(Photo by J. Maus/BikePortland)
Welcome to your menu of weekend rides and events, lovingly brought to you by our friends at Hopworks Urban Brewery.
Riding a bike is one of the best ways to start out a new year. The health, happiness and camaraderie one taps into while pedaling a bicycle is something with positive impacts that are both tangible and symbolic.
I know many of you will grab a bike and head out on a ride of your own in the next few days. But for those of you who prefer — or need the motivation of — an organized group ride, there are two excellent options to choose from.
And one comes with a money-back satisfaction guarantee…
BTA Annual New Year’s Day Ride – January 1st at 12 noon
Meet under the Morrison Bridge in Waterfront Park to take part in this glorious Portland tradition. The BTA has been hosting a New Year’s Day Ride for over two decades! This year’s ride will be a call to action to make SW Barbur Blvd a nicer place to ride. Here’s more from the official event description:
Ring in the New Year with a glimpse of the past, a peek at the future, and A CALL TO ACTION ON SW BARBUR!
As always, bring your friends and warm clothes!
THE PAST:
As the Bicycle Transportation Alliance enters its 25th year, we will pass some sites of our previous office locations and victories.THE FUTURE:
Two new bridges will soon drastically change connections between SE and SW Portland. We’ll see them both!A CALL TO ACTION:
We will take advantage of safety in numbers and low traffic for a trip up SW Barbur Blvd, “the key to SW.” Learn about our campaign to turn this street into the safe, comfortable bike route it should be.More on Barbur here.
The ride will cover nine easy miles with several stops. It ends in Sellwood with a hosted gathering at Sellwood Bike Commuter bike shop. RSVP and learn more about the ride here (FB).
Bob and Dave’s Killer Adventure — Sunday, January 4th at 11:00 am
Join Puddlecycle for a jaunt through southeast Portland. They’ll be pedaling to Dave’s Killer Bread headquarters in Milwaukie to load up on low-priced bread and other yummy stuff. Here’s more from ride organizers:
Puddlecycle’s out of oats and bread, so it’s time to re-stock the pantry and re-fill the freezer. Meet us at Waverley Heights UCC. Come early and tell us your prison story. We’ll leave there promptly around 11:00, and take the loveliest southeasterly lanes through Reed, past the big houses where the big people live, over two blocks of gravel, down a steep 30 feet of bike path, along the Springwater, through the small-town part of Portland, through one short fussy bit of highway until we arrive at the promised land: the Dave’s Killer Bread and the Bob’s Red Mill stores. We’ll shop and eat at Bob’s healthy cafe and come back the way we came, because it’s that delightful. I’m bringing a trailer for all the booty, and some tunes for the ride – send me your song requests.
Get all the details and RSVP info here.