Portland is getting a pump track similar to this one in Hood River.
(Photo: Hood River Parks & Rec)

With buzz already strong due to the $5.75 million in major upgrades being built at Gateway Green right now, we’ve just heard more good news: A source tells us the Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) bureau has signed a contract with Velosolutions to build a much larger pump track.

The deal is still working its way through city government but it expected to be official early next week.

I haven’t confirmed details of the design or timeline for the project, but if it’s anything close to what Velosolutions typically builds, it will be the best pump track in Portland by far and cement Gateway Green as a cycling destination for the region. [Read more…]

Wide, smooth turns are fast and challenging for experts, yet safe and fun for little ones too.
(Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)

This weekend I spent two days in Hood River with my 8-year-old son and his favorite part — by far! — was their new pump track. [Read more…]

Still from video of Ventura Park
pump track in action.
– Watch it below –

The new pump track at Ventura Park in East Portland is well on its way to being completed and we’ve got video proof of how awesome it is.

Since volunteers began slinging shovels and dirt last month, the track has taken shape nicely. The Northwest Trail Alliance is managing the build operation, under an official partnership with Portland Parks & Recreation.
[Read more…]

Berm taking shape at Ventura Park Pump Track.
(Photos: Tom Archer)

[Read more…]

Fresh dirt and a new sign signal that a new pump track is coming soon in Ventura Park.
(Photo: Tom Archer/NW Trail Alliance)

[Read more…]

Portland Parks & Recreation has given local off-road biking advocates official word that the Ventura Park Pump Track project will move forward. The project will be Portland’s first official pump track and it will be managed in a partnership between Portland Parks Bureau and local non-profit group, the Northwest Trail Alliance.[Read more…]

A pump track.
(Photo: IMBA)

The City of Portland Parks & Recreation bureau is seeking comments on a proposed new pump track — which would be the first such facility in the city. The location under consideration is Mill Park, a tiny 5-acre park in southeast Portland (SE 122nd and Mill). The pump track is being proposed by the Northwest Trail Alliance, a local non-profit that has been working with Parks to identify a suitable location for a bike skills park or pump track for over a year.
[Read more…]

The vacant lot at E Burnside
and 2nd that is slated
for an “interim site use” by
the PDC.
(Photo © J. Maus)

Advocates for a pump track and bike riding facility on a vacant lot adjacent to the Burnside Bridge are a bit miffed now that their idea has been scuttled by the Portland Development Commission (PDC).

There are several vacant parcels of land north of the bridge that are in line to be developed as part of the PDC’s Burnside Bridgehead project. While the project itself languishes for various reasons, there is an opportunity for a host of “interim site uses”. One of the interim uses under consideration was a bicycle pump track and skills area.

Back in February, the Portland Business Journal made it seem like a done deal when they reported that, “In the short-term, the site will be put to temporary use as a parking lot and bicycle motocross park.”[Read more…]

PUMP will host an off-road
advocacy presentation tonight
in Northwest Portland.
(Photo © J. Maus)

As Portland moves in on creating more off-road, urban riding areas, interest in skills parks and pump tracks is growing. However, unlike in the transportation cycling realm — where Portland is often looked upon as a leader — when it comes to off-road advocacy, we still have a lot to learn.

With that in mind, the Portland United Mountain Pedalers (PUMP) will host the Evergreen MTB Alliance at an event in Northwest Portland tonight. Evergreen is a Washington-based advocacy group that received national accolades for their success in building the Colonnade MTB Skills Park (check it out on YouTube). That riding area is located under I-5 bridge overpasses in downtown Seattle.

At the event tonight, Evergreen will discuss the Colonnade and other projects, as well as how they grew their organization from a regional MTB club into a statewide advocacy group with more than 1,000 members.
[Read more…]