(Photo © J. Maus)
[This article was written by contributor Carl Larson.]
It’s officially time to start getting excited about Pedalpalooza — Shift’s 2+ week festival of bike fun that hits the streets of Portland in June.
There are lots of ways to get excited…
-You could read Jonathan’s late-night dumpster-side account of getting lost at the end of a 12 hour long sushi ride.
-You could think back to that time when 5,000 naked people on bikes passed you during a late-night dogwalk.
-You could post your own event to the Pedalpalooza Calendar before Friday!
Events posted to the calendar before midnight on Friday will be included in the printed Pedalpalooza calendar. That calendar is inserted into the Portland Mercury and delivered to bike shops all over the city.
Do you have what it takes to lead a Pedalpalooza ride? Probably. It’s understood that these rides are seat-of-the-pants, volunteer-led adventures. If you’ve got a bike and a fun idea, you can lead a ride.
If you’re intimidated by the calendar deadline, consider this: all you really need is a title, a time, and a place. You can work out the route (I-5 or Glen Jackson?) and all the details (“Cajun” or “Original” Pringles?) later.
Once you get the ride posted, you can focus on the details. In my experience, the best rides have been expertly planned and thought through. If you’d like some tips for leading your ride, join me and Shawn Granton at the Hawthorne Hostel on Monday night for a workshop on bike fun and ride leading. Shawn’s an expert ride leader.
BICYCLE FUN WORKSHOP: HOW TO LEAD A RIDE
Monday May 17, 2010 at 7 pm
HI-Portland, Hawthorne Hostel
3031 SE Hawthorne Blvd (map)
If you want some inspiration or suggestions events you could post, here are a few:
-It doesn’t have to be about bikes. Are you an expert on meteorology, linguistics, or motown? There’s your theme!
-Think of larger groups you are a part of who could be united by a bike ride: spanish-speakers, Girl Scouts, electricians. There’s your theme!
-If you can’t keep it free, keep it cheap. Pedalpalooza is about free fun.
-Not every ride has to be an absurd, beer-soaked, costumed affair. You don’t have to start, stop, or end at a bar or wear a wig.
-It doesn’t have to be a bike ride! It could be a slide show, street hockey on bikes, a lecture…you name it.
Pedalpalooza is only as good as the events you come up with. Don’t be shy. Post an event soon!