(Photo: J Maus/BikePortland)
Welcome to your menu of weekend rides and events, lovingly brought to you by our friends at Hopworks Urban Brewery.
How will you mark the change in season? How about a trip south to Crater Lake for 24-miles of carfree paradise? Or maybe it’s time to get serious about cyclocross and tackle “Ninkrossi”?
Whatever you have planned, make sure you check out this week’s guide. A big festival, Sunday Parkways, racing and riding — there’s something for everyone.
Have fun!
Friday, September 26th
Cyclocross Season Kickoff Party – 7:00 pm at Velo Cult (1969 NE 42nd Ave)
Team Trusty Switchblade is hosting a blowout party at Velo Cult to mark the (ever earlier) arrival of Portland’s ‘cross season. There will be a pinata, doughnuts, door prizes, and lots of shenanigans I won’t mention because this is a family website. More info here.
Saturday, September 27th
Handmade Bike & Beer Festival – All weekend long at Hopworks Urban Brewery (2944 SE Powell)
Beer, bikes, bands, fun activities, food, what more could you want in a festival?! Check our write-up from a few days ago and then clear some time this weekend to get out there. This is going to be awesome. More info here.
Crater Lake Carfree Day! – All day at Crater Lake National Park
If you missed it last week or this past June, the National Parks Service invites you to enjoy the legendary East Rim Drive without the presence of cars, trucks, and RVs! 24 miles of pure bliss awaits you. Carpool, take the train, ride… Just get down there. You will not regret it. More info here.
Grand Prix Ryan Trebon #5 – Ninkrossi – All day at Washougal MX Park (in WA)
The fifth of the six-race GPRT series is just over the Columbia River in Washougal. This is an excellent course that should be extra-fun thanks to the bit of rain we’ve had lately. More info here.
Bridges to Breakers Century – 7:00 am McMenamins Theater and Pub in St Johns (8203 N Ivanhoe)
Ride to the coast on a beautiful route (St. Johns to Gearheart) while helping raise funds and awareness for bike safety. This ride was inspired by a collision that injured former NFL and Oregon Ducks quarterback Joey Harrington. 50-mile route option available. $75 entry fee includes a t-shirt and BBQ party at the beach. More info here.
The Joy Ride – 9:00 am at Sauvie Island park and ride
The Portland Wheelmen Touring Club will lead a 50-mile ride that begins at Sauvie Island. I’m not sure where it goes, but these folks know all the great routes and it is called the “Joy” ride, so I bet it’ll be good. More info here.
Biking About Architecture (Beaumont/Roseway) – 11:00 am at Grand Central Bakery (4440 NE Fremont)
Get a guided tour of cool home designs in the Beaumont and Roseway neighborhoods. Highlights include cool co-housing in Cully, an angled black-box modern, and an Art Haus deluxe. Relaxed and social pace. More info here.
Sunday, September 28th
Harvest Century – 7:00 am at Hillsboro Civic Center (150 E Main Street)
Billed as the “last organized ride of the year” (sniff, sniff), this ride is a great way to acquaint yourself with the excellent riding in Washington County. See the season change right before your eyes on 100, 75, or 45-mile routes. All money raised on this ride supports Community Vision, a non-profit that aids adults with developmental disabilities. More info here.
Battle at Barlow – 7:30 am at Sam Barlow High School in Gresham (5105 SE 302nd)
This popular cyclocross event has an added bonus: Racers can earn coveted “call-up” points that will give them priority starting position at the upcoming (and usually very crowded) Cross Crusade series. That’s just one of many reasons to head out to Gresham for this event. It’s a great course that organizers describe as “euro-style: fast, with ample room to pass.” More info here (PDF).
NW Trail Alliance Sunday Group Ride (MTB) – 8:00 am at Universal Cycles (2202 E Burnside)
How does 20 miles of singletrack sound? That’s what awaits you at Falls Creek Trail and this ride is a perfect chance to check it out. The NWTA will lead carpools from southeast Portland and then drive to the trailhead (about 2 hours away). This is an intermediate/advanced ride. More info here.
Sunday Parkways Southwest – 11:00 am to 4:00 pm
This is your last chance of the year to enjoy an activity-filled, carfree loop around one of the most picturesque parts of town. Explore parks in the West Hills, the locally-owned businesses in Hillsdale, and much more. More info here.
Pizzeria Grand Opening and Red Bull Rampage Screening – 12:00 noon at The Lumberyard
Another reason to roll over to the Lumberyard: their new pizzeria! Join them for a slice or two and wash it down with a pint while you get stoked watching the latest Red Bull Rampage film. More info here (FB).
— If we missed anything, feel free to let us know and/or give it a shout-out in the comments.
A quick correction- The East Rim is not closed to traffic all day, they open it back up at 5pm, so be aware!
Battle at Barlow on Sunday!!! http://www.obra.org/flyers/2014/2014_Battle_at_Barlow.pdf
I’m glad that the hilliest Sunday Parkways is at the end of the season, when I’ve had all summer to get back into “climbing form”.
I did Crater Lake last weekend, it was fabulous. I highly recommend it. Even after 5:00 the cars were pretty sparse.
The Crater Lake loop road appears to have narrow lanes, maybe just 10′ wise (I could be wrong). It was actually narrow in places as a multiuse path, where you had pedestrians with dogs, roadies, and slower bicyclists all mixing. I’m very glad that they close it to cars on occasion. Steep grades, narrow lanes, no shoulder & RV traffic would not make for a pleasant bicycle ride on the other 150 days of the year…
& note that SW Sunday Parkways is not a “loop” for bicyclist, just and “out and back”. Loop for pedestrians.
Ted Buehler
“shenanigans I won’t mention because this is a family website” whatever was behind this black curtain I think it wasn’t that bad. The event itself was a family event. It was like trusty switchyblade is now trusty babysitters club. The event was more than kid friendly it was kid centric. Lame, boring, no thank you. Who even biked there? 100+ ppl and parking was easy. If this is the Portland ‘bike community’ count me out. Salt to injury, full priced drinks, I could have gone to a normal bar with friends instead of some weird bike themed Chucky cheese. (Which admittedly would have been cool when I was 7).