What more wholesome, charming sight to greet you bombing down Glisan on a warm, overcast day than 50 or so ebullient naked people on bikes?
That’s what happened to me and a friend today. I threw my bike on the grass and pulled out my camera as people rode by cheering and urging us to take off our clothes and join them. Their glee was infectious — we nearly did. But they were moving fast, and the lure of coffee was strong.
Below are a few of the photos. See you all at the main event tonight!
BikePortland intern Dan Liu attended the Jesus Ride followed by the Midnight Mystery Ride last night. Below is his report — also check out his well-captioned photo album.
As one Jesus “Brian” Christ put it, last night was “A perfect night for Jesus”: warm, mostly dry, and with lots and lots of bikes. This holy expedition went from last night’s Bike Porn viewing downhill to the food carts at SE 12th & Hawthorne — a short and holy ride in the search for burritos and poutine. I counted at least 12 unique Jesus-es at last night’s Jesus Cycle Procession, including a strong showing by the Unicycle Bastards. Noting the exploding ranks of Evangelical Christian unicyclists on the internet, Unicycle Bastard and ride organizer Jack called last night’s outing, “A little rebellion against organized religion, without being overly offensive.” Someone quipped, “Why unicycle *for* Jesus when you can unicycle *as* Jesus?”
Most of the unicyclists and Jesus-es were either too inebriated or too full of greasy potatoes to make the Midnight Mystery Ride, which did start from the Pub at the End of the Universe promptly at…well, midnight. The procession of between 120-150 crazed, costumed riders went up Gladstone and Division, glided down 92nd to Powell, climbed over a barrier and hiked up a gravel path to Kelly Butte Park, with ample hilarity, whooping and hollering, and general silliness. In addition James Brown’s cameo appearance during the ride, I hear there were at least two bike-mounted grills put to good use at the top of the hill as well. (For those of you curious about the photos, many of them are handheld, long-exposure shots that are really a testament to how far digital photography has come.)
Year: 2003
Brand: Co-Motion
Model: Erspresso Co Pilot
Color:silver
Size:57
Serial: CP30503
Stolen in Portland, OR 97202
Stolen:2009-06-10
Stolen From: Abernethry Elementary school.
Neighborhood: Inner SE Portland – Ladd’s Addition
Owner: Nate Sweet
OwnerEmail: 2portland@gmail.com
Reward: 300.00
Description: Has S&S couplings to allow the full size frame to disassemble for transporting in suitcase. Had custom mounted split fenders.
Police record with: Portland Police Dept.
Police reference#: 0951310
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike
On the waterfront tonight, in a light drizzle, you could see a dozen people at a time mounted atop unicycles, in various stages between scooting around expertly and clinging to the railing for dear life.
Unicycling is harder than it looks, and in unexpected ways, as I found out when, with some patient advice from another beginner, I gave it a try. Just staying upright uses every leg muscle you have, and it takes a while to relax enough to stop wobbling. And that’s just basic balance — pedaling is altogether a more terrifying proposition.
Evan Ross, owner of Portland Bicycle Tours, led about 15 of us on an adventure through the streets of downtown Portland… and beyond.
We met at the Vera Katz Statue on the Eastbank Esplanade. Before we got rolling, Evan stood up and gave us a little ride intro. He said the purpose of the ride wasn’t just the tour, but that he wanted each rider to get more comfortable riding on downtown streets.
[Welcome to your daily Pedalpalooza rundown. We’ll post each day’s events and rides here, so you can plan, email them to your friends, etc…
See all our Pedalpalooza coverage here and follow the latest updates on Twitter.
Click ride title for full details… have fun out there!]
9:00am – 1:00pm: Cycle the Well Field
See where Portland’s water supply comes from and learn about big issues in H20. Meet at the Aloft Hotel at Cascade Station, 9920 NE Cascades Pkwy (one block from the Cascade Station MAX stop on the red line)
10:00am – 2:00pm: Springwater Division Line
Adventurous fat-tired mountain bike trek along the long-defunct Springwater Division rail line. Meet at Linnemann Station, 3804 W Powell Loop, Gresham
10:30am – overnight: Sans Dérailleur Camping Tour
A mellow, gear-free jaunt out to Stub Stuart State Park. Reserve that campsite asap. Meet at Hillsboro MAX Station, 333 SE Washington St, Hillsboro
10:30am: Bike2Market Bike Ride
Ride to the PSU Farmers Market in good company. Meet at Couch Park, NW Glisan St and 20th Ave
Noon: Destination DIY
Gardens! Zines! Chickens! Fruit! Art! Meet at the IPRC, 917 SW Oak St, #218
Noon: Cirque du Cycling
An art bike parade, a criterium race, a family bike ride, a street fair, good beer. The event benefits progressive education program SEI. The parade starts at 2:30. It all goes down right in front of the Laughing Planet Cafe, 3765 N Mississippi Ave.
Noon: Myth Busters Scavenger Hunt
A scavenger hunt to test your mental powers and knowledge of Portland. Ends with the premier of a new movie by a local filmmaker. Starts at Liberty Hall, 311 N Ivy Street
12:30pm – 4:30pm: Grass Hut Discovery Ride
“Join Grass Hut art collective as they take you on a wonder-filled discovery joy ride to the Bins, to feed nutria, to Elk Rock Island, to swim in the Willamette River (upstream from the poop), and to make art out of driftwood.” Meet at Grass Hut, 811 E Burnside St, Portland
1:00pm – 3:00pm: Yehuda Moon at Clever Cycles
Meet Rick Smith, creator of the popular Yehuda Moon comic. Clever Cycles, 908 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
2:00pm: WNBR Sunny Nekkid Ride
Not planning on staying up till all hours tonight? Ride naked in the light and warmth of day. A Portland tradition. Leaves from Coe Circle, NE 39th and Glisan
4:00pm – 6:00pm: Native Ecosystems Restoration
Visit several restoration sites, learn to identify native and non-native plants, learn the ins and outs of ecosystem restoration. Meet at PSU’s Smith Memorial Student Union (Park Blocks side).
7:30pm – 8:30pm: Fig Leif Naked Ride/Run
Portland’s first off-road naked bike ride, and a naked 5k run! Forest Park, NW Leif Eriksen Drive (500 yards beyond the NW Thurman Street gate)
9:00pm – 2:00am: Pedalpalooza Kickoff Dance Party
The biggest kickoff party yet! Theme: Where the Wild Things Are. Come in costume but prepare to shed it — the World Naked Bike Ride leaves from here at midnight! Free admission (with bike), cheap beer. 2181 NW Nicolai St. Watch out for the tracks!
Midnight: The World Naked Bike Ride
Epic. Massive. Historic. Come out and ride as “bare as you dare.” 2181 NW Nicolai St. Watch out for the tracks.
Year: 1978
Brand: Raleigh
Model: Competition GS (these stickers gone)
Color:silver
Size:63 cm
Photo: email me for photo
Stolen in Portland, OR 97204
Stolen:2009-06-4
Stolen From: Stolen from inside 3rd floor of office(!) – Henry Failing building on SW 1st and Oak, right above original McCormick & Schmicks.
Neighborhood: Old town
Owner: Andrew Holder
OwnerEmail: andrewjholder@hotmail.com
Reward: $100 for bike or info that directly leads to it
Description: Silver Reynolds 531 lugged frame, very tall. Small dent in top of top tube. Toro bullhorn bars, new Velocity Aerohead rims on original Campy hubs, original Campy 10-speed drivetrain, leather Ideale saddle.
Police record with: Portland Police
Police reference#: 0949418
This registrant does not have proof of ownership of this bike
Several readers have alerted me to a mysterious sign posted on a vacant storefront on SW 3rd that reads, “Coming Soon… Portland Bike Station”.
I made a few calls and couldn’t find out much about it. One source did confirm for me that it is legit and that something is in the works. I’ll have more as soon as I find out.
One other thing I’ve confirmed is that it won’t be a Bikestation, as in the officially trademarked name of the non-profit organization that has its branded facilities in Seattle, Santa Barbara, Long Beach, and other cities.
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.
The 2009 Pedalpalooza got off to a rollicking start last night as an estimated 300 people turned out for the traditional Kickoff Parade.
The ride met at St. Francis Park in southeast Portland and then meandered through main streets (including a jaunt down Hawthorne) and alleyways before ending up at Colonel Summers Park.
Before the ride got started, I had the chance to chat with old friends and meet a few ones as well.
I bumped into 51 year-old Brett Stern, who was just on his second day back on the bike after a bout with cancer. Brett said he plans to also do the Naked Bike Ride. He did his first one last year because it fell on his 50th birthday, “And what better way to spend your 50th than to actually get into your birthday suit with a few thousand other people!”.
It was nice to see Vancouver, B.C. resident Ron Richings back in town. He plans to stay for the duration of the festivities before heading home.
[Welcome to your daily Pedalpalooza rundown. We’ll post each day’s events and rides here, so you can plan, email them to your friends, etc…
See all our Pedalpalooza coverage here and follow the latest updates on Twitter.
Click ride title for full details… have fun out there!]
7:00am – 9:00am: Breakfast on the Bridges
Every Friday in June is a BonB Friday! Come celebrate the beginning of summer with a cup of coffee on your way to work on the Hawthorne and Steel lower deck.
Noon – 2:00pm: Portland City Tour
Free, meandering tour of Portland with Portland City Tours. Leaves from Vera Katz statue, 2 SE Main St
Noon: Chocolate Ride
Yum. Leaves from JaCiva’s Chocolates, 4733 SE Hawthorne Blvd
2:00pm: Horticultural Challenge Ride
Show off your knowledge of plant names, win prizes. Irving Park, NE 7th and Fremont
6:00pm: Noobs on Unicycles
Learn this vital life skill. Salmon Street Fountain.
5:15pm: Bike to Baseball
Join all the kids who participated in the Walk + Bike Challenge for a night at PGE Park! On field activities for kids, the Challenge winner will throw out the first pitch and bikes will overtake the stadium for a night of bikey baseball fun. Fireworks after the game, too! Bring cash for tickets (or purchase ahead of time; info at www.walknbike.org) and treats. Meet at Buckman Elementary (320 SE 16th Ave).
6:00pm – 8:00pm: Vancouver Trails Ride
Explore trails and scenery up on the north side of the Columbia. Meet at Esther Short Park.
7:45pm: Jesus Cycle Procession
It’s simple. Dress as your favorite savior, meet at the Salmon Street Fountain, and ride to the Bike Porn: Cyclebound film fest opening night. Or skip the movies and head to the Lucky Lab at SE Hawthorne and 10th around 10pm for more Jesus riding.
11:59: Midnight Mystery Ride
Meet at 11pm at Pub at the End of the Universe, 4107 SE 28th Ave. At midnight, ride to a mystery destination.