Run toward the light.
(Photos: Drew Coleman/ DC Media Haus)

Riding bikes in the Columbia River Gorge during fall is something to savor. Doing it with hundreds of other people as part of a Cyclocross Crusade presented by River City Bicycles event is downright extraordinary.

The venue for race #3 in the Crusade series took place on the EasyClimb trails on the banks of the Columbia River and Government Cove in the wonderful little town of Cascade Locks. In past years this has been the wettest weekend of the series, with puddles of standing water which pose a challenge during your race, then serve as a bath and bike wash after it.

But this year the sky was dry and so was the course. To make up for the lack of slippery mud, organizers made sure there was plenty of soft sand to keep things interesting.

Our cyclocross season photographer Drew Coleman was there to capture all the action. Here’s what he saw:

The next stop for the Crusade Series is Portland International Raceway (just north of Kenton). Come out and get into the ‘cross spirit!

– All photos by Drew Coleman. See more of his work here.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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This week’s roundup is sponsored by Portland-based personal injury law firm Forum Law Group.
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Look for a new gig? Check out our latest listings.

Learn more about each one via the links below…

– Customer Service Manager – Stages Indoor Home Cycling

– Mechanic/Assembly person – Breadwinner Cycles

– Bike Mechanic, Customer Service, and Bike Sales – Metropolis Cycle Repair

– Backend Web Developer – Ride with GPS
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Why not keep it that way?
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

The Oregon Department of Transportation just announced they’ve finished a maintenance project on the St. Johns Bridge that had closed one of its two sidewalks for the past 42 days.

That might not sound like a big deal, but if you’ve ever tried to ride or walk over the bridge you know that people not in cars or trucks need all the space they can get. While we’re happy people will have more sidewalk space to bike on, we’re not thrilled that the speed limit will go back up to 35 mph. It was nice of ODOT to lower the limit to 25 during the maintenance project. I think it should stay there.[Read more…]

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No longer a dangerous traffic snarl.
(Photo: Streetsblog NYC)

Like their bold reclamation of Broadway Boulevard and Times Square Plaza a decade ago, the New York City Department of Transportation has once again changed the game.

They’ve pushed through serious opposition to create bus-only lanes on one of the busiest streets in Manhattan. Neighborhood groups filed a lawsuit to stop the project, claiming spillover traffic would choke nearby streets and the lack of auto access would doom the neighborhood. A court overruled those claims and allowed the project to go forward. Over a day in, the opposition’s fears have not come to pass (big surprise). The new service has been so successful that the Wall Street Journal reported bus drivers had to slow down to keep their schedules. [Read more…]

Tiana Tozer at a PBOT Vision Zero event on September 26th.
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

A series of tweets last week by a State of Oregon employee has led to her removal from a City of Portland task force.

Following her participation in a Portland Bureau of Transportation Vision Zero event on September 26th, ODOT Region 1 Transportation Safety Coordinator Tiana Tozer turned to Twitter to respond to critics. Many people felt her responses — which included statements like, “Well listen up Stoopid… No matter how much we engineer our streets, some idiot, like you, will still find a way die on them” — were inappropriate, especially for a State of Oregon employee.[Read more…]

He’s not asking for spare change, he’s trying to change behavior (note the radio wire).
(Photo: Hillsboro PD)

Every city in America has a big problem when it comes to distracted driving. Most states have laws that outlaw it, but the challenge is enforcement.
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