Road Bike Racing - Looking to start racing next year - Portland teams?

I'd like to start training with a portland team this year to start racing cat 4/5 with them next year. I've searched around a bit but can anyone reccomend a team or point me in the right direction to start looking? Any other advice is welcomed as well. Thanks!

It is good that you are thinking about getting a head start. Have you done much paceline work in the past? The more you can do early in your racing career, the better. It will help you save energy in races by knowing how to draft well. It can also keep you safe by learning how to deal with bumping elbows or wheels. This can happen a lot by accident in races...and sometimes intentionally (think McEwen/O'Grady scraps).


Group rides will also help you get used to constant speed changes that happen all the time in races.
This is my first season of racing and I've found that it usually isn't the average speed that kills me. It is more the pace changes and accelerations. I can handle a certain amount of those before my legs quit. So I have been trying to do more intervals and groups rides to get used to this.

In your first year of racing, try a lot of different types of races. If there is anything left in the season you may want t try a few things just to get your feet wet. I used to think I was a sprinter, but I found I really don't do well at that compared with other W4 women. What I can do better is TT, but I wouldn't have found that out unless I tried different races. That has helped me figure out some good training blocks to do the rest of thei season with my coach and then decide what to do in the off season to support my goals.

No paceline work yet. The most people I've ridden with at one time is only about four. I understand the drafting thing to a certain extent from hanging on dearly to my racer friend's wheel towards the end of some of our longer/windier rides but that's about it.

Defintely looking to start taking some group rides asap.

Do most shops have teams or are they independantly organzied by someone who can pull sponsors?

I think most teams are independent groups.
Larger group rides help with the whole pack riding concept. Until you find the group, one thing you can also try is go riding with this group of 4 guys then have attack fests at a certain point. Someone attacks suddenly and then you guys have to be ready to go chase. Thben you recover, then someone else goes and attacks. It's a good way to learn how to react.

You can find numerous teams here: http://www.obra.org/teams/index.html
Myself am on Beaverton Bicycle Club. We do indoor training on rollers in the winter time but then move out to the track (Alpenrose) for pace line work as well as group rides on sunday. You are more than happy to check us out.

-T

Thanks T, i'll keep that site handy. More than anything right now i'm sure i just need to get in on some group rides. Is there an fee when you guys go to the track? Where do you practice on sundays? I'm carless for now so it would have to be somewhere reasonably close to portland. On your site is says that you start at Sunset Athletic club... where is that located? Right now I just want to ride as much as possible so anything i can find would be good. Of course, in this heat, who knows...

Look at the club rides list: http://www.obra.org/teams/rides.html

I know NRR and Columbia River Velo ride all year long, but they're up in Vancouver. There's also a few clubs that will be starting 'cross racing soon.

Show up to club rides and let them know you're interested in joining a club. Most clubs will do on-ride interviews to get an idea of how well you'll fit in the club.

JRider - No fee for the track. We are usually down there Mondays at 6pm and Sat mornings at 9am if there are no races on those days. Sundays we meet up around 9-9:30am at Sunset Athletic club which is located over in Beaverton down cornell close to murray and HWY 26 (http://www.sunsetac.com/Directions.html) You can shoot a message to our coach Phil and ask any further questions you may have. His emails on our website.