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Bicycle Day at OMSI

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GEAR UP FOR BICYCLE DAY AT OMSI JULY 26

Portland, OR (July 3, 2008) Take life by the handlebars and celebrate Portland’s favorite form of transportation at Bicycle Day, a new event hosted by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) and the Community Cycling Center. Learn about safety, maintenance, and cycling’s health benefits July 26 at OMSI.

“We are excited to collaborate with OMSI to provide experiential bicycle education in a fun, interactive environment,” said Breesa Culver, development and marketing specialist at the Community Cycling Center.

Bicycle Day will present several topics to help broaden knowledge and demystify cycling. Featured areas will include:
o Ask the Expert—Ask experts questions about racing, commuting, and mountain biking.
o Bike Safety and Rules of the Road—Learn the 6-step safety check, hand signals, and the necessary gear to carry. Kids can also participate in a helmet egg drop.
o Biking and the Body—Discuss how to fuel your body and the importance of stretching your muscles.
o Bike Building and Maintenance—Identify how a bike in good condition should feel and adjustments you can make.
o Helmet Fitting—Bring your helmet for a free fitting.

Bicycle Day will be held in OMSI’s back courtyard July 26, 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. Free valet bike parking will be available. This event is free with paid museum admission and visitors who ride their bikes to OMSI and show their helmet will receive a $3 discount on museum admission.

ABOUT OMSI
Founded in 1944, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) is one of the nation’s leading science museums, a world-class tourist attraction, and an award-winning educational resource for the kid in each of us. OMSI is located at 1945 SE Water Avenue, Portland, OR 97214. For general information, call 503.797.4000 or visit www.omsi.edu.

ABOUT COMMUNITY CYCLING CENTER
The Community Cycling Center, founded in 1994, broadens access to bicycling and its benefits through our hands-on programs, volunteer projects, and neighborhood bike shop. We believe the bicycle is a tool for empowerment and a vehicle for change. To learn more, visit www.CommunityCyclingCenter.org.

Press Release: Gear up for Bicycle Day at OMSI

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From the Community Cycling Center:

GEAR UP FOR BICYCLE DAY AT OMSI JULY 26

Portland, OR (July 3, 2008) Take life by the handlebars and celebrate Portland’s favorite form of transportation at Bicycle Day, a new event hosted by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) and the Community Cycling Center. Learn about safety, maintenance, and cycling’s health benefits July 26 at OMSI.

“We are excited to collaborate with OMSI to provide experiential bicycle education in a fun, interactive environment,” said Breesa Culver, development and marketing specialist at the Community Cycling Center.

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Bike-cultural exchange: Sister city extends to cycling

Eugenio Arriaga Cordero during
a recent bike ride in Portland.
(Photo: Jessica Roberts)

For over two decades, Portland has had a sister-city relationship with Guadalajara, Mexico. In addition to supporting Portland’s Latino community through a variety of cultural exchange programs, the partnership puts on Portland’s annual Cinco de Mayo Fiesta.

Now, a new initiative will have the two cities exchanging bike smarts as well.

Representatives from Guadalajara’s transportation office were in Portland during the recent Towards Carfree Cities Conference to iron out the plans.

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Portland Bike Forums temporarily down

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This is a just a notice that the Portland Bike Forums are temporarily down.

Over the weekend, some sort of annoying spam/security breach resulted in every one of the 800 or so members being sent an email that said:

“Your account on Portland Bike Forums (by BikePortland.org) has been locked because someone has tried to log into the account with the wrong password more than 5 times. You will be able to attempt to log in again in another 15 minutes.”

I am looking into the issue and have decided to close the forums while I upgrade the forum software and remedy the situation.

Thanks to everyone who emailed me about this and I apologize for any inconvenience.

I will announce the opening of the forums here as soon as I can.

Slideshow: At the track for Zak

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A Friday at the Velodrome-20.jpg

Racers in repose between heats.
More images
Slideshow below
(Photos © J. Maus)

On Friday, the local racing community came together to support an injured friend.

Zak Kovalcik (pictured here at the event) broke his collarbone while racing at Alpenrose Velodrome a few weeks ago and, without insurance and being unable to work (he is a bike messenger), he needed help with his hospital bills.

The community answered the call and has already raised over $2,000 for the cause.

On Friday, a weekly track racing event that was turned into a Zak Kovalcik benefit raised $1,700. All race entry fees were donated to Kovalcik and funds also came from a raffle of prizes donated by local businesses and bike companies.

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Updated: BTA strengthens stance against CRC: Will urge Council to abstain

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[Updated 7/7, 12:00ppm: Read this story for an update.]

With just a few days before the Portland City Council takes an important vote on the Columbia River Crossing (CRC) project, the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) (along with a growing coalition of organizations) is stepping up its drumbeat of concern.

The BTA has struggled to find their voice and has come under fire from members and other in the community for not being more critical of the estimated $4.2 billion project.

Read more