Possibly the oldest XC event around here....

23 Years running and I never won the raffle!

This annual event features biking opportunities for everybody: cross country races, road rides of 35, 70, or 100 miles through some of North Central Washington’s most inviting scenery, and awesome mountain bike rides for different skill levels and ages. A kid's race and a bike rodeo for riders ten years and under make this a wonderful family event.

Events, Food, Music, Contests, & Exhibits
Friday, October 2

Self Guided Rides all day long
Free maps are available at Winthrop Mountain Sports, the MVSTA office, Methow Cycle & Sport and Sun Mountain Lodge Activities Shop.

Cycling Film Night, 7:00 p.m. at the Twisp River Pub. Enjoy a meal or just the film at this Valley favorite eatery and watering hole. The movie is free.

Saturday, October 3

Pancake Breakfast, Saturday, 7:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m. at the Winthrop Barn
Fuel up for a day of mountain bike and road riding! $6.00 adult, (9 and older); $4.00 children (8 and under). Everyone is welcome. Purchase tickets at check-in Friday, or at the door. A fundraiser for the Methow Valley Junior Nordic Team.

Bike 101 Repair Clinic - Saturday, 2:00 - 3:00pm at the Winthrop park.
Participants will learn to change a flat tire by either patching the tube or replacing the tube, as well as how to repair a broken chain. Bring your bike and—if you have them—a chain tool, spare tube, patch kit and tire levers. Clinic is limited to 15 participants. Register online, 3:00-6:00 p.m. Friday at Methow Cycle & Sport, or 7:00 a.m.-1:45 p.m. Saturday at the Winthrop Barn. Cost: $10.00

Road Rides, All weekend long
Come and explore the Methow and lower Okanogan Valleys on your bike. Free road maps will be provided all weekend long with detailed course map directions. Choose from three routes:

The first loup of the Tour de Methow travels along the Chewuch River, followed by an out and back along the Methow River to Twisp (35 miles) or to Carlton (70 miles) on scenic county roads. Click here for the map and directions.

Or use your pedal power on the Tour d' Okanogan Century. The 100-mile route meanders from Winthrop to Twisp, up over the Loup Loup Mountain Pass (4300’) into Malott, down to Brewster and back up the valley to Winthrop. Click here for the map and directions.

Buck Mountain Ride, Depart Saturday, 8:30 a.m., from the Winthrop Barn
For the Buck Mountain Ride, you and your bike are chauffeured Methow-style to the top of the pass. The ride is 25 miles with some technically challenging sections. Register online, 3:00-6:00 p.m. Friday at Methow Cycle & Sport or 7:00-8:15 a.m. Saturday at the Winthrop Barn. Cost: $40.00. Registration fee includes transportation of the rider and bicycle to the start of the ride, guided ride and food stop. Click here for the map.

Mazama Ride, Saturday, 9:00 a.m. start from Brown’s Farm. Great 15 mile ride on the valley floor for riders of all ages not wanting to climb single track. Riders meet at Brown’s Farm (Wolf Creed Road, just off highway 20) to ride the Community Trail over the suspension bridge, up to Goat Creek, down into the Mazama Junction for a small food stop at the community club. From there, you’ll ride out to Jack’s Hut at Wilson Ranch before pedaling back to your car. Register online, 3:00-6:00 p.m. Saturday at Methow Cycle & Sport or 7:00-8:30 a.m. Saturday at the Winthrop Barn. Cost: $20.00. Registration fee includes guided ride and food stop.

Food, Beer Garden, Exhibitors, and Contests, Saturday, 1:00-5:00 p.m. and the Winthrop Barn and Park. Recover from the day’s activities and whet your appetite for dinner. Everyone is invited to enjoy food, drink and cycling exhibitors at the Winthrop Park. Visit exhibitors and vendors Kona, Winthrop Mountain Sports, Curtlo, MVSTA, Methow Cycle & Sport, Black Diamond, Shimano, Hutchinson, and Methow Time, among others. Beer from Twisp River Pub and food from award-winning Piggy D's BBQ available for purchase.

Kids' Rodeo, Saturday, 2:00 p.m. start at the Winthrop Park
A favorite for the budding bike rider. Come to the Winthrop Park and put your bike through the many challenges offered to kids 8 years or younger. Snacks and goodie bags for all participants, sponsored by Winthrop KOA. Helmets are required and will be available for purchase at discounted prices, compliments of Aero Methow. Free. No need to pre-register; just show up.

Mountain Bike Beginner Skills Clinic, Saturday, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m., at the Winthrop Park
Participants will learn basic bike handling skills involving balance, body position, braking, climbing and riding over small obstacles. After some building exercises, we’ll take a short ride and put the new skills into practice. Bring a helmet, bike, gloves and water. Clinic is limited to 20 participants. Register online, 3:00 - 7:00 p.m. Friday at Methow Cycle & Sport or 7:00 a.m. 3:45 p.m. Saturday at the Winthrop Barn. Cost: $20.

Evening Cuban Concert with the SuperSones

Unclip and unwind on Saturday, October 3rd with the SuperSones at the Winthrop Barn. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for food and drink, and the family-friendly concert will begin at 7:00 p.m. with a local opener followed by the SuperSones at 8:00 p.m. The SuperSones play the sublime music known as Son - the acoustic dance music of the Cuban countryside that inspired modern Salsa. Son is a unique blend of Spanish guitars and harmony, Afro-Cuban percussion and swing, call-and-response singing and trumpet improvisation. From the 1930's in Havana to the present moment, Cuban septets like SuperSones have inspired people around the world to dance and celebrate. $15.00 suggested donation at the door, students $5.00. Pre-schoolers are free. For more information check out the Methow Arts website.

Sunday, October 4

Cross Country Races: Sunday, 9:00 a.m. start at Sun Mountain's Chickadee Trailhead. Races for all ages and skill levels. Choose from Beginner, one lap; Sport, two laps; and the Expert, three laps of a course with varied terrain. Each lap is approximately 11 miles. Register online, 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. Friday at Methow Cycle & Sport, 7:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Saturday at the Winthrop Barn, or beginning at 7:30 a.m. Sunday at the Chickadee Trailhead. All registration must be completed 1 hour prior to start time. Cost: $25.00 adults ; $20.00 juniors (17 years and younger).
Click here for the map


Kids' Cross Country: Sunday, 11:45 a.m. start at Sun Mountain's Chickadee Trailhead.
For budding racers 12 years and younger. Choose from one of two courses depending on ability. Prizes for all participants are awarded at the conclusion of the race. Register online, 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. Friday at Methow Cycle & Sport, 7:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Saturday at the Winthrop Barn, or beginning at 7:30 a.m. Sunday at the Chickadee Trailhead. Cost is $10.00.


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Schedule

Friday, October 2
All Day Long: Self-Guided Rides (maps provided) Maps available at Winthrop Mountain Sports, the MVSTA office, Methow Cycle & Sport and Sun Mountain Lodge Activities Shop.
3:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m. Registration and packet pick-up at Methow Cycle & Sport
8:00 p.m. Film Night at the Twisp River Pub

Saturday: October 3
7:00 a.m.–9:00 a.m. Pancake Breakfast at the Winthrop Barn
7:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Registration and packet pick-up at the Winthrop Barn for most events: Mountain Bike Rides, Kids’ Rodeo and Cross Country Races
8:30 a.m. Buck Mountain Ride loads up and leaves from the Winthrop Barn
9:00 a.m. Mazama Ride leaves from Brown’s Farm at Wolf Creek Rd & Hwy 20
All day long: self-guided rides. Maps available at Methow Cycle & Sport, Winthrop Mountain Sports, MVSTA, Winthrop Barn and Sun Mountain Lodge Activities Shop
1:00-5:00 p.m. Beer Garden, Food (11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.) and Exhibitors
2:00 p.m. Kids' Rodeo at the Winthrop Park

2:00 - 3:00 p.m. Bike 101 Repair Clinic at the Winthrop Park

4:00 - 6:00 p.m. Mountain Bike Beginner Skills Clinic at the Winthrop Park
6:30 p.m. Super Sones at the Winthrop Barn


Sunday: October 4 : Cross Country Mountain Bike Races
7:30 a.m. Registration and packet pick-up begins at Chickadee Day Lodge, Sun Mountain
9:00 a.m. Cross Country races begin (see below)
9:00 a.m. Beginner & Junior Cross Country Race Begins
10:00 a.m. Sport Cross Country Race Begins
11:30 a.m. Expert Cross Country Race Begins
11:45 a.m. Kids' Cross Country Race Begins
2:00 p.m. Awards Ceremony & Raffle drawing for custom Curtlo frame


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Registration
Online Registration is now available.

On-Site registration and packet pick-up for pre-registered participants available:

* Friday from 3:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m. at Methow Cycle & Sport
* Saturday from 7:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. at the Winthrop Barn
* Sunday beginning at 7:30 a.m. at Sun Mountain's Chickadee Day Lodge


General Info:

AWARDS AND RANDOM PRIZES
The awards ceremony will be held at the conclusion of each mountain bike race. Awards will be given to the top three male and female finishers in each 10 year age group division for adults, two year age groups for juniors and "kids". Random prizes will be given at the conclusion of each award ceremonies.

FESTIVAL T-SHIRTS
Tee-shirts and Methow Olympic Festival bike socks will be on sale throughout the festival.

HEAD PROTECTION IS A MUST…. ANSI HELMETS REQUIRED

INFORMATION: call the Methow Valley Sport Trails Association @509-996-3287 or e-mail us at events@mvsta.com


RACE RESULTS: posted upon the conclusion of each race at the finish line and on our results page on Sunday, October 4.

NO CAMPING AT SUN MOUNTAIN OR CHICKADEE PARKING LOT: Go to www.methownet.com/recreation.html for camping information.

DOGS: Dogs must be on a leash at Chickadee Trailhead.

RAFFLE: A custom CURTLO bike frame, made by local resident, Doug Curtiss will be given away on Sunday at the conclusion of the last race. You do not need to be a participant of the bike festival to enter this raffle. Tickets are available starting September 1 at the MVSTA office in Winthrop until Friday, October 2 at noon or at any of the race registration venues throughout the weekend. Tickets cost $2.50 each or 5 for $10.00. Odds of winning depend on the number of tickets sold. Sponsored by CURTLO bikes and the Methow Valley Sport Trails Association.

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS, BECAUSE THEY SUPPORT THE BIKE FESTIVAL. THANKS!

Possibly the least advertised race known to man....

Vulnerable Roadway Users Summit October 14th 5:30-7:30PM

Following the high profile deaths of Kevin Black and Jose Hernando, we would hope the community would see this work as being in their interests.

Washington drivers kill and disable more than 400 pedestrians and bicyclists every year. In the vast majority of cases, these collisions were found to be the direct consequence of speeding, failing to yield the right of way, or the commission of some other moving violation on the part of the driver. The victims are overwhelmingly the young, the old, the poor and the disabled. As few of the incidents rise to the level where they warrant felony charges, a traffic ticket is the worst the driver can expect. If you think that there's something wrong with that picture, help us make history and make change by attending the State Traffic Justice Summit. On October 14, join Senate Judiciary Chair Adam Kline, Seattle

City Attorney Tom Carr, Council Public Safety Chair Tim Burgess along with researchers, experts and families and friends of victims to learn the facts and talk about what we can do as a community - and as a state to protect vulnerable roadway users.

Traffic Justice Summit October 14, 5:30-7:30 pm Bertha Knight Room Seattle City Hall

The NEW Hansen Creek Trail

This month a new high-country singletrack trail is being built near North Bend. The new trail is just the start of what will become, over the next decade, a twenty mile singletrack trail system.

We want you to be part of this historic opportunity, so we are inviting you to come and volunteer on this brand new trail. As part of the grant matching requirement we need to put in 200 volunteer hours by the end of October. We don't usually send out a broad invite to our entire membership, but this is a big deal, and an historic opportunity to take part in the creation of a new trail system.

Also in this update we invite you to be apart of our ongoing advocacy efforts on Mount Saint Helens. As one of the finest riding areas in the country, Saint Helens deserves our ongoing care and attention.

The long-awaited South Fork Snoqualmie project is underway. A few days ago a huge excavator finished taking old logging roads and turning them into singletrack designed for mountain bikers.

The first phase of the project was funded through a $75,000 grant Evergreen received last year, combined with several hundred thousand in road-removal grants that Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust received. We built the first three miles of trail this year, which combines with a road climb for a 4+ mile ride. As funding is secured, the rest of the twenty mile system of roads will converted to singletrack.

This new trail is the result of over a decade of work by Evergreen and our volunteers. The trail is located between North Bend and Snoqualmie Pass, in the Hansen Creek Drainage. To get there you take Exit 47 from I-90 and travel 5 miles on gravel roads to the trail head, which is at 3300 feet.

We invite you to join one of our upcoming trail days, and help us log our required 200 hours of volunteer work. Anyone and everyone is welcome to come, no experience is necessary. All you need are boots, gloves, warm clothes, a sack lunch, and a desire to have fun while helping us build trail. We'll provide the tools, a great attitude, and the expertise on what to do.

The trails are not open to the general public yet, but if you come to the work party you are encouraged to bring your bike and ride the trails after we're done working as a special volunteer-only preview.

Work party #1, this Sunday
Start at 9 and we'll work until 4.

Work party #2, Sunday, Oct. 4
Start at 9 and work until 4.

Work party #3, Saturday, Oct. 17
Start at 9 and work until 3.

Work party #4, Sunday, Oct. 25
Start at 9 and work until 3.

Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day

Saturday, Oct. 3

Grab your kids and your mountain bikes and head on down to National Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day on Saturday, Oct. 3 at Saint Edward State Park in Kenmore, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Test your skills on the Dirt Corps stunt course with bike teeter totters, bridges and jumps, ride single track through the park with the Trips for Kids and Evergreen ride leaders. We'll stop for a lunch time bbq, followed by more ride time then a drawing to win a mountain bike, a unicycle, and other great prizes, all for FREE!!

Brought to you by Trips for Kids Seattle, a Cascade Bicycle Club program, and our awesome partners, Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance, Seattle Parks and Recreation O2, Team Dirt Corps, the Luna Chix, and Bothell Bike & Ski.

Thursday, just about there....

On Deck

Mt Hood Super D Recap

While this race was called the Momentum Super D, it probably should have been named the Momentum Enduro DH, as there were no real climbs involved in the race. All categories rode the same track, which started at 6,000′ at Mt Hood’s historic Timberline Lodge and ended far below Ski Bowl giving riders a 4,000′ descent in 15 plus minutes!
The weather was great all week with sunny blue skies and near perfect dirt after some rain showers early in the week.
The Pro Men’s division was handily won by Nathan Riddle (Fluidride/Evil) with a course record of 14:58. Nathan was followed by Jared Hobbs (Fluidride/Evil) who came in with a very fast 15:31. Simon Lawton (Fluidride/Evil) rounded out the top three with a 15:38. Phil Wiering (Fluidride/Evil) narrowly edged out a hard charging Joel Armstrong (River City) for 4th place.
In the Women’s Division, newcomer Lindsey Harper (unattached) took the surprise win over Cannondale rider Leanna Gerrard (Monavie/Cannondale) and Kathy Malvern (Luna Chix). Lindsey was the only woman to break the 20 minute barrier with a smoking 19:14.
All in all this was a great event. Stay tuned for some great things to come from this race in 2010.

Big Thanks go out to the guys at Momentum for sponsoring the event. Thanks also go out to Dakine and Shiloh Cyclery. This race could not have happened without the help of Steve Kruse from Timberline – Petr Kakes from Ski Bowl/Hurricane Racing – and of course the US Forestry Service for giving permits for racing on Forestry Service Land. Thanks to all the riders who came out to make this a truly memorable and special event!

Tough Guy Post

Alaskan Way Bicycle Route Change

Bicyclists riding on Alaskan Way S. between S. Royal Brougham Way and S. Massachusetts Street should be aware of a slight construction-related route change that will begin this week and last for approximately one month.

Riders traveling northbound through the area will continue to use the new shared path on the east side of the roadway. Southbound bicyclists can continue to ride in the roadway, in the newly re-opened bike lane on the west side of the road, or on the east side path. However, southbound riders who choose to use the east side path will be required to cross to the west side bike lane or sidewalk at the marked crosswalk north of S. Atlantic Street, south of which the path will become too narrow to accommodate bicycle traffic in both directions.

This work is being done in preparation for road and bridge construction to replace the southern mile of the Alaskan Way Viaduct beginning in 2010.

Filmy Film + Racey Race

#2 for the NW Crew

Who's this guy? Let's look at his results:

PRO/EXPERT MEN 19-34 - 4 LONG LAPS


1 RYDER HESJEDAL 1:58:30 WINNING TIME/MINUTES BACK.
2 ANDREAS HESTLER 01:25
3 GEOFF KABUSH 02:01
4 RICKY FEDERAU 04:20
5 RUEDI SCHNYDER 06:52
6 MICHAEL PRUNER 11:24
7 CARTER HOVEY 13:13
8 TOBY SWANSON 14:00
9 CHAD MILES 14:54
10 DALE KNAPP 16:15
11 DAN MACDONALD 16:18
12 CHRISTOPHER STONE 17:11
13 MARK HANSON 20:00
14 RUSSELL STEVENSON 20:26
15 SEAN CRUICKSHANK 21:02
16 JUSSI JAAKKOLA 21:20
17 BUSTO 22:52
18 CHAD DAVIS 26:37
19 BOB BUNDY 26:58
20 PATRICK JONES 30:23
21 JAMIE STEWART 32:58
22 GARRETT HEITMAN 33:55
23 TYLER DUMONT 34:10
24 ERIC ATWOOD 37:55
25 ALBURT NOMURA 39:23
26 TREVOR GRAHAM 42:13
27 JASON KIRONSTEIN 46:25
28 JESSIE CARBAUGH 49:40
29 CHRIS MELLICK 51:48
30 DAVID KRISHI 53:13
31 VIRGIL LONG 55:16

Not impressed? How about these results:

Hesjedal wins Vuelta's Velefique mountain battle
September 11, Stage 12: Almeria - Alto de Velefique 174km

Full Results 1 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin-Slipstream 5:34:31
2 David Garci(Spa) Xacobeo Galicia 0:00:01
3 Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank 0:00:06
4 Ezequiel Mosquer(Spa) Xacobeo Galicia
5 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre-NGC 0:00:16
6 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne
7 Cadel Evans (Aus) Silence-Lotto
8 Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas
9 Tom Danielson (USA) Garmin-Slipstream

#2 for the NW crew in as many days. Yep.

Super D in Mt. Hood this weekend. Steak at Acrop. 80 degree weather in the mountains.

In the News and On Deck.. It's a Two-fer

Mayoral candidate Mike McGinn plans to put his pedal where his mouth is if he wins this November—at least according to a tale making its way through the ranks of the Seattle Police Department.

The story goes like this: McGinn struck up a conversation with one of the police officers assigned to the mayor's security detail at a campaign event during the primary. According to Seattle Police Officers' Guild president Rich O'Neill—who heard about the exchange directly from the officer, who declined to discuss the incident with The Stranger—McGinn told the officer that when he was mayor, there would "be some big changes" around the office. "That'll be gone," McGinn told the officer, pointing to the Toyota Highlander SUV used by Mayor Greg Nickels. "When I'm mayor, my security detail will bike with me."

The officer gave McGinn examples of some of the mayor's distant meeting destinations, including the Boeing facility in Everett, the legislature in Olympia, and Sea-Tac Airport, and told him it wouldn't be possible for him to bike everywhere.

McGinn disputes O’Neill’s account of the exchange—“It’s possible that I may have cracked a joke” to the officer, McGinn says—but he notes that he plans to “bike as much as possible” if elected. McGinn currently uses a Giant Lite electric bicycle to ride to campaign events and meetings around the city.

We looked at a day selected at random from Mayor Nickels's schedule to see if it would even be possible for a mayor to get around on a bicycle.

On May 21, Mayor Nickels made his first stop of the day at a transportation seminar at the Sheraton Hotel at 8:15 a.m., about 6 miles from McGinn's Greenwood home. By 9:00 a.m., Nickels was back in his office at City Hall (.5 mile). At 10:00 a.m., Nickels was at the Neighborhood Business District Awards at the Columbia City Theater, which would require McGinn to ride 5 miles along Rainier Avenue South, a harrowing route for cyclists in Seattle. By 11:30 a.m., Nickels was back at the Bell Harbor meeting facility on the waterfront (5.2 miles) for a meeting on the climate. After a leisurely hour at a lunchtime rally, Mayor Nickels returned to City Hall (1.2 miles) to meet with British ambassador Sir Nigel Sheinwald. Whew. Nickels then headed up the steep slopes of Capitol Hill to Seattle Central Community College (1 mile) for a Sound Transit walking tour, then to a Sound Transit corridor cleanup in the International District (3 miles). By 4:30 p.m., Nickels had logged more than 20 miles, but his day wasn't over yet. The mayor still had former SPD chief Gil Kerlikowske's going-away party at the Westin to attend (2.7 miles), a Washington Restaurant Association event at Wild Ginger (.3 mile), and the Seattle International Film Festival fourth annual Mayor's Awards at the Paramount Theatre (.5 mile). All told, in one day, a Mayor McGinn would have logged more than 25 miles on his bike and burned about 1,700 calories.

So could McGinn become Seattle's first two-wheeled mayor?

"It's a bizarre idea," one former bike cop told The Stranger, but "it's feasible."


Westside Trail Federation is holding a shuttle day fund raiser event at the Black Rock Mountain Biking Area Saturday, October 17th. For only $35 for the day, get shuttled from 9am until 4:30pm. 3 large flatbed shuttle trucks will be on site, hauling riders up to the top of the trail.
7+ miles of Freeride/ DH trails from Beginner to Advanced will be accessible in a rare opportunity. As this a not a frequent event, sign up early, as there is a limit of 150 maximum riders for the day.
Shuttle will be running every 20 minutes or so.


Helmet Required
Full face helmet & body armor recommended
DJ Music at the load up area
Bike Demos by One Ghost Industries and Kona
First aid station provided by BRMBA Mountain Bike Patrol
Lunch available at noon
It’s going to be rad.

Farrar bags one!

USA's Farrar won his first Grand Tour stage in the 11th stage of the Vuelta a España today in Caravaca de la Cruz, Spain. He out-sprinted Belgian Philippe Gilbert (Silence-Lotto) and Italian Marco Marcato (Vacansoleil).

Team Liquigas controlled the advantage of the day's escape group to create a sprint finish for Daniele Bennati. It continued to lead for the majority of the final kilometres on the straight roads into Caravaca de la Cruz.

Bennati had two lead-out men on the front starting the final three kilometres. Only at the start of the final kilometre did Liquigas lose control. Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) started the sprint with Rabobank then taking over for Oscar Freire.

In a disorganised sprint Farrar came to the front early and remained there to claim a long sprint win.

Before the Vuelta, Farrar won one of the biggest one-day races for a sprinter, Vattenfall Cyclassics, August 16. His good form continued in the Eneco Tour, where he won three stages.

He was unable to win stages in his first two Grand Tours this year, the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France, but placed second twice in each race.

Ichi Withdrawl

Updates

Soooooo............. the weekend trip to Whistler was a bit of a bust. Full on torrential rains the first two days that really didn't subside often. Monday was great and then disaster struck. The local bike shop said they'd never seen it before. The entire red sleeve on the Avid Elixer brakes just gave out and failed, full on warranty failure............. right after the first run of the day. Boooooooooo. Not happy at all. Whatever, Saint may be the way to go, I'm tired of shit going wrong. A long weekend with not much riding - ce la vie.

Mark your calenders

In the News....

Bike Happy Hour
Wednesday, Sept. 16
3 - 6 p.m.
Nickerson Street Saloon
Join us for Bike Happy Hour, an official Summer Bike League event! We'll be hanging out at the Nickerson for drinks and talk. The Nickerson Street Saloon is located at the south end of the Fremont Bridge, which happens to be the busiest bridge for cyclists in the entire state of Washington, with nearly 2,500 crossings by bike per day. Everyone is welcome!

Bicycle Film Fest
Sept. 11 - 12
Screenings at Henry Museum Auditorium - 4100 15th Ave NE
Bike parking hosted by Cascade

For the first time, Seattle welcomes the Bicycle Film Festival! The Bicycle Film Festival celebrates the bicycle in all forms and styles. If you can name it - Tall Bike Jousting, Track Bikes, BMX, Alleycats, Critical Mass, Bike Polo, Road Cycling, Mountain Biking Recumbents - they've probably either ridden or screened it. What better way to celebrate these lifestyles than through art, film, music and performance?

In 2001, Brendt Barbur was compelled to start the Bicycle Film Festival after being hit by a bus while riding his bike in New York City. Instead of being deterred by this experience, it inspired him to create a festival that celebrates the bicycle through music, art, and film. Now in its ninth year the festival is held in 39 cities worldwide. 250,000 people are expected to attend this year.

Hizzhonor

Seattle voters have an opportunity before them, an opportunity to elect not a pro-bike mayor, but a champion for bicycling. The Cascade Bicycle Club is proud to announce its endorsement of Seattle Mayoral candidate Michael McGinn.

Michael McGinn is among the most pro-bike and sustainable transportation candidates we’ve ever worked with. Time and again he has listened to our issues, learned about our concerns and stood with us to make change. He has repeatedly taken on tough fights to advance a sustainable transportation agenda, and he has more than earned our support.

McGinn was Cascade Chapter Chair for the Sierra Club during the Bridging the Gap Streets Levy, which raised $695 million, a significant portion of which funds bicycle, pedestrian and transit improvements throughout the city. He worked with Cascade Bicycle Club to pass Seattle's Compete Streets ordinance – one of the strongest, if not the strongest, complete streets laws in the United States.

He also played a significant role in defeating the flawed roads and transit ballot measure in 2007. Seattle Great City Initiative under McGinn's leadership and Cascade Bicycle Club worked hard to pass a transit-only measure in 2008, which is funding expanded light rail, commuter train and bus service throughout the region. He also helped lead the successful Seattle Parks and Open Space Levy campaign in 2008, which gives significant funding to complete the urban trails network.

We know you have many issues to consider each time you cast a vote, and we thank you for considering our general election recommendations. Holding candidates and elected officials accountable is central to Cascade's mission to "Create a Better Community through Bicycling." We issue endorsements because the policies that affect bicycling begin and end with our elected representatives.

Michael McGinn is a daily bicycle commuter and has featured his support of bicycling, walking and transit strongly as a part of his campaign. Mike has ‘biked the talk’ in both his public and private life. With his leadership, we believe he will continue to enhance Seattle’s reputation as a green city.

Red Bull Exodus Hits Whistler Blackcomb For First-Ever Mass Start Downhill Mountain Bike Race In Canada

Red Bull Exodus is a mass start downhill race that will see 200 men and women starting simultaneously from Whistler Peak, proceeding to fly down the mountain past the Roundhouse Lodge, entering the Whistler Mountain Bike Park at the top of the Garbanzo Express chairlift, before riding the Park’s giant slalom course and then finally crossing the finish line in the Whistler Village. Over the course of two days, participants will be challenged by bar-to-bar racing as they battle side-by-side, dealing with fatigues and navigating through dirt trails riddled with jumps, stunts, drops and root-strewn terrain.

Among the riders will be a combination of the sport’s emerging and established superstars, including Red Bull Rampage 2009 winner Brandon Semenuk, Robbie Bourdon, Darren Berrecloth, Shaums March, Red Bull Rampage 2001 Utah winner Wade Simmons, Tyler Morland, Thomas Vanderham, and Whistler Mountain Bike Park Bike Park Pro Team rider Dave Watson.

Words of Wisdom

One for Pauli

Mercer Island Bike Path

If you have ever felt like you were about to be the speedbump on Mercer Island you may want to weigh in.

Here is a great chance to improve our cycling community, especially those of you in greater Seattle.

The City of Mercer Island is seeking public comment on its proposed Pedestrian and Bicycle Facilities Plan (PBF Plan). This Plan is expected to be adopted later this year and will guide future City decisions regarding pedestrian and bicycle facilities and programs.

The Planning Commission will take all written and oral comments into consideration in preparing its recommendations to the City Council. You may submit comments online, here:
http://www.mercergov.org/FormPage.asp?FormID=29.

Cyclists may want to comment on these specific issues under discussion at last night’s Planning Commission meeting:

· General safety and signage

· West & East Mercer Way speed limit reductions and shoulder improvements

· Encouragement for (group) cyclist to always travel clockwise vs. counterclockwise

· Park and Ride transit center on North Mercer Way (ped./bike congestion, signage, route, & safety)

The Draft “PBF Plan” can be viewed online or downloaded, here:
http://www.mercergov.org/files/WEB_MIPBF%20Draft.pdf

Contact at the City of Mercer Island:
Steve Lancaster
Development Services Director
206-275-7706
steve.lancaster@mercergov.org