(MAY 14, 2008)
You still have time to register for the Tour de Hood recreational ride for this Sunday May 18. Rider information packet is also available.
(MAY 10, 2008)
You can download in a PDF format the NRC Mens Technical Guide and the Womens UCI Technical Guide for the Nt. Hood Cycling Classic.
(MAY 10, 2008)
I wanted to take a last minute opportunity to update you and what we have set up for the 2008 Mt. Hood Cycling Classic.
Packet pickup Pro Men and Women
Will be located at the official host hotel the Comfort Inn located in Troutdale, Oregon. Troutdale is a suburb of Portland and the hotel is located 15 minutes from the PDX airport and roughly 20 minutes to stages 1 and 2. For more information and directions check them out on line at the Comfort Inn. Nightly results and communicates will be available there. We have made a small change to fall within accordance of UCI regulations and switched the team managers meeting with packet pickup/check in. So team packet pickup will be from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday May 13th and the team managers meeting will be from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. that afternoon. This is ONLY for teams. Riders not competing with a team or riders participating on a composite team will need to pickup their packets between 12:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Packet Pick Up CAT 2/3
Men and Masters
Packet pickup for Masters and CAT 2/3 men will be open Wednesday night from 7-8:00 p.m. at Discover Bicycles in Hood River, Oregon and Thursday morning from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. at Toll Bridge Park in Parkdale, Oregon. Packet pickup closes at exactly 8:30 so make sure you are there early.
Stage Info Updated
For starters and in accordance to the UCI we have renamed our stages and the prologue will no longer be considered stage #1. So this event will contain a prologue and 5 stages. I apologize for the over site on our part and any confusion this may cause. We have spent a very long and tiring past 5 days revising the big mountain stage called the Wy’East Road Race (stage 4) due to a lack of cooperation with Mother Nature (namely 20 miles of road still covered in 3-4 feet of snow). Thanks to the patience and understanding of the Oregon Department of Transportation and others we have created a new course that we are confident will be just as spectacular and probably even more dramatic. The women and amateur men will be looking at a stage that is 75 miles long with 8000 feet of climbing and the men will be looking at 101 miles with 11,000 feet of climbing. The race will start near sea level and finish at the Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort at 5,500-foot elevation. Course maps and profiles will be posted on our web site later today. Be aware that the ski resort will still be in operation that day as they still have nearly 15 feet of snow at the base of the resort. For updated info and weather you can go to the Mt. Hood Meadows conditions page.
This new course will be a point to point race with a 75-mile transfer from the finish back to the start (all short cuts are buried in snow). Busses will be located at the start line for riders to load gear and equipment that they want at the finish line waiting for them and we have buses arranged to transport riders back to the start line. However it is strongly encouraged that you make arrangements and recruit support so that you do not have to make this transfer unless necessary. We are sorry for the inconvenience this will cause some of you and thank you for your patience. Unfortunately there were no other options at this point.
Thanks to all of you for including us in your 2008 racing calendar. We look forward to serving you and your riders this next week.
Classic Awarded Highest Ranking on the USA Cycling National Racing Calendar
Mt. Hood Cycling Classic returns May 13 - 18, 2008
6 Stages in 6 days / 35,000 vertical feet of climbing 400 miles
Top pro cycling teams from U.S. and Canada are competing
(November 19, 2008)
The Mt. Hood Cycling Classic is returning for the 2008 season in full force. This year, the event has been recognized as one of the top professional races in the country, earning the highest ranking on the USA Cycling National Racing Calendar. In addition, the Classic has been named as one of only three UCI women’s point races in the nation, an honor that will make it an Olympic qualifier event.
Chad Sperry, Classic’s race director, couldn’t be more thrilled, "We are incredibly excited at the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic receiving the highest ranking on the pro circuit. It insures that every pro team in the U.S. will be here hunting down points for the national series."
And what does Sperry have to say about being part of the UCI women’s series? "Being an international women’s race is incredible. It brings a whole new element to the race because the Classic will be one of the final Olympic Qualifiers for the U.S. women. No other stage race in the U.S. qualified for this prestigious honor and as a result we expect to draw women from across North America and Europe to compete. It gives Americans a chance to see first hand who will represent the United States next summer in Beijing.”
One of the many great attributes of the Classic is that it is a home grown event. As Sperry explains, "the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic has grown far more rapidly than any other race on the pro circuit, far surpassing events that have been in existence 2 and 3 times longer than we have. We feel strongly that this success is in large part due to the overwhelming natural beauty of the area, the spectacular roads and venues, and the tremendous community support."
Organizers have shared the success of the race with the community by advancing bike safety, health and fitness. "The Pros in Schools Program has been huge. I have already had a number of pro teams asking if they can participate again in 2008. Having these accomplished athletes talk to kids about bike safety, helmets, health and fitness, and working to accomplish personal goals is a positive message," says Sperry. “We want to broaden these programs and, as the race continues to grow, we intend to pursue more ways to give back to the community.”
The race will return on May 13, 2008, and rumor has it that it will add to the already challenging terrain with a visit (or two) to the City of Portland, which has been recently touted in the media as one of, if not the most, cycling friendly communities in the country. It seems that the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic has found the right combination of beautiful venues, challenging terrain, top notch competition, and community involvement.
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