Team Name? Hutch’s/Bend Dental Group
My Name? Bruce Rogers
What is your role within the team? Team Director (we like to switch this position around on occasion to give others the opportunity to lead. This is my first year in the roll. I’m on my 18th year with the team)
How did you get into cycling? 2003, $50 bet with two other buddies on who would post the best time for individuals in the Pole Pedal Paddle (Bend OR). I bought a used hardtail mountain bike to prepare for the biking portion. I did not own a road bike. I rented a road bike from Hutch’s for the event. Between January 2003 and the Pole Pedal Paddle in May 2003 I lost over 30 lbs. I was drawn to the fun factor of MTB’ing and “out the back door” access to singletrack in Bend.
What was your first OBRA race? Chainbreaker MTB race the week before the Pole Pedal Paddle in 2003. I won the beginner class. I was hooked.
When was the team created? Hutch’s Bicycles of Bend has sponsored a team in some form since the late 1980s. In 2008 the team was revamped with some additional sponsors, including Bend Dental Group.