Check it out. If you didn’t get a chance to go last week, tonight you can catch some local racing at the 2011 Salem Mountain Bike Short Track Series. Races are tonight at the Oregon State Fairgrounds as well as the 22nd. Registration begins at 5 pm, kids race free, and a ton of information can be found at the Buy Local site: http://www.buylocalcycling.com/stxc2011/

Check it out. If you didn’t get a chance to go last week, tonight you can catch some local racing at the 2011 Salem Mountain Bike Short Track Series. Races are tonight at the Oregon State Fairgrounds as well as.
August 15th, and 22nd. Registration begins at 5 pm, kids race free, and a ton of information can be found at the Buy Local site: http://www.buylocalcycling.com/stxc2011/

Wait…isn’t it supposed to be sunny out?  The weather may be mercurial just now, but there’s lots of great bicycling opportunities in the next month!

Breakfast on Bikes – Friday, May 28th
On Friday, the 28thth, between 7am and 9am  Breakfast on Bikes will be at 12th and Chemeketa.  Please join us!  And please remember our sponsors!
Cascade Baking Company
Coffee House Cafe
LifeSource Natural Foods
Salem Bicycle Club
Willamette University Sustainability Council

Mechanics from Santiam Bicycle will also be available for quick check derailleur adjustment, lube, and tire inflation!

(And we still need a few more volunteers to help with pick-up and delivery of food!  If you’d like to help B on B occasionally, please let me know!  Thank you.)

Kidical Mass – Sunday, May 30th
The Mini Cookie Metric Decade was a blast. The “Friends & Flowers” ride meets at Englewood Park at 2pm.  Decorate your bike with flowers and flowery flair!  (And be sure to read the Salem Weekly profile! – Kat needs help with planning the fall and taking over the project, so there’s more volunteer opportunities there!)

Vision 2020 – Wednesday, June 2rd
The Vision 2020 Bicycle and Pedestrian workgroup meets the first Wednesday of each month from noon to 1:30pm.

SKATS Transportation Improvement Program Open House – Wednesday, June 2rd
Learn more about the projects Federal and State dollars will fund between 2010 – 15.  4:00-7:00 p.m., MWVCOG Conference Room, 109 High St. SE.  There will also be a hearing on the 22nd, at which time public comment will close.

Oregon Bike Summit – Friday, June 4th

Alice Awards & Auction – Saturday, June 5th
Support the BTA, honor the superstar advocates, and have a whole lot of fun.  There’s nothing like seeing an entire ballroom of passionate supporters of bicycling!

Friends of Salem Saturday Market Bike Valet – Saturday, June 5th
Bike valet service returns to the market!  Another reason to bike on Saturday.

Bicycle Maintenance Class – Thursday, June 10th
Chemeketa Community College and Bike Peddler offer a bike maintenance class.  For more info and how to register see here.

Pedalpalooza – June 10th through June 27th
There might be no greater celebration of things bikey than Pedalpalooza.  If you’re going to be up in Portland, you should check out the schedule and see if anything suits you!  And maybe you’ll find an idea or inspiration for something you want to organize here in Salem!

MWVBTA Meeting – Tuesday, June 15th
The Mid-Willamette Valley chapter of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance meets the third Tuesday of each month from noon to 2pm at the Sassy Onion.  Check the breakfast blog for more agenda and meeting details.

SKATS Transportation Improvement Program Public Hearing – Tuesday, June 22nd
Comment on the projects Federal and State dollars will fund between 2010 – 15.  12:00 Noon, Senator Hearing Room, Courthouse Square, 555 Court St. NE.

Breakfast on Bikes – Friday, June 25th

Boys and Girls Club Cycle Challenge – Saturday, June 26th
The Boys and Girls Club rolls out a new ride this year!  The Cycle Challenge will be a spectacular ride through the Willamette Valley through vineyards, the Oregon Gardens, over the historic Gallon House covered bridge and across the Willamette River on the Wheatland Ferry. Choose from a 75-mile route, a 40-mile route or bring the kids for the family fun ride through the park.  Children on the fun ride will get a medal when they finish!

Kidical Mass – Sunday, June 27th

Fairview Circuit Race – Sunday, June 27th

Introduction to Bicycling Class & Ride – Saturday, July 3rd
Look for more information and probably a new website!  League Cycling Instructor Gary Obery is going to start a introduction to city bicycling class and ride aimed at teenagers and adults new to bicycling.  We’ll have more on this next month, but it looks to be an exciting new program during the summer!

Ongoing Rides:
Santiam Bicycle Beginning Mountain Biking Rides – check the message board for next ride!
Salem Bicycle Club High Wheeler Rides – Introductory club rides every Sunday afternoon at 1:30
Salem Bicycle Club Family Rides – Shorter club rides every Thursday evening at 6:30pm.

Other News:
Updating the Salem-Keizer Bike Maps – Help identify low-traffic alternatives to bike lanes on busy streets!
Summer Bike Counts – Look for an announcement on date & time for orientation and training!
Cherriots Fastlane program – Register, Ride, and Win!
And if this is not enough, there’s always more on the Breakfast Blog!

I’ve been getting updates from Teresa White, one of the coaches of the Boys and Girls youth development team we help sponsor, also officially known as the Flow Riders. The updates are always a great encouragement to read, and I’ve decided that I need to start sharing those here, especially as we get closer to the Cycle Challenge, on June 26, 2010. If you’d like to come volunteer on a ride and support a local youth program, please note the Saturday ride time in the post and come participate.

Here’s this weeks update from Teresa:

————————————-

Hey guys!

The Monster Cookie is just around the corner and the Flow Riders have been doing some extra training to get ready for the big day! This past Saturday the Flow Riders went on a short ride of 28 miles out on Macleay. We decided to do a short ride because we wanted to get back to do a little maintenance class with Bob and Robert. The Flow Riders just loved it! I have attached a few pictures of them all hard at work. I can tell you this much, those bikes look fantastic after all the hard work that the Flow Riders put into them!

Saturday there was not much excitement but man have those kids really excelled in their speed. We are averaging about 18 mph now. The Flow Riders have also started to break into two groups naturally…Boys with Robert and Bob and the girls with Joann, Cyndi, and myself. The group hangs together for about 25 miles then of course the levels of conditioning take their tolls.

As we keep pushing for physical success, so does the push for academic success. In the last three weeks I have really seen the academic success take its course. The Flow Riders are telling me about projects and test that they have aced, all of the extra help they are getting from their teacher and the great feeling of having a higher GPA to show for it. They are all growing academically from this experience and I am very proud of them!

As they continue to grow so does the Flow Riders program. If you would like to grow with us please join us at our weekly events.

Tuesday: Spinning @4pm Lancaster Court House
Thursday: Spinning @4pm Keizer Court House
Saturday: Road Ride @9am Wipper Teen Center – Editors note: this ride will start at 10 am this week.

Hope to see all of your out this next Saturday. Unfortunately I will be out of town Saturday participating in a roller hockey tournament so any extra hands that would be available to attend would be great! Thanks again for all of our support and never forget to ride for HOPE and OPPORTUNITY!

Teresa White
Program Coordinator II
Boys & Girls Club of Salem, Marion and Polk Counties

New-to-me blog, Copenhagenize.com has a tongue in cheek article on determining if you live in a city that is very bikey or not. Although their recent post, 18 Ways to Know If You Have Bike Culture, is mostly for kicks, I was reminded that I was mocked by my father and his buddies last month when I mentioned something about my bike mechanic.

“Bike mechanic? Who has a bike mechanic?”

Old school guys, but all of a sudden there I am smack in the middle of bullet point #11: You and your friends have repeated discussions about which bike repair shop in your neighbourhood is the best for price and service.

I guess it makes a little sense, we are after all, 19th on The List! (ok, we still have a ways to go…)

Lifted from BSNYC.

Catch my buddy Tori, from Gracie’s Wrench on another episode of The Bike show on KBOO Community Radio. From Tori:

Listen in to the KBOO Bike Show today at 11am. We’ll be discussing the North Portland Greenway Trail. If that doesn’t sound exciting, you haven’t heard where they want to put it! 90.7 on your fm dial. http://kboo.fm/node/20580

Always tons of great information on the show. Check it out!

Shots of the Flow Riders from the Statesman Journal article.

Last year, Pacific Pedaling signed on to sponsor a few riders in a new youth development cycling team run by the Salem Boys and Girls club. Since that time, riders of the team have been growing in their knowledge of all things cycling, and in their skills on a bike. They have been working out three times a week, building up to participate in a 75 mile challenge on June 26, 2010. In addition to financially supporting the team, members of the Pacific Pedaling team also get out on rides, and help train the team whenever possible, alongside of a slew of other volunteers and coaches. The whole process has been an amazing experience for everyone involved.

This week, the ‘Flow Riders’ got some great coverage in the local Statesman Journal paper…on the front page of the Sunday edition. Click here for the full article, and click here for the photo gallery. If you can grab a copy of the print version, they also have bios of each of the individual riders.

But the team isn’t all about just riding bikes, check out this blurb from the article about expectations for the team:

The program is new, having launched in September, and incorporates road safety courses, nutrition classes and designated times for homework. All but one of the teens were struggling in school, in some cases failing, before committing to the team. Now they are required to maintain a 2.5 grade-point average and turn in regular progress reports to their coaches. “Part of being in this is they have to put time in on academic achievement,” said Tim Sinatra, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of Salem, Marion and Polk Counties.

And if you keep finding ways to make excuses not to ride, check out this snippet:

Bryan Rosales is able to ride a real bike for the first time in his life. He was born with a disability and has limited mobility in his right arm and right leg. He was teased for riding a trike to the Boys & Girls Club that was rigged with a bungee cord to keep his leg in place so he could pedal. Now he rides on the back of a tandem with Sinatra and answers to the nickname “Wingman.” “I clip off my feet and don’t pedal, and he can pedal my weight, his weight and the weight of the tandem,” Sinatra said. “We just need to work on his balance.”

Each rider has their own story, and there is so much good stuff in this article, you really just need to go read it. Seriously, go read it. Why are you still here….go read the article.

BikeSnobNYC...courtesy of the WSJ online.

If you’ve read any bike blogs today at all, you now know that our favorite snarky bike blogger, BikeSnobNYC has stepped out from behind the curtain and let everyone see who he really is. If you dont’ follow Bike Snob, he’s done one heck of a job at keeping himself anonymous from the majority of the world, while entertaining the crap out of most people he’s poking fun at.

As today’s Wall Street Journal online reports:

Still, there’s one thing most readers don’t know about the Bike Snob: his real name. While not exactly going to Bruce Wayne-levels of protection, the Bike Snob has shielded his actual identity from the public, preferring to let his pen name take the credit. He’s posed for magazine and newspaper articles with his face shielded, revealing only fragments of detail about his personal life.

In addition, Bike Portland managed to get in a few Q & A’s with the not-so-mysterious writer, which you can read on their site as well. I’m a little bummed…I kind of hoped we’d never really know who he was and talk about that mysterious blogger way back when….

Photo from the last Kidical Mass ride in Salem. Courtesy of breakfastonbikes.blogspot.com

Once again, our good friend Eric Lundgren has opened the floodgates of bike related information for the area. Check out all the great information listed here! Thanks Eric!

———————————————–

You know spring is here when we start getting multiple bike events on the same day!  Choice and even some crowding on the weekend schedule is welcome news indeed.

And even more welcome was US Secretary of Transportation Ray Lahood’s important national policy change, which you may have seen already:  “Today, I want to announce a sea change. People across America who value bicycling should have a voice…This is the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of non-motorized.”

Friday, March 26th – B on B
West Salem commuters, we’ll be on Water Street across from the A.C. Gilbert House, right where the bike path off-ramp from the Center Street Bridge merges with Water Street and Riverfront Park.  For complete info see the Breakfast Blog!
Thanks to our sponsors for their continued support.  We couldn’t do it without them!
Cascade Baking Company
Coffee House Cafe
LifeSource Natural Foods
Salem Bicycle Club
Willamette University Sustainability Council
Mechanics from Santiam Bicycle will also be providing free quick checks – derailleur adjustment, chain lube, and tire inflation.

Sunday, March 28th – Kidical Mass
The second Kidical Mass ride starts at Faye Wright School at 1pm.  Bring your noise makers!  Kazoos, maracas, bells, tambourines, homemade & otherwise.  For complete details see Kidical Mass Salem.

Monday, March 29th (Meetings also on April 5 & 6) -
Neighborhood Center Mixed Use Zoning Meetings
Learn about a new zoning concept for walkable neighborhoods.  Make sure bikes are accommodated!

Thursday, April 1st – Vision 2020 Open House
You’re invited to a Vision 2020 Open House.  Learn more about sharrows, new bicycle signage along Chemeketa street and the Union St. Railroad Bridge, and the other projects that are part of the Vision 2020 project.

Saturday, April 3rd – Capital Cup Criterium
Willamette University brings bike racing back to the Capitol!

Saturday, April 3rd – Beginning Mountain Bike Ride
Santiam Bicycle leads an introduction to mountain biking at Silver Falls.

Wednesday, April 7th – Vision 2020 Bike/Ped Group
The Vision 2020 Bicycle and Pedestrian Workgroup meets the first Wednesday of the month.

Monday, April 12 – City Council
Council meets and on the agenda is scheduled to be the first round of crossing improvements funded by Keep Salem Moving Bond.  These are mainly pedestrian crossings, but some of them are on significant bikeways and all of them promote traffic calming generally.

Tuesday, April 20th – MWVBTA Meeting
The Mid-Willamette Valley chapter of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance meets the third Tuesday of the month.  Check the Breakfast Blog for agenda, location, and time.

Sunday, April 25th – Monster Cookie
It’s time to start thinking about the first major ride of the season!  The course is flat with a few rolling hills takes riders from the Capitol over back roads to Champoeg State Park and back to Salem.  You can register here!

Sunday, April 25th – Kidical Mass
The third Kidical Mass ride!

Friday, April 30th – Breakfast on Bikes
B on B moves to Mission & Winter.

All May – Walk+Bike Challenge Month
Register your school for Walk+Bike Challenge month!  This statewide event is a friendly competition that encourages students to walk and bike to school for the whole month of May. In 2009, 60 schools and over 4,000 individuals participated in the event.

Saturday, May 15 – Union St. RR Bridge scheduled to reopen!

Pacific Pedaling as Team DEVO for a misty morning race. Thanks to Grimace 2/9 for the photo!

Last year at Astoria, we needed some tunes for our bikes. We were rolling out as Team Devo and wanted a soundtrack to go along with our smashing costumes. Normally if I’m listening to any kind of music riding, it’s with an ear bud in my right ear, turned down, so I can still hear traffic with my left ear. I don’t do that all the time, but occasionally I will to help keep a rhythm.  However, for the Astoria race, we needed tunes we could share with everyone, so I had to hobble something together that could withstand the terrain of the course, be loud enough to blast out, and not keep me from being able to dismount for barriers. Here’s what I came up with:

Needless to say, it’s a little on the ghetto side, but it worked. (Thanks Ira for a beautiful matching rack for my bike!) Anyway, if you don’t want to bungie your tunes to your bike, you can check out this review in the NY Times of sound systems made specifically for bikes. Thanks to Jonathan Maus for tweeting it this morning. (PS – my makeshift system ROCKED! Crack that whip!)