Two Saturday Bike Events

Wow. What an historic night. Of all the things I've read, a piece by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor at Harvard University and Director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research, struck me as the finest set of reflections on this moment.

Certainly less historic, but of great consequence for us moving forward, will be a more rational transportation policy that accounts for peak oil and climate change. Locally, it's terribly disappointing the Cherriots levy seems to be failing. Good cities need transportation alternatives, and Salem is failing the test. Hopefully the road bond will yield strong pedestrian & bicycle improvements. Nationally, perhaps a bicycle advocate like Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) or Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-MN) will be named Secretary of Transportation.

There are a couple of bicycle events on Saturday. If you don't need a break from politics, Greenpeace has a bicycle rally scheduled for Saturday. If you do need a break, there's a day of racing at Battlecreek. Either way, in addition to whatever riding you do, get out and show your support for bicycling!

Greenpeace Organizer Sofia Gidlund sends this item:

We're organizing a bike rally together with Willamette students on Saturday, November 8th, at 2pm.

We will meet outside of the student dorm Terra, just off 12th St. in the student parking area (in between State St and Mission St), to depart on a bike ride through Salem downtown and pose for a photo in front of the capitol building. You don’t have to have a bike to participate, we will have other activities going on too and you can still pose for the photo.

The purpose is to send a message to our new Congress representative [Kurt Schrader] that we are fully expecting him to be a leader in the fight against global warming. Hope you can come!

Cyclecross in Salem:

The site of the former Battlecreek Golf Course in southeast Salem will host a cyclocross event Saturday.

There will be seven races, beginning at 10 a.m. Registration opens at 8 a.m. and runs until 15 minutes before each race. There is no pre-registration. Race costs vary from $5 for juniors to $20 for all other events and $10 for a second event.

The event is sanctioned by the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association and an OBRA license is required. A one-day license costs $5. An annual license is $10. Helmets are required.

For information, call Jeff McNamee at (503) 857-5733.