Its Time to Ride –The organized bike ride season is upon us.  The Monster Cookie Ride is coming up this Sunday.  That’s the ride that in my opinion that signals the beginning of let’s get out there and sweat in one big group. The “Ride Around Clark County” is the following Monday.  Even the kids can get in on the fun, with a “kidical” mass ride this Saturday. It’s a ride parents and kids can do together.  

I used to do a lot of organized rides.  I’ve done the Clark County ride several times, “Reach the Beach” is a blast, and of course “Seattle to Portland” is one you have to do.  I’ve been fortunate enough to participate in Cycle Oregon a couple of times.  You might think it’s just a lot of spandex-clad snobs, chasing each other to see who is faster.     To an extent that’s true, but it’s a lot more than that.  There is a sense of community; it is fun to be around like minded people. And you can meet all kinds of people on the back of a bike. We are definitely not all skinny racy types. (And by that, I mean bike racers!) I’ll never forget the bartender I met on Cycle Oregon – we sang a made up blues song all the way up a very long hill outside of Elgin. My thighs were still screaming, but I was smiling.

Who’s Riding – Well, I did give you a bit of a picture. But here are some stats. According to the bi-annual Benchmark Report, the state with the greatest percentage of cyclists and walkers? Alaska. Among cities, Boston takes the crown.  Surprised it wasn’t Portland?  The Rose City actually has largest percentage of people who commute by bike. It’s also the only city listed in which more commuters choose to bike than choose to walk.  By the way, the city wants to ultimately increase the number of people choosing to ride to 25 percent eventually, but in the interim, up to 10-percent.