With the voting in of six new board members at their monthly meeting earlier this week, the Portland United Mountain Pedalers (PUMP) are set to embark a new era of off-road advocacy.
These new board members mark a significant turning point for PUMP, a group that some advocates for more off-road riding opportunities in Portland had all but given up on. Back in May 2008, we reported on a new advocacy group that was being formed to fill the “off-road advocacy void.” That group never really gelled into a distinct organization.
However, a small, behind-the-scenes group called the Portland Mountain Bike Alliance (PDX-MTB) has been working on local mountain bike issues since 2007. Three members of that group are part of the six new board members of PUMP, and now PDX-MTB has formally folded into PUMP.
So, how will this new PUMP differ from the old PUMP? New board member Paul Fidrych — a founding member of PDX-MTB — says that, “By consolidating our advocacy efforts, mountain bike opportunities will be stronger on the whole.” Fidrych says they’ve hit the ground running and are already working on a white paper about singeltrack in Forest Park, the Gateway Green project, and the Burnside Bike Park/Pump Track project.
Fidrych adds that the powers-that-be in Portland (the city, Metro, etc…) should take note of all this because their goal is to “someday get on the same level as the BTA, but for off-road bicyclists.” With all the momentum for off-road biking in Portland right now, PUMP seems well on their way.
Here are the new board members of PUMP:
Paul Fidrych
Fidrych’s current advocacy projects include Gateway Green and the Portland Bike Park Master Plan. He is a 17-year veteran of the sporting goods industry and is currently a general manager at Nike.
Joe Barcott
Barcott is currently “semi-retired” and is a member of the Multnomah County Bike/Ped Trails Citizen Advisory Committee, and the Tualatin Hills Parks and Recreation Dept. Bike/Ped Citizen Trails Advisory Committee. He has also offered his legal services to the club on a pro bono basis.
Tom Archer
Archer has has been actively involved with facilitating the Gateway Green project, he is a participant on the city’s Forest Park ad-hoc committee and he is a member of the mountain bike working group that is part of the Portland Bicycle Master Plan update process.
Kris Schamp
Schamp is a Belgium native that moved to Portland 10 years ago. He is the man behind Portland Racing, a company that promotes local off-road races and events (including the Short Track Series at Portland International Raceway). Schamp also works at the Bike Gallery as a marketing specialist.
Erik Tonkin
Tonkin is the owner of Sellwood Cycle Repair and has been a recognizable member of Oregon’s bicycling community for 15 years. He is an elite amateur (some would say professional) mountain bike, cyclocross, and road racer.
Cedar Kyes
Kyes represents the freeride/downhill rider contingent. He has been in the bike industry for many years mostly as a retail sales rep. Kyes has been instrumental in getting the Gateway Green project off the ground and has been a tireless advocate for urban bike skills parks.
— Stay abreast of all the PUMP happenings at PUMPClub.org and stay tuned to BikePortland for more coverage as the mountain bike advocacy issues twist and turn down the trail….