With incredible support from many people and organizations, the Gorge Pedal ride happened this July. It delights my soul that this happened and reinforces several public and hidden agendas in regard to our needs of our incredible World Heritage Site worthy Columbia River Gorge.

The idea of Gorge Pedal had two initial elements: The fire of 2017 closed the Historic Columbia River Highway and Trail. I proposed to ODOT that the weekend prior to opening the “road” we allow cyclists and pedestrians full unfettered access to the road without motor vehicles. The road opened in sections over the next 16 months. The second idea is more involved with our mono cultures of aging groups. And this asks the question of how we teach our next generation stewardship of our Gorge’s resources.

For the past several years I’ve been working on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion issues as a Board member of the League of American Bicyclists. As part of this effort, I began at looking bicycle clubs across the US and asking the questions: how diverse and how inclusive are these bicycling groups. Yes, one can not only imagine but one can find very concrete evidence of how singular an appearance and constitution our national bicycle club scene depicts. I reached out to other organizations which seemed parallel. One was our own northwestern Mazamas. In a terrific discussion with their executive director, our topics over lapped seeing more aging members than new younger members, their board’s desire to increase diversity among their members, & increasing a broader, more inclusive educational aspect of their mission ~ no different than the membership profiles of bicycle club across the USA.

The glaring missing diversity markers in many clubs were the obvious racial, ethnic, income disparity, ability-disability, gender, and age…The cycling club activity descriptions were along the line of ‘how fast how long can you go?” On most front web page sites are declarations of which speed ride should you join and what is expected.

This led me to start with the most common denominator of all the diversities: age and the next generation. One great strength of cycling is our huge umbrella of humans who love cycling. This includes all types of race, gender, adaptive, family, age, economic class, etc. You all know this. But we also know the exclusions. Bike lanes only populate white communities in many US cities; children and women have fewer counts cycling on the streets and in bike clubs; economic deprived communities do not get active transportation dollars from Fed/State transportation dollars; on it goes. This is the backdrop for choosing to feature a Family Ride in the Gorge (11 miles) in addition to a longer Gorge Climb Ride (43 miles).

Finally a change: Gorge Pedal had 60% family riders and 50% of both groups were first time Gorge cyclists.

Traditionally, I knew that many riders want the longer, hill-challenged Vista House climbing. I knew that the Historic Columbia River Trail afforded an opportunity to have a car free ride for those unknowing of its existence. I figured the ratio of those attending would be something like 3-4 Climb riders to 1 Family Trail rider. Excitingly, Gorge Pedal Family riders dominated with 60% registration. 11% of all the cyclists were 9 years or younger and under age of 15 totaled 17.2%. On the other end of the age spectrum there were 18 people over 70 years old cycling. And of the registrants, 51% were women cyclists (self-identified as women; the registration platform is undergoing change and next year I was reassured that a fuller gender ID would be inclusive). Amazingly this is not an American cyclist profile. It is a full 8 to 80 embrace of making cycling accessible to those from 8 years old to 80. It is a Family, first timer kind of ride. I am thrilled and taken aback.

Fifty percent of the cyclists on Gorge Pedal had never bicycled in the Gorge — nearly 150 people. Of these new-cyclists, we attracted a national group, Latino Outdoors, who supported Gorge Pedal to register a number of cyclists from Anadando en Bicicletas Y Caminando (ABC) based in Cully neighborhood-Portland. The ABC is coordinated by Miche Lozano of the Community Cycling Center. Further assistance came from Leslie W. Garcia, Hispanic/Latinx Communications and Community Engagement Specialist of U.S. Forest Service who provided transportation to help get riders and bikes to and from Cascade Locks.

I solicited a number of other groups, Black Women on Bikes, WTF, Ride Like a Girl, Kidical Mass, Portland Bicycle Club, and several cargo bike groups to participate as groups. The informal nature of these organizations and the great variety of our Northwest outdoor activity\ies did not see these identifiable groups as distinct participants. I would love to see these cousin organizations have visible identity on the next Gorge Pedal. Seeing others ‘like me’ is a fundamental way to express diversity. And we all need to work harder to make sure the invitation to participate is heard and expresses a sincere welcome.

Another sidebar issue is the development of Oregon Travel’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion policies. Within this is the concept that OT needs to turn its attention to our state’s citizens. We are still finding out about ourselves. I recently delivered both Ukrainian and Russian language versions of Smart Cycling Guides (by the League) to Gresham/Rockwood active transportation leaders. These two efforts of introducing people to the Gorge and getting people on bikes are concrete steps to make sure we are welcoming all people. It is not enough to simply advertise events; we have to reach out and welcome people. Getting new people to enjoy the Gorge from a bicycle seat will remind them when they take relatives to the ‘Gorge’ there are alternatives to Multnomah Falls and its congestion.

Throughout the background of creating a bike ride in the Gorge is the congestion mitigation thread. The Gorge Express bus has been a huge positive growth experiment to get more people to the Gorge without a car. Getting bicycles with riders to the Gorge & back to Portland remains a tiny success. The buses now have front racks; the bus belly can handle a few cycles…but we need more transportation options and more frequent schedules to get people into the Gorge on bicycles. It was daunting to get a transport of 10 to 50 bikes en masse to the Gorge. Grayline bus company and I worked hard to get a reasonable price for transporting a group to Cascade Locks…but it would have doubled the price of registration.

Another underlying significant issue in putting the ride together was about Columbia Gorge Resources. Multnomah Falls is the most visited site in Oregon (after the Woodburn Outlets shopping center). Congestion mitigation of the Gorge Highway is stalled in a 2 year “quick fix” study, a 3-4 year midterm solution, and a 5-6 year long term goal process. This is a sad leadership issue refusing to look at 3+ million visitors & the escalating strangulation of the Gorge pedestrian and vehicular corridor. The I-84 parking lots dump 1200 pedestrians an hours crossing the Historic Columbia River Highway from 10:30 to about 2pm. The intersection at Powell’s Book store on Burnside has about 800 crossing people near noon. Educating the public that there are more wonderful sights to see beyond the “Falls” is a strong foundation of the Columbia Gorge Tourism Alliance. We were able to offer local wineries, cideries, brewers to offer local products to the cyclists at the post ride Celebration. As for the non-ride part, our Celebration in Cascade Locks introduced people to the Warm Spring Art Community of artists, Anvil Academy blacksmithing, and a number of advocates, wineries, cideries, breweries from the Gorge. Special hat tip to Thunder Island Brewery for making the event be inviting to all. We need to distribute the singular attention of Multnomah Falls to the rest of the Gorge.

While we hoped more visitors would enjoy these participants and this needs more work…which is all consistent with Teach the Next Generation. We want people to recognize the diversity of what we have in our backyard, the Gorge. This recognition is the first step to teaching the next responsibility and stewardship of our land and people resources. Whether it is the Mazamas or the bicycle organization of your choice or the Tourist Vendors or a governmental agency, the message is the same: we teach leadership and stewardship by example.

So, above are some my “Heart and Mind.”

The “Thigh” part is really the responses we got from the ride.

The smiles were everywhere. Free Root Beer Floats were a hit at the end of the ride. People said the 250 feet climb on the ride to the Family ride’s turnaround was hard; some wanted a longer Family ride.

I delayed talking about the staircase near Eagle Creek for a long time. I arranged for a cross fit group to carry bikes up and down the steps. And people loved that the staircase was benefitted by the Happy Valley Cross Fit team. I witnessed surprised faces saying thanks to Megan, her husband and brother for carrying their bikes up/down. (yes, 60 lb. ebikes, tandems, bikes with trailers too). I did five bikes and thought, ‘oh, I am getting old.’

In the best fashion of our OR-landia, some wanted better organic food; some wanted to read the labels on the Peanut Butter jars; and some wanted a gold medal at the end.

Many reported that the volunteers were just excellent; Charlie and Trailhead Coffee waiting at the Women’s Forum turnaround for the Climb riders got many cheers.

We learned people needed better signage and pre-ride communication should be improved; thanks were expressed to Jamen Lee of the Oregon Parks and Recreation, Megan Innes of the US Army Corps of Engineers, and Melinda Moeur whom provided geological and historical narratives along the Family ride; and wonderfully a number of people said, “It was awesome and I’ll do it again!!!”

Yes, there are more details and many to thank for making this happen…but will save for a later discussion and next year’s planning. I can’t say that the dream to close the Historic Columbia River Highway to traffic for several hours and only have pedestrians and cyclists take over the entire Waterfall area to Vista House is completely day lit. It lingers.

Z

Saddle and seat tube taken from my bike while shopping – and no, no quick releases were involved. I hope whoever gets “such a deal” on it has a 27mm seat tube and has to deform it to securely hold my 26.8mm post. WTB “Speed She” on the loose – not even a particularly desirable seat.

Folks: This is not Portland, but for those of you planning to visit Bellingham, here is a nice bicycle ride through some hidden little gems of parks and beaches that can be quite secluded and peaceful!

I want a new traffic lane.
I want a new traffic lane for my birthday. Well not my birthday, but it would be great to have new lane to celebrate the Oregon Bike Bill. The lanes I want are on the Abernathy Bridge for bicycles, e-bikes, scooters, skateboarders, pedestrians and who are primarily human powered in some manner. We are traffic, too. It seems a fitting tribute to the Bike Bill considering we just dedicated a new sculpture at PSU funded by Oregon Economic Council on Friday, April 26, 2019. Of course, there is a darker side to the un-kept promises of the Bike Bill.

The issue is intertwined in choosing a new ODOT director, the present Active Transportation staff, Metro’s acquisition of Willamette Falls and e-bikes.

We want to increase the power of Active Transportation which has its basis in the promise of the Bike Bill. Sandbagging bike & pedestrian infrastructure doesn’t always come from the top. My concern is the Active Transportation second, third & fourth rungs of ODOT. We need a passion to push the Bicycle/Pedestrian philosophy of the Bike Bill further at all admin levels. A welcomed change would be to have a member of the Oregon Transportation Commission be charged with a specific Active Transportation portfolio of work. We need people in all ODOT positions to lift up people transportation issues in front of a new director and challenge her or him to spend money for moving people first not just single drivers in cars. Viewing ODOT from the outside of its behemoth size and population it is often difficult to know how decisions are crafted.

The Abernathy Example.
In 2016, considerations of bicycle/pedestrians in association with the Abernathy Bridge began to surface in the I-205 Stafford Road Evaluation to increase the seismic resiliency. The project included an extra lane of traffic. Research included facility improvements, consideration of multi-paths, and consideration of bridge options. This document outlines historical AT Plans from Metro, Clackamas, OR City, West Linn, etc. It details the bike – pedestrian assets inventory.

The context summary was “Based on the information summarized in Table 1, if it were feasible, a connection between Clackamette Park and the Arch Bridge in Oregon City to West Linn in the vicinity of the OR 43 /I-205 Interchange could provide an effective link to existing or planned facilities east and west of the existing I-205 Abernethy Bridge.” Presently Bicycles use sharrows only on Rte 43 and pedestrians use bilateral sidewalks.

The balance of the document details bicycle/pedestrian ideas & costs for 1) alternative Abernathy bridge south, 2) new bridge north, 3) Abernathy cantilevered bridges north and south, 4) suspended beneath Abernathy piers-e.g. the noisy I-205, 5) new bridge south of OR 43 and 6) new AT bridge only realigned with OR 43. Scoping costs were ranging from 20 million dollars (new bridge south) to 27 million (cantilever) to 40 million (Widening 205 with multipath), to the largest estimate of 53 million (widening including AT lanes through West Lynn, etc.)

The above shows the Bike Bill’s promise of ODOT’s potential to fulfill the Bike Bill’s directive.

Later in 2016 we jump to ODOT’s I-205 Fastlanes Grant Application: The idea of AT lanes was reduced from detailed solutions to glib opportunity: “Challenge: The Abernethy Bridge is a gap in the regional bicycle and pedestrian mobility network. Today, there are bike lanes on OR 43 to the I-205 on-/off-ramps in West Linn and striped buffered bike lanes on OR 99 in Oregon City, but no straightforward network connection. Solution: This project is an opportunity to provide the much-needed and regionally desired pedestrian and bicycle network connection over the Willamette River between West Linn and Oregon City. Ultimately, this new link will connect to the I-205 Multi-use Path/Clackamas River Trail in Oregon City, providing regional mobility and access to the greater regional trail system.”

A 3rd example of how the Abernathy Project including Active Transportation fell out of view is Clackamas County’s inheritance of information from ODOT. Their Five year Transportation Improvement Program mentions zero about Abernathy Bridge or additional spans across the river.

Back to ODOT. The next I-205 project step details (http://i205corridor.org/project-details) mentions no bicycle or pedestrian facilities. The open house (https://openhouse.oregondot.org/i-205-widening) for I-205 has no details of AT lanes. This absence of any Active Transportation represents the silent tier of ODOT administration at this level in promoting bicycle-pedestrian follow through.

The Abernathy Bike Pedestrian issues became ghosted. I imagine documents entitled, “How to create projects eliminating Bike Bill’s requirements” being circulated at ODOT. This guts the Bike Bill.

Let’s remind ourselves what the second sentence of the bike bill is: Footpaths and bicycle trails, including curb cuts or ramps as part of the project, shall be provided wherever a highway, road or street is being constructed, reconstructed or relocated. (https://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/366.514) Sounds like the Abernathy Bridge to me. Sounded like the St. Johns Bridge several years ago too.

My next two comments have to do with hope.

1) Metro. An improved change of ODOT’s internal vigilance of Active Transportation could happen at several levels by outside forces. I think Metro’s action to acquire the Willamette Falls Legacy Project and subsequent 7 million dollar donation this early April should change the ODOT inaction. This Oregon City incredible tourism resource represents a major regional change. The Willamette Falls is the 17th widest waterfall in the world. Multnomah Falls is the 434th tallest waterfall in the world. Redevelopment of the Oregon City tourism area could be a terrific draw for people coming to Portland. It might even help by drawing visitors away from Multnomah Falls and reducing that congestion due almost 3 million visitors. It is only 13 miles to the Willamette Falls from Portland.

2) The e-bike. An e-bike could easily be used at 15 miles an hour from downtown Portland to Willamette Falls across the Tilikum~down the Springwater~catching a bike lane over to the Abernathy. The return coming back could be on Hwy 43 Bridge~entering Sellwood and the industrial Eastside densely-packed breweries and pubs.

Contrast this great bike ride across several bridges and along a water front with sitting in a car on the Historic Columbia River Highway from 60-90 minutes midday plus waiting for a parking place at Multnomah Falls. The Willamette Falls could be an enormously great and attractive healthy adventure.

I have asked people why don’t they bike places all the past 3 decades. People talk about danger, traffic, deaths, etc. Range Anxiety is a new reason for drawbacks to using bicycles. I have not heard this reason much until lately. This newer reason means people are afraid they will use up all their energy if they bicycle too far away from their starting place. Surprising to me in several testimonials, I heard the solution to range anxiety is an e-bike. I heard this several times in the past two years at the many local and national hearings on e-bicycle use on state and national park trails. I had no idea that this was a hidden-quieter reason people do not bike. And removing the range anxiety unspoken barrier is allowing us to grow our cycling ranks.

It is fascinating to hear e-bike using people say, ‘now I can keep up with him,’ ‘I don’t have to worry about my knees giving out,’ ‘we are sisters meeting here for fun and we never ride bikes, but knew we could get back in time for the bridal rehearsal.’ And even this week I heard a friend who tried an ebike said, “I hate being last on a ride.” And to me this parlays exactly into an economic reason for adding a lane for bike/ped on the Abernathy Bridge. This arterial is long enough for a part of a day trip that a Portland tourist could see an incredible osprey view of the Willamette River and world class waterfall geography.

Metro’s action could wake the ODOT Active Transportation staff as much as we expect a new Director to bring an Active Transportation vision and incorporate the promise of the Bike Bill to all of ODOT. If we continue to have people who have a meek or nonexistent voice about Active Transportation, then no Director will ever engage them to think outside their present lane. The director and staff are a two way street to fulfill the Bike Bill from start to finish of any highway, road or street is being constructed, reconstructed or relocated project.

So Happy Birthday Bike Bill; I know it is a little early but don’t fade. My want is really I need another lane of traffic.

PS (Traffic comes from 16th century romance language variations –traffique-trafico-traffic -meaning merchandise/people transportation)

I wish I had bothered to notice what company’s truck they were driving. Heading north on SE 16th this morning, I was behind a garbage truck. I never want to be anywhere near a garbage truck for painfully good historical reasons. It pulled up to the intersection with Burnside, put on the right hand turn signal and waited… and waited. I was a full truck length behind it, reading the large sign on the rear saying both verbally and graphically “vehicle makes wide turns.” Two bicyclists were less patient, and went around me to the right. One was not too foolish, as she was making a right turn.

The other tried to go around the truck, to the right. Directly into the turn the driver was trying to make. The driver stopped.

By the time I screamed at the oblivious bicyclist, she was across Burnside and out of hearing range. As often as I mutter “natural selection in action,” I really don’t want to be a witness to it. I’m shaking just thinking about it again.

I’m about to see what company has that area’s residential pickup and put in a commendation.

People, please don’t be stupid. Enough of us get killed while doing everything right.

You’ve likely noticed all the orange bicycles scattered across Portland — some positioned conveniently on the sidewalks outside your office, some situated in parks and local green spaces, and unfortunately some carelessly thrown into ditches or halfway down the embankment of the Willamette River. Since launching officially on July 19th, 2016 Biketown’s bright orange bikes have become a common talking point for both locals and tourists alike. While some love the widespread availability and convenience of the Biketown program, others raise skepticism and concerns. To create clarity over which is right for you, we thought it’d be helpful to outline some of the legitimate pros and cons for tourists and casual recreators when deciding between a bike share or a local bike shop rental:
[Read more…]

Folks:
This is not in Portland, but in Bellingham, but I want to point out the good news for you is that in the fourteen years I was in Portland, I have not seen anything as bad as this one. The location is Meridian and I/5 for those of you familiar with Bellingham, Washington.

Article by Asa Redfield, evo Portland. evo Portland is a BikePortland Business Subscriber. We offer free article postings as part of that program! Sign up to today to take advantage of this great benefit.

Mountain bikers have a tendency to do things their own way, personalizing all aspects of their participation from their cars, to their bikes, to their riding kits. With that said, one thing that all mountain bikers can unanimously agree on is that there are a handful of essentials that you ought to bring along on every ride. Mountain bikes are great machines, but things happen out there on the trail, these items will help you to be prepared no matter what happens. Thus, without further ado we’ve compiled a comprehensive collection of tools for the trail. Run through the list, gear up, and make sure you don’t leave the trailhead without ‘em.

Trail Pack
Whether you prefer a mountain bike backpack or a biking fanny pack or waistpack, you’re going to need a pack of some sorts to haul everything efficiently and effortlessly from Point A to Point B. Do you need a special mountain bike specific pack? Not necessarily, but having something that cinches down securely against your body and also allows your back to breathe is imperative.

Multi-Tool
A good bike multi-tool is absolutely essential. Whether you need to tighten up your bike’s hardware, fix a broken chain, or perform any number of on-the-go bike maintenance, your multi-tool will likely have you covered. A couple key characteristics to ensure your multi-tool has are: a chain tool, 4 / 5 / 6mm hex keys, T25 Torx, and screw drivers (flat head & Phillips).

Portable Pump
There are a couple important things to consider when choosing a mini/portable bike pump. First, is the valve connection compatible with your tires? Most modern mountain bike tires use Presta valves, but this is something you’ll want to verify before purchasing and pedaling off. Second, is the maximum pressure enough to adequately inflate your tire? Different pumps have different psi capabilities and whether you’re running tubeless or not will dictate your needs.

Spare Bike Tube
This one doesn’t need much explanation other than this; sometimes tubeless tire seals fail and for those of you who are still running with bike tubes, pinch flats are still the most common repair. Pushing your bike out isn’t fun — pack an extra tube.

Tire Levers
Ever tried to fix a flat without tire levers? If you have, you won’t forget to bring tire levers ever again.

Chain Quick Link
Whether you crash, experience a wonky shift, or just haven’t lubed your chain in months, your bike chain can break and it tends to do so at a single point (hence the term “weakest link”). Having a multi-tool with a chain tool and a spare link that you can replace the break with might just save you from a 14-mile hike-a-bike push back to the trailhead.

Water
Stay hydrated. Over 50% of our bodies are water… Need we say more? Fill up a water bottle or bike hydration pack and bring it along!

Snacks
After water, snacks are both literally and figuratively a lifesaver. Whether it’s a classic PB&J, a snackbar, trail mix, or something else, you’ll never be upset that you brought snacks.

Extra Layer(s)
This one is a bit arbitrary but it never hurts to be prepared, especially when you’re riding somewhere where the weather can be a bit fickle. With modern bike jackets, windbreakers and rain shells being as lightweight and packable as they are nowadays, you’d be wise to stash one of these in your pack too.

About evo
We are evo Portland. We are a bike shop, ski shop, snowboard shop, wake shop, skate shop, surf shop, and clothing retailer all under one roof in Portland, Oregon. In addition to retail, we provide bike repairs, bike rentals, ski/snowboard waxes & tunes, and ski/snowboard rentals. Visit our store in the Central Eastside neighborhood where our knowledgeable staff will happily assist you with all of your outdoor gear and action sports needs.

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Back in 2009 Portland International Raceway (PIR) decided to create a special night when only bicycle riders would be allowed to circle the 2-mile track to take in the extensive Winter Wonderland display. This event is called Bike the Lights, and it has been held every year since. I’ve been to all nine of the previous occurrences and thought a recap would be nice for this 10th anniversary coming up on November 27 from 5:30 to 9:30 pm.

For me, the most memorable year happens to be the first, when the temperature was 25 degrees with a 15 mph wind blowing. But even under those conditions a huge crowd showed up. Portland bike ride leaders Carye Bye and Ester Harlow had a group ride up to PIR for the well-publicized event. And Pedal Bike Tours also had a group ride to the event that same year, thus starting another new holiday tradition. Every year since there has been at least one group bike ride to Bike the Lights where Portlanders are greeted by a parade of holiday decorated bikes and sound systems on their way to the lights. It’s like a Pedalpalooza ride, just six months later.

One remarkable occurrence (at least for Portland) is that it has not rained during the event over the past nine years. But there were times when it rained earlier in the day, so the track was still wet. And one year it started drizzling just after the event was over. In 2013 Portland had a good snow the Friday before, but it was gone by the Monday evening of Bike the Lights. And there was another year (2015) where it would have been raining, but it had been raining so hard that the racetrack was flooded. PIR thus canceled the early December date and rescheduled Bike the Lights for December 28 of 2015. That made for a pretty light attendance, perhaps because fewer people were interested in taking in holiday lights after December 25. We’ll have to see if the rain-free weather holds out for another year! For reference, here are the weather conditions on each of the previous nine years. Thanks to Jonathan’s extensive archives, you can click on the year link for information pertinent to that particular year.

Year Date Weather – Temp, Wind, Conditions
2009
Mon, Dec 7 25 F, 15 mph, Clear
2010
Mon, Dec 6 44 F, 10 mph, Overcast
2011
Mon, Dec 5 32 F, 5 mph, Overcast
2012
Mon, Dec 3 50 F, 10 mph, Overcast
2013
Mon, Dec 9 28 F, 5 mph, Overcast
2014
Mon, Dec 8 47 F, 15 mph, Overcast
2015
Mon, Dec 28 39 F, Calm, Mostly Cloudy
2016
Tue, Nov 29 47 F, 10 mph, Overcast
2017
Tue, Nov 28 46 F, 1 mph, Mostly Cloudy

A substantial change in Bike the Lights took place in 2016 when the event was moved backward in time to be in late November rather than in December. This meant that it was over with before a lot of people even had it on their radar. And this happened the year after it had been rescheduled to December 28. So that pent-up demand over two years’ time caused a lot of people to come to Bike the Light in 2017. It was the biggest crowd I remember seeing since 2009.

This year Puddlecycle is leading a group ride to Winter Wonderland that will follow a flat/downhill 4-mile route to PIR using quiet streets and the Columbia Slough Trail. Meet us in Dawson Park at 6 pm if you’d like to ride along!

‘Tis the season, again. Bring us new or nearly new socks, and we will give you one of our current all-cotton/USA-made bandannas in exchange.

During the fall & winter, we make regular runs to the local homeless shelter to deliver socks, gloves, scarves, knitwear, and ANY articles of clothing that might help keep people warm during the coldest, wettest months in Portland, Oregon.