We Love Our Sponsors!

It’s high time for the Harlots to give props and thanks to our sponsors–a list that only keeps getting longer! For 2012, we have the following companies on board, helping us out with product and monies that we are putting toward our race jerseys, a team banner, etc:

Harlot Clothing Co.

Dirty Fingers Bikes

Five Ten

Volcanic Bottle Shoppe

Ten Speed Coffee

Double Mountain Brewery

I can’t say enough about how amazing it has been to watch the Gorge community’s support for cycling grow over the past few years. With sweet riding in every cardinal direction–both mountain and road–Hood River is poised to become a world-class cycling destination, right up there with Fruita and perhaps one day, even Moab. Factor in all of the other outdoor and cultural activities, from kiteboarding to kayaking, fabulous restaurants, breweries, and wineries, and beautiful scenery, and we’ve got a veritable mecca for adventure and fun!

The Harlots are so stoked to be a part of this supportive and wonderful community, during such an exciting time in the evolution of cycling both as an industry on the whole, and within our little corner of the world. We are also proud to be involved as a team with the newly formed Hood River Area Trail Stewards (HRATS), a locally-managed IMBA chapter dedicated to maintaining, building, and saving our trail networks, and with Post and Pinot, the Gorge’s only dedicated weekly women’s mountain bike ride (first ride of the year is tonight!), complete with post-ride wine and raffle prizes.

A big, huge, heart-felt THANK YOU to all of our sponsors for 2012. We will do our best to represent and make you proud!

Find us and Like us on Facebook, follow us on the Twitter!

Introducing New Harlots for 2012!

It’s almost March already, how in the heck did that happen? Longer, sunnier days mean it’s time to start training for race season!

We’ve got some exciting changes for the 2012 season. We have added four new super awesome shredders to the team, joining Stephanie Armesto, Val Vanderpool, and our honorary co-founding member, Jessica Robinson.

We welcome with open arms Ingrid Larouche (2011 Oregon Super-D Series winner), Jennifer ‘JJ’ Johnson (2011 Oregon Super-D Series 2nd place finisher, two-time Cascade Cream Puff finisher), Kelly Nokes (2010 Oregon Super-D Series winner, 2011 Series 5th place finisher), and Heather Pola (Columbia Gorge Marathon winner of her category and 2nd place female overall, 2011, queen of costumes, flair, and tall socks!).

The Oregon Super-D Series is now called the Oregon Enduro Series. There are some pretty big changes to the race format, and one more venue has been added–one of my favorites, Ashland! Check out the website for details.

We are also looking for new sponsors to help make this race season a success! We’ll proudly represent your company while we ride, train, and race–just contact us to learn how to sponsor the Dirty Harlots!

See you on the trail and happy shredding!

September Sabbatical

September was a quiet month for the Harlots. Super-D season is pretty much over, a couple of us are taking care of injuries from the series final in Sandy Ridge, and it’s just been a good time to slow down a bit. A little sabbatical can be good for the shredder’s soul (…and lower back…and hip flexor…and ribs…and shoulder).

We bade a sad farewell to our dear teammate Jessica Robinson a couple of weeks ago, wishing her the best as she migrated north to Bellingham, Washington for a year of higher education. We already miss her, on and off the bike. The good news is, she lives all that much closer to Whistler. I see an early season Canada trip in the Harlots’ future next spring…

Hood River lady rippers just wrapped up a great first season of the weekly Post and Pinot ride, sponsored by Dirty Fingers Bicycle Repair and Naked Winery. What a fun summer it was, meeting new women who are stoked to ride, laughing until our guts hurt, eating popcorn popped just for us by Gary at Dirty Fingers, and drinking enough wine and beer on a Wednesday evening to make it feel like a Friday. Good times, ladies! I already can’t wait until next season.

Stoked to be Shredding -- Post and Pinot

Thanks to Heather Pola for all of the fabulous schwag she scored for our raffles!

Ocean Frog/Heather Pola Rides!

The fall riding season in the Gorge is something I’ve been looking forward to for a couple of months. The trails are tacky, the temps are perfect, all bathed in that gorgeous fall light that is the stuff of dreams. I am personally very excited to ride the Syncline again, after the typical hiatus from the dust, heat, and poison oak it’s famous for  during the summer months.Post and Pinot might be over, but I do see potential for Syncline and Solstice on Wednesday evenings, shredding followed by all-you-can-eat pizza at Solstice Cafe in Bingen. Hells yeah!

Fall riding in the Gorge.

As far as the team goes, we are in the process of planning for the 2012 season. It may seem a little early to be thinking about it, but it’s never too early, really, to start looking for more sponsors. We hope to expand the team to six or eight lady rippers, all based in Hood River. I see potential for good exposure for sponsors, as we all did very well in the Oregon Super-D series this year, with Hood River ladies taking top podium spots for each race, and for the series overall. Besides looking for more sponsors, we plan to attend more races–ideally all of the Super-D races in the Northwest, an XC race or two, and maybe even some DH. We’ll keep you posted as things evolve — and we’ll be introducing new team members very soon!

Happy Fall Riding!

Next Up: Races in Black Rock, Moab, AND Bend on Halloween weekend — How to decide?

Race Report: Oregon Super D, Race #4, Sandy Ridge

I thought maybe this news is too old to post now, but the Sandy Ridge Super-D and final race of the series was so much fun, I can’t help myself!

Post race fun in the sun.

Debauchery with the Diaz Hawk

The build up to this fourth race was tremendous. Fields were stacked, overall series points were very close in some cases, and as the series prizes were announced, the competitor came out in all of us. I think deep down, each of us wanted to win a new Santa Cruz or Ellsworth bike frame–motivation enough to bring the claws out and fight for it in this last race of the season!

The Sandy Ridge course is different from all others, and in many ways, was a breath of fresh air. No barf-inducing climbs, very few boring flats and NO ROAD riding made this track just plain fun. It is pretty true-to-nature, classic Super-D style: a few short climbs and super fun downhill sections. What I love about this course is that it has a little bit of everything, including jumpy sections with tabletops and little hits, bermy/banky sections, and a few technical rocky/rooty sections to keep you on your toes. Fun, fun, fun!

Jessica the Ripper!

If you haven’t ridden out at Sandy yet, hop to it! The network is small but well-built. My first run there involved lots of squealing with delight, and more than once, I was reminded of Whistler’s Crank It Up. A new trail called Quid Pro Flow is peppered with a few awesome technical sections, rocky and delightful. It wasn’t part of the course, but a must-ride if you go to Sandy!

Steph Shreds It!

Our sponsor, Hermosa Tours, provided shuttles for the race on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Jessica and I drove a lot of shuttles and loaded an insane number of bikes, up until our own race runs. It was a lot of hard work, but so much fun to interact with all of the racers and see so many familiar faces from throughout the season.

Val's Race Run

The results (Sandy here and Series overall here)say it all — Hood River racers dominated the Super-D series. Such a dedicated group of riders came out for all of the races, and everyone did so well in the series–even with some significant carnage and mechanicals.

Hood River Racers. So proud of everyone!

Hood River rider Tyler Horton takes Cat. 1 Men, 19-39

I am so proud to be part of such a strong group of women riders, who came out in force from all corners of the Northwest and beyond to race the Super-D series. From the Sturdy Bitch Race team based in Seattle, to the pro women traveling from near and far, all levels of lady rippers showed up, threw down, and made the Super-D series, and my summer, pretty darn amazing.

35+ Old Lady Category -- Hood River ladies representing!

35+ Ladies, Series Finals

Ingrid Larouche took the series for the ladies 35+ Category. She’s a shredder, raced her heart out, and deserved to win that Ellsworth frame! Yeah Ingrid!

Ingrid takes it!

All the Hood River ladies

I already cannot wait for next year’s race season. If it’s even half as fun as this year’s series, I’ll be stoked!

Big, huge thanks going out to all of our sponsors! Dirty Fingers Bicycle Repair, Harlot Clothing Company, Hermosa Tours-Hood River, Five Ten, and Volcanic Bottle Shoppe – you helped make our season even better, hooking us up with all sorts of good stuff. We’re proud to represent!

Labor Day ride = Glade and Pioneer Bridle, stretching out all the racing!

We’ll be updating the blog throughout the winter, so keep checking back for updates from the Harlots!

Labor Day ride crew at Timberline Lodge

Race Report: Capitol Forest Classic Super D, Olympia, WA

Two weekends of Super D racing in a row? Oh hell yes! I wasn’t going to miss the chance to race the Greenline 6 trail in Capitol Forest for anything. One hundred percent singletrack, this course has a little bit of everything, from swoopy, bermy sections to rooty, rocky technical goodness that you want never to end. In contrast to the Oakridge course the weekend before, this markedly shorter race was a welcome break for my fatigued legs!

Late evening practice run.

Capitol Forest is located southwest of Olympia, Washington. Local trail stewards the Friends of Capitol Forest do an amazing job building and maintaining the trail network we all wish we had in our own backyards. The sense of community and omniscient good vibes felt at the race venue was second to none; it was easy to see that this a well-loved riding mecca!

FOCF

I met up with the Sturdy Bitch Racing Team for an awesome weekend of camping and riding.

Love the Sturdy Bitches!

We took several practice runs Friday afternoon.

Trailside snacks.

Later in the evening, husband of one of the Sturdy Bitches, Jeff Lane, and I ended up racing a super short Super-D on a new Whistler-esque trail. Because we were so last minute in deciding to race, our race run was our first time down the course! Full of jumps and hits, well-built berms, and a few “easy” or “hard” lines including a sweet log ride, this trail was so fun we had to sesh it a few times the next day, and once after the race.

A last minute Friday evening Super-D

Susan and Ady of the Sturdy Bitches decided to do the XC race on Saturday. With just over 3,000 feet of climbing and 3,000 feet of descent down Green Line 6, this track had a little bit of everything. Jeff, Marie, Josh, and I decided to shuttle the new trail again instead–call us lazy!

XC running Lemans start.

Later in the day, we ran the Super-D course a couple of times, and then hung out at camp for an awesome potluck.

Race Eve potluck.

Campfire stories.

We were so stoked to be able to choose a category (OBRA sanctioned MTB races only offer two categories for amateur women, divided by age:34 and Under, and 35 and Over–bogus, bogus, bogus!), so I opted to race Expert for the first time in my short racing career.

A little rain, cool temps made for a great race! Virginia takes off.

Full race results here. Be sure to check out Friends of Capitol Forest on Facebook!

Pig spit.

FOCF sure knows how to put on a fun event! Pig spit, tequila bar, and an all-around good vibe turned a fun race into an awesome one. We’ll see you next year!

Tequila Bar -- the Friends of Capitol Forest hook it up!

Susan shredding the XC podium!

Virginia takes the top expert spot, Harlot sighting on 2nd.

The Capitol Forest Classic is another must-do NW event, and very worth the trek up to Olympia! Turbo had just as much fun as we did, and cruised the venue in style.

The Turbo Taxi.

Next up: Sandy Ridge Super-D and finals, September 3-4.

Race Report: Oregon Super D, Race #3, Oakridge

How does approximately one race-pace hour of insane views, grueling climbs, and screaming fast descents sound? A few words come to mind, including awesome, fun, painful, and crazy, but the one that takes the top spot is bittersweet.

Late afternoon practice run.

The Oakridge, Oregon Super D (held the first weekend of August, we’re a wee bit behind!) track is all at once the most fun you’ve ever had on your bike during a race and completely masochistic. It turns from permagrin fun one minute to I-need-to-puke-right-now painful the next. With just over a thousand feet of climbing and 4500 feet of descent, this course properly serves it up, with barely a moment to collect yourself for what comes next.

Our friend Diaz representing Turner Bicycles.

This particular race was more than just a race for Hood River participants. Racers and non-racers alike made the trek to Oakridge to help Mitchell, owner of Dirty Fingers Bicycle Repair in Hood River, celebrate his 40th birthday in style. A whole pig was roasted over a bike-powered spit, a number of  kegs and pray tell what other libations were consumed over the course of three days, ice cream was churned by hand — an unbelieveable treat on a hot weekend, and many, many miles of singletrack were ridden in honor of the birthday boy. It was an amazing weekend of camping and biking–the perfect way to spend a birthday!

Go, Gary, go!

Once again, Hood River racers were a commanding presence on the podiums across the categories. See the full results here, and series totals after Oakridge here.

Kelly Nokes took third in the 34 and under class. She'll be joining our team next year!

Hood River ripper Tyler Horton wins the Cat. 1 Men's 19-39 Class yet again.

Our friend Heather definitely won the Best Costume category. Racing sockless in fishnets=hardcore!

Ocean Frog

The Harlots fared pretty well, all things considered. Steph had a crash near the end but still placed 6th, and I had to take a moment off the bike to vomit (!) during a tough climb, collecting myself enough to come in 5th. We loved the course, despite how difficult it was, and maybe it’s the 20/20 hindsight vision, but I’m looking forward to racing the Alpine trail again next year!

The beargrass was in full bloom.

Thanks to all of our sponsors! Harlot Clothing Co., Dirty Fingers Bicycle Repair, Hermosa Tours – Hood River, Five Ten and Volcanic Bottle Shoppe. We’re proud to represent!

Harlot News!

Lots to tell today. As we prep for the longest, most challenging race of the Oregon Super-D Series, we are super excited to announce that we have a new teammate! Our friend, and fellow shredder, Stephanie Armesto will be joining the Harlots for the remainder of the season and next year. Welcome aboard, ya little ripper!

The other piece of huge news is that we have a new title sponsor, Dirty Fingers Bicycle Repair, our favorite local bike shop in Hood River. They’re coming on board with jerseys and bike repair support. Find them and like ‘em on Facebook, and if you’re in the Gorge, stop in and say hi. The Dirty Harlots? Oh yes, it’s fitting!

Finally, Volcanic Bottle Shoppe in the heights in Hood River has also signed on as a sponsor. With more than 180 beer labels in stock, 6 rotating taps, wine by the glass and bottle, all to be enjoyed in the super cozy beer garden, this place is a post-ride must. Like them on Facebook to keep up with all the latest!
We’re so psyched for all the local love, and look forward to representing!
Wish us luck in Oakridge this weekend!