Four of the best weeks of biking you’ll see anywhere start June 5, but they only happen because people like you create them.
Pedalpalooza, Portland’s annual open-source festival of bike fun, is welcoming anyone’s additions to its calendar until 11:59 p.m. this Friday, May 23.
Anyone can keep adding rides after that, but they won’t be printed in the hard-copy calendar that appears in the Portland Mercury.
This year’s official poster, at right, is by local artist Gesine Krätzner. The festival is organized, as ever, by the volunteer group Shift in partnership with its fiscal agent Umbrella and with financial support from the Mercury, Stumptown Printers and the Portland Bureau of Transportation.
The tentpole rides of this free festival are the kickoff ride on Thursday, June 5; the World Naked Bike Ride on Saturday, June 7; and the Bike Fair on Saturday, June 28.
But the really precious gems are smaller events like the Beverly Cleary Bike Train (bring your mouse-on-motorcycle costumes), the Wimpy Pop Ride (blast your Belle and Sebastian), the ToxiCITY ride (a tour of local toxic sites and how to fix them) and the Bride Ride for Ellen and Drew’s wedding (“fertility rituals optional”).
There’s always a rush of new rides before the deadline, and no time like the present to join the fun with a ride of your own.
I would love to have to opportunity to purchase a poster, to help support Pedalpalooza and the artist. Are they for sale anywhere? (The alternative is to steal one from somewhere and I won’t do that until at least 6/29, and by then they’ll be pretty ragged.)
If you come to the kickoff ride, you can usually get one for free!
Thank you, SHIFT, all ride organizers and all the volunteers! Pedalpalooza has become a fixture in my life that I look forward to… To many more happy years!!!
Nice Poster Gesine!
yes awesome bikey events and new friends coming soon. 🙂
Remember, Bike Fun happens because ordinary people make it happen.
If you weren’t planning to lead a ride, consider hosting one. It’s easy, it’s fun. It can be as obscure or as mainstream as you like, done alone or with friends. Read the “how to lead a ride” cartoon, and you’re good to go.
http://www.shift2bikes.org/cal/rideleadingcomic.html
You will likely find that there’s at least a few other people that share your interest.
Ted Buehler
Any Vancouverites want to host a ride? There’s only ONE ride from north of the river on the calender so far (& Kudos to Vancouver Urban Forestry for hosting). http://www.shift2bikes.org/cal/viewpp2014.php#24-4239
This is down from 17 rides in 2009.
Give us Oregon-side folks a good reason to head across our soon-to-be 100 yr old bridge to explore the finer elements of The Evergreen State.
Ted Buehler
Link to 2009 calender featuring 17 Vancouver PP rides
http://shift2bikes.org/cal/viewpp2009.php
okay, i’ll post something…. just keep ‘ur pants on!
I like!
http://www.shift2bikes.org/cal/viewpp2014.php#15-4387