team.  Brig, Damian, James and Serena all came out to race the Super D-style race that started at Wanago and ended at 10 Barrel Brewery, only after successfully chugging a full pint.  There was also an arm wrestling contest and some other shenanigans – a great event that got the community out and put a smile on everyone’s face.

Damian took his first win of the season at 6 Hours of Mt. Hood.  After racing for almost 6 hours, Damian out-smarted the completion, put in a strong attack and beat second place by close to 30 seconds.

Serena went to USA Cycling Mountain Bike Nationals, held in Sun Valley, Idaho and brought home the STARS AND BARS.  Now the Cat 1 Nationals Champion, Serena has upgraded to Pro and will be racing at the USA Pro level going forward! Check out her recap here.

Heather Hanst, owner of Silverado Jewlery Gallery, took the win at the Pinnacle Peak Race Series while on holiday Crested Butte – on her Trek SuperFly 100.  Nice work Heather!

Next Up:

Cascade Classic, High Cascades 100, & Marathon MTB Nationals

Early Season Race Report

The 2012 racing season is well under way and Swell Velo already has a couple of wins under our belts.

 

The season kicked off at Echo Red to Red, an early season race in the Northeastern corner of Oregon.  Brig showed his early season form with a top five finish in a stacked field.

Bear Springs Trap, held on the eastern flanks of Mt. Hood gave Silverado our first win, with Serena riding to first place in the Pro Women’s field. James had a strong race, just missing a top 5 finish.

Cascade Chainbraker, held in Bend’s Skyline Forest, was hot and dusty – but James battled hard to land himself on the podium in front of a hometown crowd.

Matt stepped out of his comfort zone and challenged himself to the Pole Pedal Paddle, aka The Bend Olympics.  He placed an impressive 8^th place in the elite individual field and finished well under 2 hours.

Over the Memorial Day weekend, we raced close to home once again at the Sisters Stampede.  Serena took home the belt buckle and her second 1^st place of the season – a win in of a field of solid competition.

And in between races, we are having fun and riding together!

Next up:
Return of the Jedi
Test of Endurance
Pickett’s Charge
XC Mountain Bike Nationals
 

Brandt Lands on the Podium in Mountain Bike Season Opener, Echo Red 2 Red

Photo: Oregon Velo

The day dawned warm and sunny but fierce winds forced the racers to ride tactically, particularly so on the course’s opening gravel road sections. Brandt latched onto the leaders in the early miles of the race and as the course turned onto the singletrack, Brandt, Barry Wicks (Kona), the eventual winner, and a handful of others had built a sizable lead on the chasing pack. Brandt’s Silverado/Sunnyside Sports teammate James Williams was one of those riders in the first chase group who was fighting the wind and the early blistering pace.

Wicks rolled off the front and left Brandt and two others chasing alone, each rider separated from the other by two minutes or less. Meanwhile, Williams began to sneak past riders on the singletrack in an effort to reconnect with the front of the race. An hour and twenty minutes into the race, Williams had worked his way into fifth place and had a visual on his high-flying teammate. He would later pay for the early-season effort.

Photo: Oregon Velo

Brandt held his position and finished strong in 2 hours, 17 minutes. His efforts were rewarded with prize money and valuable series points. Williams faded in the last 30 minutes of the race and finished 10^th, four minutes back from Brandt.

The rolling 28-mile Eastern Oregon race was the first of the Oregon XC Series.

2011wrap up, new beginnings

2011 rolled right into 2012 as cyclocross nationals were moved to January this year. The unseasonably warm weather kept the training through Dec and January better than average and as Matt, D, and Serena took off for Madison, WI.

The long weekend in Wisconsin was an amazing way to cap off the season. It was a roller coaster (as Serena reported) to be sure, but it was a stellar weekend with friends, teammates, and the cyclocross community from around the country. We had some strong races and some heart breaks, but we know that overall it was an amazingly successful weekend. Successful because with the support of friends, teammates, sponsors, loved ones, and fans we were able to be there and be part of it…and race our asses off! Read Matt’s report of the weekend for some perspective. If you want to read full race recaps there’s some great reports up on CX magazine:

-30-34 masters women’s race     – 30-34 masters men’s race  – Elite Men    -Elite Women

The team celebrated an amazing season, friendship, and the start of little rest, well into the night and it was back on the plane the next morning and back to Bend.

Some images from 541images.com

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We are psyched to be heading into 2012. 2011 was only possible becuase of some amazing sponsors, supports, friends, and families. Please thank these sponsors for their support of the cycling community and our team.

As the year gets underway we are making big plans. It was a stellar 2011 with wins in multiple series and solid finishes locally, state wide, and nationally. Sending riders to Mountain Bike Nationals, in Sun Valley, Idaho, and Cyclocross Nationals, in Madison, Wisconsin are two of the leading goals for the 2012 season. Plus we are super excited to add a new rider to the roster: James Williams will be joining us. We are excited as we all consider James not only a good friend, but a super fast guy on the dirt! 2012 is going to be another amazing year, we hope you are part of it too!

A nice write up…

…by Lucas Freeman of the Bike Around Bend blog on the impact of social media on the business of bike racing. It was great to chat with Lucas over some beer. Lucas is doing great work with this blog and is passionate about what he is doing. His site is a great resource for Bend and he is helping make Bend a better bike community. Thanks Lucas (for the photo too).

Madison, Here we come!

The team is fired and ready for a little trip to Madison, WI in a week or so.  Matt, Damian, Serena and Super-Star Sponsor and Racer, Don will be making the trip along with a number of kick-ass juniors from the Bend Endurance Academy.

We will try to keep y’all posted as we get closer, but for now, we’ll leave you with this:

On a Mission

Serena Bishop-Gordon - Team Silverado Gallery / Sunnyside Sports Bend, OR

A great write up from the Bend Bulletin appeared in this past weeks paper on the cover of the sports section about our very own Serena.

You can read the whole article from Laura Winberry over at Serena’s Blog

USGP of Cyclocross this weekend right here in Bend. We hope to see you out there. We’ll be taking names!