Don’t forget to get tickets for Portland’s only showing of “The Tour Baby”. A behind the scenes look at the Tour de France and Lance Armstrong. There are two shows, this Weds (all ages) and Thurs (21+) at the Bagdad Theater (3702 SE Hawthorne Blvd.) Film maker Scot Coady will be present for Q & A at both shows.
Tickets are $12 or $25 for adults, $8 for kids under 16, available at Ticket Leap.
The shows are to raise money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation.
Went to the clown house last night. It was lots of fun. Didn’t stay too late cuz I had a 2 year old and a neighbor kid whose parents had no idea where I’d taken her…and we were on bikes without lights.
BUT, we stayed long enough to enjoy:
I’m sure things got much more interesting after I left. Anyone have more photos or reports to share? I’d love to see some photos of the bike jousting. Feel free to email me or post to the Shift list.
Reported by Ayleen:
MW-Represent was thoroughly educational! We had 35 people throughout the night and the recycling bin is overflowing with beer cans – lots of Milwaukee’s Best.
COMPETITIONS
BEST COZY
tie : Melissa and Allison Parker
BEST MIDWEST SHIRT
Jennie Tower for her Rockford Speedway shirt that was signed across teh chest by the guy who won (by racing a mini school bus) the night she bought the shirt.
CREATIVITY
Hands down this goes to Carye Bye for her jello salad with a Minnesota flag and Gradma’s Cowboy Cookies complete with Grandma’s recipe. Oh, and Minnesota music! Sorry there were no more prizes at this point because someone stole the other prizes.
Yeah, someone stole two prizes and I found the wrapper for one of them in the bathroom the next morning. THAT WAS WEIRD.
GAMES
FOOD
Bratwurst, Cincinnati Chili (thanks Carie!), deviled eggs, the aforementioned MN treats, conies and more. YUM!
Thanks to everyone who came. We’ll see you next year!
When: 6/12/05
Reported by Shawn:
Despite some confusion at the beginning of the ride, the 18 participants (14 riders and 4 organizers) of the R U Couv Curious ride had a swell-o-riffic time learning how to effectively cross the Columbia River to get to Vancouver, Washington.
A group met Kiran at the Rose Quarter stop on the Yellow Line at 11am, while I met another group at Kenton station at 11.30am. From the area around the Expo Center station, we traversed the maze of bike paths to get up across Oregon Slough into the Shoppers Paradise known as Jantzen Beach. We negotiated the “recommended” crossing across the island (which is very poorly designed and quite dangerous) to get to the foot of Interstate Bridge, where we zipped over the three-quarters of a mile crossing of the Mightiest River In The West. Narrow sidewalks, low “don’t walk” signals, and bird poop by the metric ton(ne) be damned!
Once we reached the State Of Washington side, Suzan and Todd, our ‘Couv liaisons, took us on an enjoyable loop of the central city, taking in the sights of the Columbia River Promenade, Pearson Airfield, Fort Vancouver, Uptown Village, and finally downtown. We stopped at Esther Short Park (the oldest park in the Northwest!) and headed over to the Farmer’s Market for nourishment before our return trip “over the river”.
After we were satisfied, we returned to the Beaver State, learned about the sneak way through Jantzen Beach (to avoid the dangerous “bike route”), and crossed through East Delta Park to get to the Paul Bunyan statue in Kenton (our protector!) We parted our separate ways and headed off to more bike fun.
6/14/05
Reported by Shawn:
Despite the weather turning to total crap immediately before and at times on this ride, the Pizza Ride managed to attract 24 hardy bicyclists, whose love of pizza overcamePortland’s notorious rain.
The ride started at Wallace Park (NW 25th and Raleigh) at about 6.30pm and hit up two pizzerias in NW, Tributes and Escape from New York. We ordered pies in advance, and had them cut into 16 slices instead of the usual 8, so the riders wouldn’t have to eat too much at one place. The first two stops whetted everyone’s appetite, and we cruised downhill to Hot Lips in the Pearl. Once we arrived, the sky opened up, leading one rider to comment, “At least it’s waiting to rain until AFTER we get to a stop!”
We chomped on some of Hot Lips organic, locally grown slices while waiting for the rain to slow down. On leaving, Timo got a flat and stayed to repair while the rest of Team Pizza headed east across the Broadway Bridge and then north up Williams to Pizza A Go-Go. After A Go-Go, we lost a few of the riders, as they had reached their pizza limit. But over 16 were still able to press on further north-eastward towards Bella Faccia on NE Alberta and 30th. We managed to pass the new mural going up in front of SCRAP, being painted by Bruce Orr (Mudeye Puppets) and Carla Forte!
By the time we got to Bella, the sun had set, so there was a special urgency to get things moving. Or maybe not. We took awhile at Bella, waiting for Team Timo (who eventually did arrive), and several of us obtained beers. Of note was the suggestive nature of Bella’s front sign. The next time you go by there, take a close look.
It was almost 10pm by the time we left Bella Faccia. 12 hardy souls stuck through to the Final Stop of the ride, heading due south towards southeast. We made a small “bomb” down the Alameda Ridge at Regents Dr, and used the super-secret “Schuyler’s Alley” to get over to NE 28th and Broadway. Ah, Schuyler’s Alley, the great democratizer, since even the tallest person will be made short at some point.
Despite a run-in with a pissed off SUV driver on 28th, we were in high spirits for the last stop, Stark Naked Pizza, on SE Stark at 28th. Even though we had quite a bit o pizza in us, we scarfed down that last one in no time. Eventually, it was time to end our pizza affair, and the remaining dozen all went their separate ways into the night, completely full. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to Stacatto Gelato for the after-ride desert of cannolis, due to all of us being too full and it being too late to catch Stacatto open.
Oh yeah! We had ballots to rate each pizzeria and find out which one is best. The outcome of the poll will be the subject of an upcoming email, but right now I can say that both Bella Faccia made strong showings and Escape managed to disappoint.
And a recap by the numbers:
Miles rode: 9 (estimate)
Time of total ride: 4 1/2 hours (6.30pm to 11pm)
Total number of riders: 24
Number of riders who stuck it out till the end: 12
Pizzerias hit: 6
Amount paid for all the pizza per rider (for the riders who hit all 6 spots): $7.40
Flat tires: 1
Utili-kilts: 1
Pizzed, I mean pissed off SUV drivers: 1
Alameda Ridge Bombs: 1
The girls and I had a great time out at Alpenrose Velodrome yesterday. I was really impressed with the racing and it was fun to learn more about the different track events. I’ve heard a lot about track racing over the years, but this was the first time I saw it live. I’m looking forward to giving it a try myself very soon. Check out my slide show of the track action!
Reported by Allan:
The HOB Nob (high occupancy bike ride) was a splendid success. The stats:
People –
11 riders, 2 of which were children
Bikes –
1 triple with a piccolo trailer (I guess that makes it a Quad)
3 tandems, 1 of which was a Chunker, 1 with a kiddie seat and a Burley
double trailer
1 single bike with a piccolo trailer
1 single bike with a cargo trailer
1 single bike with a handlebar basket
Destination Goodies –
5 kinds of cookies
1 carrafe of pipin’ hot tea
Those that care to do the math can see we had plenty of spare capacity.
As for the route, its a secret. You’ll have to come next year. It was a
real test of HOB handling skills and had lots of fun and interesting
stops along the way.
Our very own Alpenrose Velodrome in the SW hills is in the middle of an awesome racing event, The Alpenrose Six Day.
It started on Monday and goes until Saturday. Get out there and check it out.
Update by Mara: check out her photos . She also posted something on her blog.
Date of ride: 6/10/05
(Update: Just heard from Ayleen that this ride set a new MMR World Record!)
Number of riders: 88
I wasn’t on the ride but I’ve heard the following:
Ended up as a ZooBomb with bike fun ensuing at that kiddie playground up at Washington Park.
If anyone has a more detailed report, drop me a line maus.jonathan[a]gmail.com, hit the Shift List…or leave it as a comment.
UPDATE: Found this good recap on the Sweet Chocolate Malted Blog
Last Friday (I know I’m late on this one) I was lucky enough to join in on a ride that gave a sneak peak at Oregon’s first State Scenic Bikeway. Cycle Oregon is spearheading the effort that will designate an independent bike route from Portland to Eugene.
Jonathan Nicholas was the emcee and led the charge throughout the day. He wrote about it much better than I ever could. So go read his column from yesterday’s Oregonian in case you missed it.
(reported by Ms. Elicia Cardenas)
Date: 6/13/05
Riders: 26
Click here for the slide show
We went on a short ride through Southeast. The good geeky students all recieved worksheets to help identify the various bike facilities and traffic calming devices, and got to put a star on each item viewed. They also got stickers proclaiming such geek jewels as “I own the MUTCD” and ” I have 823-SAFE on speed dial.”
Of course, the ride leaders were appropriately attired in safety vests and stickers reading “I got booted from Alice B.” And our interns were clearly marked.
All the students learned how to correctly identify a speedbump, a traffic circle, good vs. bad street crossing treatments, and what the MUTCD stands for. They also recieved Metro BikeThere maps for their troubles.
Participants wishing to win a final attendance prize should bring their completed worksheet to the Multnomah County Bike Fair and find Ms. Cardenas or Mr. Limaye.
Thanks to everyone who cares about geeky transportation issues. See you all at the BAC meeting tonight! Also thanks to Jonathan for the lovely slideshow.