Portland, OR – Think of cyclocross in the northwest and thick mud is an ingredient that’s sure to come to mind. The mixture of dirt, water and clay content that composed the course-soup for Krueger’s Crossing on Sauvie Island on Sunday was a clingy shocker, even for the locals.
Erik Tonkin (Kona / FSA) withstood the wretched, super-sticky conditions to hold off all challengers in the men’s elite race while Sue Butler (Monavie-Cannondale) managed to outpace Alice Pennington (Veloforma) in the women’s event.
One group of racers couldn’t give a woof about the muck and mire. The dogs in attendance for the Doggie Dog Cyclocross World Championship were brake- and drivetrain-free and the sloppy course just added to the smell-bouquet and rolling-around good times.
Bikes became so clogged with goopy mud that they quickly became unrideable. While some had spare bikes in the pits, no one had the full treatment of a mechanic or pressure washer on hand – so any benefit from a bike swap was short-lived. As the course dried out later in the day, conditions actually got stickier and worsened. Bike-racer-biceps strained to lift 40-pound bikes over hurdles, wheels seized up, derailleurs groaned and sometimes snapped and riders were constantly pulling over to yank globs of gunk intermixed with corn husk fragments that littered the farm from wheels, brakes, derailleurs and anywhere they’d stick. Aim for the puddles and hope it helps clear crap off was the M.O. of the day.
In the women’s race, Pennington posed a worthy challenge to Butler, the World Cup veteran, in the early laps, but Butler’s power and technique proved to be the difference as she comfortably soloed away. Alalia Berry of Gentle Lovers finished up in third. Butler crossed the line with a big smile and may have been one of the few racers that day who actually wanted more. “I was hoping we’d get to do another lap,” quipped Butler.
Tonkin, who uses the local series to help build fitness and gets limited training time due to working long hours at his Sellwod Cycle Repair shop, had hoped to put in a harder Sunday effort. “I had to get off and clean off the drive train every lap. It was pretty ridiculous,” said Tonkin.
Early on Ross Brody (Buy Local Cycling), on a singlespeed, and Eirik Schulz (Specialized / River City Bikes), who recently upgraded from the 35+ class, kept pace with Tonkin and challenged for the lead.
“There were a couple of us going back and forth, I just had a little bit more. I was just trying to nurse my bike through and avoid a mechanical. The running was hard though, my legs are going to be sore tomorrow,” Tonkin continued. “It was a good day for a singlespeed, for sure. It wasn’t really slippery, it was just peanut butter mud. You just had to know when to stop pushing because you’d probably both blow yourself up and blow your bike up. So I just rode in a way that would just keep me going.”
Brody eventually faded way back in the pack, presumably due to a mechanical mishap. Schulz took second just behind Tonin while Michael Gallagher (C3 Athletes Serving Athletes) rallied for third.
It was the midday heats that were the least effected by course conditions – largely because there was no bike necessary. An impressive array of beasts and owners turned out for the inaugural Doggie Dog Cyclocross World Championship (DDCXWC09). Five successive categories, with about 100 participants in total, set off after their respective “rabbits” – crossers dressed with ears and puffy cotton tails who led out the chaotic run-with-leashes. A’s, B’s (aka “sandbaggers”), Clydesdales, Masters and lapdogs thundered their way from the start line towards the first set of barriers, en route to a 1/3 mile circuit.
While some pooches sprinted onto glory, others were more interested in socializing and sniffing. Overly-exuberant folks yanked on leashes while overly-exuberant canines bee-lined with owners barely hanging on. Some dogs needed treats for on-course hand-up encouragement, others side-stepped barriers and went off-course to avoid puddles (a technique that fans dubbed “Seattle-style”) and one three-legged dog was either expressing her true feelings for the event – or perhaps just her excitement – when she stopped to drop a load right in front of the first barrier.
On the line were the coveted sparkly Golden Collars to winners and plenty of treats for all provided by Cycle Dog, a company that makes leashes and collars from recycled innertubes. Portland is very much both a cyclocross and a dog town. Combine them both and it’s hard to miss. I’ll speak for my own pooch, a mid-pack clydesdale finisher; although she wasn’t sure what the hell was going on in the beginning, it was a good time had by all and we’ll be back for DDCXWC10.
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