The summit returns to Salem this year.
(Photos © J. Maus)

In case you missed it, organizers behind the Oregon Bike Summit — an annual event since 2006 with a goal to make Oregon the best state for bicycling in America — is now known as the Oregon Active Transportation Summit. The event took place in Portland last year, but will return to Salem this year (March 29-30) to take advantage of the legislative session.
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Oregon's best and brightest bike
advocates all came together for
the 2010 Oregon Bike Summit.
- Photo Gallery -
(Photos © J. Maus)

The Oregon Bike Summit happened on Friday. It was a lot of excellent information packed into one day, without a lot of breaks. That meant it was difficult for me to simultaneously attend, listen, talk with people, photograph, and create coherent stories on the day of the Summit (especially since I left before it was over to see my 7 year-old daughter in a school performance). I did a few stories, but there's much more to report. (more...)

As promised, here's the second installment of portraits and a bit of information on the advocates here at the Oregon Bike Summit...

Kirsten Kaufman, the Bike Realtor.

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In case you're wondering who's here at the Oregon Bike Summit, I took my camera around for a few minutes during a recent break in the action to find out...

Zach Ham (L) and Cullen King, founders of RideWithGPS.com.

(more...)

Tim Blumenthal addresses the crowd
at the Oregon Bike Summit.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Nearly 200 bike advocates filed into the World Trade Center in downtown Portland this morning for the kickoff of the fifth annual Oregon Bike Summit. Held each year since 2006, the purpose is to knit together all the advocates, politicians, insiders, and citizen activists working on biking issues, programs and projects throughout the state.

The opening keynote this year was given by Tim Blumenthal, executive director of national non-profit, Bikes Belong. Blumenthal is the most prominent and active figure for bicycling in America. In his speech, he recapped the National Bike Summit and gave attendees a view of the national political landscape for biking. (more...)

Oregon's official state bike rack
(as seen in Sisters at the 2007 summit).
(Photo © J. Maus)

If you followed my National Bike Summit coverage, you know that these are exciting times for bike advocacy in Oregon. We've got the advocates, planners, partners, and politicians -- from small communities to Capitol Hill -- to make Oregon the #1 state for biking in America.

We've got to keep the momentum going and the Oregon Bike Summit is a natural way to do that. The big day is June 4th and registration just opened and the agenda has been set. (more...)

Bikes Belong Executive Director Tim
Blumenthal spoke at the Oregon Bike
Summit yesterday.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Bikes Belong Executive Director Tim Blumenthal shared a lot of inspiring news and information during his remarks at the end of the Oregon Bike Summit yesterday.

Blumenthal is a key figure in the national bike movement. He's at the helm of arguably the most well-funded and well-positioned bike organization in the country and he deftly wears many hats including that of an advocate, a corporate fundraiser, a marketing expert, and a smooth political operator. (more...)

On the steps of the Capitol.
-Slideshow below-
(Photos © J. Maus)

This morning, as part of the Oregon Bike Summit, a handful of state legislators suited up for the first-ever Legislator Bike Ride.

About 50 summit attendees met on the steps of the Capitol building before taking a leisurely, five-mile ride around Salem. Joining the bike advocates from around the state were six state legislators: Rep. Jules Bailey (D-Portland), Rep. Tobias Read (D-Beaverton), Sen. Jackie Dingfelder (D-Portland), Sen. Ginny Burdick (D-Portland), Sen. Floyd Prozanski (D-Eugene), and Sen. Jason Atkinson (R-Ashland). (more...)

-Slideshow below-
(Photos © J. Maus)

Day One of the Oregon Bike Summit is in the books.

With a focus on the legislative agenda, summit attendees got a crash course in lobbying. Tomorrow we start bright and early with a bike ride with state legislators. Then, it will be time to storm the capitol to meet with our representatives and sharpen our advocacy tools at a variety of breakout sessions.

Stay tuned for more reports. In the meantime, check out my photos in the slideshow below: (more...)

Northwest Bike Show booth.
(Photo © J. Maus)

Two new bike shows are being planned for the Portland area in 2010.

The Northwest Bike Show, "Where cycling comes full circle", is slated for February 20-21 and will take place inside a 54,000 square foot hall at the Portland Expo Center. The event is being put together by the Hilsboro-based Convention & Meeting Planners of Oregon, Inc. (they're also behind the Rose City Bridal Showcase). The CEO of the company, Lora Heil-Frone, has a booth here at the Oregon Bike Summit. She said highlights of her Northwest Bike Show will include a kids safety area, a performance stage, and hopefully (she's still working on it) a stunt riding performance by the Dew Action Sports team. (more...)

Scott Bricker speaking at the
Oregon Bike Summit today.
(Photo © J. Maus)

Speaking at the opening session of the Oregon Bike Summit today, Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) Executive Director Scott Bricker gave a rundown of their existing priority bills in the 2009 legislative session.

With the door officially closed on Idaho Stops (interesting report about it on the Mercury blog today) and with news today that their Driver's Education bill (HB 3252) will not move forward this session, the BTA is pouring all remaining efforts into their vehicular homicide bill, HB 3399. (more...)

Time to rise up, Oregon cyclists!

Next week's Oregon Bike Summit (4/21-4/22) in Salem could be the most important advocacy event of the year.

In previous years, the summit has been held in Eugene, Sisters, and Portland, but this year organizers are taking the bike movement straight to the lawmakers and pursestring holders in Salem.

The man behind the summit, Jerry Norquist, is the ride director of Cycle Oregon, Chair of the Oregon Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, and one of the state's pre-eminent bike advocates. He's decided to model the event on the National Bike Summit, held each year in Washington D.C.. (more...)

Logo for 2009
Oregon Bike Summit

Since its humble beginnings back in 2006, the Oregon Bike Summit has steadily grown into an important event for anyone working to make Oregon, "The Land Bicycles Dream About". This year, the event will continue that growth and take a big step in its evolution.

Following in the footsteps of the National Bike Summit -- which takes place just blocks from Capitol Hill and the White House -- the Oregon Bike Summit moves to Salem in 2009 with a focus on lobbying state lawmakers to pass bike-friendly legislation.
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Kristin Dahl with Travel Oregon
facilitated a session on recreation.
(Photos © J. Maus)

As I mentioned in my previous story, participants in today's Oregon Bike Summit broke off into brainstorming sessions today that were focused around three topics: transportation, recreation, and industry.

Their mission? To determine the top five priorities for action in each of them. In lieu of retyping them all, below are the slides that a representative from each group presented during a discussion among the entire summit: (more...)

Groups brainstormed and discussed
priorities for action.
(Photos © J. Maus)

The real heavy-lifting of the Oregon Bike Summit happens in the break-out sessions.

This morning the 200 nearly attendees selected from four topical sessions. Then, after a lunch that featured an overview of the national Safe Routes to Schools program and a keynote from Gail Achterman (Chair of the Oregon Transportation Commission), they broke out into legislative and action-oriented sessions. (more...)

PUMP's Roger Louton -- talking with Oregon State
Parks Trails Coordinator Rocky Houston
-- used the Summit to get some answers about
a trail building project he's involved in.
(Photos © J. Maus)

One of the most important functions of the Oregon Bike Summit is an opportunity for advocates to meet with key partners and decision makers face-to-face.

Between workshop sessions, I noticed a lively discussion going on and I stuck around to see what it was about.

The meeting was between several mountain bike advocacy groups and Oregon State Parks' trails czar Rocky Houston. The group was discussing their ongoing collaboration to build a mountain bike trail system in Stub Stewart State Park -- the newly opened, 1,600 acre state park located 31 miles west of Portland. (more...)

Bikes Belong Executive
Director Tim Blumenthal
(Photos © J. Maus)

Few people in the bike world have a longer, more diverse, and impressive resume than Tim Blumenthal.

He's a former bike journalist, he led IMBA into new territory and helped them become a force on the national advocacy scene, he is the consummate industry insider, and he now finds himself steering the Bikes Belong Coalition into a bright future.

Blumenthal's presence at this event helps give Oregon advocates and policy makers an important national perspective on the bike movement. (more...)

U.S. Congressman Earl Blumenauer addressed
the Oregon Bike Summit this morning.
(Photos © J. Maus)

U.S. Congressman Earl Blumenauer opened the Oregon Bike Summit today by outlining three steps bike advocates can take to help spur the movement toward a bike-friendly America.

Blumenauer referred to Oregon as the "cycling epicenter of the U.S," and said that, "what we're doing is having a ripple effect on the rest of the country." (more...)

Summit attendees gathered for an
inspiring set of speeches.
(Photos © J. Maus)

The Oregon Bike Summit got officially underway last night with a healthy (and inspiring) dose of perspective.

Attendees gathered in the ball room Red Lion Hotel on the Columbia River (the I-5 bridge loomed in the background) and heard a speech by mountain biking advocate Hill Abell and a listened to a presentation by the City of Portland's bicycle coordinator Roger Geller. (more...)

Paul Adkins, from Bike Friday in Eugene,
rides in Northeast Portland.
Slideshow below
(Photos © J. Maus)

Before the opening keynote and dinner of the Oregon Bike Summit, Roger Geller from PDOT and Scott Bricker from the BTA led summit attendees on a bike tour of Portland.

Ride participants included Hill Abell (Board President of the International Mountain Bicycling Association), Sheila Lyons (from ODOT's bike and ped program), and Paul Adkins (from Bike Friday in Eugene). (more...)