Cole is a sculptor, and his work often incorporates gears, chains and cast-off parts from bicycles he's cannibalized in the shop. Pedals, quick-releases, hubs - everything but the frame itself - can end up in one of Cole's pieces. That's not to say his works are wholly composed of bike parts. Having learned how to weld, Cole uses metal of all types and shapes, from sheet steel to old ski boot buckles, to create his sculptures. But for the most part, most do have at least a few components that once lived on a bicycle. Because of the nature of his work, Cole seemed an obvious choice to create the Cascade Cycling Classic's first-ever trophy for the race's overall male winner, said Molly Cogswell-Kelly, the media director for CCC. "His art is incredible, and we have (in Cole) one of the best bike mechanics around," said Cogswell-Kelly. "I love the connection, having the bike mechanic make the trophy; it's just the perfect fit." Upon the conclusion of the annual race's final event Sunday afternoon, the winner will be handed the trophy designed and created by Cole. The sleek metal creation stands a little more than 2 feet tall, is shaped like a slender pyramid and is decorated with bike parts. On the base is etched "2006 Cascade Cycling Classic," and on the front face are three identical quarter-sized pieces of metal that look like the letter C. The Cs are not actual bike parts; instead, they're components Cole pulled out of some discarded rock climbing equipment. "My garage is full of bins stacked to the ceiling with little metal parts," said Cole. The Cascade Cycling Classic, which is now in its 27th year, has never had a take-home trophy for the overall male winner, according to Cogswell-Kelly. A perpetual-type trophy, which is awarded to and kept by the winner for a year before being returned to race organizers, existed in the past, but fell out of favor for roughly a decade. It will be reintroduced this year, meaning this year's winner will take home two trophies. Cole's trophy, however, will be for the winner to keep in perpetuity. As such, Cole said his challenge was making something that will look good on a mantel. "Trophies are always so tacky, so it's hard coming up with something people will want to display," said Cole. It took Cole three tries to design something he liked, but it took him only a day to make. "It's incredible," said Cogswell-Kelly. "I love it because it's simple and it's made out of bike parts, but it's very intricate as well." "We're so excited and proud to be able to give it to the overall winner because it's so unique," she added. The race's overall female winner takes home the Nicole Reinhart Tribute Trophy, which must be returned, as well as a smaller version the winner gets to keep. Cole doesn't race but does mountain bike, describing it as one of his passions. Another is sculpture, which he has been pursuing for more than 12 years. Cole is also a painter, who once had a show at Bend's now-defunct Avenida Gallery. Sculpture is what Cole would like to do full time, however. To that end, he has been hard at work creating a body of work for a portfolio he can use to help sell himself to galleries. The majority of Cole's sculptures are kinetic pieces that move through either manual or electric propulsion. At Bend Bike Sport, where Cole works, many of his kinetic sculptures are on display throughout the store. One is an electrical sculpture of a bird, with legs made of rebar, feet made of ski boot buckles and a wooden beak. When the power is turned on, the head rises, the beak opens and closes, and the legs move as if the bird were walking. Perhaps the most impressive kinetic piece on display is a fish, more than 4 feet long, made out of scrap metal. Its bottom jaw, made from a shovel spade, moves when a hand crank is turned, as does its tail and eyes, which are made from floodlights. Any bike parts in it, you ask? You bet - the underside of the fish's frame is rimmed with a bicycle chain, several gear wheels are welded into its body and face, and the crank is from a pedal shaft. The piece took Cole more than a year to make, and it's the most elaborate piece he's attempted. "I've always been fascinated by things that move and spin; guess that's why I'm a bike mechanic," Cole said. That fascination with movement extends to the natural world, Cole said. Lots of his kinetic pieces are of animals, and he hopes his work captures their often "smooth and fluid" movements. Cole might not be a bike mechanic for much longer. He is at work on three different commissions and is close to finishing his portfolio. And it feels good.