New to riding, or new to Portland? The City wants to help

[Options Guy]

First, welcome to Portland or welcome (back?) to the bike, or both.
The City of Portland takes pride in our efforts to make this the most bike-friendly city in North America. "...In the world" will come a little later.

You might know that the Portland Bureau of Transportation publishes a whole range of maps to help you find a comfortable route to get where you're going. They're free and you can order them on-line here.

You might not know that we also offer classes and rides every spring & summer. There are two programs:

Portland By Cycle offers classes Wednesday evenings in May, June, and September. Our series of moderate-pace group rides run Tuesday & Wednesday evenings in July & August, with family rides on two Saturday mornings. Click here to see the full schedule, or watch the "Rides & Events" forum for announcements of specific rides.

Women on Bikes is a program of clinics (Thursday evenings & Saturday mornings) and rides (Thursday evenings), designed to provide a safe and comfortable environment for women who want to bike more for transportation, fun, or whatever reason. Click here to see the full schedule of activities.

And if you want to enjoy a day of riding without having to worry about motorized traffic, come to Sunday Parkways. We're hosting 3 of these bike/walk/stroll/etc. events in North, Northeast, and Southeast Portland in 2009. Click here to see the schedule and routes.

Did I mention that all these events are free? Please join us in making Portland the best biking city on the continent. We'll tackle the rest of the planet soon.

[SonyaByBike]

These activities appear to be exactly what my boyfriend and I need to get cycling-savvy in Portland! We're moving from the East Coast to Portland in mid-August and while I'm very familiar with cycling the streets of NYC and Philadelphia it will be a bit of an adjustment to get used to Portland. So excited to live out there!