North West Cup #1

Northwest Cup 1

The Broken Spoke is a sponsor of the Northwest Cup race series: a six part downhill mountain bike race held in three different locations in Washington and Oregon throughout the summer.  This race brings in professional and amateur riders alike from around the Pacific Northwest and Canada. Racers are broken up into categories based on experience and age. Category (“Cat”) 3=beginner, “Cat” 2=intermediate, “Cat”1=expert, and PRO (self-explanatory).  There is also a junior division.  Each event has two practice days (Friday and Saturday) with the race day on Sunday.  

Here are the dates for all events:

• NW Cup 1 ->  April 6-8 at Dry Hill Port Angeles, WA
• NW Cup 2 ->  April 26-29 at Dry Hill Port Angeles, WA
• NW Cup 3 ->  May 11-13 at Dry Hill Port Angeles, WA
• NW Cup 4 ->   June 14-16 at Mount Hood, OR
• NW Cup 5 ->   July 20-22 at Mount Hood, OR
• NW Cup 6 ->   August 3-5 at Stevens Pass, WA ****Series Finale!!!

The first 3 events are right in our back yard at Dry Hill (up Walkabout Way) in Port Angeles and spectators are free!!!  An interactive course where you hike as they ride, you get to make tons of noise (bring your cowbell or bugle!), and your visual senses will get blown away! Team tents, vendors, food, and fun; a great way to spend a Sunday.

The Broken Spoke Racing Team will be at each event and they love tons of noise so we need you there to help us support our team!

Day at the races!!

A beautiful day for the first Washington State High School race of the season!

 

Sunday, March 25th was the first Washington High School Cycling League's race of the season. Held in our back yard, the Furious Fort Classic at Fort Flagler State Park was a blast!
Our local Olympic Composite Mountain Bike team of Chimacum and Port Townsend made waves... Here are their final results:

Freshmen Boys Division: Milo Steimle, 1st; Joseph Tweiten, 2nd
Freshmen Girls Division: Cassie Ross, 2nd
Sophomore Boys Division: Forest Montgomery, 3rd

The Olympic Composite team overall took 3rd out of 18 teams!
Congrats to all the riders on the OMB team for finishing strong!
Also a big congrats to all the teams that participated in the first race of the season!

Check out the Washington League site to learn more about the teams and their races:  
http://www.washingtonmtb.org/

Joe hard at work tuning race bikes.

Fort Flagler race

Have any plans tomorrow?

Come out to Fort Flagler to help support the new generation of mountain bikers! The Broken Spoke is sponsoring the local Port Townsend-Chimacum High School Mountain Bike Team, and it’s their first race of the season. They’d love for you to come cheer them on!

Want to know more about the High School League? Check out  washingtonmtb.org for more details!
The race is Sunday, March 25th! The race starts at 8am and will continue until they finish (around 2pm).
The Broken Spoke will be the open source mechanic for all racers throughout the weekend.

Reminder for FRIDAY Night's March Moustache Ride

March Moustache Ride! 

Friday, March 23rd at 5pm.

Starts at The Broken Spoke, pedals around town

and ends at Undertown Coffee.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moustache

Join us for a leisurely pedal around town in celebration of all types of moustaches! 

(even bicycle, faux and those without!)

All fun.

Save the dates!

Events to keep on your radar: (which will change as summer progresses! We'll keep you posted on the latest event details, send them to us if you know before we do!)

• March Moustache ride this Friday night March 23rd at 5pm

• First weekend of May  -The Broken Spoke's kick off to the summer season! Including a road ride, Tour de Tweed, and mountain bike ride

• May 9th  -National Bike to School day --a great way to get our kids moving.

• May 13th  -Rhody Tour, hosted by Port Townsend Bicycle Association

• May 18th  -National Bike to Work day, as part of Bike to Work Week, May 14-18. Lucky us Port Townsendites it is also Rhody Festival week!

• June 21st  -National Go Skateboarding Day

• June 24th  -Longest Day of Trails fundraiser for the Olympic Discovery Trail, held on the Larry Scott Trail

• July 28 & 29th  -Lost in the Woods Mountain Bike Race Weekend. More details to come

Additionally, I was sent this link and found it pretty interesting. It is not the whole story of why cyclists are not always seen on the road, yet it is at least a little part of it... It works exactly like it says, and is one major reason people in cars can 'look right at you' (when you're on a motorcycle or bicycle)---AND "NOT SEE YOU".

Motion Induced Blindness - demonstration
http://www.msf-usa.org/motion.html


go check it out!
~Cheers, The Broken Spoke staff

Welcome, Sarah!

Next time you are in our shop, please extend your greetings to our newest staff member: Sarah.

Sarah has joined our team, in mid March 2012, hoping to share her knowledge of bicycles and assist in our summer events.  She definitely knows her stuff and is quickly learning everything that she doesn't know.  See her biography in our About, Contact and Staff page.  She looks forward to commuting more this summer, as well as developing her mountain bike skills.

Come in and and introduce yourself!

Furious Fort Classic call out for VOLUNTEERS!

Our local team, the newly formed Olympic Mountain Bike Team (Composite), will have 12 racers on the start line for the HS League's debut race at Fort Flagler on Sunday, March 25. These mostly freshmen and sophomores (from PTHS, CHS, JCS, and PiHS) have put much effort and enthusiasm into their training. We are fortunate to have strong community support for the team, with 7 coaches as well as other adults who join the training rides and provide other assistance. And we're proud to be the venue for the HS League season's opening race.

Please go to the link below, look at the volunteer needs, and see if there's one you can fill. Come join the fun and support youth mountain bike racing!
Thanks very much!

"Dear Washington League Supporters,   We are gearing up for the season opener at the beautiful Fort Flagler and are working hard to make sure the first race of the season is a huge success.   It takes an army of volunteers to pull off each and every race and we need your help! If you haven't already signed up to volunteer for this race, we ask that you please consider doing so.   To sign-up to volunteer at the Furious Fort Classic at Fort Flagler State Park on March 24 & 25th, please click visit http://www.washingtonmtb.org/volunteer/fort-flagler."

Port Townsend's Victorian Heritage Festival, March 23-25

Victorian Bicycle Demonstration
The idea of attaching pedals to a wheel as a means of personal transportation was developed in the 1860s. During the 1870s through the 1890s bicycles evolved rapidly, becoming a major form of transportation and sport for men and women. This presentation will cover bicycle development during that period. Examples of these bicycles will be available for your examination. We will answer the commonly asked questions: "Why is the wheel so large?" "How do you get on and off?" "Is it safe?" There will be a riding demonstration. We will discuss bicycle lighting and other accessories of the time. You will become an expert on 'Ordinary" and "Safety" bicycles.
Location: Northwest Maritime Center
Time: 10:30-11:30 Sat
Price: General Pass


Highwheel Bicycle Demonstration Race
Why was the front wheel so big? How do you get on that thing? Who rode them and why? See some restored antique bicycles from the 1880s in action, and learn the answer to all of these questions and more. A brief presentation on these bikes in particular will be followed by a short demonstration race around the parade grounds. Afterwards we will have a Q&A session and you will have the opportunity to examine the bicycles more closely.
Location: Fort Worden parade ground, in front of Commanding Officer's Quarters. In case of rain, this event will be held as a presentation only, at 1105 Taylor St. (the Chrisman's house)
Time: 1:00pm
Price: Donation

http://www.victorianfestival.org/pres.html#rec

Trail Day!

Trail Day at 17th Street Right-of-Way near Grant Street School on March 17th

The next bi-monthly trail day sponsored by the City of Port Townsend's Non-Motorized Transportation Advisory Board will be held at the 17th Street right-of-way near Grant Street School on Saturday, March 17th from 9 am to noon. The board decided to clear brush for a couple of blocks along this right-of-way to maintain the pathway between Sheridan and Cleveland Streets as a neighborhood connector.

Any volunteers interested in helping should dress for the weather (wear green) and meet at the intersection of 17th and Sheridan Streets.  Board members will be there to greet everyone. Equipment needed will be: clippers, loppers, pruning saws, rakes and work gloves (eye protection is a good idea too). The volunteer crew will work rain or shine. If the trail work is done early, the crew will check out reroute possibilities around the perimeter of Grant Street School. Registration is required, and special St. Patrick's Day snacks will be served after the work is done. For more information, contact walkers@olympus.net.

March Moustache Ride!

March Moustache Ride! 

Friday, March 23rd at 5pm.

Starts at The Broken Spoke, pedals around town

and ends at Undertown Coffee.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moustache

Join us for a leisurely pedal around town in celebration of all types of moustaches! 

(even bicycle, faux and those without!)

All fun.