Encouragement

Category: Encouragement

Breakfast At The Bike Bridges

Posted on July 25, 2012 by RideCoordinator

It’s time for the July 27th edition of “Breakfast At The Bike Bridges” at the Greenway Bike Bridge (Across the River from the Valley River Center) from 7 to 9:30 AM this Friday morning. It is sponsored by:

Enjoy free bagels from Bagel Sphere, free coffee from Full City Roasters, free Toby’s Tofu Pate and Genesis Juice, free bike bells, bike tune ups, bike registration with the Eugene Police and many other bike riders to greet the morning with.

And while we’re talking bicycles please, please consider becoming a member of GEARS (Greater Eugene Area Riders) Eugene’s premier bicycle group. If you are a member, thank you so much and if you’d like to become a member here is a link to do so: www.eugenegears.org/membership

GEARS maintains an active schedule of bike rides for riders of all skill levels and works actively in the community promoting cycling.GEARS members receive discounts at many area businesses including many bike shops. www.eugenegears.org/programs/bikerewards

Coming up, the big Eugene bicycle event of the summer:

The Blackberry bRamble has long been known for its scenic route, extraordinary food at rest stops, reliable support and free blackberry pie and ice cream at the finish. The night before the ride, meet other riders at a community dinner ($10.00) in support of Eugene’s Adaptive Cycling program. All are welcome to reserve a campsite overnight in Amazon Park, and purchase a pancake breakfast on the morning of the ride.

Whether you’ve chosen the 100-mile Century, the 62-mile Metric Century, the 39-mile Crow Loop, or the 10/20 mile Community Ride, you’ll arrive back at Amazon Park to find a bike celebration in progress with: bike-powered music (with headliners Stephan Nance & Marv Ellis), local vendors community booths, bike obstacle course, tricycle race for kids, great food, and a beer garden!

If you’re hot and tired, cool off with a swim at Amazon Pool for only $1. It’s a wonderful time to be on a bike.

Here’s a link to easily sign up for the bRamble: blackberrybramble.eventbrite.com

I look forward to seeing you at the Bicycle Breakfast this Friday.

David Gizara
GEARS
City of Eugene Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee

People on Bikes: 15th & High

Posted on April 24, 2012 by RideCoordinator

Inspired by the BikePortland.org series of “People on Bikes” I’ve been wanting to do the same kind of series here in Eugene. I’m not as good a photographer as Jonathan but I hope to catch some of the same feel of diversity that he has in his series, showing that there isn’t a “cyclist type” but a wide range of different types of folks riding bikes in our community. It’s not “them” it’s “us” even if someone doesn’t ride they might connect with someone they see (as a parent, hipster, businesswoman, student, etc.).

On my ride into work this morning I had a few spare minutes before a meeting so I stopped at the corner of 15th & High to capture some of the bike traffic going by. In these brief 10 minutes I captured about 40 cyclists, here some of them. I’ve numbered them to make commenting on specific photos easier (good idea Jonathan).

Hope you enjoyed these shots, I know I had fun taking them. I hope to hit a few other spots around town in the coming months. Have a favorite spot? Someplace with some good diversity (Bikulturalism as we like to call it)? High numbers? Good backdrop? Let me know.

UO Bike Program To Install Five Self-service Bike Repair Stations

Posted on February 24, 2012 by RideCoordinator

It’s been so great to see the energy grow on the UO campus with both the LiveMove student group and the UO Bike Program continually pushing for positive changes to the campus area for cyclists. The latest news from the Bike Program involves some assistance from GEARs Education to help them purchase five self-service bike repair stations and to create educational material for the campus area. We look forward to continuing to work with these student groups to grow cycling in our community at large!

—–News Release—-

The University of Oregon Bike Program is leading a project to install a network of five self-service bike repair stations around the UO campus, to support and encourage bicycle transportation for our campus community. The Bike Program has received $7,000 in support from the UO Sustainability Center’s Student Sustainability Fund, and $750 from the Greater Eugene Area Riders to pay for four stands and educational materials. A fifth stand will be paid for with funds left over from a grant for another project from the Associated Students of the University of Oregon, which came in under budget.

The stands, which will be installed in central, high-visibility locations on campus, will provide bicycle users with air, tools, and a stable spot to hoist their bike for maintenance. Each station will include an info panel with bike repair and safety information, as well as directions to our campus DIY repair shop in the Outdoor Program Barn. Web resources will include new how-to-fix-your-bike videos produced by the UO Bike Program in partnership with Erb Memorial Union Marketing and the Oregon Daily Emerald.

“It will be great to see these repair stands around campus as reminders of the university’s commitment to sustainability and active transportation. We all see reminders of our societal commitment to cars every day. I think this project sends a strong message about our priorities as a community,” said Ted Sweeney, the student coordinator of the UO Bike Program. “People need to be able to trust their bicycles to get them where they need to go every day, and knowing that tools and air are always nearby might give some the confidence they need to start commuting by bike.”

The Bike Program is working with staff in the Department of Campus Planning and Real Estate to approve the final siting for the FixIt stands, and hopes to install the network by the end of spring quarter 2012.

More about the UO Bike Program: The University of Oregon Bike Program, a branch of the UO Outdoor Program, works to connect students with bicycles. Since 2008, the student-run program has offered low-cost bicycle loans, a free do-it-yourself bike maintenance shop, and related classes and events for the UO Community.

For more information, please contact Ted Sweeney, UO Bike Program Coordinator. bikes@uoregon.edu, (503) 737-4419

Tandem Captains Needed

Posted on October 7, 2011 by RideCoordinator

santarosa-2-600x426 — Blind Stoker on Co-Motion Tandem (via Santa Rosa Press Democrat)

The City of Eugene Adaptive Recreation program needs some assistance this Tuesday with a group of 8 teenagers from Mobility International USA who are blind. The City will be providing an adaptive bike day with them from 1:45-3:15 at the Amazon Center and they are looking for some folks with tandem bikes who could come and give these kids a biking experience.

They have 4 tandems, but not experienced captains. If there are some folks who have their own tandems and could bring them that would be great if not they can use the City bikes.

Contact Patty to volunteer:

Patty Prather
City of Eugene- Adaptive Recreation
2580 Hilyard St.
541-682-6365
www.eugene-or.gov/recadaptive

More information on Adaptive Recreation Services:

Located at Hilyard Community Center, Adaptive Recreation Services provides year-round, community-based recreational, social, and educational programs for Eugene area children, teens and adults with disabilities. We provide participants with the opportunity to develop new skills, enhance awareness of their community and natural environment, build self-confidence, and recognize personal potential.

Bicycle Touring Informational General Meeting

Posted on June 20, 2011 by RideCoordinator

Bicycle Touring: What is touring all about? What to take on a tour and how to pack it.

June 21; 6:00pm-8:00pm at the Hilyard Community Center

Are you considering a bicycle tour? Do you need some guidance on what to take and how to pack it? Do you pack differently if you are carrying your own bags or using a support vehicle? The purpose of the General Meeting in June is to answer these questions and many more.

We are fortunate to have three GEARS members to share some of their experiences with bicycle touring. Ray Hull, Jackie Murdoff and Sue Wolling will present their opinions about their motivation for touring, handling the nuts and bolts of an extended tour, and how touring changed their perspective on cycling. They have varying experiences with touring and represent thousands of miles traveled.

You will learn about essential gear, the use of panniers, trailer or support vehicle and what you need to have a successful tour. They will share experiences and answer questions. This is not only for people who are new to touring. People with tour experience will also be invited to share some of their experiences.

The second part of the evening will involve packing panniers and trailers. Packing your gear for a support vehicle will also be covered. After you observe what and how to pack panniers or trailers
you will have the opportunity to ride a bike that is fully loaded and ready to go.

GEARS is offering a short 4-day three-night tour in September (see article in this newsletter) and anyone going on that tour would greatly benefit from this presentation. Please join us for this fun and informative evening. We welcome those new to touring, touring veterans, and those who just love bicycling in any form.

An “Adventurous” Offer for GEARs Members

Posted on December 10, 2010 by RideCoordinator

Are you a GEARs member? I certainly hope so. At only $12/year it’s a steal! By being a member you not only help our work, you also receive our newsletter, e-mail alerts, invitations to events, and discounts at an increasing number of bicycle friendly businesses (Bike Rewards) around the greater Eugene area.

As another bonus of GEARs membership we are excited to offer 50 free Adventure Cycling trial memberships to our members.

Adventure Cycling has been dubbed “America’s bicycle travel experts” and is a great resource for thousands of cyclists. Adventure Cycling Association’s nonprofit mission is to inspire people of all ages to travel by bicycle for fitness, fun, and self-discovery. Founded in 1974 as Bikecentennial, Adventure Cycling is the premier bicycle travel organization in North America with 44,500 members nationwide.

For a limited time Adventure Cycling is offering complimentary trial memberships (a $40 value) to members of select clubs, and GEARs has been chosen as one. Sign-up now!

Your free membership will include: