Three ways to ride into the New Year

2010. Yeah!
(Photo © J. Maus)

Could there possibly be a better way to welcome 2010 than with a bike ride? We don’t think so, and apparently we’re not the only ones. So far, we’ve gotten word of three bike rides planned for New Year’s Day.

For you adventurous souls who aren’t deterred by a 9:00 am New Year’s Day start time, check out the Up! and ATOM ride. Ride host Kristin Bott says ATOM stands for Ankeny/Thurman/Over-the-Mountain. Kristin’s ride will start on the east side and then head up to the Thurman gate near Forest Park. From there, they’ll head north to the St. Johns Bridge (on the highway, not through the park) and eventually head Southeast. If interested, contact Kristin via this message posted to the Shift List.

If you really want to get your mileage count off to a fast start in 2010, meet up with the BTA’s annual New Year’s Day ride. The BTA will continue a 50-year Portland tradition of bringing in the new year on bikes. The ride starts at noon and will cover a 14 mile loop, stopping to chat at various points of interest. According to the BTA, the ride will end with “a cookie potluck and giveaway at a secret (and new for 2010!) indoor downtown location.” See the BTA Blog for full details.

Some other intrepid souls are taking things a bit further by embarking on a two-night bike camping trip to the cabins at Stub Stewart State Park (about 35 miles NW of Portland). Non-profit bike camping group Cycle Wild will lead the ride which departs from Hillsboro at noon on New Year’s Day. This ride is already full (cabins require reservations), but if you’d like reserve a cabin on your own and join in the fun, visit the official Stub Stewart website for more information.

Know of other New Year’s Day rides? Add them to the comments and we’ll update this post.