We hope everyone takes time today, on Memorial Day, to remember those who have served our country.

Once you've done that, have a read of the top news and other cool stuff that caught our eyes this past week...

- If you're out riding today you might want to be extra-vigilant; it turns out more people run red lights while driving a car on Memorial Day than on other comparable days.

- Three new routes in the US Bicycle Route (USBR) system were approved and received their official designations: USBR 35 in Michigan, USBR 45 in Minnesota, and a realignment for USBR 1 in North Carolina.

- A study from the Brookings Institue has found real estate values are higher in neighborhoods which are more accesible to walking, biking, and taking transit and the study has already received attention from The New York Times.

- There's continued pressure to eliminate funding for bicycle and pedestrian programs in the transportation bill from some tea party-backed members of congress.

- Have you heard people say the Keystone XL pipeline, which some want to cram into the transportation bill reauthorization, will make gas cheaper? It turns out a report says the pipeline mega-project could easily raise the price of oil in the United States.

- Also in transportation bill news, the Freight Stakeholders Coalition is asking the federal government to spend $2 billion on "improving freight mobility."

- One job training program in Eugene is putting veterans back to work in local bike shops.

- The economy is recovering slowly but some businesses in Oregon, including bike shops, are seeing consistent, steady growth.

- Saving on gas can really add up: new statistics show people who ride bikes in the United States collectively save at least $4.6 billion a year.

- Neighbors in Wisconsin have successfully delayed a freeway expansion project that would have severed land on local farms.

- A safe-passing bill under consideration in California doesn't go far enough to fully protect people on bicycles according to an opinion in the Los Angeles Times, despite receiving sponsorship from Democrats and support from the city of L.A.

- A woman was reunited with her missing childhood bicycle and some of the recent reporting on her story is gaining attention in its own right.

- PinkBike sat down with renown local manufacturer Chris King to talk about how Chris King Components got started and takes a look at the life of a Chris King hub from raw material to finished product.

- Portland's own April Streeter has a new book out titled "Women on Wheels: A Handbook and Hot-To for City Cyclists."

- A charter school in Gilbert, Arizona (named a bicycle-friendly community by the League of American Bicyclists) provides no transportation options for students yet has barred students from riding a bike to school and requires a signed waiver if they want to walk to school alone.

- Musician and bicycle advocate David Byrne shares his perspective on New York City's upcoming bike share program.

- In another take on NYC's impending installation of bike share, The Atlantic Cities asks if the program will mean fewer helmets and more crashes.

- For another look at bike sharing, have a look at Tel Aviv's "Tel O Fun" bike share system.

- A woman has died after being struck by a person driving a car only a few miles from the scene of a collision that killed her husband in 2008.

- A French-language bicycle blog takes a look at Portland, tracing the history of bicycling in our city and comparing us to bicycle-friendly Copenhagen.

- The "psychology of sharing the road" is deep and complex according to GOOD's Lifestyle Editor.

- A new bikeway proposed for Los Angeles is under attack because opponents say it violates environmental laws and because some of the trail's alleged side-effects like "traffic congestion and other environmental impacts" haven't been fully studied.

- The Cascade Bicycle Club has announced they will be training 15 people to "effectively create an advocacy campaign that gets results" this summer through the Advocacy Leadership Institute.

- Parents of a young man who died when an open car door forced him into traffic say a stronger deterrent is needed to prevent similar accidents.

- Some say there's a "war between bikes and cars" but one reporter in Toronto says if there is any "war" it's more like "a skirmish between a weak civilian milita and a military giant."

- Some accident reports describe cars as if they drive themselves but that may become reality now that autonomous-car legislation, supported by Google, has passed in California's senate with unanimous support.

- Blind spots in cars are getting more attention, this time from USA Today, which takes a look at the "most dangerous blind spots in cars."

- Despite Portland's recent gains in national bike-friendliness ratings, the League of American Bicyclists named Washington the bike-friendliest state in the nation.

- Alan Oakley, the designer of the iconic Raleigh Chopper, passed away recently and The Sun took a look at his iconic bicycle "that defined a generation."

- Last week huge crowds turned out for Atlanta Streets Alive, the semi-annual car-free event put on by the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition.

- A study from UCLA finds men who ride regularly are more likely to produce higher levels of estrogen.

- And finally, did you forget your bike lock? That's not a problem if you're a police officer.

— Did you find something interesting that should be in next week's Monday Roundup? Drop us a line. For more great links from around the web, follow us on Twitter @BikePortland.

Like a cycling tsunami washing over North Portland in several waves, students (and parents) from Beach School showed, once again, just how inspiring and effective the local bike train movement has become.

And — on a week where we read with disbelief about a group of seniors suspended for biking to school (thankfully, the school principal has apologized), Congress played politics (yet again) with Safe Routes to School funding, and yet another school banned biking completely — news of Beach's bike train couldn't come at a better time.

Beach parent Bryn Dearborn reminds us that this is the third annual massive bike train the school has organized (smaller, yet still impressive ones, happen every week). He said well over 100 people showed up and both the school's principal and vice president participated.

Check out the action in the video below (sent in by Bryn):

Believe it or not, there remain many schools across America where it's prohibited for students to bike. The reason? Surrounding roads are deemed too "unsafe" by school leaders.

What's amazing about Beach's story, is that 10 years ago, biking was prohibited their too. It wasn't until people in the community got organized, the City put a neighborhood greenway outside its door, and a new principal who "got it" stepped in, that things turned around.

Now, Beach is a national example for kids biking to school and the positive impact that can come from a strong collaboration between a city, its citizens, and a school.

Reader Matt G. emailed us a few days ago to share an interesting experience. Matt got his bike stolen back in January and, like a smart and responsible Portlander, he immediately reported it to the police and listed it on our Stolen Bike Listings. A few months passed, then he got an email from what he assumed was a Good Samaritan.

Now he suspects otherwise.

Here's more from Matt:

"This morning I was contacted by someone saying they may have found it and could I provide the serial number. I was surprised and a little excited that it could be mine and responded right away, giving them more details on the bike but informing them that sadly, I didn't have the serial number.

I didn't think too much of it initially, but later it crossed my mind that it could have been the thief checking to see if the bike could be traced and proven stolen. Since a lot of thieves sell on Craigslist it's always the first place a victim will look to see if their property is up for sale. So, I wonder if these thieves are now using the BikePortland Stolen Bike Listings to help them move their stolen bikes?

After that thought crossed my mind I did a bit of digging on the potential Good Samaritan/thief... and he has to be on first name terms with the police, seeing as his mugshot is all over the web for everything including theft, fraud, assault etc... I know that history doesn't mean this guy can't be a reformed man; but it set me off to where I am now. No response back from him as yet and I don't expect to get one at this point, I guess I'm suspicious by nature.

Long story short, I think the thief has contacted me and I'm wondering if you've heard of thieves using the listings to contact people they've stolen from before?"

I couldn't recall ever hearing about a thief contacting their victim, so I asked our resident bike theft expert Bryan Hance. Bryan said, "It happens from time to time." He even recalls people using such contact to steal their own bikes back from thieves. "But I don't recommend that," he added.

Bryan's suggestion if this happens to you is to contact the police right away. Hopefully you've got a pending case number on file. And hopefully, of course, you actually know your serial number.

That's a lesson Matt G. now knows all too well. "If it turns out what I think is true [that the guy who contacted him really is the thief], I don't see it as a slight on the stolen bikes listings at all... and really, I should have had that serial number written down."

The Lumberyard, an indoor bike park on NE 82nd Avenue in Portland, is now open for business. The new, privately-owned riding area swung open its doors to the public earlier this month. It's the first facility of its kind west of the Mississippi and will provide a much-needed riding opportunity for both Portlanders and visitors alike.

Lumberyard co-founders Will Heiberg and Michael Whitesel began renovating a former bowling alley across the street from Madison High School last fall. $3.5 million of redevelopment and countless hours of hard work later, they've transformed the space into a 48,000 square foot cycling Shangri-La. The facility includes jump lines, pump tracks, skill sections, and a "cross-country style" trail loop that winds between it all. Riders of all abilities will find something to love about the place, says Heiberg.

And if you aren't sure how to tackle this type of riding, Heiberg recommends a one of their many how-to clinics or summer camps for the younger ones.

When Bicycling Magazine named Portland the #1 Bike City in America, local mountain bikers bristled due to the lack of places for them to ride. Heiberg hopes The Lumberyard helps fill part of that void. "Portland has an active bike culture," says Heiberg, "but there is nothing for the mountain biker close to town and few options to ride during the rainy season.”

Another reason Heiberg's bullish on his new business? He knows it will be a must-stop destination for the hordes of riders and bike industry types that constantly travel between Southern California and the mountain-biking mecca of Vancouver, B.C.. Watch for The Lumberyard to host lots of industry events, product launches, and magazine photo shoots.

The facility is being built out in three phases. Along with some great riding, phase one (which is completed) includes The Lumberyard's retail shop and event room for hosting parties and meetings. They also offer bikes, helmets, and protective pads for rent. By early July, phase two of the build-out will include a full restaurant, bar, and a riding area just made for kids up to six years old. The final phase will see the addition of a 20,000 square foot "barn" with 40-foot ceilings that will house advanced/expert features like a foam pit (to practice crazy jumps and flips), a downhill trail with rock gardens, drops, ramps, and more.

Here are a few photos from inside...

Bikes for rent...

A wider view showing parts of the pump track and jump area...

Welcome to The Lumberyard!

Help Will, Michael, and the rest of the Lumberyard crew celebrate this exciting opening with a big launch party on June 9th from 3:00 to 9:00 pm. There will be pro rider demos, vendor tents, food and drink, a kids ride, product showcase, prize raffle and more.

— The Lumberyard is located at 2700 NE 82nd Ave. Hours are Monday through Friday 4 - 10 pm and 11 am to to 10 pm on the weekends. Learn more at LumberyardMTB.com or like them on Facebook.

The Ironclad Performance Wear Cycling Team is a road-racing-centric team based in Portland that focuses on helping novice riders to develop. It's a diverse bunch, ranging from an architect to a former army ranger to a semi-pro hippie, but somehow it all works, and amazingly well.

Team Ironclad (photographed by Catherine Leigh Cooper in August 2011).

If you were to see the team chugging beers after a race, you might be surprised to learn how successful the program has been. Perhaps it's because of their balanced, at times lighthearted approach to the sometimes all-too-serious world of bike racing that the team has done as well as it has. The level of camaraderie I've witnessed among the team members surpasses anything I've seen in the cycling world. According to team founder, director, and all-around Ironclad Cycling head honcho Dave Aldersebaes, that's the secret to their success. Dave and I recently got together for a quick Q & A over a lunch of pasties and beers in North Portland (truth be told, I drank seltzer, but he had extra beer to make up for it.)

Team founder Dave Aldersebaes

I moved out to Portland from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with my girlfriend, Carrie Goodbrake, in 2006. She raced for the PSU team then, and I remember watching them do an omnium race at OSU. In the men's race they had all these super-strong dudes chasing each other down. I went to school to be a teacher, and the teacher light in my head went off.

The next day I put out an email to the PSU team to see if any of them would be interested in being part of a new squad. I got 17 responses pretty much right away, and we were off. We started with all Cat 4s and 5s (beginner racers). Now we have about 40 members in total, including 22 women, with five Elite men, three Elite women, a bunch of Cat 3s, and more moving up soon.

Yeah, I'm the national sales manager now, I used to be a regional sales manager. Ironclad is a glove company, but for the "industrial athlete". And all of our products are made with technical fabrics and built to be rugged, so our base layers and several glove models are really well suited to cycling.

We have a new marketing guy at Ironclad, and he sees the benefit that sponsoring the team has had. Google "Ironclad" and there's so much stuff about the team that comes up — we're clearly doing a lot to promote the brand. We have 1,200 to 1,700 hits per month at ironcladcycling.com, and our Flickr account has had over 800,000 views.

We're serious, but not that serious. We want to have fun above everything – the emphasis is not on results but teamwork, effort, sacrificing for one another and laughing. I could care less about who's fast and who isn't, I'm more looking for a good fit for the team. The point is to get better, get faster and to race. We are definitely a race team, not a club.

In the off-season between cyclocross and road, we add in the social element off the bike. Getting to know one another is not just fun; it puts you at an advantage come race season because you're all closer. Those social events are part of being on the team. And we'll go out and do training rides with the entire squad, riding two abreast for hours in the winter. That, plus the off-bike stuff, brings cohesiveness.

Riders tend to stick around. For the most part, people who leave are either injured, moving away or quitting racing. So we don't have many openings every year, but we try to fill them with the right people.

Daniel Penner winning the Cirque du Cycling criterium this past summer.
(Photo: Catherine Leigh Cooper)

Ironclad team members gridlocked in Bend at the Halloween Cross Crusade race back in October.

It's a low-key team night ride up into Forest Park. We go crazy in the park for a night, ride hard up to the top and drink some beers. They can run pretty late, sometimes until 1 am, and afterwards we'll do a little bike derby at a school, which is basically bicycle combat. It's goofy fun and low key, but it develops handling skills too — and maybe that's indicative of the team's approach.

I think it's a byproduct of the community itself, and it also has a lot to do with OBRA (Oregon Bicycle Racing Association). If a team pays $35 to be a team, they have a lot of leeway in terms of how they approach the races. Nobody really turns their noses up at you, and because it's so easy to get into, you can just make [the racing experience] what you want to make it.

But OBRA is the foundation, the walls and the roof. It's the perfect framework for any racer, in any discipline and at any level. And they're getting better, adding more novice fields, Cat 5 fields. That's perfect for us — our prime function as a team is to bring more people, more novices, into the sport and to grow our Elite programs from within. I'd love to graduate some of our top racers to the pros and develop the lower levels up the ladder. We have Elite two racers, Brianna Walle and Anna Grace Christiansen, headed down to race an Omnium in San Jose, California, that serves as a Nature Valley Pro Chase event. [Winners from the Pro Chase events race on a fully supported composite team in the Nature Valley Classic stage race]. And they were both Cat 4s just two years ago.

Team members out at Portland International Raceway last week.

Ironclad's Brianna Walle is one of the top racers in Oregon (and has the prize money and state champion jersey to prove it).

Yup, Kegger Cross will be on private property south of the airport, so lots of people can easily ride their bike to it. As the name implies, there will be kegs of beer, and also live bands and some cool course features no one has done before — you'll have to wait to hear more about that. It'll be fun and cheap for the racers, because we don't need to pay for permits. It's one weekend before the first Cross Crusade, on September 29th.

I wouldn't have believed we would be at this point six years ago [BikePortland profiled Dave and the team back in 2007]. I'm not fast, I was never fast, I'll never be fast, but I love to teach cycling and to be a part of it. I got it going and I pushed it down the hill, but it's definitely the riders who are keeping it going now. Just getting this team running is definitely my greatest sporting achievement, and I'm lucky to be surrounded by such great people.

— Learn more about the team and follow their results on the Ironclad Performance Wear Cycling page and on the OBRA team page, and stay tuned to BikePortland for more profiles of the teams that season Portland's unique racing flavor.

• Bike Commute Challenge Program Coordinator - Bicycle Transportation Alliance
• Bikegeeks - Planet X/Titus/On-one Bikes
• Retail Sales Specialists (two positions) - Community Cycling Center
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• Bicycle Mechanic - Western Bike Works
• Bicycle Mechanic - Abraham Fixes Bikes
• SoupCycler Extraordinaire - SoupCycle

For a complete list of available jobs, click here. If you'd like more information about the BikePortland Job Listings, contact us, or visit the Job Listings page.

You can sign up for all the latest job listings via RSS, email, or by following us on Twitter.

The Portland Bureau of Emergency Management (PBEM) has released a series of maps showing where natural hazards exist in each neighborhood throughout the city. In the interest of being prepared if and when disaster strikes (having a cargo bike all ready to go will only get you so far), I thought it'd be fun to see how these known hazards line up with popular bike routes.

Here's more about the maps from PBEM:

"The maps identify natural hazards throughout the city. They offer a neighborhood coalition by neighborhood coalition account of known earthquake faults, flood plains and other dangers, including hazardous material sites, steep slopes and forested areas at risk of fire. The maps also show community resources – such as evacuation routes and key transportation corridors used during emergencies, hospitals, county clinics, schools, fire stations and police facilities – within each neighborhood coalition area."

I had no idea about the East Bank Fault that stretches from inner southeast all the way north. And wow, all those unreinforced masonry structures downtown. When the big one hits, I hope I'm working from home. Speaking of which, I live very close to the "Primary Evacuation Route" of I-5; but I have to say I can't imagine that working out too well. I mean, I-5 can't even handle rush-hour traffic on a normal weekday, so I don't exactly see myself jumping in the mini-van and making a quick getaway when the shaking stops. Another thing that stood out for me are all the HAZMAT locations scattered around the city. Eeek.

Download full size here.

How about you? Are the places you ride going to be underwater, up in flames, oozing toxic chemicals, or buried in rubble when disaster strikes?

And if you're into preparedness and cargo bikes, put the Disaster Relief Trials on your calendar for June 17th!

You can download the full citywide map, or a map specific to your neighborhood coalition from the Hazard Maps page on PBEM's website

One thing you might have missed amid the huge crowds at Sunday Parkways earlier this month was PBOT's launch of a marketing campaign for the Going Street Neighborhood Greenway.

Coming soon to street signs.

As bike boulevards go, the City sees Going as the top of the heap; the marquee bike boulevard in Portland's impressive (and always growing) network. But what good is a low-stress, family-friendly street that prioritizes bicycling, if no one knows it's there? That's the question motivating a new push by PBOT to further promote Going and make it stand out among its paved peers.

PBOT is using part of the $2.1 million federal grant they received for the Going to the River project to do an outreach campaign focused on the Going Street Neighborhood Greenway. The campaign includes mailings to nearby residents, a series of events, new marketing materials, and new signage coming to the street this summer.

The five events will run through mid-September and they include: "Going to Play", a card game at the May 13th Sunday Parkways that had a chance to win a new Trek bike; "Going Shopping", a promotion throughout June that will come with special coupons to local businesses; "Going Exploring", a scavenger hunt in July the with prizes and free treats and coffee at the Concordia Neighborhood Yard Sale; "Going to Work", which will include free bike repair stations along the street in August; and "Going to School", which promises to be a "giant fair for kids and parents" at King School Park on September 14th.

At the beginning of May, PBOT sent out a mailer with details on these events to the 5,500 households within 1,000 feet of the bike boulevard. Those residents will continue to receive mailers as part of this campaign through September. Here's another detail from that mailer...

Another nifty thing PBOT unveiled at Sunday Parkways were these cool seat covers (as seen below on my daughter's bike):

Portlanders will also get visual cues that Going is a great street for biking. PBOT plans to add "street sign toppers" along Going this summer (similar to the ones already installed on SE Clinton St.). Bureau spokesman Dan Anderson says there will be four designs, three bike-focused designs already in use on Clinton Street and, "a new pedestrian-focused design."

The crossing at MLK Jr. Blvd and Going St. is often in use by people riding bikes.

In just a few short years, Going has already established itself as a great example of the city's renewed bike boulevard efforts. With stop signs turned to keep bike traffic flowing, speed bumps to keep auto speeds down, sharrows, and improved infrastructure at crossings, biking on Going is a breeze. Between 2010 and 2011, bike traffic on going rose 34%. With more awareness that the street exists, even more people might head out and give biking a try.

— Learn more at NeighborhoodGreenways.org

Chrome, a well-known bag and urban bicycling/lifestyle apparel brand, opened a new retail store in downtown Portland yesterday. Staffers from the company's San Francisco headquarters spent three weeks completely renovating a 1,300 square foot space at 425 SW 10th Avenue (around the corner from the Ace Hotel and up the street from Powell's). Portland is just the fourth city where Chrome has opened a store, and we're by far the smallest. Their other stores are in San Francisco (their headquarters), New York City, and Chicago.

Chrome was founded 17 years ago in Boulder, Colorado and moved to San Francisco a few years later. Since then, due in large part to their iconic messenger bags, they've extended their product line and now offer apparel, backpacks, and footwear. While their gear is not bike-specific, the brand lives and breathes urban biking and everything is made with the assumption that the customer will move around the city on a bike.

I dropped by their new store yesterday. Even though the doors had only been open for a few hours, the place was already buzzing. Customers milled around both outside and around the store's TV (which was playing old clips of Eddy Merckx at the Tour de France). And as you might expect from a brand that made its name with bomb-proof quality messenger bags, a lot of the folks hanging out at the store were local bike messengers.

Here are a few shots from inside...

I met one guy near the front door, Barry, who said he was the store's first customer. He's been a fan of Chrome for awhile. "I'm glad they came to Portland!" he said, smiling and showing off his new backpack (which he likes because he can carry his laptop and clothes in it and it's "great for traveling because it fits in the overhead bin.")

Another person who's glad Chrome came to Portland is the store's manager, Amanda Sundvor. Many of you might already know Amanda as the high-fiving and fun-loving mechanic at 21st Avenue Bicycles (where she used to work), as the DJ who keeps local bike parties thumping, or as the force of nature behind Backyard Blam (the folks who brought you the recent Cross Up event, among others).

Store Manager Amanda Sundvor.

Sundvor loved working at 21st Avenue, but recently suffered a bad hand injury that made working on bikes painful. She had gotten to know the folks at Chrome over the years and when they asked her to manage the new store, she says, "It was very serendipitous." Now she's overseeing a crew of six employees and her infectious energy will help keep this place ticking.

Paul Wilson, Chrome's retail marketing manager, is in town to launch the new store.

Chrome's Retail Marketing Manager Paul Wilson, came up from San Francisco to train employees and make the store look just right. Wilson, like many businesses I've asked over the years, says his company wanted to be in Portland because of, "The great vibe and community here." Wilson says he wants Chrome to become a "hub" (they don't call them stores) for the community. "We're here in Portland to support our dealers and urban cycling in general... We want people to come here, hang out, and find out what's going on... It's a community thing, we want to foster that."

The store itself is gorgeous. The 18-foot ceilings make you want to linger and the hand-made, wooden fixtures are tastefully integrated with Chrome's urban graphics and dizzying array of colorful products. At the center of the store is a wide wooden table for taking a closer look at the bags. Want to know how it feels all packed up? They've got some weights you can toss in the bag to find out.

Near the shoe section is a tastefully-sized TV (not a huge big screen) and some stairs and couches to view it on.

In the rear of the store is what they call the "sewing station." Sundvor says customers can make an appointment to have certain bag models made custom by the store's full-time seamstress. Just call ahead, pick your bag, choose a color and other options and they'll make it right in front of your eyes. Through a partnership with courier company MercuryPDX, they'll even deliver the bag to your door later the same day (usually) using local bike messengers.

This is definitely a store worth checking out (for locals and visitors alike). There's a big grand opening planned for First Thursday on June 7th. Amanda says to bring your guns because there'll be an arm-wrestling contest.

Chrome Portland Retail Store
425 SW 10th
Hours: Monday - Saturday 10-7, Sunday 10-6
Website

Welcome to Portland Chrome!

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]]> [Story and photos by Russ Roca of The Path Less Pedaled]

This is what the bike tourism revolution looks like.
(Photos © Russ Roca/The Path Less Pedaled)

Eastern Oregon is known for its dry climate; but there's something taking root along its gorgeous backroads that could help grow the economy of its many small communities: bicycle tourism.

A makeshift meeting room in the Outpost Pub and Grill in John Day (pop. 1,744) is probably the last place you'd expect talk about the need of a bicycle friendly business program, community bike share or bike racks. However, this is the sort of quiet magic that a small, road-weary crew comprised of representatives from Travel Oregon and the Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department have been performing through many rural Oregon communities over the past year.

Travel Oregon sustainable tourism expert Kristin Dahl, bike travel consultant (and former Bicycle Transportation Alliance executive director) Scott Bricker, and Alex Phillips from Oregon Parks and Recreation have been traveling throughout all corners of the state giving workshops about rural marketing and bicycle tourism. It's all part of a coordinated effort to establish Oregon as a premier bicycle touring destination.

Oregon's State Scenic Bikeway program has exploded in recent years, and there are currently nine officially designated routes in the system.

-Download a PDF of this map here -

With the announcement of the Old West Scenic Bikeway, a 174 mile scenic loop developed specifically for cycling, community leaders and business owners from all over Grant County (which includes the small communities of Prairie City, Mt. Vernon, Monument, Lone Creek, Bates and Dayville) met this week to discuss how to make their area more appealing to bicycle tourists.

Mike Cosgrove, a local proponent of the new scenic bikeway, managed to pull in 50 people from throughout the county, making this, as far as anyone remembered, the largest meeting to talk about bicycling Grant County has ever seen. And it's likely, just a sign of things to come.

After morning introductions and an overview of tourism statistics, Scott and Kristin led an energized room of community members through a series of exercises to identify their region's assets and how they can better accommodate people who ride bikes. Suggestions ranged from providing craft beer, to installing secure bike parking, providing wireless internet, adding bike racks to regional buses and to creating a bicycle friendly business campaign called 'Two Wheels Spoken Here'.

Oregon's State Bicycle Recreation Coordinator Alex Phillips shared a map of the burgeoning scenic bikeway network she has helped bring to life...

Many community members also brainstormed on creative activities for people to do off the bike, including fishing, birding, horseback riding and geological tours of the area. One of themes that was emphasized was the importance of retaining the region’s character to provide a unique experience for visitors.

Some of these communities are not completely new to the idea of bicycle tourism. Adventure Cycling’s TransAmerica Trail has passed through a portion of the region since the 1970s. A church in Dayville, for example, which has been on the TransAm route for a number of years, offers indoor accommodations to passing bicycle tourists.

Local cycling advocate Christy Rheu operates the Bike Inn in Mt. Vernon which is also on the TransAm route. What is new, however, is that the Old West Scenic Bikeway is designed as a 3-day loop ride which guides riders through lesser known and quieter parts of Grant County. Its purpose is to highlight some of the best and most iconic riding within the state of Oregon, rather than just move them across the state.

Just how enthusiastic are folks in eastern Oregon about bicycle touring? Check out the cover of their visitor's guide...

Although it was a long day of presentations and brainstorming many people stayed for the entire workshop. Kristin Dahl from Travel Oregon was impressed with the community engagement and remarked that it was one of the most successful bicycle tourism workshops they had given.

In the photo below, attendees prioritize next steps on the road to bike travel bliss...

Learn more at the Oregon State Scenic Bikeways website and stay tuned to The Path Less Pedaled for videos, photos, and more dispatches about traveling by bike in Oregon.

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