For our September general meeting GEARs is pleased to present Joe Biel and Elly Blue in their Travelling Bikestravaganza!  Please join us on Thursday, September 9th from 6pm to 8pm for a traveling road show of bicycle talk, movies, zines, and transportation activism and advocacy. Elly Blue and Joe Biel will present short videos and a slideshow about Portland, Oregon’s famous bicycle culture and infrastructure, followed by an interactive discussion of the future of transportation infrastructure and advocacy in our town and beyond.

Elly Blue and Joe Biel after talking with local bike advocates at the Twin Cities Zine Fest on July 10, 2010. Photo credit: Sarah Morean.

Joe and Elly are avid bike journalists and filmmakers (not to mention organizing conferences, publishing zines, going on cross-country bike tours…) from Portland.  Everyone is welcome to attend and participate in the conversation. Microcosm Publishing will have a table of books, zines, and movies.

Thanks to the generous support of our co-sponsor, LiveMove, this event is free to the public!

Who: Joe Biel and Elly Blue
What: Bikestravaganza: Off the Chainring Tour
Where: University of Oregon

When:Thursday, September 9th

Wednesday, Sept. 1      6 p.m.
EWEB Plaza
500 East 4th Avenue, Eugene

Ruth Bascom served as mayor of Eugene from 1993 to 1997. She was the inspiration and driving force behind the creation of Eugene’s riverfront trail, a 12-mile loop on both sides of the Willamette River that includes 5 bicycle/pedestrian bridges.  In 2003, when the final leg of the path was completed, the entire trail was named the Ruth Bascom Riverbank Trail System in her honor.

Wednesday’s ride is free and open to all.  The ride will start at the EWEB Plaza, 500 East 4th Avenue, and follow the riverbank path for about 10 miles.  It will be a flat, easy, slow-paced ride suitable for riders of all ages and abilities.  Bicycle helmets are required by law for all riders under 16 years of age, and are highly recommended for everyone.

The ride is sponsored by GEARs (Greater Eugene Area Riders).  For more information, contact Sue at 541-345-2110 or sue@eugenegears.org

Please join us in this ride–and pass the word on!

Ruth Bascom Trail. photo: Herman Kreiger

Mark your calendars and be sure to come down for the Delta Ponds Bridge Dedication on Saturday, September 11, 2010 at 11 a.m

Join Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy and members of the community in celebrating the substantial completion of the new bicycle and pedestrian bridge over Delta Highway and through Delta Ponds. Put on your marching shoes! All non-motorized modes of transportation are welcome to participate in a short parade over the new bridge.  Note that this is a “dedication” and not an opening. With construction delays for the final touch of some ‘mood lighting’ the bridge won’t open until sometime in October.

On that same day (Saturday, Sept. 11th) Valley River Assembly of God (900 Robin Hood Street, where the East side of the bridge terminus is) will be holding a special celebration called “All Paths Lead to the Crossing” from 9:30-2:30. It will be both a celebration of the bridge and their annual community event that has a health, wellness, family, and community focus to it. It sounds like it will add quiet a bit to the celebration with a 10K run, bike stunts, lots of community booths, a bouncy house, and more. (link coming soon to that event…)

Information about the Delta Ponds Bridge project can be found at: www.eugene-or.gov/DeltaPondsBridge

**This write up by Paul Adkins originally appeared on Eugroove.com**

If you were in the right place at the right time on Sunday morning, you could have added your own, “So Eugene, I love it!” to the chorus of drivers, runners and pedestrians who stopped to gape at (and cheer for) the 20 or so intrepid bicyclists, hauling an entire household along the paths and streets of Eugene.
The bicycle devotees — who came on their bikes with trailers or cargo hauling capacity — began their journey at what appeared to be a moving sale in the front yard of Steve and Annette Leibhardt and their two children. But this was no moving sale. This was Bike Move, the Eugene equivalent of an Amish Barn Raising. Tons of work, and tons of fun.


The starting point: West Amazon. The destination: Marion Dr. off of River Road. A total of 6.5 miles across four zip codes.
Together they hauled everything from mattresses to furniture, to appliances, to electronics, to packing boxes. Everything that usually gets dragged onto a truck and driven.
Kids and adults alike carried giant loads, and every conceivable bicycle hauling method was represented. The only thing bigger than the loads were the smiles as the crew rolled north along the Amazon Path to High St. and traversed westward on 11th through the Fair traffic to Monroe, one of Eugene’s Bicycle Boulevards. The group headed north into the heart of Eugene, the Whiteaker Neighborhood, and connected with the River Path system.


The band of Bike Movers made two trips over the course of the day. Roughly 400 bike miles were logged (with no injuries). Local Oakshire beer and Mezza Luna pizza were waiting as the final group rolled in weary from the road.


Many of the onlookers offered their help for the next Bike Move in Eugene. If you’re interested contact Paul Adkins at paul@eugenegears.org.

Here’s the full slideshow of the event from Paul:

Mountain Bike Oregon- This event is sold out but if you’ve already registered it looks like a fun weekend of Mountain Biking up in Oakridge.  Registration for 2011 will open in 2011 so if this sounds fun be sure and sign up early:

Three full days of unequalled single-track riding in Oakridge, Oregon will leave you both exhausted and replenished. Each day offers supported ride options. The campground is on over nine acres along the bank of the refreshing Willamette River. Hundreds of miles of the world’s best singletrack trails. Three delicious squares meals each day. LOCAL BEER nightly in the FREE beer garden. Free mechanical support. Free demo bikes.

Bike to Shop- Join BikeLane, Market of Choice, PeaceHealth and PacificSource Health Plans for the Bike to Shop Challenge. Stop by Market of Choice at 29th and Willamette, Saturday 11 AM to 4 PM for a chance to win $150 in prizes, healthy food tastings, information on staying healthy, classes on bike maintenance, bike safety, commuting and shopping by bike. Drawings for the “Most Loaded Bike” contest.  Special thanks to Wheel Works, VeloGuy and Arriving by Bike for their support of the bike classes and prizes. More information HERE

via flickr: carfreedays

Kidical Mass Adaptive Rec & Swim Ride- Saturday, Noon at Hilyard Community Center (2580 Hilyard).   It’s the last ride before school starts, let’s make it count! We’ll be meeting at the Hilyard Community Center to check out some of their cool adaptive bikes, do a ride around the neighborhood, and then end up back at Amazon pool where we’ll get a special FREE & EARLY entry into the Rec. swim! Come check out a family tandem, a handcycle, or other interesting adaptive bike- you can even take it for a spin on our ride! Then join us for a special Kidical Mass swim and BBQ! Hot Dogs, buns, and fixings will be provided (as well as the grill), bring along a food or drink item to share if you can!  Thanks to the City of Eugene Hilyard Community Center and Amazon Pool staff for supporting the ride!
Register HERE so we can make sure we have enough food and pool passes

Car Free Party-  Celebrating three years of being free from personal motorized vehicle trappings the Adkins family is hosting their annual car free party again this year.  Come celebrate with tunes, smiles, laughs, stories, and Oakshire beer. Just be sure and leave that fossil fueled vehicle at home… I mean they even have their own bike rack out front and no driveway so it only makes sense. If you want to bring something – bring it, if not, that is OK too. Bring your bike lights and a friend though.
Saturday night, 7:30 p.m.  180 N. Polk St.

Bike Move- There is a Bike Move scheduled for Sunday August 22nd. The Liebhardt Family, 2 adults and 2 kids, are moving from South Eugene – to Lower River Road neighborhood. We’ll be moving a lot of furniture and boxes of stuff. Annette and Steve will have everything packed up and ready to go. So bring your work bikes, cargo racks, trailers, Xtracycles, or other hauling devices, and tie-down straps and lets do the Bike Move. We need everyone we can get. We are planning to get going by 10AM or so. Fuel and refreshments will be provided. Contact Paul for more details 541-255-2478 or Paul (at) eugenegears.org.

Dear Eugene area Members, Friends, and Volunteers,

Two of our programs staff, LeeAnne Fergason, and Joel Holly, will be in the area next week, and we’d love to talk to more people while we’re there.

On Friday, August 27th, from 6:00-8:30, we’ll be at the World Cafe/New Day Bakery (449 Blair Boulevard, Eugene). They’ve invited us to take over their patio, so come join us for a non-structured meet-and-greet to tell us what you’re excited about, and get a first-hand story on whatever you’re interested in knowing about the BTA, whether it’s about our new Executive Director, our process in drafting the 2011 Legislative Agenda, or our plans for Bike Safety Education and the Bike Commute Challenge.

We both work in BTA education and outreach programs, so that’s our area of expertise, but we’re happy to share what we know about other advocacy and
membership topics as well.
Looking forward to meeting you or seeing you again,

To kick it off there  will be free coffee from 7 AM to 6 PM at Gary’s Coffee (525 High) and Eugene Coffee Company (18th and Chambers) and Campbell Center for cyclists with a bike, helmet and reusable cup. Sponsorship for the free coffee is provided by participating coffee shops, GreenLane Sustainable Business Network and BikeLane.

Also, that morning from 7-9 you can get coffee from Rally Coffee Roasters and waffles from Off the Waffle at the DeFazio Bridge as part of the Business Commute Challenge- make sure you’re registered at commutechallenge.org

At the end of the day, cyclists can meet at Adam’s Sustainable Table (30 E. Broadway) from 5-7 for more food and fun. Ninkasi, Bikelane, Bikestation and Adam’s Sustainable Table are sponsors. Cyclists must have ridden that day to offset the CO2 produced
making beer. There will be entertainment, contests for road humor, and prizes. For more info on that event see www.bikelanecoalition.org

Sure everyday could be Bike to Work Day but why not celebrate for those who it is and bring more on board by showing them what a great time it can be when we get together and celebrate!

The Ride of Silence is a slow-paced, silent ride, similar to a funeral procession.  Besides honoring those who have been killed while bicycling, the Ride seeks to give a visible reminder to motorists and bicyclists alike of their responsibility for ensuring safety on our shared roadways.

According to the Oregon Department of Transportation, eight bicyclists were killed in motor vehicle collisions in Eugene-Springfield from 2004-2008 (the most recent data available).  Another 37 collisions resulting in serious injuries to bicyclists were reported to ODOT during the same period.  At least two additional bicyclists were killed in rural Lane County from 2004 to 2008..

Wednesday’s ride will depart from the EMU around 7 p.m. on a flat, 10-mile route that will stop by three different locations at which bicyclists have been killed.  A brief memorial to the cyclist involved will occur at each site.  The ride is open to bicyclists of all ages and abilities.  Helmets are required by law for all cyclists under the age of 16, and are strongly encouraged for all.  For more information, contact Sue Wolling at 541-345-2110 or sue@eugenegears.org.

Paul Freedman of Rock the Bike (AKA The Fossil Fool) is working with the University of Oregon’s Bike Program (a project of the Outdoor Program) to build a Pedal Powered generator.  They’ll be holding an informative and exciting expose of the program’s new bicycle electricity generation system, dubbed the “biker bar” on Friday night in Agate Hall (May 7th, 7-8pm, 18th & Agate).  WeBikeEugene did a good write up on the $10,000 grant that was received for the project.

via rockthebike.com

The Biker Bar will be debuted at the Bike Music Fest, the mainstage of the Willamette Valley Music Fest on Saturday (May 8th). Besides the music powered by your legs there will be free bike repair, bike blended smoothies, screen printing, and MORE all day long in the EMU Amphitheater, corner of 13th and University.  For the bicycle centric events, come down between 10am – 4pm.  A bicycle ride, and live on bike performance by Fossil Fool will take place at 4pm.  Music will keep going until midnight!

For a good write-up by Paul (just what we need, another Paul in the Eugene bike scene!) about the Pedal Powered Stage checkout this Rock the Bike blog post.

We’ll see you at the Biker Bar!