Greetings OBRA Community,

OBRA has had a great start to 2021. Thank you to all of you that have renewed your OBRA membership and to our new members! And, thanks to the support you gave us through your memberships and contributions, OBRA is in a healthy position for success this year.

With the positive news of better vaccine distribution and the declining COVID-19 numbers in Oregon, we are hopeful that we may see some more “normal” racing opportunities later in the year. Please stay diligent about protecting yourself and others.

We have two races coming up in March; the Shasta Gravel Hugger and Echo Red to Red. The promoters of both these events have come up with solid plans and race formats that are in place to keep the racers, staff, officials, and volunteers safe while following their local COVID restrictions and guidance. It is also up to you to follow the risk mitigation plans they have implemented. We view the communities where our events happen as the key to maintaining racing opportunities for our members. When traveling to races, please do your best to be respectful of their citizens and minimize unnecessary contact. 

I met with the cyclocross race promoters last week and I think this could be one of OBRA’s most exciting CX calendars in a while. Almost all of the races are on the OBRA calendar https://obra.org/schedule There are some of our old favorites in Corn Cross, Heiser Farms, the Crossword Challenge, the Outlaw Series, and all the amazing Cyclocross Crusade races. There are also some cool new events starting with Left Coast Cellars CX on August 29. On September 11-12, there is Can Chaser CX at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds in Redmond. This Brad Ross-designed course will utilize the rodeo arena and horse stables. On September 25, Clint Culpepper of Trophy Cup fame will be promoting Vanport CX at PIR which will run into the night under the lights. Clint is currently working with these early season weekend events to create an exciting new series. 

By now I am sure that most of you have read our announcement about the closure of Alpenrose. This is a special place for many people in our community. We have left the Blind Date Series on the calendar because I know that Tony and Joe are trying to find a new venue. Once they do, I know that series will be special again because of them and the community. Their passion and sense of humor are not going anywhere. The dirt may be different but the race remains the same. The same thing goes for the Cyclocross Crusade. I know many will miss that fantastic finish on the velodrome but it is the community and the culture that makes these races special. 

Although this decision is coming earlier than in past years, we are thrilled to announce that the 2021 OBRA Cyclocross Championships will be Bridge City CX at Oaks Park Amusement Park on October 9-10. It has been a goal of ours for this championship to be a two-day event with a day of non-championship category racing on Saturday (with some fun stuff thrown in) and the age group and elite championship races held on Sunday. We know that Erik Tonkin and the Sellwood community are up to the task and will produce an excellent weekend of racing. 

Finally, I want to thank OBRA’s newest business partner, Stages Cycling which is offering a generous discount to current OBRA members. This is a great benefit to our members from a company right here in our backyard. I also want to remind you of the Spot Insurance benefit for current OBRA members. For $59 a year, OBRA members get a $25K out-of-pocket medical benefit anytime they are injured while riding a bike including during OBRA sanctioned races. Find out more about these benefits by clicking on the links below.  

I look forward to seeing you (at a respectable distance) at the races.

—-

Chuck

Stages Discount: industry.obra.org/obra-stages-2021.

Spot Insurance: industry.obra.org/obra-and-spot-insurance.