Aaron Tarfman – who was recently profiled in the Oregonian – has put together a new website with tons of great, bike-related info and resources. Take a stroll through Body Power! and you’ll learn about everything from how to haul more stuff with your bike to tips on cycling in cold weather. Enjoy!

Track season starts next week (!) and the annual Alpenrose Velodrome clean up is happening this Saturday, 4/23. Join in and help re-paint the track surface, pull weeds, put up sponsor signs…and do whatever it takes to make the track ready for racing.

The clean-up starts at 9 AM. Lunch will be provided. Alpenrose is located at 6149 SW Shattuck Rd. For more information contact Mike Murray at OBRA.

There’s nothing like a full day of riding through town that mixes coffee, work, friends, family, and of course, bikes! How did I manage all that in one day? Well, for starters I cruised from North Portland to Sellwood to meet a potential client…and the ride to get there had me grinning the whole time. Here’s the route: Michigan is a great, low traffic N-S corridor…I took it down to Fremont then down the Mississippi Hill to Interstate. From there I quickly jumped on the Eastbank Esplanade and took it all the way to the end at Umatilla. A few spins of the cranks later I was in Sellwood! Just about 25 minutes total from one end of town to the other.

Then, I took advantage of great coffee and free wi-fi at The Ugly Mug on SE 12th until I got the call to meet my ladies for free cone day at the Ben & Jerry’s on SE Hawthorne. mmmm…it was good. But, work beckoned so I set up shop at Fresh Pot next to Powell’s on Hawthorne. (The sun was shining nicely so I made sure I took a table in the back with no view of the outside). Then, it was off to another meeting at the Red & Black Cafe on SE Division…to discuss, what else?, Bike Fun at Pedalpalooza in June….and of course mooch yet another free wi-fi signal.

Finally, after the sun had set, it was time to ride home in the beautifully dark spring night….and as a major bonus my daughter was still up so I got to hang with her a bit before bed. Hope you enjoyed my trip and I’ll see you out on the streets.

Right now, until 8:00PM tonight the Ben & Jerry’s on SE Hawthorne and 36th is giving away free ice cream!…but only if you ride your bike…OK, just kidding. Anyone that shows up will get the free cone…but just think, if you ride your bike you won’t have to look for parking and you’ll burn all the calories from the ice cream on the way home…what a deal!

I was just there and they’ve got live music to keep you entertained while in line…and did I mention, it’s absolutely fabulously beautiful outside today! Have a great ride and be careful if you ride on Hawthorne!

Just got a great tip about a yummy-sounding family bike ride happening in Vancouver on Saturday:

This Saturday is the annual Blueberry Pancake Ride in Vancouver. There’s free blueberry pancakes and an easy 8-10 mile, flat, family-oriented ride starting at Vancouver Lake. For more serious riders, they can join the Wheelmen from Wilshire Park in NE for a 50-miler that stops by for pancakes, or there are other ride distances from the pancake feed site.

Blueberry pancakes!? ..as if you needed an excuse to go check out Vancouver Lake with the family. Have fun!