Year: 2008 Brand: Schwinn Model: World Avenue 1 SMU Color:Blue Serial: idc07c01578 Photo: http://images.buzzillions.com/images_products/04/00/1160587_raw.jpg Stolen in Portland, OR 97231 Stolen:2009-06-26 Stolen From: Stolen from Washington Park/Oregon Zoo. Owner: Jeremy Hundley OwnerEmail: jeremy.hundley@gmail.com Description: Rear rack, toe clips, fenders, bell, and chain guard. Rear Wheel is Forte Titan.
700x28c tires Police record with: Portland Police Police reference#: 0956394 This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike
The Epic Pizza Ride this year was in its fourth, and most extreme, incarnation, including over 100 dedicated pizza eaters, a vegan contingent, a trip up Highway 30 to St Johns, and a serendipitous convergence with the Bluesapalooza ride and its mobile sound system, blues dancers, and a roller-skating corker.
Nostalgic brainchild of the of New Haven exports Shawn Granton and myself, the Pizza Ride has historically made the rounds of some of the better Portland pizzerias, fruitlessly seeking the perfect thin-crust brick oven pie, but always finding satisfaction, good sized crowds, enormous hills, and lots of 1/16th slices.
This year we traveled over 20 miles, with some major wins and fails along the way. (As one rider put it, “Granton should come with a warning label.”) We were treated like kings at the Give Pizza a Chance cart downtown, where they had brewed up a batch of birch beer for us, as well as at Old Town Pizza downtown, Hot Lips by PGE Park, Signal Station in St Johns, and Pizza Fino in Kenton (which stayed open late for us). I left the ride at Stark Naked Pizza at 11:30pm — but about 30 folks continued on to Hammy’s for more late night pizza noshing.
My least favorite part of the ride was seeing two people crash hard after crossing West Burnside as the other riders around them looked down at them and just kept riding along (big thanks to the few who stopped). My favorite part by far was the excitement in the eyes of the two young guys who had just been riding aimlessly around downtown and followed us out of curiosity — they told us this was the most amazing experience and they couldn’t wait to get involved in more rides.
Also exciting was meeting up with the Blues riders, who had great spirit. The guy on roller blades was my hero, he was faster shooting up the hill to the St Johns bridge than many of us on bikes, and never stopped dancing, even while corking.
This ride was a Mercury pick of the week, and we had a ton of non-hardcore riders along. Another awesome moment was waiting at the top of the St Johns bridge for the last few folks to make it up and seeing a gal on a cruiser ride up the final distance, standing on the pedals, with a huge triumphant grin on her face.
I was bringing up the back of the ride, and didn’t get many photos — but here are a few in a slideshow below (or see them with captions on Flickr):
If there’s anything better than going on a bike ride on a gorgeous sunny day, it’s going on bike rides between parks to do yoga on a gorgeous sunny day with 60 other happy pracititioners. And if there’s anything better than that, it’s a convergence with a hundred proud Scandiniavians and their allies riding around in very short shorts.
Steve Upchurch shows off his mad yoga skills as sedate Scandinavians look on. (Photo by Elly Blue)
The description holds true. After 17 exhausting, exuberant days of Pedalpalooza, fatigue is setting in (and there were even rumors on Twitter of a pedalfluenza outbreak). A gentle but seriously fun sort of decompression is needed after spending over two weeks on such a cloud. Enter MCBF, the closing event of Pedalpalooza, a culmination of all the creativity, energy, and socializing of the last two and a half weeks.
Year: 2005 (?) Brand: Trek Model: Mountain Train 201 Color:Silver Size:Blue Stolen in Portland, OR 97214 Stolen:2009-06-25 Stolen From: Driveway Owner: Rich Connor OwnerEmail: rconnor@pmsimarketing.com Reward: $25 Description: Silver/Blue kids tag-a-long was connected to Blue Cannondale H400 when stolen. This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike
Year: 2000 (?) Brand: Cannondale Model: H400 Color:Blue Stolen in 97214, OR Stolen:2009-06-25 Stolen From: Driveway Neighborhood: Richmond Owner: Rich Connor OwnerEmail: rconnor@pmsimarketing.com Reward: $50. Description: Blue with silver and blue and silver kids TREK bike trailer (tag a long) attached This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike
In the span of about two hours, we learned of Michael Jackson’s death, planned a ride (and had a blast), did three TV interviews, got mentioned in The Oregonian, and even got noticed by the New York Times.
And this morning, the famous bike-blogger/comedian BikeSnobNYC came across that mention of our ride in the New York Times and couldn’t take it any longer. Disgusted by Portland’s biking spirit, he wrote (emphasis mine):
A few months ago, I shared a story of bike lane disrespect about how construction crews often have no regard for bikeways during their projects.
Today, we have the complete opposite; a construction detour that goes above and beyond anything I’ve seen.
Hoffman Construction is building a new parking structure for Legacy Emanuel Hospital in North Portland and today they are repaving the curbside lane adjacent to the project. In order to handle the reams of bike traffic that comes down N. Vancouver — it is, after all ranked as Portland’s best bike lane — they have constructed a temporary, bike-only lane out of traffic cones.
In this editorial, Mr. Buel shares his concerns that, despite intentions, the City of Portland’s Climate Action Plan lacks the teeth it needs to really take a bite out of climate change.]
The City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS) and the Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) have put out a Climate Action Plan that, when it comes to transportation, is as phony as a three dollar bill. It’s the latest version of political greenwashing, led by Mayor Sam Adams, who, like our Governor, talks the talk of climate change, but doesn’t walk the talk.
