Oregon Bicycle Racing Association
Encyclopedia
The Oregon Bicycle Racing Association is a bicycle racing organization based in the U.S. state
of Oregon
.
The Oregon Bicycle Racing Association (OBRA) was originally started in the late 70s. Called Oregon Cycling Association (OCA), it was then the district association of USCF clubs. The name was changed to the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association several years later to avoid confusion with the political group, the Oregon Citizens Alliance
which was getting much negative media
attention at the time. There was not much activity for the first few years after OCA was formed. When Steve Scarich became the District Representative he pushed to increase the strength of the organization. Organization was improved and a system of collecting fees from races was established. A few years later Mike Murray was elected to the board. Murray wanted more racing in Oregon
than was currently being done so he turned the focus of the group toward making it easier and easier to produce quality events. He bought traffic signs, photo finish equipment, PA systems, CB radios and much more.
climaxed in December 1998 when they fired all the Regional
Representatives in favor of a plan to only utilize 10 people nationwide to
service the membership. At this same time alternatives to the insurance
provided by the national governing body became more readily available and
the question was asked, 'What are we getting back for the dollars that are
sent to Colorado Springs?' An annual membership ranged from $35 to $50 and
then the charge for insurance was about twice what was available
commercially. OBRA figured that Oregon alone was sending about $200,000
annually to USAC in USCF and NORBA
membership fees and race permits and
surcharges. In exchange we received little in the way of services and now
we were not even getting a local representative. The straw that broke the
back was when USAC doubled the permit fees for the weekend day series races.
To send a message to Colorado Springs the series promoters choose to insure
with an insurance plan purchased by OBRA and to forgo USCF sanctioning. We
sent letters to every USAC board, director and staff member explaining why
we were doing this and further explaining that it was likely that all Oregon
events would do this unless USAC made changes to address our concerns over
the diminishing level of service. We only received one response. It became
apparent that local racing was not what the governing body was about. It is
what OBRA is about, to promote and increase the number of events and racers
within the state. In the fall of 1998 there was a vote of member clubs that
was unanimous that we would offer the OBRA insurance plan to all events.
This meant that virtually all Oregon events were no longer associated with
USAC. We have met with the principle of USAC to see if we could work out
our difference but to no avail.
the highest levels ever when David Beede contacted OBRA about branching out
into mountain bike racing. The dissatisfaction among NORBA members was even
greater than that from the road/track side. Last year they were able to
organize a race series amongst the mountain bike races and added them to OBRA's
already existing email network. This has given them a voice that they have
not experienced before.
Now other states have followed their lead. American Bicycle Racing (ABR) in
the Midwest, Bicycle Racing Association of Colorado (BRAC - which has now
changed its name to American Cycling Association) represent Colorado
,
Arizona
, New Mexico
, Texas
and parts of Texas and North California/Nevada
Cycling Association (NCNCA) have all formed a coalition of association-
Federation of Independent Cycling Associations (FIAC). OBRA has started
incorporation proceedings and are working toward a shared rulebook and rider
reciprocity. No matter what happens, the OBRA membership has chosen to
concentrate on cycling within the state. Their 2000 calendar has over 200
days of racing, They offer discounted membership to juniors and strongly suggest
that the race organizers reduce entry fees for those under 18. Their Best All
round Competition has expanded to recognize the outstanding performances in
each discipline and new for 2000 They are hosting an Oregon Cup of specific
races. One thing to remember is that while OBRA tries to give the impression of
an organized workforce, volunteers do all of the functions of OBRA; there
are no paid positions (Ed. Note- this has changed since this narrative was originally written in 2000). What makes it work is that riders know that to get
they must give back also.
According to Velonews (2006)
There are four paid positions:
, track
, criterium
, time trial, cyclo-cross
, and the mountain bike
disciplines of cross-country
, downhill
and super-d.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
.
Mission
The mission of OBRA is to promote and develop the sport of bicycle racing in Oregon by providing the tools and resources necessary for competition. OBRA values safety, participation, sportsmanship, teamwork, camaraderie and fun.Foundation
Oregon Citizens Alliance
The Oregon Citizens Alliance was a conservative Christian political activist organization, founded by Lon Mabon in the U.S. state of Oregon. It was founded in 1986 as a vehicle to challenge then–U.S...
which was getting much negative media
attention at the time. There was not much activity for the first few years after OCA was formed. When Steve Scarich became the District Representative he pushed to increase the strength of the organization. Organization was improved and a system of collecting fees from races was established. A few years later Mike Murray was elected to the board. Murray wanted more racing in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
than was currently being done so he turned the focus of the group toward making it easier and easier to produce quality events. He bought traffic signs, photo finish equipment, PA systems, CB radios and much more.
Separation from USCF
Dissatisfaction with the United States Cycling Federation came on slowly andclimaxed in December 1998 when they fired all the Regional
Representatives in favor of a plan to only utilize 10 people nationwide to
service the membership. At this same time alternatives to the insurance
provided by the national governing body became more readily available and
the question was asked, 'What are we getting back for the dollars that are
sent to Colorado Springs?' An annual membership ranged from $35 to $50 and
then the charge for insurance was about twice what was available
commercially. OBRA figured that Oregon alone was sending about $200,000
annually to USAC in USCF and NORBA
Norba
Norba, an ancient town of Latium , Italy. It is situated 1 mile northwest of the modern town of Norma, some 1575 ft. above sea-level, on the west edge of the Volscian Mountains or Monti Lepini...
membership fees and race permits and
surcharges. In exchange we received little in the way of services and now
we were not even getting a local representative. The straw that broke the
back was when USAC doubled the permit fees for the weekend day series races.
To send a message to Colorado Springs the series promoters choose to insure
with an insurance plan purchased by OBRA and to forgo USCF sanctioning. We
sent letters to every USAC board, director and staff member explaining why
we were doing this and further explaining that it was likely that all Oregon
events would do this unless USAC made changes to address our concerns over
the diminishing level of service. We only received one response. It became
apparent that local racing was not what the governing body was about. It is
what OBRA is about, to promote and increase the number of events and racers
within the state. In the fall of 1998 there was a vote of member clubs that
was unanimous that we would offer the OBRA insurance plan to all events.
This meant that virtually all Oregon events were no longer associated with
USAC. We have met with the principle of USAC to see if we could work out
our difference but to no avail.
Success
OBRA has been successful beyond imagination. Their membership swelled tothe highest levels ever when David Beede contacted OBRA about branching out
into mountain bike racing. The dissatisfaction among NORBA members was even
greater than that from the road/track side. Last year they were able to
organize a race series amongst the mountain bike races and added them to OBRA's
already existing email network. This has given them a voice that they have
not experienced before.
Now other states have followed their lead. American Bicycle Racing (ABR) in
the Midwest, Bicycle Racing Association of Colorado (BRAC - which has now
changed its name to American Cycling Association) represent Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
,
Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and parts of Texas and North California/Nevada
Cycling Association (NCNCA) have all formed a coalition of association-
Federation of Independent Cycling Associations (FIAC). OBRA has started
incorporation proceedings and are working toward a shared rulebook and rider
reciprocity. No matter what happens, the OBRA membership has chosen to
concentrate on cycling within the state. Their 2000 calendar has over 200
days of racing, They offer discounted membership to juniors and strongly suggest
that the race organizers reduce entry fees for those under 18. Their Best All
round Competition has expanded to recognize the outstanding performances in
each discipline and new for 2000 They are hosting an Oregon Cup of specific
races. One thing to remember is that while OBRA tries to give the impression of
an organized workforce, volunteers do all of the functions of OBRA; there
are no paid positions (Ed. Note- this has changed since this narrative was originally written in 2000). What makes it work is that riders know that to get
they must give back also.
Statistics
According to OBRA statistics, membership has grown dramatically since 2000.- 2000- 1738 members
- 2001- 1741 members
- 2002- 1978 members
- 2003- 2335 members
- 2004- 2760 members
- 2005- 2828 members
- 2006- 3296 members, 1014 1-day memberships
According to Velonews (2006)
- Oregon was ranked #2 in the number of cycling events, only 8 races behind California.
- Oregon was ranked #3 in the number of amateur racers, behind only California and Colorado.
- Oregon was ranked #1 in terms of the percentage of riders vs. state population with Colorado coming in over 50% lower in 2nd place.
Notable current and former members
- Chris HornerChris HornerChristopher Horner is an American professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . A native and current resident of Bend, Oregon, Horner dominated the American road racing scene by winning the points standings in the 2002, 2003 and 2004 USA Cycling National Racing Calendar.-PAA-NutraFig...
of Team Radio Shack - Aaron OlsenAaron OlsenAaron Olsen is an American professional road bicycle racer. Aaron was raised in Eugene, Oregon.- Palmares :* Tour de Beauce - 1 stage * Tour de Toona - 1 stage * Valley of the Sun stage race - Overall...
of Colavita - Ryan TrebonRyan TrebonRyan Trebon is an American bicycle racer specializing in cyclo-cross and mountain bike racing, currently on the Kona/Les Gets team. In cyclo-cross, Trebon captured the 2004 and 2006 U.S...
of Kona/Les Gets
Governance
The Oregon Bicycle Racing Association is an Oregon Non Profit Corporation that has its Constitution and Bylaws on file with the State of Oregon. The business and affairs of OBRA are managed by its Board of Directors. There are six members of the Board of Directors. Each director is elected to a 3 year term by a majority of club representatives at an annual meeting. Two directors are elected each year.There are four paid positions:
- Executive Director
- Webmaster
- Membership Coordinator
- Equipment Manager
Types of racing
OBRA sanctions events for six different cycling disciplines. They are roadRoad bicycle racing
Road bicycle racing is a bicycle racing sport held on roads, using racing bicycles. The term "road racing" is usually applied to events where competing riders start simultaneously with the winner being the first to the line at the end of the course .Historically, the most...
, track
Track cycling
Track cycling is a bicycle racing sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes using track bicycles....
, criterium
Criterium
A criterium, or crit, is a bike race held on a short course , often run on closed-off city center streets....
, time trial, cyclo-cross
Cyclo-cross
Cyclo-cross is a form of bicycle racing. Races typically take place in the autumn and winter , and consists of many laps of a short course featuring pavement, wooded trails, grass, steep hills and...
, and the mountain bike
Mountain bike racing
The Union Cycliste Internationale recognised the sport of mountain bike racing relatively late in 1990, when it sanctioned the world championships in Purgatory, Colorado. The first mountain biking world cup series took place in 1991. Its nine-race circuit covered two continents—Europe and North...
disciplines of cross-country
Cross-country cycling
Cross-country cycling is the most common discipline of mountain biking. While less publicized than downhill cycling as it is more difficult to televise, it garners the highest levels of participation both recreationally and competitively....
, downhill
Downhill cycling
Downhill biking is a gravity-assisted time trial mountain biking event. Riders race against the clock, usually starting at intervals of 30 seconds , on courses which typically take two to five minutes to complete. Riders come from all around the world. Riders are timed with equipment similar to...
and super-d.