Note: I'm currently on a family trip and not working normal hours. Email and message responses will be delayed and story and posting volumes here and on our social media accounts will not be at their usual levels until I return to Portland September 4th. Thanks for your patience and understanding. - Jonathan Maus, BikePortland Publisher and Editor
Detail of event poster. With summer weather finally looking like it’s here to stay, I can’t think of a better time to kick-off the Northwest Trail Alliance’s annual Trailfest mountain biking festival. This year’s theme is “Fun in every direction!” Beginning this evening with a ride in Forest Park (meet at 5:30 pm in parking … Read more
Kids swarming the Ventura Park pumptrack.(Photo: NW Trail Alliance) For the first time ever, the City of Portland Parks & Recreation bureau will team up with local off-road cycling non-profit Northwest Trail Alliance to hold a kids mountain biking camp. “Whether you want to become a mountain bike pro or are just checking out the … Read more
Detail of trail map. Since it opened in 2009, the Sandy Ridge Trail System — located about 40 miles east of downtown Portland (map) at the foot of Mt. Hood — has grown by leaps and bounds (or should I say by drops and berms) in both popularity and in sheer miles of fun trails … Read more
For many singletrack lovers in Portland, the lack of local riding opportunities is a constant bummer. (That’s why we saw so much community support for more singletrack in Forest Park.) For really good trails, you’ve got to hop in a car and drive a minimum of about 45 minutes — or you can use the … Read more
River View Forest will soon be owned by the City.(Photo: City of Portland) Calling it the “largest land acquisition in recent decades,” two City bureaus (Parks and Environmental Services) teamed up with Metro to purchase 146 acres of natural area known as the “River View Forest” in Southwest Portland. The $11.25 million deal was announced … Read more
Some of the proposed trails.– Download larger map here – It’s still a drive from Portland, but as far as I’m concerned, any new mountain bike trails in our region are worth celebrating and supporting. It’s with that in mind that I share news of the Cascade Locks International Mountain Bike (CLIMB) Trails System. This … Read more
Many Portlanders are headed up to Mt. Hood later today to attend a public form on the proposed Timberline MTB Park. As we reported last week, the project in its final comment period and the Forest Service is looking for feedback on their Preliminary Assessment of the project. Local advocacy group, the Northwest Trail Alliance … Read more
The proposal includes three types of trails, including some single-track.(Photos: USFS) The U.S. Forest Service has begun the official, 30-day public comment period on the ‘Preliminary Assessment’ of the Timberline Mountain Bike Trails and Skills Park Project. The project would include watershed restoration projects and the development of 17 miles of lift-assisted downhill mountain bike … Read more
Commissioner Fish in front of a map of Forest Park at a roundtable discussion last April.(Photo © J. Maus) Exactly one year ago today, newly elected City Commissioner Nick Fish made a bold proclamation about the future of mountain bike access in Forest Park. Following an unprecedented groundswell of community enthusiasm and activism calling more … Read more
At a meeting in City Hall last night, Parks Commissioner Nick Fish (in suit in upper left corner) learned more about urban mountain biking issues from a host of experts and advocates.(Photos © J. Maus)
Universal Cycles storefront at NW 18th and Thurman.(Photos © J. Maus) Universal Cycles in northwest Portland has committed $10,000 a year for the next five years in order to help push local advocates and community leaders into creating more singletrack mountain bike trails in Forest Park. Universal general manager Mike Doolittle told me this morning … Read more
Scene from a Cross Crusade race at Horning’s Hideout in 2007(Photos © J. Maus) Two of the year’s most challenging rides are slated for this weekend: the infamously, absurdly hilly De Ronde van Oeste Portlandia (a.k.a. the Tour of Flanders) on Saturday and the Horning’s Hustle mountain bike circuit race on Sunday. Many participants will … Read more
Comment of the Week: Gratitude for N/NE Broadway project