Weekend open thread: Share your bike fun

LiveStrong Ride with Lance Armstrong

Lance the Legend will be in
Portland this weekend.
(Photo © Jonathan Maus)

Sure it’s rainy and a bit cold…but so what! There’s still plenty of bike fun to be had.

Whether you opt to learn about all-weather riding from those experts at PDOT, or search for deals at the Recyclery’s last bike swap meet of the year; there’s no excuse to not get out there and pedal.

For all you racer-types, you can get to know a new team on one of OBRA’s “Meet the Team” rides or kick off your cyclocross season (the Cross Crusade starts next weekend!) at the Battle at Barlow which happens Sunday out in Gresham.

Is anyone doing Lance’s LiveStrong Challenge?

Whatever you end up doing, don’t forget to share your adventures with us in the comments below…

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Founder of BikePortland (in 2005). Father of three. North Portlander. Basketball lover. Car owner and driver. If you have questions or feedback about this site or my work, feel free to contact me at @jonathan_maus on Twitter, via email at maus.jonathan@gmail.com, or phone/text at 503-706-8804. Also, if you read and appreciate this site, please become a supporter.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

26 Comments
oldest
newest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Rebecca
16 years ago

We were supposed to be marking the Harvest Century course today, but with the predictions of rain we busted it out on Thursday. On route the leaves were full of color and looks like sun is in the forecast for next Sunday. Registration closes on Monday so this weekend we will spend our time finalizing volunteers, SAG plans, and shopping for non-perishables. So, unfortunately no riding for us, but still creating fun in support of bicycling!

Cecil
16 years ago

Today I will probably just tool around town breaking in the new wheelset – I plan to spend hours and hours and hours in the rain tomorrow as a riding course marshal for Livestrong – time to break out the fenders!

James
James
16 years ago

Battle at Barlow.

DUH.

Bearhat
Bearhat
16 years ago

Battle at Barlow.

Yeeeehaw.

slammy
slammy
16 years ago

Livestrong Century shortened to 70 Miles. Bald Peak taken off the route due to weather.

janis
janis
16 years ago

I will be leading a Portland Wheelmen Family Ride out on Sauvie Island…leaving from the Pumpkin Patch. Join us at 10am…then buy your pumpkins after the ride! 10 miles around!

Cheers, Janis

Rickey
Rickey
16 years ago

Rode with the Portland Velo group. Large group as usual. Next week Bingen 200k, trying to keep up with Cecil on her new wheels.

Disco D
Disco D
16 years ago

Livestrong ride…been there since the first one and I plan to keep going until they stop (hopefully they dont).

However, had that not been going on I would have been in Seattle to watch the redbull soapbox derby. Woo.

Lynne F
Lynne F
16 years ago

Rode the Velo ride with Rickey today. Livestrong riding course marshal tomorrow…trying to keep up with Cecil on her new wheels. Then Bingen 200km brevet next weekend.

michael downes
michael downes
16 years ago

Not much riding for me other than errands and taking the \’little man\’ to the park but friends flew in from SoCal for the LiveStrong ride so I assembled their bikes for them. I managed to find some fenders for their pristine cafe racers. They were unfamiliar with the concept of fenders or for that matter precipitation so it took a bit of explaining. Tomorrow I will wallow on the couch like a \’braying meathead\’ and watch the football.

Michael M.
16 years ago

I went to the All-Weather Cycling workshop yesterday and learned quite a bit, and won a pair of ear-muff thingys that attach to helmet straps.

I\’m still hoping I can maintain my new-found enthusiasm for cycling in face of the winter weather. Time will tell. Friday was the first day I got caught out in the rain, and I was definitely not prepared; hence, the workshop.

John C
16 years ago

Just getting ready to head out the door for the Honolulu Century. Should be a good ride with an anticipated 4000 participants. With all the cyclist in town the last couple of days I feel like I am back in Portland!

joy
16 years ago

The whole family went out for the LiveStrong Challenge. It was a great day – especially now that we can feel our fingers and toes again.

Cecil
16 years ago

Just got back from ride marshaling LiveStrong – new wheels and all. Lynne F. had no problem keeping up with me, esp. after I snapped my rear derailleur cable and became a de facto 3-speed. Fortunately, one of the benefits of a high-profile, fully-supported ride is that every 10 miles there is a rest stop (or \”power stop\” as LiveStrong likes to call them) with full mechanical support, so I only had to be a shiftless punk for about 5 miles 🙂

Shared the road with Lance A. for about 30 seconds – of course I was headed TOWARD Hagg Lake and he was already on his way BACK at that point.

At the Hagg Lake rest, I mean \”power\”, stop we were greeted by the friendliest, and most melodious, pirates one could ever hope to meet. All the wimps who bailed and did the 40 mile course missed out!

Paul
Paul
16 years ago

Also did the LiveStrong and boy was it a wet one. Probably not a record-setting rain day, but it came down most of the time on the 70-mile course. The pirates at Hagg Lake were great and there were tons of volunteers along they way giving their time to a good cause.

Reminder to self: wear the rainproof helmet protector next time! A swarm head is a happy head.

Paul
Paul
16 years ago

Oops! \”warm\” not \”swarm\” (see #15)

spencer
spencer
16 years ago

Battle of Barlow
MUDFEST. only those that were there know.

Kronda
16 years ago

An epic and chatty meet the team ride with 5 Sorella\’s and four hardy new comers. Awesome ride!

Also went horse back riding yesterday, just to mix it up a little. That was great fun.

cdc
cdc
16 years ago

Thursday-Saturday I rode down from Seattle to Portland, camping along the way. Headed out Monday for the Gorge and then Bend; hope the weather holds until I\’m on the dry side of the mountains…

michael downes
michael downes
16 years ago

Funniest thing the Little Man said all weekend was that his (imaginary) sister could beat the San Diego Chargers all by herself. The wifey who hails from down there was not amused. Me on the other hand, I nearly peed my pants…..ahhh, the joys of parenting. Of course this has nothing whatsoever to do with bicycles but who cares?

PDXGS
PDXGS
16 years ago

I rode the Livestrong 40 miler with my father who is recoveing from prostate surgery (3 months ago). He kicked ass.
Lance showed really bad form by not showing at the post-ride event. People gathered almost 2 million dollars for the Livestrong cause and he flakes- good form Lance.Typical….

true
true
16 years ago

i enjoyed a weekend of troublesome mechanical issues. i made most of them worse. i finally wrangled a wrenchy friend into helping me get everything straightened out just in time to run some errands sunday night. welcome back, rain.

Adams Carroll (News Intern)
16 years ago

On Saturday, I made it over to the Little Red Bike Cafe grand opening…

\"Little

See more photos here.

Then on Sunday I did a little photo shoot with the Sprockettes. got some nice shots and can\’t wait to go through them all…

Mmann
Mmann
16 years ago

Just what were we \”battlng\” at Barlow, anyway? For me, mostly my sense of balance. Wow – like riding through pudding. At one point, lying on my side in the blackberries, I was wondering if another lap was really worth it. But the encouragement from the sidelines and especially at the stairs was awesome – thanks, my brave wet comrades, for making my 1st cross a blast. still managed a top 10, but I have absolutely no idea how.

Paolo
Paolo
16 years ago

Barlow was a good indication of things to came…..rain and mud.
I kept thinking after a wet spring and summer fall would be dry, wrong.
I was in the C-Master C race and there were so many riders on the course it was amazing, I was never sliding by myself.
We had 60 in the C and 70 in the Master C. I think at Alpenrose it is going to be busy.
Ciao
Paolo

Burk
Burk
16 years ago

Battle at Barlow was epic. The course was cartoonishly muddy. Thanks so much for all the people that put on the clinics and really helped a first time crosser\’ have a great time!

Maybe they need to add a mud workshop next year?