May 9, 2008
Beautiful Rural Routes
My life is pretty hectic these days, being a busy event coordinator gearing up for a summer season, and one of my favorite ways to relax is to ride my bike through the countryside, taking in the sights and smells of rural lands. That's why I love Reach the Beach.
This spectacular ride is an opportunity to explore some of the most gorgeous areas of Oregon - without really lifting a finger. I mean, you do have to pedal your bike, there is no one to do that for you, but you don't have to worry about choosing a route, packing or planning food, etc. The well-planned course has rest stops every 12 miles or so, and the food on course is delish. Online registration closes on the 13th and after that date you can register at the start line on May 17th. There are five courses of varying distances.
RELAX! Enjoy the ride!
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May 8, 2008
One Milliion Bicycles
Joe Kurmaski, AKA the Metal Cowboy, is working on a new project called One Million Bicycles.
He describes it better than I do, so I thought I'd just include his video here:
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May 6, 2008
Most Gigantic ORbike Newsletter
Did you see that latest newsletter we sent out? It was huge - had to be an ORbike record. I tried, really hard, to cut it down, but man there are tons of great events happening, and it's not even summer yet. We strive to keep our newsletter timely, fun, concise and informative. But on this one, I really couldn't resist mention that Portland went Platinum, or Reach the Beach (coming right up on May 17th) or some cool perks you'll get if you're an ORbike member. I also loved getting to know Heather Watson, the latest person I've interviewed as an ORbike member.
If you didn't get our newsletter, you can sign up for it on the front page of our website. To read the May Mega issue, click here.
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May 5, 2008
Rider Profile: The Linssens
Urban Assault is a bicycle adventure scavenger hunt full of creative elements. The event has been a hit in other cities so the organizers are putting it on in Portland on May 25th. Barbara and Peter Linssen are just a few of the many people who are signing up to compete as a team. Barbara says they own tons of bikes, and they do all sorts of city fair weather riding, like going to the grocery. While they do have two young kids, Urban Adventure is all about these two adults taking a day off from the kids (Barbara considers it a date).
The adventure course is full of obstacles, which may include adult big wheels, obstacles on foot, scooters, BMX bikes, slip N slides, bouncy balls, ropes, kayaks, balance, or other zaniness. Barbara says she's definitely ready for this challenge, "That sounds like sneaking across my sons room at night. No problem." And she's working hard to get ready for the ride too. She has dusted off the bikes and she's working out, "I've been lifting several pints at the local pub."
Each team chooses a name and the Lissens have dubbed themselves the UGB Lovers - as in Urban Growth Boundary. When asked to justify such a political name, Barbara says it was an obvious choice, "The UGB is what makes the city end and gives you that amazing wildness so close to town. Without the UGB Sauvie Island would not still exist as is does. It's a truly amazing thing." So amazing to Barbara, in fact, that her license plate reads LUV UGB.
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May 1, 2008
Rider Profile: Unicycle to the Beach!
It's impressive to ride to the beach in the awesome Reach the Beach ride, but it's even more impressive to get there on a unicycle. Bah! Crazy, no one would do that, you say. Well, in fact several Portland unicyclists are taking the Uni Challenge for this year's event. I ran into Michael (aka MJ Freshy Fresh) at the Pre-ride Party at REI and he admitted he's one of the ambitious unicyclists, so I asked him to tell me more. Is it hard? Does it hurt? Are you insane?
ME: So why are you riding a unicycle to the coast?
MJ: The unicycle is has the highest fun-factor of any mode of transportation that I've found yet, so why not ride it to the coast?
ME: How does riding a uni differ from a standard bike?
MJ: It's way harder to ride but provides you more freedom, no handlebars, gears, brakes, etc. For this ride I'll be on a unicycle called a Coker, it's got a 3' wheel which helps you go faster.
ME: Are there any other unis riding, that you know of?
MJ: Yes, I think there are 2 other riders from our gang and they are braver than I! I'm doing the 50 mile but Max and Zeke are going for the 100 miler!
ME: What route are you doing and why did you choose that route?
MJ: I'm doing the Amity route. I think that's all the miles my body can take, a unicycle seat is rather invasive ya know?
ME: What kind of riding do you usually do and are you training on a uni?
MJ: I play unicycle polo weekly, I do some urban trails riding and some trail riding. Not much training, just riding for fun.
So if you see Micheal, or his other unicycle buddies, out there on the course, give them a high five!
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