Check Out These July Pedalpalooza Rides
In Portland, summer means Pedalpalooza. The event dates back to the 2002 visit of an international festival called Bikesummer, which was so much fun that something like it simply had to happen every year. What was once just one month of themed rides and two-wheel celebrations now lasts three months, because more rides = better.
One classic Portland bucket-list item: adding your own ride to the Pedalpalooza calendar. You can build a ride around what you want for dinner (say, tacos), your favorite tunes (maybe Motörhead), or the desire to cool off (there are several bike-to-swim rides every week). As a result, Pedalpalooza’s calendar—also available in app form for Apple users—holds something for everyone. And we mean everyone. Here are just a few of the July rides we’re looking forward to.
Missy Elliott’s Birthday Ride
Wed, July 1 | Hopscotch | Meet at 6pm, ride at 6:30pm
Celebrate the 55th birthday of one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time with a banger-fueled ride through inner Southeast Portland, ending at the Den for an indoors installment of Tabor Dance.
Dazed and Confused
Fri, July 10 | Oregon Park | gather at 7pm, ride at 7:30pm
Sure, this Richard Linklater movie set in 1976 is about high schoolers, but anyone who’s seen it will know why it’s probably a good thing this ride is 21+. Costumes encouraged. Aerosmith tickets not included.
The Botany Bike Tour
Sun, July 12 | Kenton Park | Meet at Nature Patch at 10, Ride at 10:15
Identify some wild plants and learn about ecosystem restoration efforts in North Portland on this 15-mile round-trip ride, which should last roughly four hours and will travel to Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area and Kelley Point Park. Ride organizers advise bringing water, lunch, and a notebook.
Pupperpalooza
Sun, July 12 | Peninsula Park | Meet at 1pm, Ride at 2pm
Corvidae Bicycle Club's seventh annual dog-friendly ride is a slow-paced ramble to dog-friendly spots in the city. No need to provide your own pup, but dog-themed costumes are encouraged.
Prise de la Bastille
TuE, July 14 | Coe Circle | Meet at 6pm, ride at 6:30pm
This francophile ride, which meets at NE Glisan Street’s Joan of Arc statue on Bastille Day, promises “Les bicyclettes, les baguettes, la musique française et la révolution!” Participants are invited to dress “French AF.”
Pride Ride
Fri, July 17 | Director Park | Gather at 4pm, ride at 4:30pm
Poison Waters leads a rolling parade on a very scenic route from downtown’s Director Park to the newly christened Darcelle XV Plaza, making stops at notable sites of Portland’s queer history. The pace is slow—no one wants Poison to muss her hair or lose a sequin.
Get a New Library Card at Milwaukie’s Ledding Library
Sat, July 25 | Abernethy Elementary | gather at 9:30am, ride at 10am
Your wallet has room for more than one library card. Many library systems allow residents of neighboring districts to have a card, too. If you're a center-city Portlander who thought Multnomah was the only game in the metro area, prepare to have your mind blown by all the resources at your disposal and the speed at which holds become available in Clackamas County. To claim a card, the ride leader notes you'll need to "bring your ID and proof of residency (a piece of official mail—a bill or something of that ilk) and you can walk out the door with a new library card that lets you borrow up to 80 items, place up to 40 holds, access e-books, digital audiobooks, magazines and newspapers, and use the Cultural Pass program."
Portland World Naked Bike Ride
Sat, July 25 | Meetup details announced closer to ride
Get your body paint ready for one of the biggest events on the cycling calendar. It’s a protest against oil dependence, a celebration of bodies, and a quintessential Portland experience, even if that just means getting stuck waiting for thousands of your naked, smiling neighbors to pass.
