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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Since You Asked: Weigh station schedule is secret Health Care Coalition gets $3.5 million grant (No heading) Butte Falls is source for new line of glass-bottled water Emergency Services Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency Services Emergency Services Man arrested for selling fake crystal 'Just another drunk driver that didn't want to go to jail' Emergency Services Politics and Elections Dotterrer-Bates Senate race goes negative? 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Our View: Holder leaves mixed civil rights legacy ... Man arrested for selling fake crystal ... Our View: Winters continues to be invisible ... Our View: Holder leaves mixed civil rights legacy ... Man arrested for selling fake crystal ...  PORTLAND BICYCLE TOURS Shift into the Rose City spirit By Chris Erskine Los Angeles Times MailTribune.com By Chris Erskine Los Angeles Times Posted Aug. 31, 2014 @ 2:00 am By Chris Erskine Los Angeles Times Posted Aug. 31, 2014 @ 2:00 am » Social News PORTLAND — Portlandia is pridefully weird, with its love of beards, bikes and crazy junk food. After a couple of high-calorie days here, I want to put the fetching little city on my handlebars and ride. So I do. Cycle Portland Bike Tours’ basic ride-around starts downtown about a mile from the city’s core. During the two-hour ride, guide Sam Appelbaum huddles up the 10 of us at various pit stops around town for breezy accounts of the city’s history. It’s an engaging way to get a feel for the city’s layout and some of its conventional and quirky offerings. At our first stop along the waterfront, we learn how former Gov. Tom McCall led the effort to turn the strip of freeway hugging the Willamette River into green space, changing the face and feel of downtown. From there, we head across the river, down curling bike paths to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, better known as OMSI, where Appelbaum deftly explains how Portland is working to enhance and encourage micro-neighborhoods to cut down on crosstown traffic. Back across the river we go, and up to the Portland State campus, another cool oasis in this leafy city. What makes the 12-mile bike tour so pleasant is the relatively flat terrain, combined with plenty of shade. Two hours later, we’re in the Pearl, the renovated warehouse district that’s been reborn as an arts, retail and dining destination, and is home to the Portland Bike Tours shop where we began. Besides the fine overview of the city, the tour offers insight into how much Portlanders worship their two-wheelers. The U.S. Census Bureau reported in 2008 that 6 percent of the workforce commutes primarily by bike each day. Here, cycling is integrated into the lifestyle, with bike boxes, racks and traffic lanes a constant presence. That’s not to say there aren’t the typical tensions between motorists and riders. But Portland is further along than most cities. For instance, workplaces feature "bike rooms" where commuters can stash their rides during the day. Perhaps most telling is the Pedalpalooza bike festival each June that features nearly 300 inventive and inspiring rides and events. The activities include a playful Dr. Seuss ride, unicycle polo matches and all-night rides that lead to a sunrise over the Columbia Gorge. Some rides are difficult, some merely social, some bizarre (a bridal ride in wedding gowns and several naked bike rides). A sampling of the events at Pedalpalooza: The Little Lebowski Urban Achievers Ride, featuring participants in their favorite "Big Lebowski" costumes and occasional re-enactments of scenes from the movie ("I mean, say what you want about the tenets of national socialism, Dude, at least it’s an ethos.") The Solstice Ride, in which participants pedal off at 9 p.m. and ride all night in honor of the first day of summer to a view spot looking out over the Columbia River. World Naked Bike Ride, in which Portland police escort 9,000 naked and semi-naked cyclists through the city. It ends in a giant party. Its point is to show how vulnerable cyclists feel on the streets. At least, that’s one of the points. The Zoobomb, a lighthearted tradition down a hill near the zoo that draws mostly young adults aboard all sorts of outrageous cycles. "Star Wars" versus "Star Trek," pretty much what you’d think, with participants dressed as favorite characters. Tater Tot Tour, a moderate overnight camping trip, 30 miles each way, in which participants refuel on one of the staples of the Portland diet. Renting a bike Cycle Portland Bike Tours & Rentals, 117 N.W. 2nd Ave.; (503) 902-5035, www.portlandbicycletours.com. Two-hour Essential Portland Tour is $40, which includes bike, helmet and guide. Breweries by Bike and Taste of Portland tours also offered. For more info on biking Portland and the annual Pedalpalooza festival (June 4-27, 2015), go to www.bikeportland.org. By Chris Erskine Los Angeles Times MailTribune.com By Chris Erskine Los Angeles Times Posted Aug. 31, 2014 @ 2:00 am » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. 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