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.