🚨 Please note: BikePortland is currently on hiatus and only publishing guest articles. Learn more here. Thank you. - Jonathan 🙏

Women who conquered Tour de France route now set to tell the tale

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They made it!
(Photo © Michael Robertson/Velodramatic)

They did it! It wasn’t easy, but the six woman Reve Tour team that set out to tackle the entire Tour de France route accomplished their goal. Two of them — Jennifer Cree and Heidi Swift — are from Portland and they’re back in town, ready to share the experience with the many people who supported them along the way.

Two events this month will give those of us inspired by the Reve Tour a chance to hear from Heidi and Jennifer and ask them those burning questions.

The first event is being hosted by The Portland Society, a non-profit business alliance of “professional women who are passionate about bicycling.” Here’s more from Portland Society co-founder Elly Blue:

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In new video, Portland Design Works shows ‘Community Works’

Screen grab from ‘Community Works’.
– Watch it below –

It’s rare that I’ll give Front Page space to a company’s in-house promo video; but I love the latest one from Portland Design Works.

The new video by talented filmmaker James Wilson (who has done loads of great work for local bike causes and companies), documents a few of PDW’s recent forays into community service. As you might recall from coverage here on BikePortland, PDW gave the new Ventura Pump Track a big financial boost and they also funded and hosted the very fun Rider Appreciation Day (RAD) on North Williams Avenue. The video also features company co-owner Dan Powell making PB&Js for participants in the weekly MTB Short Track races out at Portland International Raceway.

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Woman assaulted, man spooked: More security concerns on Springwater Corridor

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“I have lived in Portland a long time, been down plenty of pretty sketchy roads and this was the first time I was concerned about getting mugged.”
— Duncan Newberry

What can we do to improve safety and security for people who ride on the eastern reaches of the Springwater Corridor?

Back in October I shared the experiences of several people who said riding on the Springwater in the area around (and east of) SE 82nd Ave at night makes them feel unsafe. “I never take it when it’s dark… It’s really dicey back there and I definitely don’t feel safe,” said one person. “This is unacceptable!” and “This has to stop!” said others.

It’s a question I ask again today because of two more incidents that have come across my desk this week.

Last night, Portland Bike Forums user randy5235 posted that his wife had been pushed off her bike while riding on the Springwater:

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Champagne Trek 7.2FX 2011

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Year: 2011
Brand: Trek
Model: 7.2FX
Color:Champagne
Size:17.5
Serial:SWTU191C0747F
Stolen in Portland, OR 97232
Stolen:2012-08-05
Stolen From: about a 5 block radius from morrison and grand intersection
Owner: Krist Horvath
OwnerEmail: krista@africamail.com
Reward: $50
Description: Champagne color trek bike, chipped pedal, bike light holster on front without light
Police reference#: 12-154789
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

TriMet’s multimodal trip planning tool now out of testing mode

Screen grab of the
trip planner in action.

After 10 months of testing, TriMet has officially moved their multimodal trip planner out of beta mode. Here’s more from their announcement:

Now riders can combine transit with biking and walking using the newest version of the online trip planner. This open source trip planning tool is the first produced by a transit agency in the U.S. that allows users to combine multiple modes of transportation.

TriMet has spent over three years building this tool (which has even been noticed by the White House). Since they launched it to public use back in October, they’ve received help from hundreds of users, says the agency’s IT Manager of GIS and Location-Based Service Bibiana McHugh. I spoke with McHugh on the phone this morning to learn more about what has changed since then.

“It’s a much better tool that it was back in October,” she said.

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green Schwinn Solitaire 2010

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Year: 2010
Brand: Schwinn
Model: Solitaire
Color:green
Size:700c
Photo: http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/542/bike2z.jpg/
Stolen in Portland, OR 97212
Stolen:2012-08-06
Stolen From: NE 12th and Hawthorne
Neighborhood: laurelhurst
Owner: jessica hazard
OwnerEmail: jhazard7@yahoo.com
Reward: $100…and a hug
Description: The bike is a lime green schwin solitaire with a currie electro drive mounted on the rear tire. I didn’t have the battery on the bike so if someone is selling it quickly on craigslist they might make note of that. It’s a standard cheap cruiser I got from Walmart, but it was mine and I want it back.
Police record with: Portland pd
Police reference#: 12-154811
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Ethics, exhaust, and other reasons to break traffic laws while bicycling

The bike world is buzzing today after a Sunday New York Times opinion piece by Randy Cohen laid out his personal, ethical case for riding illegally. In, If Kant Were a New York Cyclist, Cohen, formerly “The Ethicist” columnist at the paper, wrote:

“I treat red lights and stop signs as if they were yield signs. A fundamental concern of ethics is the effect of our actions on others. My actions harm no one. This moral reasoning may not sway the police officer writing me a ticket, but it would pass the test of Kant’s categorical imperative: I think all cyclists could — and should — ride like me.”

Not surprisingly, Cohen’s piece has spurred lots of reaction from both sides of the debate. Reuters’ Felix Salmon offered a thoughtful rebuttal to Cohen, writing that, “If Cohen wants to agitate for a change in the rules, I’ll join him and support him. But I’m not going to pretend that it’s OK to break the rules just because you think the rules should be changed.”

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Details on Wednesday’s news conference for new bicycle counter

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This just in from PBOT (read background on this story here):

NEWS ADVISORY
First-in-U.S. bike counter to be unveiled on Wed.

WHAT:
A bicycle counter donated by Cycle Oregon will be turned on at a public event on Wednesday at the Hawthorne Bridge. The counter will visibly show the number of people on bikes who ride past it and gather data for the City of Portland’s bicycling efforts. This is a first-of-its-kind installation in the United States. Representatives from the City of Portland and Multnomah County will thank Cycle Oregon and then turn on the counter as a group of cyclists rides by.

WHEN:
The event begins at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, August 8, with speeches and is expected to last approximately 30 minutes. Members of the media are advised to arrive at 9:45 a.m. for set up.

WHERE:
The event is located at the west end of the Hawthorne Bridge on the northern side. The counter is installed on the northern path where it splits on the west end of the bridge, with one half of the path going to Waterfront Park and the other half continuing toward downtown.

WHO:
Cycle Oregon Co-founder Jonathan Nicholas, Multnomah County Commissioner Deborah Kafoury and Portland Bureau of Transportation Director Tom Miller will speak.

Coventry Cycle Works owner Marilyn Hayward badly injured in collision – UPDATED

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Marilyn at Cycle Oregon 2006.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Marilyn Hayward, owner of Coventry Cycle Works in Southeast Portland, is in the Intensive Care Unit at Legacy Hospital in Portland today following a collision she was involved in while bicycling in Cornelius this morning.

According to The Oregonian, the collision happened around 10:00 am at the intersection of N. Adair and 10th (about 24 miles west of downtown Portland). They are reporting that a preliminary investigation showed that Hayward was bicycling west on Adair and the person operating the Prius was driving south on 10th.

A Cornelius fire department spokesman told The Oregonian that Hayward was unconscious when they arrived.

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Job: Marketing Coordinator – Cyclone Bicycle Supply

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Job Title
MARKETING COORDINATOR

Company/Organization
CYCLONE BICYCLE SUPPLY

Job Description
Marketing/Graphics Coordinator

Cyclone Bicycle Supply is a progressive wholesale bicycle parts distributor located in Portland, OR. Founded in 2003, Cyclone now services dealers across the country and is known for its quirky Portland-style business approach. With the advent of exciting new upgrades to our website and the launch of our online ordering system, we are looking for the right individual to help develop dynamic sales and marketing programs and initiatives for our growing company. We believe in working hard and having fun, and occasionally rocking the boat in the bicycle industry.

If you are a hard working, self motivated team player who prides themselves on creativity and innovation, then Cyclone may have a fantastic opportunity for you. Your skill set needs to be diverse and dynamic, covering a wide variety of disciplines and technical skills, giving you the ability to wear many hats.

This is not a training position. Minimum two years marketing and design experience preferred. The position offers a base with marketing goal incentives. The company offers a full range of benefits including health care, dental, vision, paid vacation and holidays, and 401K to qualified employees.

Sales and Marketing
Be the driving force behind our marketing efforts and create inspiring new marketing programs that lead rather than follow the industry.
Create sell sheets, product literature and other sales tools and work closely with the sales team to identify additional materials as needed. Receive feedback and provide recommendations to continuously improve sales tools with the goal of increasing sales.
Measure the effectiveness of online marketing, direct campaigns and events and strategize ways to improve performance.
Work with Product Development and Sales to create effective product launch campaign promotions.
Coordinate sales and marketing materials for industry trade shows. Organize and attend trade shows, events and exhibitions as required.
Work directly with vendors to create promotions, specials, spiff programs and other cross-promotional marketing.

Web Marketing
Develop marketing strategy for company website and other online marketing.
Direct overall web planning relating to usability, functions, features, and customer interface from a marketing perspective.
Recommend and manage the implementation of changes to the websites that will enhance the user experience and meet company goals.
Maintain company website, drive traffic, and propose creative new internet marketing strategies. Keep content current and fresh, and consistently update our website by posting blogs and testimonials, adding links and updating calendars, events, etc.
Analyze web traffic and web sales metrics, and campaign performance. Develop recommended changes for continuous improvement and present information to management.
Research best places on the web to post Banner advertisements; create or modify existing advertisements.
Develop, design and implement creative email campaigns for existing customers and various lead segments that take advantage of internet technologies and are targeted toward achieving specific goals (generate new leads, build brand awareness, drive sales, incentives/offers, etc.).

Social Media
Create, maintain, and monitor Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and other social media accounts. Post weekly blogs and daily Tweets.
Develop social networking strategy integrated to enhance other online marketing properties and programs.

Public Relations
Prepare and send timely newsworthy press releases and informative articles to print and online media.
Orchestrate, design, and contribute copy to monthly e-newsletter, blog, and other PR outlets.
Ensure that all PR content is consistently fresh, reflects company image and voice, and is geared towards targeted goals.

Graphics and Collateral Materials
Hands-on responsibilities for the annual product catalog, including graphics, overall look and feel, updating images, advertising, and production.
Lead the creative development and implementation of design concepts, graphic images, and branding of company product. Ensure consistent branding within and across websites and programs.
Design marketing materials and work with design agencies and other vendors to create materials.

Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in marketing, business administration, communications, or equivalent combination of education and additional experience.
Direct experience using social networking and strong writing skills for social media (i.e. Social Media/Web 2.0 channel- Twitter, Facebook, Yelp, Youtube, etc.).
Excellent project management skills.
Ability to critique, verify and test web pages.
Excellent verbal, written and presentation skills with the keen ability to communicate clearly and concisely.
Self-starter with the ability to manage multiple projects and collaborate with a variety of colleagues including senior management, etc.
Ability to work as part of a team; good interpersonal and problem solving skills; customer service oriented; organized and responsive. A positive attitude, high energy, outgoing, and fun personality.
Ability to accept feedback with a positive attitude and displays willingness to improve and enhance performance.
Ability to wear many hats and be a marketing “jack of all trades” when necessary.
Strong proficiency with Adobe Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Acrobat, etc) and Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook, PPT, etc).

How to Apply
Please email your cover letter and resume. natasha [at] cyclonebicycle.com Applicants without a resume will not be considered.

Bicycle counter to go live this week on Hawthorne Bridge

bike counter under wraps

Under wraps now; but it’ll start counting Wednesday.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Right on schedule, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) has installed a bicycle counter on the Hawthorne Bridge. The device stands at the western end of the north side of the bridge, where the path splits down to Waterfront Park. It’s currently under wraps and not operational, but sources at PBOT tell me a press conference is planned for this Wednesday and the counter will be fully operational at that time.

Once up and running, this will be the first bicycle counter of its kind installed in a U.S. city in North America. Seattle announced a counter back in May, but to my knowledge, it has not yet been installed.

The counter not only gives Mayor and Transportation Commissioner Sam Adams a chance to proclaim another bicycle innovation “first” (at least for the U.S.), he can also tout that the counter was privately funded. The $20,000 piece of equipment purchased from Montreal-based firm Eco-Counter, was bought for the city by Cycle Oregon. The counter will also give Adams and PBOT staffers a way to demonstrate very publicly just how many people ride bicycles over the Hawthorne Bridge.

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Portlanders make strong showing at Cycle Messenger World Championships

Some serious loads for the Cargo Race.
(Photos: Mike Cobb)

Five Portlanders just returned from Chicago where they competed in the 20th annual Cycle Messenger World Championships. The event featured the 250 best professional cargo couriers and messengers from around the world who put their skills to the test with a race around Soldier Field, a cargo bike race, sprints, a track stand competition (where riders balance on their bikes in place, without moving), and more.

Former Portland State University track racing star Anita Dilles, now racing for Portland Pedal Power, competed in the track events. She took 1st place in the match sprint, 2nd in the scratch race, and 3rd in the tempo race — an effort that earned her 2nd overall. Dilles also won the women’s track stand (and finished 10th overall among the men). Fellow competitor Mike Cobb sent us updates from Chicago, including the photos below of Dilles in action.

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