Portland Velo Club News

Oregon Coast Challenge, June 2008

2008-09-06T04:36:00Z

By Portland Velo member John Lucas South of Gold Beach Just 3 years ago, when I joined Portland Velo, my longest ride on a bike was probably less than 15 miles. Hip and knee pain had cut short my running career and I was looking for an alternative form of recreation. My wife’s brother, Jim Eddy, a long-time rider from Salinas, California encouraged me to take up cycling. On my first group ride I rode in tennis shoes on an old 10 speed Schwinn mountain bike that had been gathering dust in my garage...(read more)

Community Spin 8/24/08

2008-08-24T22:18:00Z

DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU REALLY HAVE TO DO AT A STOP SIGN? Do you have to put your foot down? Is a hockey stop O. K.? Everyone has his or her own idea about what the law is. At our meeting recently of the Bicycle Advisory Committee, Lieutenant Bryan Parman, of the Portland Police Bureau’s Traffic Division, talked about the highly publicized enforcement/education missions at selected intersections because of low compliance from bikes and autos. Many cyclists and motorists were stopped but very few tickets...(read more)

Race Across Oregon – 2008

2008-08-10T03:27:00Z

Race report – by Richard Seton Race Across Oregon is the premier ultra cycling event in the Pacific North West. The race is held in the third week of July each year, and attracts an international field of cyclists. While the race has the word ‘Across” in it, it is really more of a race around Oregon. The race starts at the Holiday Inn near the Portland Airport, and finishes at Timberline on the slopes of Mt Hood. However, we don’t go direct – we cover a total of 538 miles, with over 40,000 feet of...(read more)

Club Kit Order Update

2008-08-07T20:07:00Z

A new jersey? Perhaps long sleeves, and a vest. Maybe it's a new pair of shorts as a reward for all the riding you've done this summer. You've waited all year for this - and in a few short days (perhaps hours) you'll finally be able to order your Fall'08 Portland Velo Club Kit! Huzzah! We have a few final adjustments on the design translation from Squadra to Castelli - it will be nearly the same as our most recent Big Mountain design. The order form is due to go live very soon...(read more)

Community Spin, 8/6/08

2008-08-06T17:54:00Z

Oregon state senator Floyd Prozanski, a cyclist and friend of cycling (Share the Road License Plate and laws requiring motorists to drive more carefully around cyclists), had planned to introduce a law would have made HELMETS MANDATORY FOR ADULTS. But there was such a negative response from bicycle advocates that he seems to be backing off. The BTA and other advocates certainly want you to wear a helmet but don’t think it should be a law. It would be too hard to enforce and might cause some people...(read more)

Ride Report - 2008 Portland Velo Century by Matt D'Elia

2008-07-29T04:28:00Z

Century Recap You couldn't have asked for a nicer day for the third annual Portland Velo Club Century! Never one for shying away from the norm, this years event had a number of brand new twists and sponsors that made it the best event that PV has pulled off to date. The crack of dawn saw a small team scurrying to get things setup for the early start time. As if on cue, the first riders start to arrive for registration once we have everything in place. Numbers get pinned on, and maps handed out...(read more)

Ride Report - 2008 Portland Velo Century by Carlo Delumpa

2008-07-28T03:30:00Z

An Organizer's Perspective Wow! When I think of how far, how fast, this club has come since our first century, I have only one reaction and that's one of astonishment! We took the club century to another level this year, largely due to the phenomenal effort from planning team ( me, Traci D'Elia, Linda "Jelly" Jellison, John Ohnstad, Jim Mazzocco, Mary O'Donnell, John Lucas, and Matt D'Elia ), under Kimberly Shute's leadership. Our day-of volunteers were the heroes...(read more)

Ride Report - 2008 Portland Velo Century by Doug Rennie

2008-07-28T03:04:00Z

70 MILES OF MERRIMENT AND MIRTH Hey, here's one big time (non-terrorist) fist bump for those who a) laid out, and b) serviced PV's annual metric century-plus: one hell of a nifty route over (for this rider) scenic and varied-terrain roads heretofore untraveled, and broken at exactly the proper intervals by well-stocked refueling stations. I mean, pasta salad, garlic focacia bread AND gummi bears, too? Not your Daddy's event ride food stop. The main climbs up Carpenter Creek and up-down...(read more)

Club Gear Update - July 2008

2008-07-10T13:56:00Z

Great News! Thanks to Ty, we are now working directly with Castelli for our next club kit order. This will be the same base design as our current kit. We'll have an order form available shortly, linked from our website. All orders will be online with payment via Paypal, and we anticipate the order to be finalized within the next few weeks. Once this goes live, plan to act fast! We will hold firm to the order by date so that we can get our new shorts & jerseys as soon as possible. Details...(read more)

Ride Operations Update - July 2008

2008-07-10T13:51:00Z

Another Successful LiveSTRONG Challenge! Huge thanks to everyone from Portland Velo who came out & volunteered, whether as riding course marshals or at our North Plains PowerStop. If you missed out, read the LIVESTRONG CHALLENGE forum posts for feedback from those who participated. We're proud to be partners with Lance Armstrong Foundation and we look forward to next year! Providence Bridge Pedal August 10th, Save the Date! On Sunday, August 10th - your club needs your help!!! Portland Velo...(read more)

Parting Shots - July 2008

2008-07-10T13:41:00Z

Carlo showing off his handywork at the2008 LiveSTRONG Challenge rest stop (photo courtesy of Linda Jellison) It's about 91 degrees today and I'm kickin' it in my office - which is upstairs and butt-hot - wishing I was outside riding my bike. I've been doing a lot of wishin' lately, and with a travel and business schedule that seems to not quit, it's been some time since I've seen some of y'all (see photo left, in case you forgot what I look like :)). The good news...(read more)

Community Spin, 7/4/08

2008-07-04T22:09:00Z

Have you ever wondered if a citizen has any power when someone violates the traffic law in your presence and there’s no cop handy? Portland lawyer Ray Thomas has released a do-it-yourself toolkit of resources and case studies meant to help anyone who seeks to BRING VIOLATORS OF TRAFFIC LAWS TO JUSTICE. The process, known as a “citizen initiation of violation proceedings,” is based on an Oregon law (ORS 153.058) that gives a citizen the right to file a traffic citation against another citizen. On...(read more)

In Fond Memory of Mike Wilberding- Cyclist, Inventor, Friend

2008-06-27T00:14:00Z

by Dean Lee End of July brings to mind fond memories of one of my favorite group rides. I have been blessed to experience some great times with family and friends on this ride; however this year is bittersweet. This year marks the second year without one of my cycling buds, Mike Wilberding. The last moments I spent with Mike was riding the ‘Summit to Surf’, the annual fundraiser for the Oregon/ Washington Chapter of the American Diabetes Association. The ride is simply awesome for a number of reasons...(read more)

Community Spin

2008-06-02T23:45:00Z

COMMUNITY SPIN Several years ago TACKS ON THE COLUMBIA RIVER SCENIC HIGHWAY from Springdale to Corbett were an annoying, frequent, and possibly dangerous problem for cyclists. Then they ceased and there were rumors of the demise of the tack attacker. In May the tacks have returned, this time on the Highway from Troutdale to the Stark Street Bridge. On a recent group ride there were nine flats on six bikes and cyclists from another group were repairing tires at the same time. Also tacks have been...(read more)

Spotlight On: John "J-Rod" Elrod

2008-05-27T18:09:00Z

I met John "J-Rod" Elrod in the summer of 2006 when he started coming to Saturday Signature Series rides on the recommendation of his spin instructor, Johnny-O (John Ohnstad, PV's Ride Operations Director). In fact, J-Rod was one of a whole cascade of cyclists that Johnny-O had recruited from his spin class - a class that included Lynne Fitzsimmons, Tim and Mary O'Donnell, and D. Jason Penny, to drop a few names. Now that I think about it, if you do the "...and they told two...(read more)