(Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)
Portland’s epic month of bike rides and events starts tomorrow. Yes, that’s right, it’s time for the annual Pedalpalooza festival. It’s the 16th year in a row Shift has helped us celebrate the social exhiliration and of bicycling with a slate of rides organized and led by people in the community like you and me. It’s a phenomenonal display of community connectedness unlike anything I’ve seen in the cycling world and we hope you plan to be a part of it
If you are going to join in any one of the 262 rides on the calendar (so far) this month, there are a few things you should know to make sure your experience reaches its full potential. And on a more serious note, there are a few things you should do to make sure your experience doesn’t end up making bad memories (or worse) for you, your friends, or the people around you.
For our annual Pedalalooza primer we once again turn to bike funnist and Shift volunteer Chris “Fool” McCraw. He recently shared some important pits of wisdom:
Tips for maximum Pedalpalooza enjoyment
Get that tune-up, stock up on spare tubes, and make sure your butt loves your saddle. It’s the last minute NOW because you want to have your bike ready before the fun really gets started on June 1st!
Now get yourself tuned up — do you know where your summer bike clothes are? Been putting off that doctor’s appt? Been to see the barber? Nobody wants to stop riding with a few thousand of their closest friends to take care of stuff that could happen anytime, and you know you wanna be in top shape to enjoy the rides and be looking sharp for the cutie you’re sure to meet on the happy streets. Might not be a bad idea to get caught up on laundry, too.
Next up it’s time to get stocked! Easy frozen meals to heat & eat when you get home exhausted and just wanna crawl into bed? Favorite hangover cure — available in quantity? Portable intoxicant of choice — need to hit costco or stumptown to get enough? Beer is easy on the fly, but if you’re more of a liquor is quicker, candy is dandy kinda person — do it in advance: visit your local dispensary, or anyway get the things you can’t make happen at a quickie mart mid-ride or en-route done on your schedule instead of missing the pre-party for Loud and Lit because you have to find the last liquor store in town still open.
Almost ready — but is your pedalpalooza survival kit all ready to go? Picnic blanket, hearty snacks, condoms, band-aids & aspirin, flat-fix kit, extra headlight batteries, and fliers for your ride to hand out to folks at other rides are all recommended. Got Costumes for the WNBR and beyond? Might as well figure all that out during the calm before the storm!
Help take care of yourself and others: These three steps go a long way toward creating inclusive, safe(r) bike fun!
Pedalpalooza is a wild ride, with too little sleep and sometimes too much booze. While we’re out having fun, I want to ask YOU to help take care of yourself and others. These three steps go a long way toward creating inclusive, safe(r) bike fun!
1) Have a plan & Look out for your own well being
When you go on rides that may take you out of your comfort zone, know thyself – might you end up riding longer than expected without a food stop that fits your diet? Might you end up somewhere you’ve never been before? These are near-certainties, so make sure you’re prepared – have a spare inner tube, have a bike map, have a friend you can call if you get stranded (very few rides will leave the cell service area, and those that do are generally described as fairly long rides), and have some substantial snacks and water. Make friends on the ride so that even if you don’t have what you need – you now know someone who might let you borrow their phone or share their snack or patch kit.
2) Be aware of your situation
Both on and off the bike, be aware of your environment. We are traffic, but we are mortal, so watch out for anyone operating a vehicle erratically and be defensive about not getting creamed or even bumping someone else – on a bike or in a car! Having a dance party on the springwater? Cool! Just be aware of nearby residents and of wandering off by yourself to pass out or even make out – safety first (or third – but think about it as you go!)
3) Look out for each other
This one is a bit less obvious than the other two, but as a community of bike funnists, we have to take care of each other. Specifically, be on the lookout for folks who seem so intoxicated that they won’t be able to ride safely home, and try to help them figure out a remedy – be that getting them a ride buddy or an Uber. On a similar note, CONSENT IS SEXY. This goes for sexual stuff of course – be the person you want to wake up and see in the mirror tomorrow – but also goes for peer pressure and intoxication – if your new friend doesn’t want to drink another beer or take another toke, don’t shame them into it. We don’t need to make any more depressing statistics or have someone’s life get fucked up. Check out these resources on consent that I hope you’ll read – it’ll take 2 minutes and you’ll be an awesomer person for reading them and helping others who haven’t read them keep them in mind even when drunk.
Have fun out there Portland! I’ll miss the first few days (headed to Montréal tomorrow!) but I can’t wait to join you in the streets when I get back.
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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