"Jeffy" or "wonder boy" or "damn, that dude is fast"...all of these describe Portland Velo Race Team member Jeff Ballantine. As I give most folks a nickname, his is "Jeffy", don't ask me why, it just fits, and he always answers when I call him that, my kinda guy.
Jeff is pure cycling fiend, he rides, repairs, builds (both bikes & wheels) , eats and sleeps cycling - plus..."damn that dude is fast"!
His passion for the sport transcends the fact that he races and more often than not, he places (grabs a podium spot). Jeff can ride with anyone and everyone and enjoy it. Whether he's pulling the Tuesday ride gang up the 205 bridge into the wind, banging elbows in a fast crit, or racing breakneck and mud-splattered during a cross race, he's loving every minute of it.
It's rare that a rider of his caliber is "OK" not showing everyone how fast or good he is, but Jeff is that rare rider. If you didn't ask him, he'd never tell you how good he is or what his last result was. He can amble along at 16mph just as happily as he can hammer at 26mph.
Congrats on a great season and the Tuesday/Thursday gang misses you at our east side rides. Here's "Jeffy":
How did you find Portland Velo, and what has your experience been with the club the past few years?
When I moved to Portland, I searched the internet for bike clubs and Portland Velo was one that I liked. I had gone to some 'other/older' clubs but I really liked PV for the 'choose your own adventure' quality.
How long have you been riding / racing? Share a memory from your early riding / racing days. 
I have been riding bikes a lot ever since I started riding to Middle school, but I really started to get into it when I bought my first road bike, a Fuji Touring Series. I didn't get a drivers license until I was 21 because I really didn't see the need. I took a solo, self-supported tour from Astoria to San Diego the summer after I graduated from high school. It was a great trip and I would highly recommend it to anyone who has the time.
I have been racing since my senior year in college; I raced for the OSU cycling team. Some people who have been in the club a while will remember that I rode in my Beaver kit a lot before I got a PV kit. I won the first race that I ever entered. It was the Cat 5 field of Cherry Pie 2007. It was a fun race, but I won because I knew the roads (Cherry Pie is held just north of Corvallis).
What is your favorite type of weather to ride in? Describe the perfect ride or your favorite route. Or - describe your perfect race. What's your favorite discipline (road, track, cross, criteriums, stage races, etc.) and what you like most about it.
I am a huge fan of cyclocross. There are many things that I like about cross (the festival of it, hanging out with people, having a reason to want it to rain more), although I think that it comes down to the fact that I am good at it. While I am a decent road racer and mountain bike racer, I am much better at cross than my other results would predict. Although I am near the top of the field in my category for most of my results this year, I race cross in a higher category "equivalent" than I do for road or mountain.
I am best at cyclocross when the weather is at its worst. The course at Washington County Fairgrounds was just about perfect for me this year. It was very slick and muddy in places and dead-pan flat. I am a power rider and I am good at the mud.
What do you enjoy most about racing? Have any weird pre-race rituals you want to share?
I like going out on skinny tires and getting really, really muddy. The feeling when the rear tire starts to powerslide around the corner is the best. Granted, it is a bit scary, but it is faster and makes you really concentrate on what you’re doing. The course is constantly changing from section to section during the race and it’s very rarely boring. If the weather changes during a race, the course can even change significantly in the same spot.
I do not have a pre-race ritual. I despise trainers and, as such, I am not good at warming up. Standard warm up for me (not intentional, just what it ends up being):
Spin for 15 minutes. Check time.
Get off bike and wander around for 5 minutes.
Take a drink of water. Check time.
Spin for 10 minutes, with one to two "3 minute" (actually 45 sec) hard efforts. Check time.
Walk around for 5 minutes, drink more water. Check time
Spin for 5 minutes with another "3 minute" effort. Check time.
Wander over to the race start.
My favorite pre-race food is a PB&J about an hour before the race.
What's your proudest accomplishment in your racing career?
I got third in the Cross Crusade series this year in Cat B. My best place in an individual race was third, but I was consistently in the top 5.
I also had a very good year in the State Championship races this year.
I won the OBRA Championship road race this year as a Cat 4. It was a very good course for my particular skill set (power climbing) and I was able to win the state championship up in Rainier. Winning a State Championship was something that I thought that I would never be able to do.
I also won the Cat 3 mountain bike title and placed second in the Cat B cyclocross race.
What are your goals for next racing season, and how are they different from 2009?
My goals for next year revolve around dirt riding mostly, mountain biking in the spring and summer and then cyclocross in the fall. I don't really set goals for myself too much. The main goal is to have fun and not take myself too seriously; the same as it was this year.
This is mainly different from last year with the inclusion of mountain biking. I started mountain biking for the first time in a decade this year and I really like it, so I will probably concentrate on that more this year than I have in past years.
As far as results go, I will have a tough time besting this year. It has been a very good year for me racing bikes.
How many bikes do you have? Which one is your favorite, and why?
I have six bikes; I own a touring bike (Fuji Touring Series), road racing bike (Cannondale R5000 with DA7800), rain bike (1985 Trek 600), mountain bike (Specialized Stumpjumper with 8spd Deore XT), cyclocross bike (BMC Cross Machine with DA7800) and road fixed gear (1987 Medici Pro Strada). Which one I like best depends on what type of riding that I want to do. I don't have any bikes that serve the same purpose.
The cyclocross bike is by far my most expensive, in both dollars and time spent, and most purpose-built bike. So, by the measure of investment, it would be my favorite bike. I don't use it for any other purpose than racing and training for cross, so it also gets the least number of miles on it, which is an interesting paradox.
What is it about cycling that you love the most? 
I can have some time all to myself even when I am riding with other people. In this way, cycling in a group is both an individual and collective experience. One has to climb the hill with one's own effort, but you can also use the actions of others to help, even if the help is only psychological in some cases.
Do you follow pro cycling, and if so, who is the rider you'd most like to emulate?
Floyd Landis prior to the whole doping episode. I am in cycling to have fun; I ride a lot because I like riding my bike, not because I am training for a specific competitive event. Prior to becoming captain of a major international team, I think that Floyd didn't take himself quite as seriously as many European pros do. I like(d) that.
If you've gone on any epic cycling vacation trips, which one was the best?
I have only done the one, but it was very good. I would do it again if I had the time and money (at the same time).
Give an example of how cycling has changed some aspect of your life.
Really, the better question what cycling has not changed about my life. I live and breathe cycling at this point. What started as a convenient, and inexpensive, mode of transportation has become something that most of my life revolves around. I plan my days around what sort of riding I want to do and plan my budgets around what sort of cycling-related purchases I "need" to make. ("Need" is definitely in quotes.)
What is your favorite item of cycling clothing or equipment? Or what is the one item or bike that is on your wish list?
Since we are heading into winter and rain riding, my favorite piece of cycling clothing is a yellow long sleeve Cannondale winter jersey that I own. It has just enough room in it that I can wear a jersey or two under it, but, at the same time, it isn't bulky, so I can wear a windbreaker vest or jacket over it.
As far as what is on my wish list, the answer is, "Really, what isn't?" Pick some high-end cycling related gear and I probably want it. Lately I have been lusting after a new mountain bike, as the current one is kind of dated. I don't really know which one at this point, but I think that I want a lightweight 29er hardtail.
How do you see cycling changing/evolving over the next 10 years? (in general, or for you in particular)?
For me, I am definitely becoming a dirt specialist. I think that that will continue on the racing side of things, even as I do most of my miles on the road. I came into cycling as a roadie, so I will of course continue to road race. Cross and mountain bike are what I really like racing now.