Outlaw racers shine in Chainbreaker

Harry Womack enroute to a first-place finish in the Cascade Chainbreaker's Sport Junior Men's class on Saturday, May 8. The Outlaws Mountain Bike Team turned in a strong performance. photo by Steve Pyke

The Sisters Outlaws Mountain Bike Team hit the trail in a cloud of dust -- literally -- on its way to a stellar performance in the Cascade Chainbreaker race near Shevlin Park in Bend on Saturday, May 8.

Harry Womack took first place in the Sport Junior Men's class while teammates Jet Cowan and Womack's brother Byron took fourth and sixth place respectively.

Brandon Kinsey notched a first-place finish in the Beginner Junior Men's Class and Justin Veloso took second.

The Outlaws took sixth, seventh and eighth place in this class with Sam Pyke, Spencer Freeland and Kyle Rickards finishing in tandem.

Sport class riders cover 25 miles in two laps while beginners do one lap of 12.5 miles, Keel said.

Maren Burck and Jessie Swaner took second and third for the Outlaws in the Beginner Junior women's Division while Crystal Leis was runner-up in the Sport Junior Women's class.

"We had a great race," said coach Mark Keel. "It was a great day."

The Chainbreaker is one of five races the mountain bike team takes on this season across the state. It's a race that means a lot to the riders.

"Obviously, being a home race, it's an important one for us," said Keel.

There is a certain home-course advantage. The riders were all familiar with the trail and its obstacles and technical aspects, Keel said.

"It was really dry and really dusty," Keel said. "There were times when it was complete zero visibility."

The race format provides the opportunity for young riders to hit the course with elite professional riders.

"They get quite an experience racing against top elite athletes," Keel noted.

The Outlaws are currently neck-and-neck with a much larger Cave Junction squad vying for the top spot in the racing series.

"They've been shooting for us all year since we took first last year," Keel said.

Mountain bike racing is a club sport for Sisters.

"We operate and exist on fund-raising and pay-to-play," Keel said.

The coach thanked the community for supporting last week's team car wash, the squad's main fund-raiser.