Carolyn Jen (middle) with her husband, Michael, (left) and friend, Janet, (right) at the finish line of her first Cycle Oregon in 2011 . (Photo: Courtesy Carolyn Jen)
This story is by Ashley Baker, a graduate student in Journalism at University of Oregon. This is her first contribution to BikePortland.
On a January morning in 2011, Carolyn Jen woke up terrified. [Read more…]
Danny Dunn hard at work. (Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Have you ever looked around as you roll through the streets and thought, “Geez, there’s so much trash everywhere!” I certainly have. And while I’ve often thought of doing something about it, Portlander Danny Dunn has taken action.
Since the end of August, Danny has been picking up trash while he bikes around town. With a simple system of plastic buckets strapped to his front rack and a $25 grabber tool, Danny glides along, making Portland cleaner one piece of trash at a time.
I met up with him in Arbor Lodge yesterday. [Read more…]
Ryder uses his customers’ existing bikes to build his distinctive cargo creations. (Photos: James Buckroyd)
You may have seen Jake Ryder’s creations via J_ryde on Instagram, ogled the cyclocross images he shoots as Sellwood Cycles’ official photog, or heard his name from a friend who is into Zoobomb or freak bikes. Either way, Jake is a multi-talented maker who has carved a niche based on his unique perspective on cycling.
I visited his shop in southeast Portland recently to learn a bit more about him. [Read more…]
Well-known northeast Portland neighborhood organizer and nonprofit leader Craig Fondren has been hired as the Community Programs Manager at the Community Cycling Center.
Fondren was formerly executive director of the Sabin Community Development Corporation (CDC), a group that works to make housing more affordable for people of color and people with lower incomes. In 2011, Fondren was named Newsmaker of the Year by the Royal Rosarians for his work in bringing free technology and training to northeast Portland residents.
Here’s more from a CCC press release:
Mr. Fondren’s primary initial work will be leading the Community Cycling Center’s programs in the New Columbia / Portsmouth neighborhood of North Portland… Mr. Fondren will also be working with the parents, staff, and community at Cesar Chavez and Rosa Parks schools (both in Portsmouth) through our “Community Based Safe Routes to School” initiative. In the longer term, Mr. Fondren will work with the team at the Cycling Center to identify other needs and opportunities for Community Programs.
A weekly ride in Forest Park is a staple for Team Nonstop. (Photo: @teamnonstop/Instagram)
“We all fully understand how intimidating the cycling scene can be and want to create a friendly place for people to feel welcome.” — Carley Leins
Welcome to the first of what we hope will be many more local team/club profiles!
Portland is full of great groups of people who share a love for riding bikes. If you’re looking for inspiration — whether it leads to racing or not — we hope these short profiles will help you find your people.
We’ll kick off the series with Team Nonstop. I’m not sure if it was their fun Instagram account or the cool tank tops they wore at a recent Short Track race that first caught my eye. Either way, I knew they were up to something worthwhile. I asked Carley Leins to share a bit more about the team…
Ramon Antonio found a nice jump line amidst the cherry blossoms in Waterfront Park yesterday. (Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)
Ramon Antonio (left), Matt Reyes, and Devin Tolman.
A reunion of old friends has sparked a resurgence in Portland’s fixed-gear freestyle scene.
Matt Reyes, Ramon Antonio, and Devin Tolman first met through the San Francisco Bay Area cycling scene. Lovers of fixed-gear freestyle, a discipline that combines flatland BMX tricks with the speed and grace of fixed-gear road bikes, the trio is happily established in Portland. Now they want to connect with other riders and create a community around fixed-gear riding similar to the vibrant scene they left behind in their previous home.
I caught up with them under sunny blue skies and cherry blossoms in Waterfront Park yesterday. [Read more…]
Mom, bike commuter, advocate — it’s all in a day’s work for Kari Schlosshauer. (Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)
Even if you don’t know Kari (it rhymes with “safari”) Schlosshauer, chances are you’re familiar with her work.
As the Pacific Northwest Senior Policy Manager for the Safe Routes to School National Partnership, Schlosshauer has spent the last five years making our neighborhoods safer for walking and biking. Her position puts here at the center of discussions and deals about how and where our city, region, and state spend money for school-related transportation projects.
Schlosshauer lives in the Hosford-Abernethy neighborhood near Powell and 25th. Earlier this week I sat down with her around her kitchen table before riding downtown where she attended a meeting of the Vision Zero Task Force (she’s a member) at City Hall. [Read more…]
