Here are the best stories we came across in the past week…

$150 million for bikeways in Montreal: Montreal is planning to spend $50 million a year for the next five years to build the projects in their first citywide bike plan.

The Pedestrian’s Tale: Portland transportation engineer and planner Brian Davis performed this poignant and entertaining poem at a recent conference held at Portland State University.

A lot of miles: 24-year-old Amanda Coker rode a record-setting 86,573 miles in the past year. That’s an average of 237.19 miles per day for 365 straight days. Dang.
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Join the Kidical Massive ride on Saturday.
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

The Weekend Event Guide is sponsored by Abus Bike Locks. Thanks Abus!

There’s a lot of rain in the forecast for next week so you better get in some rides before everything gets wet and muddy (not that you’ll stop riding when it does of course).

Thankfully the air quality has improved over much of Oregon in the past week. Speaking of which, word on the street is that Crater Lake is nice right now, so if you missed the Rim Ride last week, there’s another chance to enjoy it carfree on Saturday.

Take a look at our event suggestions below and have fun out there!
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Welcome to the week.

Here are the most noteworthy stories we came across over the past seven days…

Pothole leads to payout: The City of Los Angeles will pay a man $6.5 million to settle a lawsuit that blamed them for a pothole that caused him to crash his bicycle and sustain serious injuries.

Smarter bikes = safer bikes: A Michigan tech company wants to build software into bikes and bike parts that allows them to “talk” to computer systems inside cars in order to warn of the presence of bicycle riders (and vice versa presumably). Trek is a partner in the venture.

Froome does the double: Professional road racer Chris Froome cemented his legacy as an all-time great by winning the Vuelta de Espana and the Tour de France in the same season.

Bikes save the day: Look what transportation mode people are turning to in Houston when all else has failed.
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Fingers crossed for good air at Crater Lake this weekend.
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

The Weekend Event Guide is sponsored by Abus Bike Locks. Thanks Abus!

It’s been a tough week. Air quality has cancelled and/or forced rescheduling of many riding plans. People who blocked out this coming week for Cycle Oregon are now scrambling to find something else to do — but it’s hard to find any place in Oregon that isn’t impacted by the nasty air.

We’re hoping conditions improve by the weekend. The forecast gives us reason for optimism. Regardless, remember to research conditions before you head out.

If you don’t want to ride we’ve got two events in the guide that don’t require much pedaling: an expo for women who bike and a lecture about the Historic Columbia River Highway (we know, strange timing). Here’s this week’s guide…

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Welcome to September.

I know there’s a lot of despairing news these days. All the floods, fires, and fools in position of power are enough to make you want to drop everything and ride your bike off into the sunset. But if we’re going to get out of this mess, we can’t divert our eyes. (Especially those of us who are relatively well-off compared to those knee-deep in the stuggle.) We must learn what’s happening — and more importantly why it’s happening. In our little part of this world, one way we can help is by sharing the most important stories from the bike-transportation-mobility webospheres.

So without further delay, here are the most important stories we came across last week…

Sexism, still: UK-based Cycling Weekly magazine mistakenly printed a photo with “token attractive woman” as a caption. Now the magazine is facing mockery and a boycott from women who are tired of the sexist attitudes that pervade the industry.
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Ready?
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

The weekend is almost here — and so is cyclocross season!

As we slide into September and get ready for Women’s Bike Month (we’ll have special coverage all month — stay tuned for details!), our event calendar isn’t quite as full as usual. It’s probably a mix of being in the shoulder season and the fact that local weather is so hot and smokey.

But it’s also Labor Day Weekend so for many people it’s one of the last chances for a big adventure. If you need some ideas and inspirations, we’ve great suggestions. Check them out below…

Friday, September 1st

Art Ride on the Eastside – 5:30 pm at Eutectic Gallery (1930 NE Oregon)
It’s the first day of Women’s Bike Month and The Street Trust is leading a tour of art galleries on the east side. More info here.
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This week’s Monday Roundup is sponsored by Urban Tribe, the affordable family cargo bike.

Welcome to the week! (Note: I’m out of the office today doing this. Please be patient if any issues or news arises. I’ll be back at my desk Monday evening.)

Here are the most noteworthy stories we came across last week…

Injustice in Louisiana: A jaw-dropping combination of cultural dysfunction on display as three black men are cited for not wearing reflective clothing and blocking a public road — after they were hit and injured by a motor vehicle user on a road with no sidewalks. I don’t even know where to begin. Thankfully Streetsblog took a stab at explaining it.

Portland’s problem with race: An ex-Portlander penned a must-read about why he — and other people of color — are leaving our fair city. One person quoted in the piece said she’s afraid to bike at night. “No way. I’m Black. Even Black people are shocked to see Black people ride their bikes here.” (Note: I’m working on a follow-up to my post about white supremacy. Thank you for all your amazing comments!)

Driving is the problem: Love this piece from Vox that lays out an inconvenient truth for many enviros and progressives who are afraid to aggressively discourage driving (or who don’t see that it’s imperative). Say it with me (and replace “California” with your state): “California has a climate problem, and its name is cars.”
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Bike games are the best games. Sunday’s Bike Scout Scavenger Hunt is a must-try.
(Photo: Filmed by Bike/Bike Scout)

Can you believe it? Cross is almost here.

This Sunday the venerable Cross Crusade holds its kickoff bash. Now’s the time to commit to a season pass and prep your body, mind, and bike for the upcoming season.

Of course there’s also a few fun options for more laid-back riders. Roll southeast for a chill ride with our friends from Bike Milwaukie or grab some friends and do the Bike Scout Scavenger Hunt.

Here’s the guide to all the goodness…

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This week’s Monday Roundup is sponsored by no one. We need advertisers! Text me at (503) 706-8804 or email for more details.

We hope you enjoyed the eclipse. Wasn’t it cool?!

Here are the best stories we came across last week…
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Escape the madness and enjoy the smile-filled carfree streets of outer northeast at Sunday Parkways.
(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

The big Eclipse Weekend is here. Events related to this celestial phenomenon are already causing backups and the big show doesn’t start until Monday.

The Weekend Event Guide is sponsored by Abus Bike Locks. Thanks Abus!

Regardless of what’s happening in the sky — and in some cases because of it — people want to ride bikes on weekends. That’s why we do this guide.

Our featured event this week is the Chrome Warehouse Sale. This major apparel brand originally from San Francisco recently completed a move to Portland and they want to say “hello” by offering a bunch of great clothing, bags and other accessories at killer prices. They were also smart and nice enough to purchase an ad campaign here on BP to promote it. Thank you Chrome! Show them you appreciate their support of our community by dropping by the big sale Friday through Sunday at the old Shleifer Bldg in the central eastside.

Here are the rest of the best events this weekend…
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