Weekend Event Guide

National Train Day is Saturday
There’s a ride for that!
(Photo © Russ Roca)

This weekend starts early (as they all should!) with an exhibition of custom bikes and photographs tonight.

Casual, informative, kid-friendly and potentially heart pounding rides ensue throughout the weekend from Vancouver to Eugene. Enjoy!

Thursday, May 5th

5:00 pm – 10:00 pm:
Het Fairwheel Podium – First Thursday Bicycle/Photo Show
Five local photographers and six framebuilders illustrate six aspects of cycling culture around Portland, Oregon. All displayed in a gallery setting along the Willamette.
600 NW Naito Pkwy.

Friday, May 6th

6:00 – 9:00 pm: Ride to Vancouver Art Walk
Get a rolling escort from North Portland to Vancouver, Washington (and back) and enjoy a self guided gallery tour during their downtown Art Walk. Meets at Ainsworth and Albina.

Saturday, May 7th

6:30 am: Ride Around Clark County
Come up to Vancouver and ride either 18, 34, 65 or 100 miles. Start time for longer rides is 6:30am, later ride start by 9:30am. Kids ride free! Start is at Clark College on Fort Vancouver Way in Vancouver, WA.

9:00 am: Eric Kautzky Memorial Track Race
Alpenrose Velodrome. Proceeds to benefit the Eric Kautzky Memorial Scholarship Fund at Tigard High School. First points races of the season. Great fun to spectate too! Cancelled in the event of rain.

10:00 am: National Train Day ride
Meet at Union Station downtown and check out their displays for National Train Day. Join up out front at 11:00am with local historian Dan Haneckow for an approximately 15 mile ride tracing the evolution of railroads in the Rose City.

10:00 am: Women on Bikes Clinic
PBOT’s SmartTrips North/Northeast program kicks off with a Women on Bikes event at Peninsula Park. The clinic will cover how to choose the right bike, the best gear for you and your bike, riding techniques, laws and route planning. No registration required.

11:00 am: Ride to Greenfest (Clark County, WA)
Join the Clark County Cycling Coalition for a family-friendly “Westside Neighborhoods” Tour from Esther Short Park to Greenfest in Leverich Park. Meet at the Bell Tower in Esther Short Park for a 3-mile, low traffic ride. Secure bicycle parking will be provided for the event. Wear a helmet, it’s the law!

Sunday, May 8th

9:00 am: Comotion Tandem Time Trial
Grab a partner or ride one of the many solo bike options along the Willamette between Corvallis and Eugene.

10:00 am: Cascade Chainbreaker xc mountain bike race
Near Shevlin Park, Bend, Oregon. Register online by Friday at 6pm and get thee to the Deschuttes for a day of off-road singletrack surrounded by beautiful forest.

7:30 pm: Author Robert Penn’s live presentation at Powell’s Books
Learn more about Penn’s excellent new book, It’s All About the Bike – The Pursuit of Happiness on Two Wheels at his talk at Powell’s City of Books on Burnside. From the event press release, “Penn brilliantly explores the culture, science, and history of the bicycle. From artisanal frame shops in the United Kingdom to California, where he finds the perfect wheels, via Portland, Milan, and points in between, his trek follows the serpentine path of our love affair with cycling. It explains why we ride.”

Monday, May 9th

Monday night racing at PIR
Sponsored by River City Bicycles and promoted by Team Oregon, Monday night races at PIR are a fun and safe introduction to racing within a few miles of downtown Portland.