Pedalpalooza kicks off in just over two weeks and the buzz is really starting to build. The official calendar already has 129 events listed and I can sense growing chatter and excitement amongst lovers of bike fun throughout the city. I wanted to bring your attention to some nifty rides and remind you that the deadline for submitting one of your own — if you want it to appear in the printed calendar — is tomorrow (5/22) at midnight. The benefit to having your ride in the printed calendar is that it gets inserted into an issue of the Portland Mercury and gets passed out all around town.
Below are a few gems I noticed on the calendar so far…
The 8-Bit Bike Ride (June 8th) will be a “ride down retro lane, 8-bit style.” The ride leader, Zed Bailey, is encouraging everyone to show up wearing their favorite retro video game costume. The ride meets at Avalon Nickel Arcade on SE Belmont for pre-ride video-game playing. He even made this cool video promo…
Even former Portland Mayor Bud Clark is leading a ride. Join Bud and his art-loving friends on Bud Clark’s Expose Yourself to Art Ride (June 20th). The inspiration for this ride comes from the iconic and famous “Expose yourself to art” poster which features Bud flashing a statue in downtown Portland 35 years ago. The ride will tour Portland’s great public art and it’s co-sponsored by the Bicycle Transportation Alliance and the Regional Arts and Culture Council.
Pedalpalooza is not just about quirky costume rides. It’s a huge soup of different bike fun flavors sure to please nearly anyone. For instance, Cycle Wild founder Matt Picio is leading a Beginner’s Bike Camping ride on June 22nd. Matt will lead a group out to Stub Stewart State Park for an overnight bike trip perfect for beginners. They’ll take MAX out to Hillsboro and then ride just 22 miles north to the park, most of it on the carfree Banks-Vernonia Trail!
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These rides are just a tiny sampling of what’s in store next month. Take a look at the calendar and consider adding a ride of your own.
Thanks for reading.
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How about a Freedom ride(yeah, MERICA!) out to the lifesized Statue of Liberty on Roethe road in Milwaukie along the Trolley(Freedom) Trail?
How about you post it on the Pedalpalooza calendar and make it happen! http://www.pedalpalooza.org
OHHHHHHH!!!! The very first ride on the second day(Friday) is on the Trolley Trail, as I didn’t click on JM’s calendar link! I just wanted an excuse to show people the gigantic Statue of Liberty tucked away in a plaza off McLoughlin/Roethe. Thanks for re-posting.
I’m pleased to share that the Portland chapter of the Women’s Transportation Seminar is also about to post a series of Pedalpalooza rides. Join us and learn about innovative traffic signals, the I-205 shared-use path, Swan Island past and present, and the future of Foster Blvd, all led by some of our region’s most knowledgeable transportation professionals (aka geeks). Should be exciting!
And here are the rides – please join us!
6/10: Portland Traffic Signals Wonk Ride
http://www.shift2bikes.org/cal/viewpp2013.php#10-3785
Ride leaders: Peter Koonce (City of Portland Signals Engineer) and Lainie Smith (WTS volunteer)
Meet at: 321 SW 4th Ave at 5:00 pm
6/17: Granddaddy of MUPs: I-205 Path Tour
http://www.shift2bikes.org/cal/viewpp2013.php#17-3738
Ride leaders: Jessica Horning (ODOT) and Jeff Owen (TriMet)
Meet at: Gateway Transit Center (near bike parking lockers) at 5:45 pm
6/18: Foster Road Bikeway and Streetscape Tour
http://www.shift2bikes.org/cal/viewpp2013.php#18-3733
Ride leaders: Nick Falbo (Foster United) and Tara Sulzen (WTS volunteer)
Meet at Speedboat Coffee, SE 51st & Foster at 5:30pm
6/22: Things Portland Didn’t Build
http://www.shift2bikes.org/cal/viewpp2013.php#22-3814
Ride leader: Michelle Poyourow (WTS volunteer)
Details: location TBD, 2:00 pm
There is a Trolley Trail ride. Maybe it will stop at the Statue of Liberty.
I will avoid PedalPalooza because they have their illegally placed ugly A-Board signs cluttering the sidewalks all over town and illegally locked to sidewalk posts. It’s illegal and messes up the public right of way and I can’t see my way clear to ignoring it.
Or are there two pedalpalooza’s? Maybe I’m confused. 🙂
I think you’re thinking of the A-frames put up by the ride organizers of the “Petal Pedal,” Tour de Lab, Worst Day of the Year Ride etc. Unsightly though they may be I’m pretty sure each one has a little city permit on it.
Oops, I stand corrected. Sorry. Getting emotional on issues makes one forget silly fact thingies.
Btw, if they have a permit it is to display the sign according to the rules, wihich they, whoever that might be, is assuredly not doing.
I actually walked the neighborhood with BDS compliance last week. 90% of A-frames are out of compliance.
You are right. It’s Petal Pedal. Apologies to Pedalpalooza.
Each business is allowed only one A-frame sign and it must be in front of their own business premises. Can’t be locked to anything. Must be within 6″ of curb and not within the sidewalk interesection area. I will stop now!
The one for the parking lot next to my work has been expired since 2011.
But that’s all besides the point. I’M POSTING RIDES TODAY! HOORAY FOR THE LAST MINUTE.
You have slightly more than 6 hours to post an “A-frame Sign Compliance Patrol” ride. I know more than one person who would go to that. Make it happen.
tell us where “all over town” they are and we will have them relocated to Tigard
Great. One is at NW 17th & Marshall and another at NW 21st betw Kearney & Lovejoy. Does 2 constitute all over town? 😉 I assume there are many more, but I could be wrong.
I have a thing about private use of public right of way. Would it feel acceptable for McDonalds to put signs all over the sidewalks?
Peter,
Pedalpalooza has no a-frames anywhere. Those must be from other rides.
This is going to be a a blast! See you all at Velocult on the 26th.
Aww, no Doctor Who ride on the calendar this year. I missed the one last year and was looking forward to it this year.
And So, you’re the one who’s going to make it happen… Right???
If it’s not on there, you should make it!
Where are all the Vancouverites this year? 2009 PP had 17 rides in the Couve, this year its down to 2.
There’s the new Clark County Bike Group, maybe someone can make a suggestion to them to lead a ride or two… & Bad Monkey, they’re still in business, but not doing a ride this year I guess…
Just curious,
Ted Buehler
The 8-bit Bike was a huge success! thanks for sharing it.
The 8-bit Bike was a huge success! thanks for sharing it!