Oregon Cycling Magazine

Vol 17 No 9: Autumn 2008

Click here for Autumn 2008 articles

Vol 17 No 8: October 2008

Click here for October 2008 articles

Are you ready for the rain?

Whether you love it, like it or loathe it, if you are a cyclist in the Northwest you have a very personal relationship with liquid sunshine. Even so, the start of winter’s deluge (which actually lasts from the end of one summer to the beginning of the next) seems to take many of us by surprise every year, as if we didn’t know it was coming. One morning it’s just pouring rain outside and we haven’t seen our raingear since sometime in late June.

Fenders are a must, of course. They’ll keep the worst of the road gunk from your backside, but they are only a first defense, better than nothing. Your rain clothing is what really makes the difference. People ride around in everything from super-expensive technical fabrics to plastic garbage bags. How will you know what is right for you? The bottom line is, whatever makes you comfortable. Comfort, of course, being a delicate interplay of what you are willing to spend, what is effective at keeping you warm and dry, and what suits your riding style. Going for the mammoth 18-mile commute every day? Maybe that fancy jacket and rain pants combo is what you need. Only going a few blocks? Try a poncho. All cyclists should have a decent pair of gloves and a good hat or helmet liner. Numb, wet hands are no fun, and keeping your head warm is always important.

Once you are out on the road, you might notice that there’s not as much daylight going around as there used to be. Making sure you have a good set of lights is critical. People need to be able to see you! Front and rear lights are required by law, so don’t skimp on these.

After a summer of soaking up oil and grime, the pavement you’re riding on is ready to give it up the first few times it rains. Be extra careful for a while, until that stuff gets a chance to run off. Even after it does, the streets are still filled with slippery pitfalls. Watch out for leaves, paint on the pavement, manhole covers, and anything else that is not obviously pavement. While you’re at it, be careful of the pavement, too. It hurts when you fall on it. You can prevent road rash in part by braking carefully. Start braking earlier in the rain, and keep your rims clean!

Also, if you are not hyper-vigilant at all times while on your bike, you might want to consider upping the ante a little bit. Those poor drivers in the rain may be too distracted by the hypnotic swing of the windshield wipers and the delicious smell of their double tall half-caff skinny vanilla latte to pay attention to you, toiling away in the bike lane next to them. Don’t make them have to get out of their nice warm car to check on you after that right hook sends you flying across the hood.

Despite the warnings and extra hassle, winter riding is rewarding in a tough-it-out, what-doesn’t kill-you-makes-you-stronger kind of way. After all, it’s only a little liquid sunshine, right?

Click here for September 2008 articles

Hey, did somebody say autumn? I heard a meteorologist use the word the other day to describe the weather we were having in August and I thought, oh no—as soon as you use that word, it’s all over! Summer’s decline is on.

Thankfully, you hold in your hands a publication chock full of rides, events, workshops, clinics, festivals, tours, races, games, open houses, picnics and who knows what else, all involving bikes in some way, all happening here in Oregon this month. If you haven’t done much this summer and you feel bad about it, there’s still time to check out the Oregon Coast Cycling Festival in Gold Beach (September 6) or Rogue River’s Ride the Rogue event (September 20). Of course, there’s still a whole bunch of racing left to do as well—Tuesday Night Handicap Races at PIR (September 2-23) and the Alpenrose Thursday series, which concludes September 25. Adventure-seekers have Kruger’s Kermesse Farm Crit on Sauvie Island, not to mention the Vanport Kermesse series in and around PIR (Monday nights, September 8-22). Haven’t Kermesse’d yet? The events are open to all and they reportedly feel “more like a fast and non-technical cyclocross race… featuring some potholes, some ruts, a sprinkle of gravel, a bit of sand, and depending on the weather, possibly some mud,” according to the Kruger’s Kermesse website (portlandracing.com/kermesse.)

For those of you who have had enough of summer and all that pesky sunshine, cyclocross season comes out of hibernation this month! Bend’s Thursday series with the funny name—the Thrilla (Up the Hilla from the Old Milla) starts on September 4, and runs every week until October 2. Eugene gets into the action on September 16 and 23, with the Eugene Short Cross series at Camp Harlow. If the ‘cross is too much to bear, head over to the Alpenrose ‘Cross Clinics on the first three Wednesdays in September. Rain or shine—if the sun is out, you’ll just have to deal with it.

Also in this issue, you’ll find an account of a minor traffic incident that led to yet another successful citizen-initiated citation against an unsafe driver—despite a lack of witnesses, physical injury or harm to the bike. In fact, the bike never even went down! There’s also a rundown of this Year’s Alpenrose Velodrome Challenge, featuring the photos of Tony Halford and the commentary of Dave Campbell. There’s also infornmation about the Southern Oregon Custom Bicycle Show  down in Ashland that will feature framebuilders from all over the state and an open house at United Bicycle Institute, Oregon’s own bike institution of higher learning.
And when you’re done with all that, we’ll start talking autumn.

Click here for August 2008 articles

Welcome to another edition of Oregon Cycling! This issue, we escape from the sweltering inland heat and turn our attention to the coolest place around: the Oregon Coast! Late summer is arguably the best time to head to the coast, unless your argument for best time includes wind, rain, then more wind, followed by some rain. I exaggerate only a little.

This time of year, though, you’re more likely to encouter unbroken days of sunshine at the coast than at any other time. Of course, the fickle Pacific Northwest marine climate can always throw you some curves… but we’re talking statistics here. Statistically, you had better head out right now because time’s a-wasting!

Every year, it seems more and more people are getting into bike touring. Who can blame them, ask seasoned touring folk. After all, gas prices are changing so fast that there has recently been a run on (and consequent shortage of) plastic numeral 4’s for gas station price signs. I hope someone’s started in on manufacturing the 5’s and 6’s or we’re going to have some real problems. I guess you don’t have to be seasoned touring folk to understand that, but it’s fair to say that more people are getting on bikes, and when that many people get a taste for life in the saddle, it’s only a matter of time until they start thinking farther afield. Like, how far can this machine take me? The next question they usually ask is, “what’s the best way to get to the coast from here?”

This issue, we attempt to answer that question with some ideas on getting to the coast from the southern Willamette Valley. You’ll also find some ideas about what to do when you get there. Late summer is prime time for events at the coast, and this year’s Oregon Coast Cycling Festival in Curry County and Newport’s Yaquina Lighthouse Century will be sure to draw in the crowds looking to escape their landlubbin’ lives for a while and get a taste of some salty air.

Click here for July 2008 articles

The recent death of cyclist David Minor in Eugene has deeply affected many Eugene-Springfield cycling activists, including one unlikely activist—the woman who struck him at the busy intersection of 13th and Willamette on the afternoon of June 2.  According to the Eugene Register-Guard, the driver—who survived, obviously—has written letters to Governor Kulongoski, Senator Ron Wyden and Congressman Peter DeFazio asking them to support legislation to make helmets mandatory for cyclists of all ages. Minor was not wearing a helmet when he was struck, and eyewitness statements differ when the question of whether a helmet would have saved his life is brought up. Even the paramedics who treated him at the scene could not agree on this point. Evidently, the driver of the vehicle that hit Minor believes a helmet would have made a difference. I suspect this is wishful thinking.

I know that the dreaded “helmet war” is an argument for the ages. Many online forums go out of their way to curb discussion of the issue, or at least contain it in dedicated threads that are seemingly filled with people shouting past each other. I have no interest in adding to the noise with my own personal view of helmet use, but I do have a few thoughts on helmet legislation, and one of those thoughts involves nipping it in the bud.

Back in February, the Vancouver, WA City Council passed a mandatory helmet ordinance for all ages in the City of Vancouver. Like many helmet discussions, the proceedings of the Council relied mainly on emotion-charged anecdotes and conjecture. In an inspiring reaction to the Council’s decision, 12-year-old activist Dread Pirate Roberts (great pseudonymn by the way) organized a protest ride in downtown Vancouver.

I haven’t heard official rumblings about a similar law in Eugene or any response to the letters sent to our elected officials. but I believe that laws should go out of their way to encourage people to get out and cycle more. We should be removing barriers to cycling, not setting them up. Mandatory helmet laws supposedly protect cyclists, but in a way that I think is insulting to adults. Cycling remains one of the safest means of transportation around, and certainly one of the most efficient. Let individuals decide how they want to protect themselves, or if they even need protecting. I outgrew my nanny a long time ago, and I don’t need the State or the City to step in and fill the void.

Karl Benedek

Click here for June 2008 articles

This summer, Oregon’s pedestrians have reason to celebrate; walking around just got a little safer. Oregon Cycling’s legal columnist, Ray Thomas, has just released a new book that addresses the legal rights of pedestrians in Oregon. Presented in the same format as his ubiquitous book on cyclists’ rights, Pedal Power: A Legal Guide for Oregon Bicyclists (now in its 6th printing), the new book focuses on issues affecting people on foot. Titled Oregon Pedestrian Rights: A Legal Guide for Persons on Foot, the book was produced in partnership with the Willamette Pedestrian Coalition and the City of Portland Office of Transportation. In it, Thomas lays out the basics from “what is a pedestrian” through more complicated issues of insurance and laws specific to municipalities around the state. Also included are legal issues relating to skateboards and rollerblades, two forms of transportation that are often overlooked—until there’s a collision or a “turf dispute”—then the questions start piling up.

Thomas observes that much of the frustration around pedestrian and bicycle laws comes from two sources: ignorance of the law and the way certain laws are written. Speaking about his Pedal Power book, Thomas says he started the project because “it seemed… that very few bicyclists really knew what the law required, and it caused quite a bit of frustration.” He thought that by putting together a collection of his writings and gathering together all the statutes that related to bicycling, he could use the law to help build a cycling movement that would garner cyclists more respect on the road. At the same time, he noticed that many laws had “moles” or traps written into them that could be used against cyclists or to support weird anti-bike laws. His book helped address those issues and is now the de facto authority for bike-related legal questions across the state. It has settled many an argument—and probably started a few as well.

The new book is available now and can be downloaded at www.wpcwalks.org or at www.stc-law.com. At 156 pages, it is a long read, but it’s laid out so you can just dip in to get the info you need. To support the information in the book, Thomas has started to hold pedestrian clinics similar to his bicycle clinics. The next one is on June 10 from 6-7:30 PM at the Portland building, 1120 SW 5th Ave in Portland. Walk-ins are OK! Also, keep your eyes open for a clinic at CAT in Eugene this summer.

Vol 17 No 3: May 2008

Click here for this month’s articles

We recently got an email from a reader here at Oregon Cycling headquarters (we love getting mail, by the way, e- or otherwise) that made us think about what a great place Oregon is and what great people cyclists are. The letter is as follows:

Dear OC, I just opened up a bike first aid station at my house. I live at 53215 Timber Rd. Vernonia, OR 97064. You’ll find a sign, a 5-gallon bucket with wrenches, tire patch kit, air pump, a couple of water bottles, a copy of Oregon Cycling, and a plastic chair. It is self-service, open 24/7×365.

I know how it is to break down far from home and tool supply. I’ll also give out free health advice. I encourage other people to set up these bike first aid stations. Thanks, Ed Martiszus, RN

Well, Ed, you just got our vote for coolest thing we’ve heard about in a while. Not only can you find the essentials, but you’ll be able to take a load off and relax in a chair while sipping on water and reading Oregon Cycling (we especially like that last part). But if all that isn’t enough, you can get a medical professional’s advice on that wonky knee or your carpal tunnels. Something tells me that asking him to take a gander at that nasty saddle rash might be taking Ed’s generosity a bit too far. Just put some cream on that and keep it to yourself.

What’s really inspiring about this missive from Vernonia is that Ed is not only taking a first step, but he’s getting the word out. He’s inspiring others to follow in his example, which is what we as cyclists are trying to to for the rest of the world. By getting out on bikes and showing folks that cycling is practical, efficient and (most of all) fun, we are setting the example for our neighbors, friends and fellow road-users.

Taking Ed’s idea one step further, wouldn’t it be great if there were not only aid stations along your favorite rural routes, but also in your neighborhood, on your block? What about vending machines for tubes and tools outside of grocery stores instead of row after row of soda machines, gumball globes and plastic crap?

Well, maybe all that stuff won’t happen overnight, but we can always dream. Follow Ed’s example if it’s practical for you, and always remember to be excellent to each other, as the saying goes.

Click here for this month’s articles

Welcome to another exciting issue of Oregon Cycling. As I write this, Spring has officially begun and the cycling season is off like a shot. We’ve all sprung forward and all of a sudden there are more hours of daylight to ride in and those hours have all gotten a little warmer. Hopefully, the days of keeping a lookout for black ice on your morning commute are over for another year.

The Oregon Cycling Calendar, which shrinks a bit in the cold weather but still manages to dominate the second half of this publication, has exploded this month and will only get busier as the days and weeks roll on. Monday Night Racing at PIR is about to heat up, and there is a race or a ride happening just about every day now. For the most up-to-date racing calendar in the state, check out www.obra.org and see if there isn’t something for you to get involved with. There is something for everyone, from total beginner to seasoned pro.

In this issue, we have news from Salem, where the “Red Pick-Up Guy” has been up to his old tricks again, much to the dismay of area cyclists. We’ll also hear from You Heard It Here First columnist Mark Lansing, who had the unfortunate experience recently of going out for a nice, casual bike ride only to wake up in a hospital bed. Some of you may remember Mark from the photo on the cover of the Winter issue, holding his bike up over his head in front of an impressive line of German mountains. After extensive research, digging deep into the archives of Oregon Cycling and cross-referencing cover shots with musty newspaper clippings and microfiche, we have determined that Mark’s crash was not the result of a rumored Oregon Cycling cover curse, as has been suggested by some of our more superstitious friends. So don’t be camera-shy; the Oregon Cycling cover is one of the safest places to ride your bike. You can always send photos to ocycling@catoregon.org.

For the younger set, we have news of some events in Hillsboro that are getting youngsters outside and onto bikes for skill clinics and competition. Also, kids in Portland will benefit from over half a million dollars in funding for their Safe Routes to School programs.

Also, about this new website… We made a lot of changes and updated the entire site with better navigation, cleaner lines and the ability to comment on articles. Articles are being archived in an ongoing process, and we already have a year and a half of back issues online. That old Bikes & The Law article you were trying to remember? We probably have it. If not, feel free to drop a line to ocycling@catoregon.org and request it. Happy surfing!

The Oregon Cycling Magazine resource guide is divided into the following sections:

Regional Advocacy Groups
Mountain Bike Advocacy
Cycling Clubs
Government Resources
National Organizations

Please contact Oregon Cycling Magazine with changes/omissions/additions.

REGIONAL ADVOCACY GROUPS

Bicycle Advisory Committee

Bicycle Alliance of Washington

Bicycle Transportation Alliance

Bicycles and Ideas for Kids Empowerment

Center for Appropriate Transport

Community Cycling Center

Commute Options for Central Oregon

Eugene Bicycle Coalition

Oregon Environmental Council

MOUNTAIN BIKE ADVOCACY

Black Rock Mountain Bike Association

Little Luckiamute River Trail Association

Westside Trail Federation

Southern Oregon Mountain Bike Association

Central Oregon Trail Alliance

CYCLING CLUBS

Bike Gallery Bicycle Club

Cascade Bicycle Club

Greater Eugene Area Riders (GEARS)

Mid-Valley Bicycle Club (MVBC)

Oregon Bicycle Racing Association (OBRA)

Oregon Human Powered Vehicles (OHPV)

Portland United Mountain Pedalers (PUMP)

Portland Wheelmen Touring Club

Salem Bicycle Club

Santiam Slow Spokes

Siskiyou Velo

Tacoma Wheelmen’s Bicycle Club

Umpqua Velo Club

UO Cycling

Vancouver Bicycle Club

Women’s Association of Mountain Bikers

GOVERNMENT RESOURCES

City of Eugene Bicycle Program

City of Portland Office of Transportation Bike Resource

Oregon Bicycle and Pedestrian Program

Oregon Department of Transportation Region 1

Oregon Department of Transportation Region 2

Oregon Department of Transportation Region 3

Oregon Department of Transportation Region 4

Oregon Department of Transportation Region 5

NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

Adventure Cycling Association

Bikes Belong Coalition

Cycle America (National Bicycle Greenway)

International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA)

League of American Bicyclists

National Center for Bicycling and Walking

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Surface Transportation Policy Project

Statewide

ORbike
OBRA

Portland Area

Blueberry Rides
Portland Wheelmen Touring Club
Team Northwest Tandemonium
Shift
Portland Velo
Portland United Mountain Pedalers
Vancouver Bicycle Club
Bike Gallery Rides

Willamette Valley

Salem Bicycle Club
Santiam Spokes
Mid-Valley Cycling Club
Eugene GEARS
Paul’s Bicycle Way Of Life

Coast

Yaquina Wheels

Southern Oregon

Siskiyou Velo
Southern Oregon Mountain Biking Association

Eastern Oregon

Sunnyside Sports
Hutch’s Bicycles
BikeCentral
LaGrande Ride
Pendleton On Wheels
Central Oregon Trail Alliance

Download our 2008 Media Kit in PDF format. This document contains everything you need to know to advertise in our pages.

For more information, contact Tom Baldinger at (541) 359-7665 or ads4ocycling@catoregon.org

Display Advertising

Display ads are inserted in the main layout of the magazine. The chart below can help you determine your advertising budget. Discounts are available for runs of 4, 7 and 10 ads.

Mall Advertising

Mall ads are grouped together in a special advertising section each month, providing the reader with a one-stop marketplace for various products and services. Discounts available for runs of 4, 7 and 10 ads.

Web Advertising

NEW! Web ads are a great way to support Oregon Cycling while driving traffic to your own website.

Vol 17 No 1: March 2008

Click here for this month’s articles

Welcome to the first issue of the Oregon Cycling season! With the March issue, we start up monthly publication again, so you can expect to find us in your favorite bike shop, coffeehouse or library a little more often.

This issue, we look into the world of BMX racing in Oregon, with an overview of the sport from organizer Lance McGuire and an insider’s perspective from CAT student Beau Poling. Beau recently discovered the joy and excitement of racing and hasn’t been able to think of anything else since. Flipping through these pages, you’ll also find the latest on the infamous “Red Pick-Up Guy” incidents in Salem, tips on avoiding potentially dangerous situations, and a meditation on the Outside Man (which sounds like the title of an Orson Welles movie, but only refers to the rider farthest to the left when riding in a pack) from columnist Mark Lansing, our cover star from last month.

And until the weather here in Oregon warms up sufficiently, no issue of this magazine would be complete without Oregon Cycling traveling correspondent Ellee Thalheimer firing off a dispatch from some tropical paradise. This month, she’s in Trinidad. Sounds nice, doesn’t it?

It seems like everyone made it to the North American Hand-Built Bike Show in Portland a couple of weeks ago. I went up with a group of young framebuilders, all students at CAT. We wandered around in a daze. It was a good thing we had previously agreed on a place and time to meet outside the show, because once we were inside the doors, the crush of people and the numerous distractions pulled our attention in all directions and there was no way we were going to be able to stay together. we were there on Saturday, at the beginning of the day, so although the floor was thick with humanity, we were not even aware of the fire marshal’s declaration that the place was officially overcrowded until much later. Go figure. Anyone who showed up at the Oregon Hand-Built show last Fall should have known that this National event was going to be off the hook. I hope you took advantage of the opportunity to see the show here in Portland. Next year, you’ll have to travel to Indiana.

Remember, if you want to be part of Oregon Cycling, you can send in articles, letters, artwork, poems, stories, photos and almost anything else to: Oregon Cycling Magazine, 455 W 1st Ave, Eugene, OR 97401. I’ll be waiting by the mailbox.

Oregon Cycling Magazine is the only cycling-oriented magazine covering the entire state of Oregon. We have a circulation of about 15,000 and go to press 10 times per year. Issues are distributed to every corner of Oregon and beyond. We are a not-for-profit organization, a project of the Center for Appropriate Transport in Eugene, Oregon.

Subscriptions help support Oregon Cycling. They also make great gifts!

How to Subscribe

Looking for a past article? Try our archives.