‘Grand Prix’ will bring big-time bike racing to Portland, if sponsors step up

gp-factsheet

Detail from GP of Portland fact sheet.

The most high-profile cycling race to ever hit Portland won’t happen unless organizers can find a few deep pockets willing to sponsor it.

Nonbox Sports, the Portland-based company that owns the Grand Prix of Portland, announced yesterday that the event has been added to the official Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) calendar for August 29th, 2015. In a fact sheet, Nonbox said their race (which has been given a category ranking of 1.1) will bring in “elite riders from the best teams in the world.” They’ve also lined up two hours of prime-time television coverage on NBC Sports.

But their plans will only become reality if they can find sponsors to offset an overall event budget of about $2 million.

Read more

First Look: Protected bike lane on SW Multnomah Boulevard

entering sw multnomah curb

(Photos by M. Andersen/BikePortland)

Like NE Cully Boulevard before it, SW Multnomah Boulevard has become a relatively far-flung street with a few blocks of one of the city’s best bike lanes.

With work nearly finished on the city’s eighth protected bike lane — three years in the making, it’s one of the last few bike projects begun under the Sam Adams mayoral administration — I stopped by Multnomah Tuesday to check it out.

Read more

Job: Recumbent Bike Mechanic – Recumbent PDX

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Job Title
Recumbent Bike Mechanic

Company/Organization
Recumbent PDX

Job Description
Looking for an Experienced Recumbent Mechanic
We are a new full-service rebumbent store in Portland, OR. We strive for an upscale shopping experience with great attention to customer service. We are looking for a mechanic with 3-5 year recumbent experience. Previous supervisory role a plus. A passion for recumbents and their riders a must.

Our ideal candidate:
has excellent mechanical skills with attention to detail
shows broad spectrum recumbent and bike product knowledge
demonstrates good communication skills
is computer-literate
has personal integrity and a positive attitude
is self-motivated and efficient

We expect this mechanic to be flexible to meet the needs of a growing business which includes working on weekends.

How to Apply
Please provide a cover letter, a resume and 3 professional references to recumbent@pobox.com by December 31, 2015, Subject line: Experienced Recumbent Mechanic.
Responses will be sen by Jan. 2015.

City staff will meet with activists about conditions on SE Clinton

clinton_topper_430

(Photo by P. Cone)

SE Clinton used to be one of Portland’s marquee streets for bicycling. As one of the original “bike boulevards” it has long been a popular bicycling route that connects inner southeast neighborhoods with downtown and points beyond.

Unfortunately, Clinton has recently become a bikeway in name only. For the last year or so, as development on nearby Division Street has led to increased auto congestion, a steady stream of drivers have begun using Clinton as a cut-through. All these extra drivers have had a very negative impact on cycling conditions.

That reality, combined with efforts from grassroots activism group Bike Loud PDX, has led top brass from the City’s Bureau of Transportation to take notice. On Thursday, a group of concerned citizens will meet with PBOT staff in the Portland Building to talk about existing conditions and how to improve them.

Read more

Home demolition critics back resolution that would block central-city density

(Photo: City of Portland)

In the last five weeks, nearly a third of Portland’s neighborhood associations have approved a resolution that calls for Portland to virtually freeze residential development in the central city at its current average density.

The resolution’s supporters, who call themselves United Neighborhoods for Reform, say it’s not actually an anti-density measure but rather a movement to protect historical character and housing affordability by reducing needless demolitions of old houses.

Margaret Davis, a UNR spokeswoman who also serves as a board member for the Beaumont Wilshire Neighborhood Association, said she wants to prevent home demolitions like one she saw recently.

Read more

Rudolph-lovers celebrate 50th anniversary of TV movie with sing-along on wheels

sign

Paying homage to Portland’s unofficial Rudolph.
(Photos by M. Andersen/BikePortland)

If there was any question that “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” is a TV movie for the ages, the number of generations who joined Saturday night’s mobile singalong should put it to rest.

“I’ve been watching it every year since I was a kid,” said Tom Howe, the ride’s leader. “The music is timeless.”

Read more

Holiday Bike Drive turns 300 children into bike riders (Photos)

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward
ccchbdlead

See photos below.

Watch out Portland, there are a few hundred new bike riders in town!

The 19th annual Holiday Bike Drive took place over the weekend and the Community Cycling Center provided 300 bicycles to children from throughout the region. The kids are referred to the event by the CCC’s social service partners. They also got free helmets and lots of advice and training on how to ride safely.

It’s quite an undertaking to make this event happen smoothly every year, but the CCC has it down to a science. Of course it doesn’t heart to have a big crew of dedicated volunteers. Among the folks who showed up to lend their support yesterday were Portland Mayor Charlie Hales and U.S. Congressman Earl Blumenauer.

Read more

The Monday Roundup: Getaway Citi Bike, a texting-driving smoking gun and more

Blonde, boots, leather leggings

A great escape tool, for better or worse.
(Photo: Billie Ward)

This week’s Monday Roundup is sponsored by North St. Bags, who invites you to shop their Portland-made selection of bags and accessories at their holiday pop-up shop at 11 NW 5th.

Here are the bike links from around the world that caught our eyes this week:

Getaway bike: A New Yorker shot a bullet into both of an acquaintance’s legs last week, ran two blocks to a Citi Bike dock, checked out a bike and fled.

Smoking gun: When Blackberry service went down for three days last month, traffic collisions dropped 40 percent. (The smartphone pioneer has 44 percent of the market there.)

Read more

Uber’s illegal Portland launch raises question: What if an Uber driver hits you?

Riding Portland's urban highways-8

Uber inside?
(Photos: J.Maus/BikePortland)

If you get hit on a Portland street by a commercially operated vehicle, you don’t want it to be an UberX on its way to its next fare.

On the other hand, you’ll be better off than if you had been hit by one of many normal private cars.

As the ride-hailing mobile app unexpectedly lauched Friday night in defiance of a city where the possible penalties for operating an unlicensed taxi can include jail time (but are reportedly more likely to involve up to $2,250 in fines), it raised a side issue for other users of the city’s roads.

It’s one we discussed briefly in our September Q&A with Uber’s regional manager, but Friday’s development gives it fresh urgency.

Read more

Comment of the Week: Nike’s self-inflicted recruitment challenge

Nike World Campus

Gilded cage? Inside the berm of Nike World
Headquarters near Beaverton.
(Photo: Tracy Lee Carroll)

Is one of the region’s most important companies turning its back on talent by locking its campus off from biking and transit?

It’s hard not to feel that way after reading a series of comments this week from reader s30t. Here’s what s30t wrote in response to last week’s post about the potential for Nike’s planned expansion to finally upgrade nearby bikeways:

Interesting reading through all the comments here. I recently joined Nike, despite having heavy concerns about the commute. One year in I can say my concerns are justified. I try my best to commute by bike (or at least a bike/max combo) – but the time investment is huge. I’ve tried multiple different routes, but I live in NE Portland and it is almost impossible to keep the round trip commute less than 2-2.5 hours via bike or combo bike/public transit combo. if you work with Asia and Europe (which I do) you end up with many early a.m/late calls…that means hopping on my bike at 5 am and not getting back home until 7pm or later. I can see why commuting by bike is not an option for anyone with children (or even a dog for that matter!)

Read more

Latest Headlines

North Ainsworth Street is poised for a glow-up

Family Biking: Life has gotten in the way of my cycling dreams — for now

Weekend Event Guide: Filmed by Bike, Sunday Parkways, ‘Motherload’ and more

A decade in, Councilor Koyama Lane wants Portland to redouble Vision Zero effort

From the Archives

The good, the bad, and the ugly on the Oregon Coast Bike Route