Local man about town on two wheels, Eric Lundgren, fires off his ever informative update for what’s going on in and around the Salem area in the bike world. Thanks Eric! (Be sure to visit The Salem Breakfast on Bikes blog if you don’t already read it!)

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It’s cold!  But it’s beautiful, and if you’re dressed right it feels great!

Not so many date-bound events this time of year…but lots of bits of news!

Breakfast on Bikes – Friday, Dec 11th
We’ll be at Mission and Winter.  Thanks to Cascade Baking, Coffee
House Cafe, LifeSource Natural Foods, Salem Bicycle Club, Willamette
University!  For complete details see -
http://breakfastonbikes.blogspot.com/2009/12/breakfast-on-bikes-december-11th.html

Parade – Saturday, Dec 12th
The PGE Festival of Lights Holiday Parade is this Saturday!  All
riders are invited to join in the bike float!  For more information
see -
http://breakfastonbikes.blogspot.com/2009/12/why-watch-you-can-bicycle-in-holiday.html

Kidical Mass
Kat’s planning Kidical Mass rides for Salem!  These are short rides
for families and kids, not more than 5 miles with stops at parks and
for ice cream and fun stuff!  To learn more or to volunteer to help
with planning see -
http://kidicalmasssalem.blogspot.com/

Salem Bike Taxi
Have you seen the new pedicab downtown?  Check it out!  Michelle’s
also looking for help with maternity leave…let her know if you can
take a shift or two!
http://breakfastonbikes.blogspot.com/2009/10/salem-bike-taxi-joins-mix-of-downtown.html
http://breakfastonbikes.blogspot.com/2009/12/3-great-ways-to-help-bicycling-this.html

Commercial Restriping Plan
Council passed the plan to put sharrows downtown on Commercial!
http://breakfastonbikes.blogspot.com/2009/11/council-approves-restriping-plan.html

Bike Friendly Business Apps
The deadline for the LAB Bicycle Friendly Business award is January
15, 2010.  Who will be Salem’s first?
http://breakfastonbikes.blogspot.com/2009/11/do-you-know-bicycle-friendly-business.html

Union & Front Video Camera
Video traffic light controllers have been installed for traffic on
Union at the eastern bridgehead of the Union Street RR Bridge!  Now
bicyclists don’t have to use the crosswalk.
http://breakfastonbikes.blogspot.com/2009/11/traffic-lights-at-union-and-front.html

Cyclocross
Lots of local racers participated in the fall cyclocross season.
Check out Paul’s great coverage of the races and local riders at
Pacific Pedaling!
http://pacificpedaling.com/

Salem Bicycle Club
If you haven’t tried club rides, consider the introductory High
Wheeler Rides every Sunday afternoon at 1:30pm.  For more information
see -
http://salembicycleclub.org/calendar.plx?id=1

Whimsy
Want a bit of whimsy in the cold?  Here’s some sweet bike propaganda!
http://breakfastonbikes.blogspot.com/2009/12/whimsy-for-cold-copenhagen-errol-morris.html

Join the BTA
Need a gift for a bicyclist you know?  Consider a BTA membership!
It’ll help with legislation and advocacy statewide.
http://www.bta4bikes.org/btablog/2009/12/01/donate-to-the-bta-by-december-15-and-win-tickets-to-cirque-de-soleil/

Mark your calendars for our next local cyclocross race right here in Salem, Oregon at the old Battle Creek Golf Course on Commercial. The fellas over at BuyLocalCycling.com are working hard to put on a cool and fun event here in the Capital City. According to the site:

The Battlecreek golf course in Salem, OR sets the stage for race #2, Saturday Oct 24th, of the WVC series.  The golf isn’t manicured any longer but the picture below should give racers a general idea about the terrain and course layout. We’ve run the course over every tee box to provide some hills! Online registration ($20) will be open until 5 pm on Friday.  Day of race registration ($25) is open 15 minutes before your race.

Entrance/Parking:  The entrance to the course is tricky.  It’s a very quick turn off of Commercial through the gate.  The entrance is located off of Madras.

Be sure to hop over to their site to see a map of the course, register, and find out more information from the promoters. Last years Battle Creek race was the first cross race I ever even attended, and I made the following video from my day as a spectator. Y’all should come out!

Battlecreek Cross from nwduffer on Vimeo.

Several bike commuters stopped in at last month's Breakfast on Bikes.

This Friday, September 25th, Breakfast On Bikes be at the North Office Mall Building on Winter street NE from 7am to 9am with coffee, pastries, and fruit for you. Anyone riding their bikes to work is welcome to stop in for some fuel for the morning. Last month was a great time, with a few folks giving the ol’ Bike Friday a spin. I’ll be sure to bring it down again in case anyone else wants to take a turn on a folding bike.

This will be a great way to celebrate all the efforts this month on the Bike Commute Challenge (4 flats for me on the Bike Friday this month!) Hope to see you then!

You’d think we could all get along on the road, but there’s always someone willing to ruin the party, and this week, it’s UK Celebrity Chef James Martin (yeah, I know…I haven’t heard of him either) writing an automobile review with some downright uncool and scary verbiage:

“God, I hate those cyclists.” This was the first of his tirade that later ended with him retelling how he snuck up on a group of cyclists in the electrick review car in order to blast the horn and scare them off the road. The review of the Tesla Roadster actually has some great information about the car itself, comparing it to a Ferrari for it’s acceleration. However, it quickly turns ugly when Martin explains how he used it to take out his frustration on the cyclists he apparently hates.

“Knowing they wouldn’t hear me coming, I stepped on the gas, waited until the split second before I overtook them, then gave them an almighty blast on the horn at the exact same time I passed them at speed.

“The look of sheer terror as they tottered into the hedge was the best thing I’ve ever seen in my rear-view mirror. I think this could be the car for me.”

The Daily Mail site has since removed the part of the review with this verbiage as blogs, websites, twitterers, and facebook users around the world have been in a fury since it’s release, but the text is available on many sites around the interwebs. On a positive note, Tesla has come out and condemned the review themselves. “Tesla is cyclist-friendly,” says Rachel Konrad, senior communications manager.

As a cyclist out on our local roads, I’ve seen plenty of folks in cars going out of their way to mess with those on two wheels, or just plain ignore the fact that they are sharing the road with something other than cars, and making for dangerous travels. At the same time, I’ve seen plenty of idiots on bikes as well.

Just a couple days ago, a car was stopped at a stop sign, waiting for traffic to pass so he could make a right turn. I was on my bike, behind a cyclist coming up on the car at the stop sign, and watched as he pulled up along the left side of the car, and turned in front of the stopped car in order to get into the bike lane, going the same direction the car was turning. Fortunately, the car didn’t see a clearing, take off and mow the guy down, but it’s this kind of stuff that just incites the fury of many a motorist.

Be a safe, and predictable cyclist on the roads….stop giving guys like James Martin a reason to be so angry.

Update: It’s the week for apologies. First Kanye, now Martin: http://www.jamesmartinchef.co.uk/pcc.asp?xpath=&xpathid=&lang=eng

If you are in Portland, or aren’t able to ride the Peach of a Century on Sunday, September 27, you might want to consider another ride in the Portland area, Bike For Shelter. The 27 mile ride will help raise funds for a shelter to house victims of underage sex trafficking in Portland. I got word of this ride from a buddy and received this note about the event:

Hey all!  Come join us September 27th for the first annual Bike for Shelter ride as a volunteer, rider, or both!

This event is a fundraiser, planned by a small group of citizens who want to make a change. Despite the unbelievably high numbers of underage victims of sex trafficking here in Portland, the state is currently ill-equipped to address the issue or offer refuge to those who seek it. All BIKE FOR SHELTER proceeds are benefiting Transitions Global, a Hillsboro-based non-profit organization with plans to open Oregon’s first shelter for underage girls who are survivors of domestic sex trafficking. It’s only $27 to register, $10 for students, and free to volunteer!

BIKE FOR SHELTER is a 27.7-mile ride through East Portland with a 4-mile stretch along the Columbia River and a view from the top of Mount Tabor. Registration is open to single riders, as well as to teams of three that would prefer to tackle 9.3-mile legs.

Volunteer, donate, and/or sign up to ride at http://www.bikeforshelter.org/

Spread the word, and rock on!

Thank you!

Racers heading through the BMX track as the sun fades and the lights come up on the track

(Flickr photos here. And Matt’s photos here.)

Well, it’s been a couple of days, but the LifeSource Natural Foods Salem MTB Short Track Series wrapped up a great month of racing Saturday night, under the lights of the bmx track, and with the glow of the Oregon State Fair in the background! Jeff, Jesse, Kenji, Matt, Lauren, and a bunch of folks really stepped up to provide a great series at the Oregon State Fairgrounds, and the last night went off great, despite the craziness that was the State Fair happening all around! You can see the complete series results on the OBRA results page.

James, still smiling as it starts to get darker...and despite going down in the BMX track.

Ok, you know I’m going to brag on the team, so let me just get on with it. My 12 year old son Aaron decided to give the series a try at the second race, and if you’ve been following, you know he won that race that night. After two more nights of racing, Aaron ended up taking 2nd overall in the 10-14 Juniors division! (We had a moment of extreme excitement when they announced he had taken first place for the series, but after the craziness of the night, found that he had indeed earned a solid second place finish, which is still amazing!)

Martha, focused on the up and over.

James brought home a solid 3rd place finish for the series in Cat 2 Men, despite the fact that he tanked over a table top on the BMX track this week, and rode battered and bruised the rest of the race, with a slightly tweaked bike. Way to tough it out James…your flatted bike is still in my garage. Martha missed a 3rd place finish in Cat 2 women by just a few points, but represented nicely with a 4th place slot, and rode tough every week! Tyler, who ended up 6th in the large group of Cat 3 Men, was also just points away from moving up to a prize position.

Ellen, on her CRUISER, and she still only did one lap less than me...sheesh!

Pat – literally 2 stinking points away from finishing in the top 3 in Single Speed, was right on the wheels of the guys on cross bikes, while on his mtb bike. People always point out how fast he’s moving around the track. Ellen, who raced in every race of the night, and (I think) rode in every race including the kiddie one, took home shared top honors in Cat 1 Women for the series!

Pat on his way past the bleachers.

As as for me, I know..that’s the news you’ve been waiting for. Check me out, 19th out of 29 for the series. Am I pleased…well, yeah, I’m not last. Actually, it was both easier than I thought, and harder than I thought in many ways. Easier because I was able to do it, didn’t crash or die, and came out enjoying it more than I thought, but harder because….well, it’s just plenty rough to ride as hard as you can for 20-30 minutes, in the heat, and after long days of work/family/set up, etc. I learned a few things from racing the series…but look for those lessons in an upcoming blog post!

Ok, hate to put up this shot, as it shows just how out of kit shape I'm in, BUT, I love that Tyler, Aaron and myself all came around the corner at the same time...so there you go.

Thanks again to everyone who came out and raced, set up, or supported the event! (Flickr photos here. And Matt’s photos here.)

Racers negotiate the quick double up and over in the 2nd Race of the LifeSource Natural Foods MTB Salem Short Track Series at the Oregon State Fairgrounds.

Monday night was the 2nd race in the LifeSource Natural Foods MTB Salem Short Track Series, or as I like to call it, the longest named race around! And this week it was even hotter than last week…I think we were in the low 90’s by the time the first race began. The high temps keep hammering racers with a dry, dusty, hot course to race on. We also changed up the course from last week to accommodate all the groups using the grounds the day we’ll be racing during the fair, and the reports were the course was much faster than last week. Photos from the 2nd race are up on Flickr. Matt’s photos are on Flickr too. And Matt made a cool video as well, which is on Vimeo.

Ok, PacificPedaling.com team props out of the way here right off the bat. I was waiting on official OBRA results, but wanted to get the post race up, so I’ll go from the email. James Cloyd, not only took 1st in Cat 2 (again) but then turned around and raced in Cat 1, back to back! Ellen Miller also raced back to back, first as the fastest singlespeed lady around, and then taking 2nd in Cat 1 Women. Martha Paulus put in a solid 4th in Cat 2 Women, and Tyler Jackson knocked out a nice mid 5th spot. So proud of the team! Once they are posted, you can see all the results at the OBRA site.

I'm thinking about putting a "Great James Race Face" photo up each week. Here's one to kick it off...

Now, this was also my very first race of any kind on a bike, and the good news is…I’m still alive! I hadn’t planned on doing any racing until cross season, but couldn’t find any more reasons NOT to, so with borrowed bike in hand, I took my turn around with the Cat 3 men. How was it? Really hard. Brutal. Besides being still way overweight, and not in any kind of race condition at all, it was also stinking hot. But the good news is, I didn’t go down, and I finished in one piece! I started off in the back of the group, figuring it was the safest place for the first time out, and pretty much stayed there. I tried to catch up after a couple laps, but never really made up much ground. Apparently, someone felt bad for me and decided to have a mechanical or just pull out because I wasn’t listed as dead last…just one shy of it though.  I may not ever be a fast racer, but I think I’ll find plenty of enjoyment in the times I get out to do it.

Even better than experiencing my first race though, was the fact that my 12 year old son Aaron decided to get out and give it a go as well…and get this, he won his junior category! He came out with me at 3:30 to help set up the course, and after running around the BMX course with other kids there, he decided to try the short track race. Tyler let him borrow is 24″ cruiser, and he cranked away on the larger BMX with the 10-14 Junior class.

Aaron Lopez, about to negotiate a descent, and rockin' the PacificPedaling.com team jersey. At least one Lopez can represent the team kit....

Since Juniors and Cat 3 raced at the same time, my favorite moments of the race were catching up to Aaron and getting a chance to tell him he was doing a great job and to keep pedaling! At first he was worried that he wouldn’t be able to even complete a lap, but he actually completed just one lap shy of the old man! My buddy Nate snagged photos during the Cat 3 race and got this shot of us together:

Father and son, both racing together for the first time.

Overall a great night, and a continuation of a great series down here in Salem. Even with the heat, there seemed to be more spectators out cheering on the racers. We had the music blasting (sorry about the offensive word in the track…I found it and have removed it! oops!) and the water guns spraying. Next week wraps up with races on Monday and Saturday, during the fair. Hope to see you all soon!

Cat 3 riders waiting for the race to start.

UPDATED: My Flickr photos of entire event are now uploaded, click here. Also, my brother shot a ton of shots (mostly of the team) and those are available as well, click here.

The LifeSource Salem MTB Short Track series was HOT last night, and I’m not just talking about the temperature! Jeff McNamee and crew put on a great first night of the short track series right here in Salem. 68 riders turned out for the first event and rode across fields, dirt, over bmx rollers, table tops, around hairpin turns and even had some cross-like dismounts and run-ups. There was plent of heat as the Cat 3 race started in near-90 degree temps.

Martha Paulus

I shot tons of photos of the series, which I’ll post soon to our Flickr page, but this was the official first race with out team kits, so allow me to be the proud team poppa and post some shots of the Pacific Pedaling team members rolling in their kits throughout this post. Results are posted at the OBRA site, but I’ll take this opportunity to point out that Pacific Pedaling came home with 2 top place finishes for the night! Yeehaw!

Tyler Jackson

James took first spot in Cat 2 Men and Ellen took first in Cat 1 Women. It’s worth noting here too that both Pat and Ellen rode two categories back to back – Single Speed, followed up by their Cat 1 races. That’s 30 and 40 minutes of racing with just a 5 minute break in between. Just long enough to hit the restroom and change a race number.

Ellen Miller

And everyone rode great last night. Tyler was up in the front of the Cat 3 Men for most of the race…next week I’ll be relying on him to show me where to go, and how to get there. Martha rocked it in the Cat 2 Women. And as mentioned, Pat not only raced two races back to back, but pulled off and fixed his bike in the middle of the second race.

James Cloyd

In addition to the amazing efforts of the entire team, I’m also proud of the fact that Pacific Pedaling team members volunteered as much as possible before, during and after the race to help the event go smoothly. We really want to help do what we can for cycling in Salem…the rest of this series should be great!

Pat Kudszus

Matt Haughey also shot a bunch of great photos of the night (including Ellen pointing to her jersey as she crossed the finish line hill) and this video, which has Pat rolling at the beginning.

LifeSource Salem Short Track Series Race 1 from Matt Haughey on Vimeo.

Ok, enough of my rambling on about the team like they are all my children! Great first night of the series, and great first team race for Pacific Pedaling!

LifeSource MTB Short Track Series, Salem, OR from nwduffer on Vimeo.

My buddy Brock and I hopped on down to the State Fairgrounds to meet up with Jeff McNamee, Matt Haughey, Kenji Sugahara. The three of them, along with Pacific Pedaling team member, Pat Kudszus spent the evening pre-riding the course, and determining the final layout.

Having never been to a short track event, we took a few moments to ask Jeff and Kenji about the upcoming race series. Jeff helped lead the way on the Willamette Valley Cyclocross series last fall in the area, and it’s great to see another event added this year. Even if you are a beginner and have never raced before, this would be a great event to make your first!

Come down to the State Fairgrounds tonight and support local cycling and racing events! For more information about the series, be sure to visit their site.

Categories:
Pro/Cat 1 Men & Women
Cat 2 Men & Women
Singlespeed
Cat 3 (Beginner) Men & Women
Junior Men (10-14, 15-18) & Women
Kiddie

2009 MTB Categories vs. 2008 MTB Categories:
Pro 2009 = Pro/Elite 2008
Cat 1 2009 = Expert 2008
Cat 2 2009 = Sport 2008
Cat 3 2009 = Beginner 2008

Race # 1-3 Start Times & Race Durations
5:00pm – Course open for pre-riding
5:45pm – Kiddie race – racing for 5′ (this race is FREE, but registration is required)
6:00pm – Cat 3 Men, Cat 3 Women, Junior Men & Women: racing for 20′
6:30pm – Cat 2 Women, Cat 2 Men, & Singlespeed: racing for 30′
7:05pm – Pro Men, Cat 1 Men & Pro/Cat 1 Women: racing for 40’

Race # 4 Start Times & Race Durations
5:30pm – Course open for pre-riding
6:00pm – Kiddie race – racing for 5′ (this race is FREE, but registration is required)
6:15pm – Cat 3 Men, Cat 3 Women, Junior Men & Women: racing for 30′
6:50pm – Cat 2 Women, Cat 2 Men, & Singlespeed: racing for 40′
7:40pm – Pro Men, Cat 1 Men & Pro/Cat 1 Women: racing for 50’

Course Description:
All races will be held on the BMX track and adjacent grassy field at the Oregon State Fairgrounds; Salem, OR.  The course will include a combination of grassy flats, twisty singletrack and bumpy dirt track (BMX course).

It is HOT out this week. Could be 109 today, make sure you're drinking plenty of water if you are out and about!

I love getting my monthly update from the Man Who Know Everything About Bikes in Salem, Eric Lundgren. Not only does it inform and remind me of what’s going on, but it allows me to pass along his nuggets of knowledge to everyone out there visiting PacificPedaling.com From Eric’s latest email:

The big story in July is the Commercial Street Restriping Plan. The
plan offers the prospect of substantial progress on making downtown
more bike-friendly.   It’s scheduled to go to City Council in August.
Make sure August 10th is on your calendar!

(It’s hot, too – so stay hydrated & cool!)

Breakfast on Bikes – Friday, July 31
Commercial Street Striping – Monday, August 10th
Short Track Racing at Fairgrounds – Mondays
Bike Commute Challenge Kick-off – Thursday, August 27th
Kick-off Bike Parade for State Fair – Friday, August 28th
Road Work
Bike Counts
Free Bike Parking at Salem Saturday Market
Salem Bicycle Club introductory Rides

Breakfast on Bikes – Friday, July 31
We’ll be at Mission & Winter, just north of Bush Park, between 7am and
9am.  Thanks to Cascade Baking, Coffee House Cafe, and LifeSource
Natural Foods!
For map and full details, see -
http://breakfastonbikes.blogspot.com/2009/07/breakfast-on-bikes-this-friday-mission.html

City Council considers Commercial Street Striping – Monday, August 10th
At 6:30 City Council will meet and consider endorsing the staff plan
to restripe Commercial Street downtown.  Part of the plan is a bike
lane and sharrows to accomodate bicycle traffic.  See a summary of
progress, road blocks, and debate here -
http://breakfastonbikes.blogspot.com/2009/07/council-discussion-of-commercial-street.html

Short Track Racing at Fairgrounds – Mondays, August 10th, 17th, 24th, 31st
Buy Local Racing is organizing the Salem Short Track Series at the
Fairgrounds.  Check out the note at Pacific Pedaling -
http://pacificpedaling.com/2009/07/14/salem-short-track-racing-in-august/

Bike Commute Challenge Kick-off – Thursday, August 27th
Save the Date!  Don’t have all the details confirmed yet, but we plan
on having beer and pizza for bicyclists.  Get the BCC posters, other
workplace materials, and meet your fellow commuters!  Look for
information on the Breakfast blog and for a special email later in
August.

Kick-off Bike Parade for State Fair – Friday, August 28th
Free parade!  Costumes and decoration encouraged.  Meet at the State
Fairgrounds in front of the Pavilion off of Sunnyview Rd. at 5:30,
parade starts at 6.  The bike drill team will be participating.
Additional practices to be announced.  Here’s a brief bit about their
first outing, the Monmouth-Independence Fourth of July Parade -
http://breakfastonbikes.blogspot.com/2009/07/fourth-of-july-parade.html

Road Work – on-going
Between the ARRA/Stimulus package, the “Keep Salem Moving” road bond,
and other improvement projects, there’s lots of construction that
impacts bikes.  Here’s some of the stories.
Windsor Island Road -
http://pacificpedaling.com/2009/07/27/seriously-what-happened-to-windsor-island-road/
Keizer Rapids Park -
http://pacificpedaling.com/2009/07/21/oh-no-they-paved-paraside-and-put-up-a-parking-lot/
Commercial bike lanes -
http://breakfastonbikes.blogspot.com/2009/07/amputated-bike-lanes-cuts-big-and-small.html
In August, look for bike lane delays on Lancaster.

The summer bike counts are going strong, and some counts are already
in. If you are interested in volunteering, please let me know!  There
are still some sites available, and in doing counts we’ve identified
some needs for additional counts.  Here’s a story on one count at
Liberty S and Commercial SE, where we learned the intersection was
even more difficult than we thought.  If you have a work-around you
particularly like, drop it in the comments!
http://breakfastonbikes.blogspot.com/2009/07/liberty-s-and-commercial-se-dysfunction.html

Free Bike Parking at Salem Saturday Market – Every Saturday
Don’t forget about biking to the market!  Friends of Salem Saturday
Market offer free, secure, and monitored bike parking.  Consider
biking instead of driving!
http://friendsofsalemsaturdaymarket.wordpress.com/2009/07/23/bike-valet-service-boys-and-girls-club/

Salem Bicycle Club introductory Rides – Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons
The Keizer Family Ride leaves Cummings Elementary School at 6:30 pm on
Thursday evenings, and the Sunday afternoon High Wheeler ride leaves
the red lot at 1:30pm on Sunday afternoons.  For more information see
- http://salembicycleclub.org/calendar.plx?id=1