Tonight’s Monday night races

[Kevin Blair]

We need your support!
Pre-registration numbers are currently very low( road has 8 riders and short track 16) and without enough racers signed up in advance, it becomes difficult for us to continue putting on these events. We love providing local racing opportunities and want to keep them going for our community.
We know the forecast is calling for rain, but that’s all part of racing in the PNW! If you’re planning to race, please consider pre-registering so we can confidently move forward with the event. We hate saying this but If we don’t see an increase we will cancel tonight and some future races as we cannot keep this alive much longer with current turn outs. 

Every registration makes a difference, and we’d love to see a strong turnout. Thanks for supporting local racing—we hope to see you at the start line!

[Kevin Blair]

Hello, I want to say thanks to all that have reached out to me on this so far. I also want  to ask people to stop bugging the city on this as we have a very good relationship with them. It is not the city's issue when participation is low. The track price has not been raised in years. Other costs have raised. It costs us ~$2300 a night to run a race(track cost, Security, Officials, OBRA, Storage, supplies,  personal insurance, website, staffing)  We are being open and honest with everyone on costs. When you do the average it is roughly 105-108 riders to break even. All of this is ran with a very small crew and some of us use our personal vacation from our jobs to make it happen as we love the sport. 

Monday night PIR road had 27 riders total.  That is the lowest turnout in History of monday and tuesday pir even when it rains that we could find. For 2027 we are looking to cancel any race that has rain scheduled for the night or we do double points night and reward the people who race in the rain. 

Monday Night Short track on Monday had 50 riders! Thank you to all that raced that night as it was epic conditions on the trails! IF you didnt come you missed a great night! 

Everyone is emailing saying this race can't leave and we must keep racing alive. We are trying.  

We are also getting emails about how tuesdays need to come back in July. So lets do a test.  This coming monday temps are 90+ degrees.  Lets see a super strong turnout in the heat and then we will look to add 2 tuesdays in July.   90 degrees is what July temps usually are. We want to see more racing in Portland and hope you do as well. 

 We are looking into it more ways to sustain/cut costs in the future but we may be cutting even more if need be. 

Our ask, What can we do to make it more enjoyable at PIR to bring more racers out as we all know how bad it is to battle the headwinds by yourself. 

Kevin

[John Dvorsky]

Hi-

We haven't participated primarily because we live in SW Portland and the traffic getting out to PIR is horrendous that time of day.  It greatly limits our interest in going.  Anywhere north on I5 or I205 is just not doable unfortunately.  My son did go a few times last year because he rode there but it is pretty far so not doable every week, especially with school in session.  Great series but the location just makes it untenable. 

Hopefully that feedback is helpful.

John R. Dvorsky

 

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From: Kevin Blair <kevin....@hotmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, June 10, 2026 11:20 AM
To: OBRA Chat <obra...@obra.org>
Cc: Kevin Blair <kevin....@hotmail.com>
Subject: [OBRA Chat] Re: Tonight’s Monday night races

 

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[stu bailey]

Hi Kevin,

First off, thanks for everything you and the crew are doing to keep PIR going. I know none of this happens by accident, and I really appreciate the amount of work, personal time, and vacation time people are putting into it.

I’ve been thinking about the low turnout, and my feeling is that it’s probably not one single reason. It feels more like a bunch of small frictions stacked on top of each other until people quietly stop showing up.

PIR is a great race when there are enough riders. With good fields, it becomes tactical, fast, social, and fun. There are groups, moves, shelter, teams, chases, primes, and all the stuff that makes racing feel like racing. But when the numbers get low, it can turn into a lonely wind tunnel where a handful of strong riders ride away and everyone else gets sandblasted alone. That is a hard sell, especially for newer riders, mid-pack riders, masters riders, or anyone who is on the fence after a long workday.

I also think PIR may need a stronger identity. It is a series, and it has always been a series, but I’m not sure it currently feels like a series with a culture around it and two races a week? At times it can feel more like “another race night” rather than something people feel they have to be part of.

My gut feeling is that the emotional pull is not quite strong enough right now to overcome the friction: traffic, weather, work schedules, getting home late, the risk of getting shelled, and the general intimidation factor of road racing. None of those things stops everyone, but together they probably stop enough people to hurt the fields.

I wonder if the answer is less about adding more nights and more about making each night  of a 6 +/- race  series feel amazing. Perhaps consolidate the energy, give it a real identity, and make it feel like “this is the PIR Night Series”

A few ideas that might help:

Create a Team Cup where every category counts — not just the fastest Cat 1/2/3 riders, but beginners, masters, women, juniors, Cat 4/5, everyone even the last place. Make teams bring people. Give points for placing, finishing, starting, volunteering, bringing new racers, and showing up on rain or thermal blast nights. That way every rider matters, not just the people winning the fastest race.

Make the weekly standings visible and fun. Post team standings, individual standings, participation points, prime winners, most aggressive rider, most improved rider, new racer shoutouts,  have a Lantern Rouge award  for the series and a jersey for last place  - let people race for last place  make last a thing.. and whatever else gives people a reason to follow the story week to week in IG or what ever platform. 

Really nail the photos and recaps. By the next morning, people should see what happened and feel like they missed something. Photos, short video clips, results, team points, a couple funny callouts, and the hook for the next week could make a big difference.

Bring in more of a scene around the race: music, get a highschool drum band to play every time we blast by have a Tuba night, team tents, sponsor promos, primes, podium photos, maybe a food cart or simple hangout area if possible. It doesn’t have to become Tulsa Tough, but it could borrow a little of that energy in a Portland-sized way.

Keep building the beginner pathway. A short beginner clinic, mentor riders, first-time racer support, and a very clear “you belong here” message could help get people past the intimidation factor. PIR should feel like the easiest place in Portland to become a better bike racer. As a Masters rider who raced at PIR in the 70's and 80's - it's where we learned the craft.

And honestly, I’d love to see a little more Portland weirdness mixed in which has been done like the fixed gear race.  Maybe a beach cruiser single  lap race, retro kit night, bring-your-weird-bike night, Bring your mom for points,  cow costume race, whatever. Not every week needs to be a circus, but a few fun nights could give the series more personality and make people hang around instead of just race and leave.

Back in the 70s and early 80s, a lot of racing culture was not just the race itself. It was the teams, the dinners, the hanging around, the stories, the place to be seen, and the place to have fun. I think PIR could use a little more of that feeling again. Last year it had moments like that.. made my week.

The racing still has to be good, but the event around it has to feel alive. To me, the goal would be to turn it from “there’s a race tonight” into “this is where the Portland cycling scene shows up.” don't miss it.

Thanks again for asking for feedback and for keeping this alive. I’d really love to see PIR become that must-show-up weekly race series again.

Best,

Stu. Team O Masters 60+ (2025 Series Winner)

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[Deziré Clarke]

As a parent, I love seeing my son out doing something healthy, active, and community-minded. Portland is a cycling city, yet more and more young cyclists seem to be racing indoors on screens rather than getting outside and riding with others. Like many parents, I'm doing all I can to keep my teen engaged in real-world activities and away from excessive screen time.

I would be happy to help spread information through school communities and parent networks about opportunities for youth cycling. There is strong interest from parents in activities that get kids outdoors, building confidence, fitness, and community.

I also wonder if there are ways to attract more junior riders. Offering more beginner-friendly races or entry-level events could encourage new families to give racing a try and help grow participation over time. It seems like there is a real opportunity to bring more young people into the sport.

Best,
Deziré

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[Alex Yale]

Thank you Kevin and the OBRA team that makes PIR happen! It is such an amazing gift to have a weekly race so accessible and reliable in Portland. It would be dreadful to see it evaporate away and just be a memory.

 

I agree with what Stu wrote below. I also get that there is limited time and budget to invest in PIR, especially right now. The fundamental issue is not enough young new riders are entering the sport. Most of the P1/2 field is still made up of guys that have been doing this for decades. I have been racing PIR since 2008, participated with OBRA teams since 2009 (10 Guys, TAI, POA and now YBA). I have watched the sport change drastically locally as well as nationally in that time. I love the fact that we have PIR, Tabor, short track, etc available to us, and want to do anything I can to help them continue to thrive. Here are some thoughts and suggestions shaped by years of observations and conversations with many OBRA members.

 

 

Every year folks age out, crash out, etc., but not enough new riders start new. We should focus on the new riders. We need to bring back the emotional pull to race. So how do we do that?

 

1. Make sure not to cannibalize the races we do have. This is the shortest (number of weeks) PIR Monday series I can remember outside of the Covid hiatus. It used to last from April to the beginning of September. Yes, we used to have both Monday and Tuesday night PIR races, but that was when we had bigger fields in the PNW (Monday was only 30 or 35+). It is hard to have Monday, Tuesday, and then Wednesday night all in the same week. Then have races like Tour de Bloom, or other weekend races. Racers can’t race 4+ days a week every week, and most can’t afford what that totals up to ever month. So, attendance automatically gets diluted. Suggestion 1 is just do Monday night but extend it from April to the end of August. Cross is still popular enough. Starting in July, you start seeing Cross racers start attending PIR to train for cross. That’s great.
2. Make PIR a series again. Bring back the monthly jerseys. A $70 jersey will help make the fight for points and showing up consistently relevant and cool again.
3. Push the PIR season pass. Make it a deal you can’t turn down.
4. We can’t wait 3-4 days to get PIR results anymore. We need to know the top 5 results immediately after the race. I thought the chip timing was going to solve this issue, but it hasn’t. PIR is a points race, and often the first across the finish line doesn’t not win the night. It’s not cool to go days without knowing the results. Riders want to post to Strava 30 minutes after the race.
5. Marketing and branding are key. Everything is on social media. Having a good picture on a podium is worth it to a bike a racer. OBRA should take these photos themselves and then post them to OBRA socials right away so that the rest of us can simply repost them. This in return helps OBRA. Racers train all year, spend thousands on equipment and steal precious time and energy away from family and work to show up to PIR. They need the carrot!!! BUILD 5 new wood podiums. Paint them and put 1-5 on the front of them. Standing on a bench, a curb, or nothing at all after a road race or crit is so lame. Many of us also have sponsors. Sponsor’s only ROI is social media engagement these days. No one outside of OBRA looks at results. Pictures and posts matter. This is also an opportunity for a local company to sponsor the PIR season ($5K, $10K, etc) and have a backdrop podium banner made. Do it with AI for nickels if you must.
6. Have a 5-person podium at the end of PIR within 10 minutes of the finish. Give the top 10 racers a reason to fight for the 5^th spot. Costs you nothing matters to a bike racer that is showing up and striving. No prize money needed.
7. Post at least the top 10 results that night. The rest can wait till the day after.
8. This year hot spots kind of disappeared. Often we were told we’d get 2 or 3, and we’d only get 1 or none. Bring them back so we have one about every 3 laps. 1 or none makes for kind of a boring race.
9. I prefer the clockwise direction. Thank you. However, we used to alternate directions every week. Maybe that would help keep it fresher to switch every 2 or 4 weeks. Not sure.
10. Bring back the team’s competition. Top 3 or 4 riders on each team. This incentivizes all the other racers that are not the top 5% of sprinters to race. Have a prize at the end of the season. Even a small monetary prize ($500-$1000) and a little plaque will do it. Enough for a team dinner.
11. The chip is great. Make it work better or don’t spend money on them:) Should be auto results. Some of the chips are not working at all for riders this year.
12. The new numbers are great! The color idea is awesome for various mixed categories. They are small and stretchy. Replace the regular OBRA numbers with these for 2027. Do it please, please, pretty please. The OBRA numbers suck so hard you guys. They are not stretchy they are enormous. They cover up your pockets. They are not aero. As bike racers we are super nerdy and obsessive. It’s fun to geek out on this sport. We spend thousands on aero wheels and hundreds on aero clothing. We are not cool with putting a giant non stretchy trash bag on the side of our bodies during races when it counts. It does not need to have the OBRA website on it (we have already been there). Make it the same as the new PIR bibs.  
13. If you’re going to use PIR colors on the numbers, make sure when riders upgrade, they automatically get a new color bib number or they can’t upgrade. Riders are upgrading and wearing old numbers / colors. That is causing confusion and more problems than if we had no colors at all.
14. 2 years ago, the last month of PIR they did hot laps every lap just for fun and to mix it up. I thought that was a great thing and easy to mix in going forward. Maybe try it once a month.
15. Keep it on Mondays so that people can recover on Tuesdays to attend Tabor on Wednesdays. Switch to Tuesdays if you must, but only on weeks when there is no Tabor.
16. Incentivize young riders. Pair up experienced riders with new riders. Have free sign-up coaching sessions for senior riders to help teach young riders. Perhaps give them a special bib so other racers know they are “in training” in mixed fields to give them space and grace.
17. Reach out to middle and high schools to see if there is a way to have schools help connect to students.
18.  The new color-coded score board is great!

 

Thank you again for all of your hard work, transparency and dedication. None of us take it for granted. Road racing has been experiencing headwinds since 2012. But OBRA and bike racing is one of the unique and wonderful lifestyle amenities in the PNW. Let’s do everything we can to help it thrive and move past this evolving environment within our sport.  

 

Best,

 

Alex Yale, NCARB, AIA

Principal

 

 

YALE + BROWN ARCHITECTS

404 NW 10TH AVE SUITE 101

PORTLAND, OR 97209

503.334.7392

WWW.YB-A.COM

 

 

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[kin...@duck.com]

Posting these for Dickie

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[Lesley Lacny]

Hi Kevin,

Thank you for being committed to making more racing happen!

My middle school son would have loved to have been involved in this but regrettably, for us, it is just not possible during the week at that location as we would need to drive over an hour in traffic. If these events were moved to the weekend, I am guessing it would make it much easier for juniors to attend. 

I understand that is likely not possible but thought the feedback may be helpful. 

Thank you!

Lesley

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[Alex Brasch]

Hi Kevin and PIR team,

I want to echo the thoughtful responses shared by Stu and Alex. Personally, I wish I had discovered PIR sooner after moving to Portland, but since getting back into racing a few years ago, I'd hate to see it go. I know my teammates on Superare Racing feel the same--it's been a place to meet new friends, reliably test the legs, learn new skills/tactics, and have fun on two wheels.

It's hard to add to that list of excellent suggestions that Alex laid out, so I'll only add one additional thought. Concerning temps, you likely have some good data on how much heat impacts turnout, but from my perspective, many of us can deal with the heat. I appreciated how Tuesday Night PIR would extend the road season into July/August in past years. I found it more challenging to attend multiple races that were stacked up on weekends and the first half of the week this year.

Thank you Kevin, OBRA, and all those that help keep this event going. As a new team to the area, we look forward to pitching in where we can.

Alex Brasch (Superare Racing) 

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