Update: According to some reliable sources, there were around 170 riders.
The Folz family, cold and bold.
Division Street bike planning workshop
This just in:
This Saturday (June 18th) there will be a Community Workshop about planning for Division Street. The workshop will be at Richmond Elementary School (2276 SE 41st) in the cafeteria. It will be from 9 am to Noon.
This workshop will give the community an opportunity to weigh in on proposed zoning changes, changes in traffic signalization, pedestrian improvements, the configuration of the vehicle lanes, parking changes and the locations of bus stops. Needless to say, the changes could have a profound impact on how Division functions for bicycling both along Division and crossing Division.
The best bike route map has just been revised and is now available.Cold and Bold at the Naked Bike Ride
Saturday night I rode my bike naked for the very first time. Me and about 100 or so other intrepid souls bared all in the name of bike fun. We met in SE and rode across the Hawthorne bridge and did a few loops around downtown.
I couldn’t tell if my headache was from being so cold or because I was yelling so darn much. Either way, it was easily one of the most memorable things I’ve ever done…on or off a bike!
I love the diversity of the Portland bike scene. Start the morning leading kids on bikes in a parade…and end the day terrorizing unsuspecting tourists while riding stark naked through the city. Yeah!
At the pre-ride dance party, I snapped this photo of a friend’s back. I told him to keep his pants on because I knew I’d be posting it to this blog…see, I’m always looking out for my readers!
Bike polo: my new favorite sport
Sunday I had a date with destiny.
I’ve been intrigued with bike polo for a long time now…but it wasn’t until Sunday that I actually gave it a try. Wow. What an awesome game. I got to play with some masters of the sport who I now have extreme respect for.
Bike polo is a combination of every little piece of biking and sports skill I’ve picked up since I was like 6 years old. Positioning, timing, balance, vision, fitness, finesse…it all comes together in a beautiful way. Even though if I said the word beautiful around some of the regulars, I’d get a can of PBR thrown at my face.
The best moment of the day came on the final goal of my first-ever game. It was a fast break and I received the puck, tapped in the goal, and proceeded to crash through the cones and into the fence. Blood was spilled. I was baptized. It was good
Check out my Bike Polo slide show!
More info on bike polo here.
Kids Pedal leads the way
What a morning! The Community Cycling Center’s Kids Pedal got the Grand Floral Parade off to a bikey start. Since we hit the parade route a few hours before the floats, we were sort of just a bikey appetizer for the “real” action to come…but that didn’t stop a great bunch of kids on bikes from having the time of their lives running red lights down MLK with a full police escort, a cheering audience, decorated bikes, and huge smiles. Check out my photos of the event.
Secret bike path during Rose Fest
If you’ve been anywhere near downtown you know it’s a mad scene and lots of normal bike routes are a bit disrupted by the Fun Zone. Just thought I’d give a little tip…the carnival folks have coned off a service lane on Naito Parkway that is actually a great, car-free, bike lane that will get you from the Hawthorne Bridge to the Steel Bridge…just watch out for the ATVs.
Pedalpalooza Kick-off Parade!
Wow, seems like everybody was downtown tonight. Lots of bikers all over the place, people walking to the Rose Festival fun zone, gridlocked cars all over the place, bridges shut down, huge battleships on the river…summer is finally here.
And what better way to kick of a bike summer than with a parade! We had a great time and I must say the police escort was quite nice. There’s something amazingly invigorating and inspiring to me about rolling through the city streets and legally running read lights with a bunch of happy cyclists, decorated bikes and funny costumes.
Check out more great photos here (thanks Severt!)
And boy do I love to see cops stopping cars so we can pass! That feels really good. So, all you Portland cyclists, get your Pedalpalooza on and check the calendar for all the fun.
I’m a member of the BTA!
I’m happy to report that after meeting with the BTA‘s Jessica Roberts yesterday, I am now a full-fledged member! I even put the cool little yellow sticker right here on my laptop.
It was great to tour the office and put faces to the names floating around my inbox.
The BTA is really doing some great work for Oregon cyclists. They’re pounding on doors in Salem and making sure that no infrastructure decisions are made in this state without consideration given to bicyclists needs and rights. They’re working with kids to teach them how to ride safely. They’re making our neighborhood more livable with their Safe Routes to School program.
They need support from everyone who thinks that our lives would be better if more people felt safe enough on the streets to ride a bike.
Riding in the Grand Floral Parade
Guess who will be leading this year’s Grand Floral Parade on an old Schwinn Collegiate 3 speed? Yep, you guessed it, me!
This year’s parade will include Kids Pedal…a bunch of kids on bikes showing Portland how to pedal. I’ll be one of two highly-skilled, banner carriers at the front of the procession. I’d like to say this honor was bestowed upon me by my bikey peers…but in all honesty, I just happened to be a fast emailer and I was the first to respond to the invite.
I’m looking forward to representin’ and hopefully they’ll let me bring Eleni along.
See you out on the streets!
Painting abandoned bikes
Josh Hallett just sent me info about a cool bike project based in Toronto called, “Pedals and Paint“. It’s group of folks going around the city painting abandoned bikes.
Here’s how they describe it
In 2004, we gathered 20 people in Trinity Bellwoods Park and taught them how to decorate an abandoned bike and a bike rack. We handed out maps of the downtown area that indicated where all of the locked up abandoned bikes were located. We split into three groups and visually liberated these neglected vehicles that same night.
This is our way of bringing life and colour to the streets with no other motivation than trying to make your stroll down the street that much more enjoyable. Instead of rusting junk, they become a special, imaginative, and integrated part of the streetscape.