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Records Set at Alpenrose Velodrome Challenge

By Dave Campbell

The twelfth edition of the Alpenrose Velodrome Challenge (AVC), one of the nation’s premier track cycling competitions, was presented from July 16 to 18. The peculiar 268-meter outdoor concrete track, nestled in Portland, Oregon’s southwest hills on the grounds of the Alpenrose Dairy, has acquired cult-like status among the fixed gear faithful. Riders from all over the country as well as Canada and New Zealand make the annual pilgrimage to race on the 43-degree banks of the cigar-shaped oval. What follows is an account of the most hotly contested events at this year’s AVC.

Photo courtesy of Amara Boursaw / Wheels in Focus

One of the most spectacular events on the track, the Madison requires skill and dexterity. Spectators witness multiple high-speed hand-sling exchanges between racers and their teammates while riding among others.

The the action began with timed events and once again, Dan Harm (Broadmark Capital) dominated the 4,000 meter pursuit. Although he won last year, missing the track record by only half a second, his sights were set on that goal once again. This year’s performance got him 15 seconds ahead of his nearest rival, Emile deRosnay of Victoria, BC, but the strong Washington rider’s 4:55:19 was less than a second off the 4:54:23 record set by Mike Tillman back in 2002. Colorado rider Cari Higgins (Peanut Butter & Co. Twenty12), just back from a four-medal haul at the Mexico City Pan-American Games, took the women’s 3km pursuit in 4:04:38.

Records were broken, however, in the women’s 500 meter time trial. Although the warm and blustery conditions didn’t seem conducive to breaking the 37.90 mark established by Olympic Gold medalist Lori-Ann Muenzer in 2001, local favorite Jen Featheringill (Bike Central) threw down a 38.10 to top the leader board with only Monique Sullivan from Calgary, Alberta, left to ride. The Canadian smoothly sliced through to a 37.33, causing the packed stands to erupt in appreciation. Local up-and-comer Anissa Cobb (Veloforma) took third in 38.43.

The men’s kilometer competition was fierce, with Canadian National Team member Jamie Shankland, a silver medalist in this year’s Canadian Nationals, riding an impressive 1:09:58. The mark still stood as the final competitor and current record holder, Portland’s Per Bjesse (Brian’s House of Pain), took the start with power, intensity, and focus. However, he could only manage 1:09:82, leaving the title in Shankland’s hands.

Photo courtesy of Amara Boursaw / Wheels in Focus

Jen Featheringill may have only qualified fifth, but she still managed to get the gold and successfully defend her title in the Sprint competition.

No less than eight Canadian National team members were in attendance, and on Saturday the four fastest lads, clad in red and white maple leaf skinsuits, requested a record attempt of their own, resulting in a one-off team pursuit. Their target was the 4:46:90 time set back in 1997 by Team Shaklee at the EDS Cup. With encouragement from Alpenrose faithfuls, Mark MacDonald, Jacob Schwingboth, Stephen Meyer, and Remi Pelletier-Roy were close to the mark by mid-race, and with four laps to go they were ahead of the record pace. However, after displaying a “full throttle” approach that was heralded by everyone in attendance, the team faded in the closing two laps, thereby losing a man and falling short of their goal, stopping the clock at 4:48:35.

Perhaps the most exciting race happened in the team sprint competitions. First up was the ladies two-rider-two-lap format. Current record holder, Amelia Bjesse-Puffin, who set a 41.68 with teammate Andrea Fisk last year, joined forces with five-time Elite National Champion, Higgins, to post a new record time of 41.26, taking the lead with two teams still to race in what was the deepest and most talented women’s field ever assembled at AVC. Washington rider Tela “the pain train” Crane teamed with four-time U.S. National Champion Liz Reap-Carlson of Pennsylvania to blaze out a 40.98 as the already frenzied crowd went nuts. Sprint specialist Featheringill partnered with 20-year-old Trexlertown powerhouse Dana Feiss to roar through in 40.50, in a final bettering of the record.

Photo courtesy of Amara Boursaw / Wheels in Focus

The ladies getting ready to sprint.

It was a tough act for the men to follow, but a number of teams were eyeing the 53.50 record set last year by Canadian fast-man Travis Smith, Californians Keyln Akuna and Olympian Adam Duvendeck. First to break it and take the lead were Akuna, Smith and their new teammate Mathieson. They rode extremely smooth to establish a fast 53.44 performance. The cheering continued when local riders Dean Tracy (a past National Team Sprint Champion) of Team Rubicon, his teammate Andy Williams and sprint phenom Kevin Mansker (current Team Spring National Champion) managed powerful and explosive coordination which brought them to the finish line in 53.33 seconds.

Mansker, in only his third year of track racing, was one of the brightest stars of the weekend. He and Smith (17-time Canadian National Champion and ranked number one in the world most of this season) both qualified in 11.54 in preparation for the match sprint tournament. Mansker stunned all by leading out and decisively holding off Smith, the defending AVC Sprint Champion, in the finals. Tracy, the 2008 AVC sprint winner, came through the repechage rounds and overcame a series of disappointing rides to take third in front of Sam Milroy (LTO Velo) of California. Mansker also won the crowd favorite Keirin, where riders are paced for six laps behind a motorcycle before being released for two all-out laps to the finish. Eight riders made it to the final by winning one of the four main or four repechage heats. The 21-year-old crashed while fighting for position only a half lap into the final race, but immediately picked himself up for the re-ride. Coming from the back with incredible speed, he overcame none other than two-time Olympian Jame Carney, who held the front for most of the race, for a stunning and convincing victory. Stephen Beardsley (Gentle Lovers) of Portland finished third.

The mass start racing was highlighted by the dominance of Carney in the men’s races and Higgins in the women’s. The men’s 10-mile scratch race saw nearly 30 riders take to the track in a consistently high speed, strung-out frenzy that at the half way point was just ahead of Kenny Williams’ 20:40 track record time set in 2001. Carney spent most of the first half near the back of the field, patiently awaiting his chance. In the closing laps he positioned himself in the top five with the powerful Harm, mouth agape, frequently stringing things out. The record seemed in jeopardy as the pack bunched with only five laps to go as all of the contenders wanted Carney’s wheel. The last lap, however, was raced at nearly 40 miles an hour, as Carney roared home, crossing the line, hands in the air, in 20:36, breaking yet another record. Canadian Schwinboth and Portland messenger Zac Kovalcik (BRIHOP) followed.

Photo courtesy of Amara Boursaw / Wheels in Focus

Keiren: Racers do six motor-paced laps before being released for two all out sprint laps to the finish.

Carney similarly dominated the points race, accumulating 35 points to best the same two challengers. Most of the attacking came courtesy of Team Canada, but Kovalcik’s incessant chasing and contesting all sprints had him in second place until Schwinboth came by in the final turn of a chaotic last lap to snatch silver. Higgins used not only her strength, but the frequent aggressive attacking of her Peanut Butter & Co. Twenty12 teammate, Hanan Alves-Hyde, to secure wins in both the miss and out and the points races.

The women’s sprint tournament had Sullivan qualifying first by posting a 13.02, while last year’s winner Featheringill was fifth behind Higgins, Feiss and Crane with a 13.37 performance. However, Featheringill decisively won all her rounds racing from the front, while Crane used an explosive backstretch approach to upset both Feiss and Sullivan to make the final. Featheringill was not to be denied and tortured the younger rider with her long and drawn-out accelerations, successfully defending her title. Sullivan was the favorite to claim the Keirin race, but many women couldn’t be counted out. She controlled the motor and was leading going into the bell lap, but the compact and powerful Feiss exploded onto the front stretch and held off Sullivan and Carlson to claim the victory.

The weekend Omninum was topped by endurance racers in both men’s and women’s events. The ever-versatile Higgins was an easy winner, with 31 points, while Carney’s 24 gave him his first Omnium title at Alpenrose. Sprint specialist Mansker, soon to relocate to the ADT center in Los Angeles to further his racing career, was second with 14, and Canadian Schwinboth took third with 10 points.

What was most striking about the weekend was to see how Northwest riders who were massively outclassed in nearly every event back in 1999 — when the event was first presented — can now compete at the highest level in all disciplines; a good sign that track racing is alive and well in the Pacific Northwest.