Bring the kids!
(Photo © J. Maus)

Bike to Blazers is this Sunday (4/3)! I hope you're ready to show the NBA how we roll in Portland.

We still have a few tickets left, so if you haven't grabbed some already, you can order them online here (don't forget to use passcode "bikeblazers" to get special package).

After our post with all the event details last week, I'm happy to announce that five people have stepped up to lead group rides to the Rose Garden. Below are the meet-up spots and times (for reference, the game starts at 6:00 pm):
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Me, circa 2006.

When I put together the first Bike to Blazers event back in 2006 (see photo at right), it was just a group ride to the arena with a few small perks we worked out with Blazers front-office staff. The goal all along was to get the Blazers organization excited about it so they'd adopt it as their own. After a super-fun and successful event last year, it seems like that's starting to become a reality.

This year, the Blazers have really stepped up for the event and we couldn't be more excited. Check out the logo they made for the official event flyer... (more...)

Event Name: Bike to Blazers
Event Date: Sunday, April 3. 4:00pm-6:00pm
Event Description: All roads lead to the Rose Quarter for this year's Bike to Blazers event. The team wants every fan to pedal to the 6pm tip-off vs. Dallas Mavericks to demonstrate how easy and fun it is to get around by bike. BikePortland invites you to join us at 4pm at the Salmon Street Fountain (Salmon and Naito Parkway) for a bike parade to the arena where the Blazers will host a variety of sustainability oriented events and information packed guests like: Friends of Trees, Portland Farmers Market, Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative, Energy Trust and the Portland Water Bureau. We will all meet up on the South Commons where there will be plenty of bike parking, Blazers dancers, interactive games, microbrew tasting and 95.5 will be broadcasting live.

You are invited whether you attend the game or not. Group rides will be departing for the arena from various locations around the city. Why not lead one yourself? If you'd like to choose a starting time/ location and announce it here, just drop us a note.

What to bring: Bring the family, a bike lock, lights for the ride home and the extra money you saved by leaving the car at home.
If you need a bike for the evening, check in with Portland Bicycle Tours.

Game Tickets: Purchase tickets here

More info: Lisa Swan (503) 963-3966 ~ lisa.swan(at)trailblazers(dot)com

Rockin' the Rose Garden at Bike to Blazers 2010

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Part of our excellent group.
-- Gallery/slideshow below --
(Photos © J. Maus)

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A Trail Blazer bike bell -- get one at the Rally!

Tomorrow (Wednesday April 14, 2010) is Bike to Blazers and we've got a load of updates and final details to share.

First, remember that this event is free and open to everyone (you only need a ticket to the game). Also, you don't need a bike to join us! There will be loaner bikes to borrow and pedicabs to ride in. Also, if you didn't get tickets to the game before they sold out, a downtown eatery/sports pub is hosting a Bike to Blazers viewing party. All the details are below... (more...)

Here's the official press release from the Trail Blazers about the big event tomorrow!:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                          
April 12, 2010

CONTACTS:                  
Bill Evans, Trail Blazers, 971.678.4210
Kris Koivisto, Trail Blazers, 503.797.9783

FANS READY TO ROLL TO THE ROSE GARDEN FOR ANNUAL BIKE TO BLAZERS GAME

Third-annual event will pay homage to Bill Walton’s route across the Steel Bridge

PORTLAND, OR — The Trail Blazers enjoy a connection to Portland’s bike community that spans as far back as Bill Walton, perhaps the most celebrated bike enthusiast in team history. 
On Wednesday, fans can be part of this Portland tradition at the third annual Bike-to-Blazers game against Golden State, riding to the game over the Steel Bridge as Walton himself often did. 
Cyclists – including Portland Mayor Sam Adams, Metro councilor Rex Burkholder and Bike Portland editor Jonathan Maus, the founder of the event – will meet for a rally at the Salmon Street Fountain at McCall Waterfront Park at 5:30 p.m.

“Thousands of cyclists commute by the Rose Quarter each day,” Portland Trail Blazers President Larry Miller said. “Bike to Blazers encourages active transportation and creates a fun event for Trail Blazers fans and cyclists. Our hope is that people see biking to games as a fun, healthy alternative to driving.”  

The event is in partnership with the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, BikePortland.org, Lloyd TMA, Portland Water Bureau, Metro, Community Cycling Center, Portland Bicycle Tours, and the Office of Mayor Sam Adams.

"Trail Blazers basketball and bicycling are two great Portland pastimes. I’m excited to see these two pastimes come together to create an exceptional event that will hopefully become a Portland tradition," Mayor Adams said.

Highlights of the event will include:

• A free prize raffle for an autographed Bill Walton helmet
• A “dress like Bill Walton” contest
• Community bike awareness events on the Rose Quarter Commons
• A designated bike section for the first 100 ticket buyers, with JumboTron recognition.
• Post game free-throw shooting for participants
• Trail Blazers bike bells for cyclists

“Biking to Trail Blazers games is not only a fun way to get to the Rose Garden, it’s a way to enhance public health and create more livable, vibrant communities,” said Stephanie Noll of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA).”

The Trail Blazers are encouraging Portlanders to participate—even if they’re not daily bike commuters. Portland Bicycle Tours is loaning bikes to fans that want to join in the festivities, but are without a bike of their own. Those who cannot make the rally are still encouraged to bike to the game, using route planning assistance from the City of Portland and Tri-Met. Limited covered bike parking is now available at the Rose Garden.

The Bike to Blazers event follows a successful NBA Green Week partnership with the NBA and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), during which the Trail Blazers hosted the US Green Building Council and NBA leadership to officially celebrate the Rose Garden’s LEED Gold certification, an accomplishment made possible in part because of the team’s commitment to sustainable transportation efforts.

“Being green is part of Portlanders’ DNA,” Miller said. “We want to make it easier for fans to reduce their environmental footprint with a full range of transportation options.”

Miller added that bike-friendly development will play an important role creating a more green, active and enlivened Rose Quarter.

“New amenities for cyclists and active transportation options for visitors have been at the center of our development conversations,” Miller said. “We want to make biking to the Rose Quarter a convenience, because we recognize the benefits to the environment, to public health and to adjacent neighborhoods.”

Special thanks to BikePortland.org for helping make this year’s ride the biggest yet. 

In just the latest sign that the Portland Trail Blazers are looking to lead the NBA in biking, I just came across a great ad put together as part of their Make it Better campaign. It features Blazers front office employee Steve Farnsworth and their reserve point guard Jerryd Bayless.

Check it out: (more...)

Rob will be in Portland next week.
(Photo © J. Maus)

The newly hired top gun at the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, Rob Sadowsky, won't officially take the helm until July 1st, but you can meet him and hear him speak at our big Bike to Blazers Rally in Waterfront Park on April 14th.

Sadowsky will be one of the featured speakers at the rally, which will take place at the Salmon Street Fountain amphitheater, just north of the Hawthorne Bridge on the west side of the Willamette River. The rally starts at 5:30 and we leave for the Rose Garden Arena at 6:00 -- so don't be late! (more...)

One lucky person will win this collectible
helmet signed by Bill Walton.
(Photo © J. Maus)

All the pieces to the big Bike to Blazers event are coming together. The rally, ride, and mini-expo at the Rose Quarter are all set.

The big news is that the bike section is sold out! We had 100 seats reserved and they're all gone. This means we'll have one rocking and bike-loving group of fans to cheer on our home team and send them into the playoffs with a bang. It also means that the other 20,000 Blazer fans in attendance will get a not-so-subtle hint that biking to the game is not just possible, but it can be a ton of fun too! (more...)

April 14th!

Bike to Blazers is shaping up nicely and now we've even got the blessing of Blazers icon and NBA Hall of Famer Bill Walton (watch video below).

But before I bring you up to speed, get your tickets if you haven't already. We've got a limited amount set aside so all us bike nuts can sit together -- which will make our "We Biked Here" signs and five seconds of fame on the jumbotron that much sweeter.

OK, back to the updates... (more...)

Mark your calendars and buy your tickets, because Bike to Blazers is going to be awesome this year. On April 14th, the bike and basketball worlds will collide, resulting in a fun community event that will (hopefully) become an annual Portland tradition.

Why bikes and Blazers? Why not? Both are a major force for good in our city and by tying them together, great things can happen. The Blazers want to be the "greenest" team in the NBA and a big part of their effort is to encourage more biking to games. From an advocacy perspective, putting bikes front and center at the Rose Garden, and tying biking more closely to the Blazers organization, is a great way to reach a lot of folks who don't usually hear about how fun and useful bikes can be. (more...)

I still don't know who's responsible for
this stencil. I spotted it on the bike
signal loop detector at the corner
of NE Lloyd and the Steel Bridge.
(Photos © J. Maus)

It seems like an eternity has passed since I put together the Bike to Blazers ride. And in Blazer terms, it is.

Back in April 2006, our local team was at the bottom of the NBA barrel. They had huge problems on the court (couldn't win games) and off (couldn't stay out of trouble). I remember when I announced the ride, several openly commenters scoffed at the idea.

Fast forward to today. Now there's a much different vibe coming from the Rose Garden. The Blazers are one of the hottest teams in the league and they've got players who inspire both on the hardwood and in the neighborhood. (more...)

[Yes, I'm a dork.]

The first ever Bike to Blazers ride was a big success. About 30 or so brave souls ventured out on a stormy day and enjoyed a bright and sunny ride along the Esplanade from the Lucky Lab to the Rose Garden to watch a TrailBlazers game. We had three families join us and everyone had a good time.

At the arena, we were treated to indoor bike parking and free Zach Randolph bobble-head dolls (which were more popular than I expected). Jeff Bernards and a volunteer from the Livestrong Ride helped me staff a Bike Info table right near the main entrance. We gave away loads of free bike maps (thanks PDOT!), BTA brochures, and stickers.
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We're set to have a great time Saturday night at the Bike to Blazers Ride. I just heard that we've sold about 40 tickets so far. That means we'll not only have a fun group but it also means we've raised $200 for the Get Lit program! That money will make our streets safer for everyone by providing free lights for visibility-challenged cyclists.

There's still plenty of time to buy tickets. The online ordering is closed, but our friend Lisa at the Blazers is standing by to take your order. Call her at (503) 963-3966 to get your tickets. Here's a brief rundown of the ride...
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[Click to enlarge]

You might have seen the Bike to Blazers Night Ride in the Willamette Week. If not, I've scanned it for your viewing pleasure. They even made up a nifty little bike graphic to go with it.

Unfortunately they left out contact information and they included a few facts about the ride that I want to clarify:
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Announcing the first-ever Bike to Blazers Night Ride! On Saturday, April 15th join your friends, family and neighbors for a night ride to the Rose Garden to watch the Portland Trailblazers battle the Golden State Warriors. Here's the lowdown:

• $5 from each ticket ($15) goes directly to the "Get Lit" program which helps keep cyclists safe and visible. Regular price for these tickets is $17 (without the donation).
• Join us for pre-game food and drinks at the Lucky Lab Brewpub.
• Cruise the streets on easy group ride to the Rose Garden.
• Get the royal treatment with exclusive indoor parking at the arena.
• Stop by the Bike Community Table inside the arena to get bike maps, stickers, t-shirts and other bikey goodies.
• Bask in the company of other bikers while we sit together in our own section.
• Get a free Zach Randolph bobblehead.
• Purchase tickets online at Blazers.com. (more...)