Join us for Blazers Bike Night on April 6th!

Blazer Bike Night I - 2014-4

Fun for the whole family!
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

In case you haven’t heard, the Portland Trail Blazers are one of the hottest teams in the NBA. After saying goodbye to four of their five starters in the off-season everyone had written this team off. But now they’re sitting comfortably close to the upper ecehelon of the Western Conference and are poised for a playoff run.

So how about getting some friends together and biking to a game? If that sounds like fun, Blazers Bike Night on April 6th would be the perfect time to do it. This season marks the 10th birthday of BikePortland’s involvement with the Trail Blazers. It all started in 2006 when a few dozen of us rode from the Lucky Lab on Southeast Hawthorne to the Rose Garden Arena (I still miss that old name) to root for the home team.

Blazers bike

This year I’m happy to report that the Blazers have adopted the event as one of their own. That’s right: Blazer Bike Night is now an annual part of the Blazers schedule. In fact, our friends at the Blazers tell us that other NBA teams have taken note and are looking to do their own bike night events.

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The cool stickers they made just for us!
Buy a ticket and you’ll get one.

Here in Portland, the Blazers organization has made Bike Night part of their “Sustainability Series Green Games” and the upcoming April 6th contest (against a very good Oklahoma City Thunder team) is their official transportation-themed night. This was our goal all along. To have the event become a larger part of the Blazers plans so that cycling — not just to the games (which isn’t an option for a lot of Blazer fans) but in general as a great way to get around — could get the publicity and attention it deserves.

You can become a part of this awesome cross-community event by grabbing a few tickets and joining us. Tickets start at just $20. Go to the special Bike Night website to find your tickets (make sure to enter promo code “BIKE” to get special pricing). Every ticket purchased comes with a custom reflective pinwheel logo sticker and enters you into a raffle for a helmet signed by Blazers’ team leader, up-and-coming rapper, and all-around good guy Damian Lillard.

Bicycles and basketball are the two loves of my life (besides family of course) and this partnership with the Blazers is very special. To everyone who has supported this event over the past 10 years… Thank you!

— Jonathan Maus, (503) 706-8804 – jonathan@bikeportland.org

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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.

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MaxD
MaxD
8 years ago

Last year you offered to have a conversation with staff about the dangerous right-hook conditions that they create when flagger wave people across bike lanes into parking garages. I continue to have conflicts and frequently wonder if you have had a conversation with them and what they said. I cannot be only fan that feels alienated by this.

pdx2wheeler
pdx2wheeler
8 years ago
Reply to  MaxD

Totally agree, I’m a solid rider and feel very confident. However, going through the Rose Quarter before a Blazer game is terrifying. Those flaggers have put my life at risk many times. I don’t even go in the bike lane any longer and just take the far vehicle lane, and that’s typically just a zoo of distracted drivers…

Adam
8 years ago
Reply to  pdx2wheeler

I made the mistake of riding on Interstate right after a Blazers game ended. It was terrifying.

MaxD
MaxD
8 years ago

Thanks Jonathan. I realize that you cannot simply fix this, but I think this will be taken more seriously coming from you and hearing that it is not just one lone biker who is affected. For what it is worth, I have called the City, but I find them completely unresponsive on all issues. I also contacted some Rose Quarter staff. I had a few constructive-seeming conversations, but nothing has changed. At this point, I am beginning to hope they have a losing streak so fewer people drive in to see the games!

Champs
Champs
8 years ago

At least I’ll give them credit for fixing the broken sidewalks.

Andy K
Andy K
8 years ago
Reply to  MaxD

The other right hook that needs to be fixed belongs to Noah Vonleh.

Adam
8 years ago

Sounds fun! When is Timbers Bike Night? 😉

RH
RH
8 years ago
Reply to  Adam

That’s an awesome idea! Could be tricky to get a large block of tickets though.

Adam
8 years ago
Reply to  RH

True. A bunch of Timbers Army tickets could work, but we’d have to get there early or sit in 200 level.

Adam
8 years ago

Good point! Maybe a Timbers match would be better served by a #bikingtobeers event instead.

Totally agree that the Rose Quarter area needs better bike infra. Do they set up temporary bike parking like they do at Providence Park?

Gary B
Gary B
8 years ago
Reply to  Adam

Every match.

bikeninja
bikeninja
8 years ago

The biggest problem ( or challenge) at Blazer games is that a lot of people who arn’t used to urban driving or walking conditions roll in to the Moda Center from the Hinterlands. I find myself waiting at the Broadway and Ross Streetcar stop before most Blazer games and it is terrifying watching fans fresh in from the suburbs cross Broadway on foot. So the crazy driving such as right hooks, etc is par for the course. Not sure there is much we can do except turn the parking garages in to urban houseing and force Blazer fans to walk, bike or ride mass transit like Timbers Fans.

MaxD
MaxD
8 years ago
Reply to  bikeninja

bikeninja,
the Blazers pay flagger to stand on the roadside with orange vest one and light flashlights to wave people into the parking garages. They can see the bikes coming and could be trained to tell people turning to stop when it is unsafe and proceed when it is safe. The City could also get out there and bust people for blocking intersections and roadways, not signalling turns, not head-checking. driving while distracted, driving drunk (esp. after games), etc.

Roland Klasen
Roland Klasen
8 years ago

I cycled down to a Blazers playoff game last season and it was so ridiculously fun and easy compared to driving that I was giggling all the way.

peejay
peejay
8 years ago

“Comfortably close to the upper echelon”? More like “better than even chance to make the playoffs but would have to have some insane luck to crack the top four”. But I get your point, Jonathan. This team is just more fun to watch than the previous bunch, mostly because of the wide open style they play, and the way they click as a team. I’m going to say I’d rather watch Damian play than Steph Curry, because it feels like it means more to him. I’d love to get a couple of these guys on bikes in the off-season, which I hope starts as late as possible for them.

peejay
peejay
8 years ago
Reply to  peejay

Ugh. Last night proved me right. The Blazers are not quite there yet. But I still love them and will get my ticket for the game!