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The visiting bicyclists, coming from almost all points of the globe, will be dueling in the 21st renewal of an event that remains strangely anonymous despite its world caliber field: the Willamette Tour. It's a road race that from April 10-15 will skim the valley lowlands and struggle up mountainsides for 500 miles. The Eugene- and Cottage Grove-based race is unique because of the challenges and beauties of its geographic setting as oppposed to long-established races that send bikes over tedious, repetitive course circuits. A veteran of previous races, John Liewswyn of Team Shaklee, defines the difference. "I'm stoked to be racing in such a beautiful place, on the road instead of through some industrial park criterium." Eugene sports entrepreneur Larry Smith raced in the Willamette Tour in 1980 when he was 32 and became race director in 1997. He echoes Liewswyn's comment when he says, "It's the Oregon terrain that attracts many of our entrants." Part of that appeal is the forest canopy that looms above racers throughout a racing itinerary that takes them close to Roseburg, more than 50 miles south, and an equal distance to the west, almost to the shores of the Pacific. En route, they wind around mountain roads of the Coastal Range, which are always twisting and sometimes treacherous. On this course, one can't relax after lung-bursting climbs to dizzying heights, because this often is followed by steep descents that get frightening when brakes almost steam from the friction. Smith credits Russell Morton of Burley Design Cooperative for the concept that began as a three-day race. Both men were intrigued by the existence of many central Willamette roads ideally suited for bicycle stage races. A stage is the distance traveled in one day. There is no finish line in the traditional sense. A tally is made of the time it takes each bicyclist to reach each day's destination. At the end, the racer with lowest cumulative time is the winner. The very length, 500 miles, rules out having one sustained, uninterrupted race. Another factor is that road competition is limited to the periods between morning and afternoon business rush hours in communities through which the racers pass. Racing days start at 10 am, end at 3 pm. Racing fans and the curious have a chance to meet the competitors up close on the first day, Tuesday, April 10, when the only racing will be a one-kilometer uphill sprint at Skinner Butte, beginning at 5 pm This is the one easy day of the Tour and riders will be on hand two hours to interact with fans. The 150 riders will go up the butte's one-10th mile road, one every 30 seconds. Little more than a second should separate first and second place. Last year, the men's winner made it in 120 seconds, the women's in 143. Men and women go over different stage courses. The women's is shorter, but hardly less grueling. "This year's field includes entrants from Italy, Germany, England, Canada, Mexico, Russia, New Zealand and Russia," says Harris. "We've had Olympics champions compete. Our women's winner last year got the silver medal at the Sydney Olympics. An American [woman,] who now races full-time for an Italian team, also was 2000 world champion." Many year-round racers have sponsors. They wear outfits with sponsor logos, from auto and bike manufacturers to those who produce electronics, watches and insurance policies. Insurance is one of the significant expenses for Smith, as 150 racers on a course as difficult as Willamette's face the constant danger of injury. "There are no cushions or bumpers on trees and rocks," says Smith. "We've had injuries serious enough to have the rider placed on a backboard and ferried out. That happened when a rider missed a turn, went off the road, and hit a tree at high speed." As in any thriving business, expenses build. Smith raises funds to pay for police monitoring of the roads, permits for use of Bureau of Land Management roads and from the Oregon Department of Transportation, flying in officials from around the country, and hiring mechanics and emergency medical technicians who travel the race route in vans. Entry fees can't cover costs. Harris gets help from partnerships and donors. This year's key partner is KMTR-TV, the Eugene NBC outlet, which has given the event heavy exposure. That exposure also goes to sponsors whose donations -- ranging thus far from $5,000 to $10,000 -- earn them identity with specific stages of the race. Riders get small prizes and compete for points that earn them ranking by the U.S. Cycling Association. High rankings translate into more support from sponsors, who usually have teams entered, as they do for the Tour de France. A team, usually of nine riders, becomes an important factor in race strategy, which includes escaping wind resistance that grows as a bike builds up speed. The rider in front of his team serves as the windbreak. Close behind him is the racer designated "the winner," protected from the wind by "drafting" created by the front man. "The man in front is not a 'rabbit' who sets the pace for distance races in track," explains Smith. "His task is to 'push a hole' in the wind. That provides a 25 to 30 percent reduction in the wind resistance for riders close behind, who conserve energy because of the 'drafting'." Bicyclists are trailed by support vans. In addition to medical assistance, they carry spare wheels and bikes, making the race more sophisticated than the early years when cyclists carried their own spare gear. Today they get nourishment from easy-to-carry high tech bars instead of the bulky bananas, oranges and Fig Newtons of 1980. Support vans carry a load of small plastic water bottles, distributing six to eight to each rider during a normal stage. Empty bottles are dropped along the road, then picked up by support crews. The Friday stage starts in Cottage Grove, where the riders will wind through a covered bridge for a race photo. That belies what's ahead: for the men, 88 miles and 5,000 feet of climbing; for the women, 68 miles and 3,200 feet upward. The windup stage, Sunday, challenges the men with 106 miles on the road and 8,000 feet climbing; for the women, 76 miles and 4,800 feet climbing. No wonder some of the better-funded racing teams have support vans
that feature a masseuse.
Frank will discuss current efforts to expand NAFTA to the entire Western hemisphere -- the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) agreement, scheduled to be negotiated later this month in Quebec City. This treaty would expand the power of corporations even beyond the provisions of NAFTA. She is also an expert on Seattle's labor history and will address Boeing's recent decision to move its corporate headquarters from Seattle and what that means in terms of the increasingly global nature of U.S. capitalism. Her lecture is part of a series of events sponsored by the Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics this year falling under the theme of "Labor in a Global Economy." At her lecture April 10, Frank will be welcomed with a special appearance by Venezuelan singer Irene Farrera.
The suits are commonly referred to as SLAPP suits, an acronym for Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation, and have been restricted by legislation in some other states. Several SLAPPs have been filed in Oregon against individuals who have testified against development proposals. All were eventually dismissed after causing the defendants to incur legal fees and aggravation. An anti-SLAPP bill passed overwhelmingly in the Oregon House during the 1997-99 legislative session, but a watered-down version was sidetracked and died in the Senate after heavy lobbying by builders and land developers. The new bill "allows defendant in civil action to make special motion to strike if plaintiff's claim arises out of certain conduct in furtherance of exercise of constitutional right of petition or constitutional right of free speech in connection with public issue or issue of public interest." The plaintiff in such a suit would need to establish to the court's satisfaction the probability of prevailing in his or her claim of damages. The defendant who prevails in a special motion to strike would be awarded "reasonable attorney fees and costs," and may be awarded punitive damages -- language that was omitted in the Senate bill killed in the last session. -- TJT
Dr.
Laura Dumped "We set out to inform America about the true nature of her anti- gay rhetoric. Through bad ratings and non-existent advertisers America said 'no' to Dr. Laura," says John Aravosis, co-founder of StopDrLaura.com Launched March 1, 2000, StopDrLaura.com received millions of visitors, generated thousands of media hits, and spawned street protests nationwide. The group's site featured celebrity testimonials, contact information for local TV stations and advertisers, and resources for media. But mostly, the site focused attention on Laura Schlessinger's own anti-gay statements. "We generated a lot of press about her most offensive statements, and advertisers didn't want to be associated with extreme anti-gay rhetoric," said Joel Lawson, co- founder of the group.
"I thought this was my way of doing something good," says Gray. The show will have three bands playing music from punk-rock to hip-hop (see Saturday Calendar). Point Blank Rangers, Shortround (both local bands), and Berzerk (from Portland) will perform. Gray, who is also a videographer, will also debut his newest skate film. "Whether you like the music, the video or the cause4 that's three good reasons to go," says Gray. The cover is $5, to be donated in full. Gray adds, "If you can't make it to the show, you can make a donation to Womenspace if you want." -- Chris Wriston
Drawing
the Lines Oregon grew by nearly 600,000 people since the last census in 1990. The legislature has the responsibility of redrawing legislative and congressional district boundaries to reflect the growth of Oregon's population and the movement of people from some parts of the state to others. Uneven population growth across Oregon creates a potential for significant changes to the current district lines. The goal is for each Senate district to have 114,000 people while a House district would have 57,000 people. In addition, districts should be contiguous, be of equal population, utilize existing geographic or political boundaries, not divide communities of common interest, and be connected by transportation links. No district shall be drawn for the purpose of favoring any political party, incumbent legislator or other person. Nor should they be drawn for the purpose of diluting the voting strength of any language or ethnic group.
* In our cover story ("All Cracked Up," March 29), Phil Cox was incorrectly identified in a photo caption as being from the Oak Creek Facility. Cox oversees health services for the Oregon Youth Authority. Faye Fagel is the area coordinator for Benton, Linn and Lane Counties, and her last name was incorrectly spelled. Also misspelled was the diagnosis of dysthymia, also known as dysthymic disorder or depressive neurosis.
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Shannon Wilson