But in reality, Oakridge is completely unique – full of vibrant residents who love their town and the quiet living, landscape, chain of lakes and beauty that surrounds them. The town is known as the center of Oregon recreation. So when the mill closed down, Oakridge was hard-pressed to stay
economically viable, but it was not without hope.

Oakridge is situated at foothills of the Western Cascade Mountains, surrounded by Willamette National Forest land and located on the northern bank of the upper Willamette River – making Oakridge a beautiful place to live, play and recreate. And recreate, they do!

Local and regional mountain biking enthusiasts partner with the Willamette National Forest to maintain and create trails that respect the land. Oakridge has quickly become the mountain biking capital of the Northwest, a town where the local food mart stocks energy bars and the bike shop is thriving. Restaurants understand the food needs of mountain bikers (beer, hearty healthy choices and vegetarian options) and the lodging is bike friendly.

Still, finding and getting to trailheads, not to mention finding the way down the trail, can be a bit daunting for an outsider. Oakridge resident Randy Dreiling, who runs the mt. bike shuttle company Oregon Adventures, decided to create an event to help riders from all around the world visit and experience Oakridge, in all it’s epic trails glory. Dreiling teamed up with Good Sport Promotion, expert event organizers based in Portland, and Mountain Bike Oregon was born.

Mountain Bike Oregon is a three-day, all-inclusive weekend getaway that allows mountain bikers a unique chance to fully explore the trails of Oakridge – without a care in the world. Expert guides (some of those very people working in tandem with the National Forest to preserve the land) lead the way.

Meals, clinics, shuttles, camping and demo bikes are all included. Every night riders relax in a free outdoor beer garden, under the towering tree canopy alongside the Willamette River. And true to Oregon’s heart, the beer garden features a selection of local beers from regional microbreweries – a perfect way to say “Welcome to Oregon” to the riders who come from all over the world.

The first year, Mountain Bike Oregon was attended by 30 brave souls who understood how amazing Oakridge is for mountain biking. But the event quickly grew and it now sells out with 300 participants at each of two events every summer. The event is capped at 300 riders to ensure wide open trails, and to provide riders with the opportunity to get to know each other throughout the weekend. Riders relax at night in the beer garden as they swap stories of riding in their home lands of Australia, Calgary, Colorado, Ohio, Germany, Switzerland and all over the world.

Mountain Bike Oregon started with Randy Dreiling’s dream: the dream of a small town resident who knew that the gold mine of beauty he saw every day deserved to be shared with the world. And through bringing worldwide mountain bikers to Oakridge every summer, local businesses delight in the influx of traffic and the vibrancy that Mountain Bike Oregon brings this gem of Oregon, a destination town no longer overlooked.

For more information on Mountain Bike Oregon, see MtBikeOregon.com.

Ayleen Crotty is a bike enthusiast from Portland, Oregon and the editor of ORbike.com. Ayleen also organizes some of the area’s best bike rides and races with her team at Good Sport Promotion. She is the director of the bicycle film festival Filmed by Bike.

Oregon Scenic Bikeways are chosen with cyclists in mind: endearing historic downtowns, breathtaking scenery, and bicycle lanes where possible. Oregon’s first designated scenic bikeway celebrates the Willamette Valley, its people and its splendor. The 127-mile Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway (WVSB) travels through one of the most diverse agricultural regions on earth, and showcases the sites where Oregon’s history was made.

The Willamette Valley is a broad, alluvial valley bordered by the low, forested Coast Range to the west and by the mountainous Cascades to the east. The Willamette River meanders north through the valley, eventually flowing into the Columbia River at Portland, Oregon’s largest city. The Willamette Valley is home to the majority of the state’s population, most living in and near Portland, Salem, Albany/Corvallis and Eugene. The rest of the valley, and the state, is rural.

Whether you’re an experienced rider looking for a new challenge, or a family looking for a day ride, the WVSB offers unique and new experiences with each ride. Be prepared for rain, though. The valley is known for its wet climate. Bicyclists with good rainwear and a positive attitude can ride in the valley all 12 months. About 50 inches of rain a year falls from November through April. Snow is rare, with only a few light snowfalls per year and major snowstorms only a couple times a decade. April through November brings drier weather, lots of flowers and warm days, making them the best months to ride.

Shorter Routes

If the complete ride sounds like a lot, any section of the WVSB can be used for a day ride. Of course, we have a few favorites.

• Champoeg State Heritage Area to Willamette Mission State Park is a great 30-mile round trip. The route takes you through an agricultural have of crops, including miles of hops grown for brewing beer right here in Oregon.
• Albany to Shedd is a very flat 42-mile round trip. The route offers scenery of the coast hills, the Willamette River and the valley pastures.
• Armitage County Park to Coburg is a great 13-mile round trip ride. Coburg has a great downtown area with a picnic-perfect park and antique stores to browse.

Places to Stay

Looking to rider the WVSB at a more leisurely pace? There are many places to stay along the way that break up the ride well.

Hotels can be found in the cities and towns and along the way, including Salem/Keizer, Independence, Albany, Corvallis and Eugene.

There are also a number of spots to pitch a tent and enjoy an evening under the stars in the fresh Willamette Valley air. These campgrounds are Champoeg State Heritage Area, Willamette Mission State Park, City of Brownsville Pioneer Park and Armitage County Park.

Things to See and Do

Fruit stands spring up along the bikeway, usually opening in May and closing in October. Some of the stands are large businesses; some are set up at the edge of someone’s driveway. One fruit not well known outside of the region is the marionberry; sweet, purple, blackberry-type berries that were hybridized in Marion County, the same county that hosts much of the bikeway route. The berries ripen throughout late spring and early summer and are sold by the pound and in jams and pies. Watch for strawberries, cherries and blueberries from early- to mid-summer, followed by green beans, peaches, corn and plums. Fall brings walnuts and hazelnuts.

Many towns in the Willamette Valley have farmers markets May through October. Most markets are held on Saturdays, with a few of the larger towns hosting mid-week markets as well.

The Willamette Valley, Oregon’s leading wine region, has two-thirds of the state’s wineries and vineyards and is home to more than 200 wineries. It has been recognized as one of the premier pinot noir-producing areas in the world.

There are unique and special stores and restaurants in many of the smaller towns, including Albany, Corvallis, Brownsville and Coburg. Stop in and say hi. You’re sure to get a warm greeting and a great story about local products.

Jason riding around Clear Lake

The trail starts out with a few miles around Clear Lake. The Clear Lake section is chunky and technical, with fun challenging climbs and short descents that keep you more concerned than usual about avoiding any physical contact with the rocks. The razor edges of the lava flow surrounding the crystal-clear lake are not to be messed with, and you’ll want to bring along any tire/tube repair tricks you’ve got in your bag.

Ryan, Kristin, Jason and Moxy evade the Storm Troopers

The character of the trail changes after the lake as it drops you into the McKenzie River drainage, where the rocks give way to fast single-track through a dense West Cascades forest. When I made reference to the Speeder Bike chase in Return of The Jedi the group fought the urge to leave me hanging from a tree by my chamois (apparently they were all far to cool to geek out on Star Wars) and we continued to fly through the forest of Endor, I mean, Oregon.

Ryan pretends that he didn’t really dislocate his shoulder yesterday

Jason bounces through the “lava tubes” after Blue Pool

One of the many amazing pieces of the MRT experience is the water. Clear Lake at the top glows with a tropical hue of blue, and the rapids of the McKenzie strongly resemble the glaciers that feed their source. It was hard for us to keep our eyes on the trail at times as we rolled past incredible river views. One of the most intriguing hydrological wonders is a place called the Blue Pool about halfway down the trail. The Blue Pool seems to be a small lake filled with clear blue water, but it’s actually part of the old McKenzie River bed. When Carmen Reservoir was built above the Blue Pool the water was shut off to that section of the river; however, because the lava flows are so porous, water seeps through the lava tubes and bubbles up into the Blue Pool.

We stopped for a snack at Sahalie Falls, which is a 78-foot-tall monster of a waterfall. In Chinook Sahalie means “high,” and I’m sure it felt pretty high to Shannon Carol. She’s the only person recorded to have run it in a kayak, which at the time was a world record.

The MRT has its share of bridges, most of them being pretty high, skinny and long so there was plenty of hoofin’ it to get over them safely (would have been nothing if we had those Speeder Bikes). At the end of a long day of riding we were met at camp by my awesome parents, a HUGE spread of tasty food and microbrews. Couldn’t have asked for a better way to end a great ride.

Kristin getting ready for some crazy crazy kayakin

To polish off a couple days on the trail we spent a day on the river kayaking with Kristin (who was really hoping we’d toss her off Sahalie), Jason and Debbie (my mom). It was Kristin’s first time kayaking on a river, and she charged the rapids with the same determination she has on the trail but was unimpressed with the excessive amount of rubbery layers the sport requires. We’ve said it a lot, and we’ll say it again… GO RIDE THE MRT!

Bike Friday

So what to do when your vacation involves flying? You can box up your ride — if you don’t mind the time, trouble and exorbitant excess-baggage fees ($175 on United for any bike!). You can try to find a decent bike to rent at your destination (good luck with that, especially road bikes).

Or you can become a true roadie warrior and get a travel bike — like an Oregon-made Bike Friday.

Bike Friday was born of a simple premise: Two bike-crazy brothers liked to ride on trips but disliked the hassles. So they started tinkering with the folding-bike concept, with the goal of creating one that could fit in a suitcase and still provide the fit and feel of a quality bike. They started selling Bike Fridays in 1992 and haven’t looked back.

The company, which was formed and still builds its bikes in Eugene, offers six basic (noncustom) models and 18 frame configurations for custom builds, including road, touring, tandem and even triple set-ups. Custom singles can be as light as 17 pounds, with a typical touring setup at 23 to 25 pounds.

Working directly or through a bike-dealer partner, they’ll interview you for details on size and use and then build exactly what you want, delivering the finished bike within four to eight weeks.

They even put a little plaque on the frame: “Custom built for (your name here).” Prices start at $895 for a basic noncustom bike, and go up from there based on frame and components. You can opt for high-end Dura-Ace components or even Campy Record, but most choices fall between $1,200 and $3,000.

There are other folding bikes out there, but Bike Friday offers some advantages.
“We were the first folding-bike maker to offer custom sizing, a wide range of choices, a bike that fits in a suitcase and a suitcase that converts to a trailer,” says Hanna Scholz, marketing manager and daughter of one of the company’s founders.

Yes, that’s right: Your bike suitcase can also be a trailer. You can actually put your clothes suitcase inside your Bike Friday suitcase/trailer and pedal to the airport, take your clothes suitcase out and put your bike in, check them both, and then reverse the process at your destination and pedal to your lodging. (Of course, some airlines do charge a fee for a second checked bag, typically $25 each way.)

I had the chance to borrow a Bike Friday Pocket Rocket for a trip to Arizona last spring. The look took some getting used to. But once I adjusted the seat and handlebars to fit me, I was amazed when I hit the road.

It felt so much the same as a “normal” bike that I would forget I wasn’t riding my Klein. The only difference I felt was the more responsive (read: slightly twitchy) steering with the 20-inch wheels, which made me a tad more cautious on steep downhills.

Putting the bike together and taking it apart took 10 or 15 minutes. Not a single airline check-in counter looked twice at my “suitcase.” I chugged up Mount Lemmon, a 26-mile climb of nearly 6,000 feet. I cruised Saguaro National Park East’s rolling loop. I tooled around Sedona and climbed up to Jerome. And I kind of enjoyed the stares I got from other riders. (www.bikefriday.com)

Racing in Bend, Oregon

VeloNews couldn’t have said it any better when they recently proclaimed Bend to be “the cycling capital of the United States for the next two years.”

Already home to America’s longest continually-running elite stage race, the Cascade Cycling Classic, Bend now has a slew of national championship races on the books for the 2009 and 2010 seasons.

In an unprecedented move, USA Cycling awarded two of its biggest national championship bike races — the Elite/U23/Junior National Road Cycling Championships and the Cyclo Cross National Championships — to Bend for the next two years. In conjunction with the Elite/U23/Junior championships, Bend will also host the 2009 and 2010 US Paracycling National Time Trial Championships.

The Elite/U23/Junior National Road Cycling Championships and the US Paracycling National Time Trial Championships will take place in Bend July 27 through August 2, on the heels of the 30th annual Cascade Cycling Classic, which is scheduled for July 21-26. In December, the national cycling spotlight will again shine on Bend for the Cyclo-Cross National Championships, scheduled for December 10-13.

Together, these national championship races are expected to attract nearly 3,000 participants, and an additional 5,000 attendees in the form of race staff, officials, media and visitors.

For more information, visit www.visitbend.com/championships

Article courtesy of Visit Bend

Each summer in the southern Willamette Valley, Co-Motion Cycles hosts an event with a unique Oregon flair that you’ll find nowhere else. We’d like to extend our invitation for you to come and enjoy the Co-Motion Classic Tandem Stage Race (CCTR), the largest and arguably the very best tandem stage race in the world. Headquartered in Eugene Oregon, Co-Motion Cycles is a world-renowned manufacturer of tandem bicycles, or bicycles built for two. Tandem bicycles are growing in popularity as more people discover the exhilaration or the extra horsepower that can be of two people

This year, Co-Motion Cycles has exciting new road race and time trial routes lined up. Both new courses begin in the town of Coburg, a beautiful small town just north of Eugene known for its antique shops, RV manufacturing and quaint downtown.

The dates for this year’s CCTR are August 21-23. A full schedule, course descriptions and overview are posted on Co-Motion Cycles’ website. We’re looking forward to a great year for the CCTR, as the size of tandem racing participation has blossomed like sweet Willamette Valley fruit here in the Northwest. A generous helping of thanks to the regional surge in tandem a racing in this part of the country are due to Bend, Oregon resident Henry Abel, who took it upon himself to promote tandem racing via a flurry of email newsletters on his www.NWtandemRacing.com website.

One of the things we’ve grown to enjoy at the CCTR is seeing the familiar faces of the racers we’ve come to know as well as new participants each year. The event has taken on the feel of an extended family, where the beauty of the setting and the friendly Oregon spirit of our race organizers and volunteers has taken on an infectious quality that is completely immune to a cranky racers’ scowl!

There are many ways to enjoy the CCTR, and we’d like to encourage one and all to give one of these ideas a try…

1. Register to race! While we have world-class racers in our A category, beginners are welcome in the shorter, easier C category, which is especially designed to welcome parent/child tandem pairs. Wait, did you say you don’t have a tandem, but you do have a trailercycle (small attachable bike that hooks to parent’s bike) that you ride with your child? Great, you’re welcome to sign up too. You can even register for the C category if you’d like to get the feel of racing without actually racing. We simply ask that you allow those who are vying for competitive times to line up in front of you. Still unsure? Come on our free introductory ride, Friday evening before the races begin. Check out our website for details.
2. Volunteer! The safety of our racers on our beautiful Oregon roads is very important to us, and without volunteers, assuring that safety wouldn’t be possible. If you’d like to volunteer, expect to be responsible for helping to direct racers and delay traffic at times. All equipment and instruction is provided prior to each day’s stage. To volunteer, please contact us at info@co-motion.com.
3. Come and watch the spectacle! There’s nothing like seeing a pack of tandems humming by at high speed. The best spectator opportunities are at the Sunday Greenhill Technology Park Criterium -a circuit race where you can see the tactics and strengths of all the racers unfold as they pass multiple times- …or the Kent Peterson Time Trial, -where individual tandems are literally racing the clock, starting at 30-second intervals, so you can get a good look and a photo op of every tandem pair- …on Saturday morning, starting and finishing in Coburg. Please refer to the CCTR website for driving directions and times.

What can you expect to see at the CCTR?

One of the highlights is seeing the little tykes riding with their mothers or fathers. Many who compete in the “C” category will be kids who are perhaps just 5 years old, pushing the pedals with a parent who may or may not have every entered a bicycle race. We make sure every child is rewarded, because seeing them here is a reward in itself! Our “B” group is where you’ll find a lot of impressive married couples, whose idea of a fun Sunday ride sounds more like punishment to most mortals. Impressive as they are, you’ll see a lot of smiles and camaraderie in the group, as even in the heat of competition, they’ve come to have a good time together in this unusual sport.

If you want to see just how fast these amazing two-seaters can go, don’t miss the “A” race. This top category is where you’ll find the racers with the gnarliest legs and storied past glory. Each year, we host past national champs, Paralympic medalists, and some of the top racers from around the region, plus some from around the US and even international entries.

Whether you’re a bicycle racer, enthusiast or just like to see something new and different, I hope you’ll join us this August 21-23 in Eugene.

-Dwan Shepard,

Co-Motion Cycles

“How beautiful it is. You can see Sisters and on a good day see Hood …” said Dreiling of his favorite trail. “I’ve ridden it 50 or 60 times and I still stop at all the viewpoints. You can see wildlife (and) you’re looking down at the eagles.”

Alpine, with three loops up to 33 miles long, is for advanced riders who thrive on speed. It’s one of about 500 miles of single-track in the Oakridge-West Fir area, about 40 miles southeast of Eugene, Ore., on the west side of the Cascades.

Oakridge was a timber town before the mill closed in 1985 and the population shriveled from 6,000 to about 3,000 residents today. Now it’s Mountain Bike Mecca for those in the know. Trail maps are available at the Middle Fork Ranger Station in Westfir, four miles west of Oakridge on Highway 58.

It’s truly an area of road trips, hiking and some extreme trails. For those who have advanced skills, it might be time to challenge Bunchgrass Trail. “Once you’re committed, there’s a place where there’s 20 miles and no bailout point,” said Dreiling, who owns Oregon Adventures Bicycle Tours and is executive director of the Oakridge-West Fir Area Chamber of Commerce. A rider might confuse an elk trail with a single track, so he suggests going with a guide.

“But you’ve really got to love the pain to ride something like that,” he said. “And then there’s the Deadly Switchbacks where it drops about 1,500 feet in a half-mile. It’s really steep and then you climb right back out of that.” Fortunately for the rest of us, many tracks in eastern Lane County do not cause pain. Some allow you to skip the uphill grind. The Willamette Pass Resort, about 27 miles farther east on Highway 58, has the high-speed Oregon Skyway, a gondola that takes skiers, hikers and bikers to 6,666 feet.

Once at the top, ride or walk down the flanks of Eagle Peak. Or just go up and enjoy the scenery– or say wedding vows, which is what Dreiling did last summer.

One of the purest lakes in the world (look down 125 feet) sits at 5,414 feet elevation north of Willamette Pass. Waldo Lake sits in a pocket just at the edge of the Waldo Lake Wilderness and the Willamette National Forest.

Waldo was once visualized by commercial interests as the Lake Tahoe of Oregon. Today it has three campgrounds and more than 200 developed sites. No motorized boats are allowed on Waldo.

Bikers or hikers can circle the 19.6-mile Waldo Lake Trail from July to October. The grades are mostly easy except for one area with several short steep pitches. Near Willamette Pass is the 286-foot-tall Salt Creek Falls, Oregon’s second-highest waterfall. It’s a short trail with wheelchair accessibility and a viewing platform. Look for the falls 23 miles southeast of Oakridge on Highway 58.

For group rides, Dreiling’s Mountain Bike Oregon event out of Oakridge is in its fourth year, having grown from one event and 38 riders to 475 riders and two events last year. Bikers can choose from five to eight rides a day, then come back to the beer garden and hang out.

Another option is to drive north from Westfir on the Aufderheide National Scenic Byway (formerly Forest Road 19) to Highway 126. The byway travels along the McKenzie and Willamette rivers and through Box Canyon, but it’s not a road for the rushed.

Spectacular scenery along the byway and the area around its intersection with Highway 126 includes West Fir’s red-and-white 1944 Office Bridge, the longest covered bridge in Oregon at 180 feet; Terwilliger Hot Springs, Willamette River Gorge, Constitution Grove, Indian Ridge Lookout and access to many trailheads and campgrounds.

The hot springs, also known as Cougar Hot Springs, is 7-½ miles south of Highway 126. The stretch from Blue River through Rainbow, McKenzie Bridge and Belknap Springs on Highway 126 has an abundance of options, including rafting down the fast-flowing McKenzie River.

The Oregon Trail Ultra Series’ last leg is a 50K run on the 26-mile McKenzie River National Recreation Trail (Sept. 6, 2008). Bike Magazine once called this trail one of America’s 10 Best Trails, a roller coaster that follows the river with single-track, waterfalls, log bridges, a lake, a lava field and hot springs and old-growth.

And once the bikers and runners have gone home, the hikers, paddlers and runners take over in the Willamette Pass-Oakridge-McKenzie Triangle. But that’s another story!

Outdoors travel writers Sharon Wootton and Maggie Savage, authors of “You Know You’re in Washington When…”, live in the San Juan Islands and can be reached at (360) 468-3964.

If You Go

Oakridge-West Fir Chamber of Commerce, (541) 782-4146); www.oakridgechamber.com. Best Western Oakridge Inn, 47433 Highway 58, Oakridge, (541) 782-2212. Oakridge Motel, 48197 Highway 58, Oakridge; (541) 782-2432 Trailhead Café, 47434 Highway 58, Oak Ridge; (541) 782-2223 Lane County CVB, www.visitlanecounty.org

McKenzie Bridge Area Belknap Hot Springs Lodge & Gardens, (541) 822-3512, 59296 Belknap Springs Road, McKenzie Bridge; www.belknaphotsprings.com Harbick’s Country Inn, (541) 822-3805, 54791 McKenzie Highway, Blue River; www.harbicks-country-inn.com McKenzie Bridge Campground. Try for Loop B so the river noise overpowers highway sounds; (877) 444-6777; www.hoodoo.com/mckenzie.htm Terwilliger/Cougar Hot Springs. Quarter-mile walk through woods, by lagoon and waterfall; clothing optional; $5; (541) 822-3799; www.hoodoo.com/terwilliger_hot_springs.htm

Willamette Area Oregon Skyway, 10 a.m. to dusk Friday, Saturday, Sunday through Labor Day; $12; www.oregonskyway.com, (541) 393-1425. Restaurant is open on weekends.

Activities Helfrich Outfitters, (800) 328-7688 for whitewater rafting; www.helfrich.com Hiking. Willamette National Forest, (541) 782-2283; www.fs.fed.us/r6/willamette/ Mountain Bike Oregon, July 18-20, Aug. 15-17, Oakridge; (503) 459-4508; www.mtbikeoregon.com Oakridge 24-Hour Adventure Race. Multi-sport competition, Aug. 9-10; www.bigblueadventure.com. Oregon Adventures Bicycle Tours, (541) 968-5397; www.oregon-adventures.com Where’s Waldo 100K Ultramarathon. National master’s trail championship, Willamette Pass; www.wpsp.org/ww100k Willamette Pass Resort. (541) 345-7669; www.willamettepassresort.com Willamette Wine Tours, www.Wildheartcycling.com/tours

That’s all I ask of my wife when we go on vacation.

And, honestly, she’s great about it. So in most cases the three of us arrive together at our destination: her, me, my bike. But having a bike is just the first step to good vacation riding. The big question: Where to ride?

Of course, there’s something to be said for just venturing out and seeing what happens. But our domestic arrangement is that I ride early in the morning, while she sleeps in and savors some coffee-and-robe time. After that we head out together. So I don’t have all day on the bike; I want efficiency in my routing.

Local bike shops are often a good source of recommendations, but you do run into the occasional sadist who sends you unwittingly out on the local death ride (”Oh, yeah, there’s a bit of climbing”), or locals who think they’re better at directions than they are. Online resources like MapMyRide may offer routes that look interesting, but I’ve learned the hard way that ambiguous route cues and varying interpretations of “paved road” can wreak havoc.

Besides, I don’t particularly like riding alone, and I’m the kind of tourist who likes to mix it up with the locals. So I’ve found that a great way to ride on vacation is to hook up with a local bike club. Often it’s as easy as a Web search combining the name of your destination and “bike club.”

The advantages are numerous. As long as you keep up, you won’t get lost. The ride mileage is usually posted on the site. The routes tend to cover the primo riding in the area. And if you do anything embarrassing, you’ll probably never see these people again.

I’ve tried this approach in metropolitan spots like Seattle, popular tourist destinations like Monterey, California, and in remote outposts like Fruita, Colo. Over that time I’ve picked up a few tips that help you find a good ride in a new place.

Research the ride. Check out the club’s Web site to see exactly how they rate their rides. I’ve found out the hard way that hammerhead rides in other places are just as tough as those in Portland (and do not forget to factor in elevation if you’re ever riding in Colorado). On a trip to Monterey, I opted to join the Saturday morning “S&L (”slow and late”) ride. By the end of the amiable, leisurely 30-miler I had a tip for the best time to hit the local aquarium, the name of a really good Mexican restaurant, a lead on a writing assignment and an invitation to a beach party that night — plus some advice on which of the club’s faster rides would be best for me.

Show up early. When the Web site says, “Meet at the anchor in the town square” the locals know exactly where that is. You don’t. Allow plenty of time for getting turned around. Also, when you’re one of the first ones there, the locals are more likely to talk to you.

Ride humbly. Don’t start out trying to prove how fit you are, or how cool your hometown riding scene is.  Remember, for all these people know, you’re a pedal-poseur who can’t hold 15 mph. When I showed up for a tough ride in Tucson one Friday morning, no one volunteered a word to me until I had hung with the leaders up the big climb. Then they were friendly as long-lost cousins at a family reunion.

Make the first move. Socially, I mean. Everyone here knows each other except you, and it can be a long and silent ride if you don’t break the ice. This seems incrementally more true the faster the riding group. Once you’re rolling, look over at whoever you find yourself next to (assuming there’s room to ride two-wide) and open with “How you doin’?”, “Nice morning” or “So, where we headed?” It usually goes fine from there.

Pick some brains. If you’re going to be around for a few days, it’s likely your schedule won’t always mesh with the club’s, and you’d do well to get some tips on other local rides to check out.

As it turned out, I rode with the locals three times that week in Monterey. I got a couple of really good workouts, saw unmatched scenery and confirmed that riders everywhere are generally cool people. And that Mexican restaurant rocked.

Oregon State Trails are broken into three categories: Just Ridin’ Along, On the Dirt and Touring. Many of the trails are multi-use, shared among bicyclists, hikers and equestrians. Please make everyone’s day enjoyable.

JUST RIDIN’ ALONG

Banks-Vernonia State Trail — Vernonia to Mile 7

Length: 7 miles one way

Type: Paved

Rating: Easy to Moderate

The 7-mile paved portion is a great gentle jaunt for the family – training wheel friendly! See the Banks-Vernonia Trail Guide (389KB pdf) for conditions, mileage and trailheads along the full 21-mile route.

Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail — Twin Tunnels Segment

Length: 5 miles one way

Type: Paved

Rating: Moderate to Difficult

The scenery and artistry of this highway-turn-trail draws bicyclists and hikers to what was once the grandest road in the nation. The east and west trailheads feature parking, picnicking and restrooms. A $3 day-use fee station is located at the east trail head.

OC&E Woods Line State Trail — Klamath Falls-Olene

Length: 8 miles one way

Type: Paved

Difficulty: Easy to Moderate

The 8 miles from Klamath Falls to Olene are well suited for the JRA (Just Ridin’ Along) bicyclist or family.

ON THE DIRT

Deschutes River State Recreation Area — Old Railbed Trail

Length: 16 miles one way

Type: Dirt

Rating: Difficult

Leave the roadies at home, but you should bring your mountain bike, several water bottles and a patch kit for this semi-wilderness experience. See the Deschutes State Recreation Area Trail Guide (1MB pdf) for more information.

OC&E Woods Line State Trail – Olene to Bly

Length: 93 miles with 7 trailheads

Type: Dirt

Rating: Moderate to Hard

For those intrepid cyclists looking for adventure, 93 miles of unpaved trail passes by ranch lands, rivers and forests. Take a look at the Rail to Trails Guide (2.5MB pdf) for a map, segment mileage and descriptions.

TOURING

Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway

Length: 130 miles one way

Type: State highways and county roads

Rating: Easy to Hard

The route offers thigh-burning hills for thrill seekers and flat, riverside miles for those less daring. Spend a weekend trip cycling the entire route, or try a more leisurely ride on one of five stages.

Every June, Laughing Planet Café organizes an Art Bike Parade to bring these treasures out of the garages and onto the street for a day of velo pomp and circumstance. 10,000 people flock to the Mississippi District for the parade, a family bike ride and a nighttime professional bike race. Bike clubs and ad-hoc groups come out in force to represent their true love: riding bikes together. They don fantastically flourished costumes, ride their bikes with heads held high and show off the creative spirit that makes Portland the unique community it is. True to club form, some of the groups look a little rough around the edges – an homage to Harley-style biker gangs, perhaps – with their jean jacket vests emblazoned with the club name and logo on the back. This club affinity, taking pride in their creative steeds, does not go unnoticed by the thousands who come out to watch them strut their stuff along the two-mile parade route.

After the art bikes have had their moment in the spotlight, the street is roped off and closed down for the Cirque du Cycling Criterium, a bicycle race in the street. Professional and armature racers take to the streets for high-speed racing as the contenders vie for a selection of prizes, including giveaways from neighboring businesses and cash purses totaling $4,000. But for most racers it’s not about the money – it’s about conquering the course at their best top speeds. Criterium races challenge competitors to complete the most number of laps on a short, closed circuit course that is usually staged on city streets. The short course creates excitement with racers consistently passing spectators at top speeds – so fast spectators can actually feel their arm hairs flutter as cyclists zoom by. The Cirque du Cycling Criterium ramps up the traditional criterium excitement with a double looped course featuring two-way racing in the center and racers passing each other with only a barricade to separate them. It’s a feat of skillful racing and packed with action making this a thrilling event to watch.

Mississippi Avenue is the heart of a popular shopping district flanked on both sides by residential neighborhoods creating a welcoming, stroll-able district for dining, people watching and relaxing at the bar. The neighborhood boasts a fiercely independent spirit exemplified by a street lined with thriving independent business, including the popular Amnesia Brewery with it’s sprawling patio and Laughing Planet Café, hosts of the parade. So Cirque du Cycling, an all day circus affair, fits right in. The neighborhood wholeheartedly embraces the opportunity to flaunt their love of creative culture. And the icing on the cake, the frosting on the tires: Cirque du Cycling is a benefit for Self Enhancement Incorporated (SEI), a non-profit organization that has been serving the needs of underprivileged youth in the neighborhood since 1981. SEI provides these families with much-needed year-round academic, enrichment and family support programs. SEI is has had a positive impact on thousands of young lives, making Portland a better place to live – a better place that is highlighted by creative events like the Cirque du Cycling. So grab your noise makers, and head on out to Mississippi Avenue to cheer on the racers, gawk at the art bikes and enjoy a day that is truly in the spirit of Bike Friendly Portland.

The 2009 Cirque du Cycling is June 13. For more information, see CyclingCircus.com

Ayleen Crotty is a bike enthusiast in Portland, Oregon and the editor of ORbike.com. Ayleen also organizes some of the area’s best bike rides and races with her team at Good Sport Promotion. She is also the director of the bicycle film festival Filmed by Bike.