PDOT announces National Bike Month events

Press Release below from the Office of Transportation:

MEDIA ADVISORY
For Immediate Release
April 24, 2008

Is Biking Faster than Driving to Work? Widmer Brothers Kick Off Bike Month Celebration

(PORTLAND, OR) – Kurt and Rob Widmer will help the Portland Office of Transportation kick off National Bike Month with a friendly bike/car commuter “challenge” on Thursday, May 1st at 8:00 a.m., starting in front of the Cadillac Café (NE Broadway at 18th Avenue) and finishing at Portland City Hall, 1221 SW Fourth Avenue.

The event will highlight biking as a safe, healthy, fun, and quick way to get around. Riding three miles at a no-sweat (10 mph) pace, for example, takes less than 20 minutes while offering a range of health and community benefits.

The Widmer brothers will begin in Northeast Portland in front of the Cadillac Café on NE Broadway at 18th Avenue. Rob Widmer – a bike commuter and avid environmentalist – will bike to City Hall. Kurt Widmer will drive. Each contestant must park their vehicle before crossing the finish line at City Hall, 1221 SW Fourth Avenue, where Commissioner Sam Adams will congratulate the victor.

The Portland Office of Transportation’s SmartTrips Downtown project is sponsoring a month of events to celebrate National Bike Month. See below for the full calendar of events. SmartTrips Downtown has worked with over 75 employers to offer sustainable commuting tools (bike and walking maps, transit schedules, and carpool information) to over 20,000 downtown commuters.

The Widmer brothers will be joined by Kim Seymour, a sustainability specialist with David Evans and Associates. Seymour will be cycling a parallel route, starting on the NE Tillamook Avenue bicycle boulevard, to highlight options for riding with little car traffic.

Widmer Brothers brewing is one of the pioneers of craft brewing in Oregon. Its Widmer Hefeweizen was awarded the 2008 Gold Medal at the World Beer Cup and stands as one of the most popular wheat beers in America.