Gossip Should Have No Friends

[December 14th, 2005] HOT WHEELS Since WW wrote about Portland's muddy, no-holds-barred cyclocross scene (see WW, Nov. 9, 2005), Oregon bikers have gone on to dominate at the Cyclocross Nationals —the biggest multi-day cyclo-event in the States—this past weekend in Providence, R.I. More than 1,300 cyclists competed at the event, with Oregonians taking three out of the top 10 spots in the elite men's race and two Portland ladies claiming top 10 spots in the Elite Women's race. Portlander Shannon Skerritt finished first among men ages 35-39 and Beaverton's Larssyn Staley finished second among women under 23. What's the Beaver State bike gang's secret weapon? According to Gary Medley, the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association's spokeswheel, Portland's notoriously soggy climate may have helped local cyclists gear up for Providence's snowy, mucky weather.

EAT THIS LABEL The Saturday-night opening celebration of Balvo didn't give Scoop much of an idea what will end up on the plates at Bluehour pair Bruce Carey and chef Kenny Giambalvo 's spanking new Northwest 23rd Avenue Italian-American trattoria. But we quickly realized that Balvo has more than just food on its mind—namely branding. This spacious swank scene sells everything from fancy gift baskets and pricey Italian-designed espresso accessories to T-shirts and jackets bearing Balvo's signature orange B-logo . Maybe that's because Kenny's little sister Denise Giambalvo , a marketing expert for Macy's , is now in charge of Balvo's retail program .

OUR BAD Last week in our Holiday Fashion Guide, we called local fashion guru Lisa Radon's stylish online culture journal ultrapdx.com. It's actually just named Ultra. Our music department also gave the wrong gent props for producing Fernando's new album. It's Jeff Lyster who deserves all the credit. We also killed a few reindeer.