Bike to Blazers is tomorrow! Full rundown and latest updates

A Trail Blazer bike bell — get one at the Rally!

Tomorrow (Wednesday April 14, 2010) is Bike to Blazers and we’ve got a load of updates and final details to share.

First, remember that this event is free and open to everyone (you only need a ticket to the game). Also, you don’t need a bike to join us! There will be loaner bikes to borrow and pedicabs to ride in. Also, if you didn’t get tickets to the game before they sold out, a downtown eatery/sports pub is hosting a Bike to Blazers viewing party. All the details are below…

The Rally

We’ll get things going at the Salmon Street Fountain amphitheater in Waterfront Park at 5:30. (Grab some food from a nearby food cart and head on over after work.) Here’s a bit of what you can expect at the Rally:

• 94.7FM will be there playing their great mix of alternative music.
• We’ll be handing out event spoke cards, Trail Blazer bike bells (metal ones, they’re really nice!), and other shwag.
• Metro’s Drive Less, Save More “street team” and other community groups will be there with inspiration and information.
• Portland Bicycle Tours and the Bike Share Group will have loaner bikes.
• Portland Pedicab will have rides available for those who don’t want to or are unable to bike.
• Local eatery Buffalo Wild Wings will be there, handing out coupons and info about post-rally gathering where those without tickets can watch the game.

But wait, there’s more!

At 6:00 we’ll hear short speeches by yours truly, Portland Mayor Sam Adams, Metro Councilor Rex Burkholder, newly hired BTA Executive Director Rob Sadowsky and Senior Vice President of Business Operations for the Trail Blazers, J. Isaac.

The Ride

After we get fired up from those inspiring people, we’ll posse up and roll out to the Rose Garden. We’ll enjoy a relaxing, carfree ride almost the entire way thanks to the paths along the Waterfront and Steel Bridge. I’ve got a few tall bike riders that will be flying Blazers flags high and the excellent folks at the BTA will provide ride support.

Bike Zone at the Rose Garden

We’ll have these signs if you don’t
opt to print one yourself.

From 6:00-7:00, the Commons area in front of the Rose Garden main entrance will be filled with bikes and activities. There will be plenty of bike parking thanks to racks at the Rose Garden and our friends at TriMet who have provided additional racks for this event. Here’s what you can expect the Commons:

• I’ll give away the autographed Bill Walton helmet for the best Bill Walton outfit and/or impersonation.
• The Community Cycling Center will have a table set up to take photos for the awesome I Ride campaign
• The Portland Water Bureau will be there as part of their ongoing bike/truck safety campaign.
• We’ll have a sign-making station so the other 20,000 fans in the arena (and the TV cameras/jumbotron) know what we’re all about. You can print one of these and bring it along

The Game!

100 lucky ticket holders will sit together in the bike section. We’ll get a special call out on the jumbotron and we’ll raise the roof to help send our home team into the playoffs! After the game we’ll get access to the court to shoot a free throw, take photos, and so on.

For folks without tickets, Buffalo Wild Wings (327 SW Morrison St) in downtown Portland will host a special game viewing just for Bike to Blazers participants. Just mention our event to the greeters outside, who will help you find bike parking and lead you to a table inside.

That should just about do it (more details and quotes from important people in the official press release). Big thanks go out to all the partner organizations that pulled together to make this happen: the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, the Portland Water Bureau, Metro, the Lloyd Transportation Management Association, the Office of Mayor Sam Adams, Portland Bicycle Tours, and the Community Cycling Center.

Can’t wait to see all of you tomorrow….. Go Bikes and Blazers!