I am approaching the one year anniversary of my crash at the Piece Of Cake Road Race on 4/1/2007. The shoulder is still a little jacked, but I’m getting used to it. I have also taken some time to reflect on the past several years and how I have changed as a person. At 165lbs, I am 35 pounds lighter than I was 8 years ago, and 10 lbs lighter than I was when I graduated high school. I am the fittest I have ever been in my entire life, and I am basking in the rewards. The people I have met riding and racing, my teammates and riding partners, are the coolest people in the world. Next to my family and my job, cycling is the most important thing in my life. I cannot live without it. I am so fortunate to have a job that allows me to go ride in the middle of the work day for 2 hrs. I’m lucky to have some of the best roads and scenery to ride through. Besides the apparent physical benefits of cycling, there are great personal benefits as well. The time I have spent on my bike has helped me redefine who I am. You ever wondered who you really are? Spend 11 hours on your bike one day (that’s 190 miles) and you’ll start to figure it out. Racing is a blast. Winning a bike race is a kick ass feeling. Sure, it’s an amatuer bike race, not the frikin’ Tour de France. But still, of the 70 dudes who signed up to race, you cross the finish line first… it feels great. Also, if I can say I helped a teammate get a win, I’m sharing in their victory. It’s a team sport, in case you didn’t know. I’m excited about the momentum that is building within Team Oregon and I’m looking forward to a great season for myself and the team. Ride safe.

-Rob Anderson

 Cherry Pie was a blast. Phil and I carpooled to the race. On the ride down we talked about the team strategy. We both knew I had a shot at winning it based on the miles and training I’ve put in this winter. It was tough to come up with a plan since we did not know how our fitness would stack up against all the other riders. We decided on a few things that we would do; 1) ride together, staying close, 2) communicate with eachother, and 3) stay near the front. It was a nice surprise to see Ian May at the start.

I won’t give a play by play of the race, since I think it’s already been done quite well by Ian and Phil. What I will say is that Team Oregon rode a great race. We stayed up front, close to each other, if not right next to each other for the whole race. When it was time to reel in the break Team-O went the front and organized the chase. Phil put in heroic efforts on the front, which inspired others to join in. With 3 green jerseys up front, we managed to hide the fact that I wasn’t working as hard as the others.

The teamwork between Phil, Ian and I resulted in me getting 2^nd. It would not have happened without them. Thanks guys.

-Rob A

I had some requests on this week’s team ride to post my oat bar recipe. I have no idea where I got this, otherwise I’d give attribution where it’s due. These are a great mid-ride snack, with just enough protein (PB), carbs (oats) and sugar (fruit) to get the job done. Because the chocolate coating contains paraffin, your hands don’t get too sticky. The ingredients can be dialed in to your liking to include any array of ingredients to add nutritional value or flavor.

So, head to the kitchen and gather together:

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Here is our final design, check it out…

Here’s the information that Dohnn Einhorn from Santini provided regarding sizing:

If you go to our website, www.tscyclingusa.com, you will see that we do not provide nor believe in sizing charts. Every cyclist has different tastes. For example, I wear size S Santini bibs, and everyone else my size opts for M or L.

I can give you some reference points, but still it’s best when cyclists try clothing on for sizing.

Uppers ( Jerseys, Vests, jackets)
Under 5′4″ and under 34″ chest XS
5′4 - 5′7″ 34-35″ chest S
5′8-5′10″ 36-37″ chest M
5′10-6″ 38-39″ chest L
6′1-6′2 40-41″ Chest XL
6′3-6′4 42-43″ chest XXL
6′5-6′6 44″-45″ chest XXXL

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Yesterday, Jim Fisher posted this to the OBRA list:

“Hey folks,

I’m putting together a clinic on 1/13 in Corvallis to train up folks to work events as officials. Specifically, we will focus on what we call road or motor refs…folks who officiate from cars driven behind the field during a race. Our pool of experienced officials is drying up, and we need an infusion of new folks to keep the sport healthy. Four experienced officials have offered their time to help make this happen.”

To make this work, Jim needs riders for about 3 hours in the afternoon to stage a mock road race for the officials. Considering they’re going to run follow cars and a finish-line camera, this sounds like a prime early-season training opportunity for the team.

Anyone interested?

Or rather a blog.  This is the new home of Team Oregon, based on Wordpress.