The City of Portland is one that can be adored just as easily as it can be taken for granted.  It’s an amazing city with a small town feel and something to do every night of the week.  There are more locally owned small restaurants and coffee shops, music venues and bike shops than one could visit in a lifetime; and its easy to forget our unemployment rate and our impoverished neighbors that could use a little “hand-up” from time to time.

Oliver Elementary services an area of Portland where 84% of the families are beneath the poverty line and the youth need activities to help keep them out of trouble while they’re not in school.  Ashley is going the extra mile (plus 1699 more) and giving a huge “hand-up” to these kiddos in need.  So turn out a pocket or two and support a wonderful and adventurous woman on a mission.  Please read the whole story here:  http://bikingmyashoff.wordpress.com/2013/03/22/fund-raising/  or donate directly here: https://metfamily.ejoinme.org/MyPages/AgencyDonations/tabid/191656/Default.aspx  (donation category = other, direct my donation to = oliver bikes).

This is going to be a charity race for Janus Youth Programs. The entry fee is a donation of:
~ 5 pairs of new or lightly used socks (the most sought after commodity in youth homeless shelters); OR
~ 5 boxes of bandages/band-aids; OR
~ $10 cash donation and we’ll go buy the supplies ourselves.

We have sponsors lined up that are graciously providing sick prizes for the top finishers in both men’s and women’s categories. Just who you ask? We will let it be known soon enough, don’t you worry.

Meet at Woodlawn City Park on NE Dekum just west of NE 13th Ave at 4:00pm. You will experience excitement at Woodlawn, then depart for multiple checkpoints throughout North Portland!

On to the nitty-gritty: This is a charity race to benefit the Oregon Food Bank. Spectators get in free, racers must donate at least 4 non-perishable food items or $10. The race begins at NORMANDALE PARK on NE 57th and Halsey St. shortly after 3pm. The start line and registration are in the center of the park at the covered picnic area. This covered brick will serve as the finish, reception area, dance floor, stage, stable, and verbal stoning arena.

Your mission will be to navigate quickly(race) and safely(race) to an undisclosed location(another park) and perform a myriad of tasks. When done in order, these tasks will give you the impression you are a cyclocross racer racing on a cyclocross course. You will appear to be having fun and exercising at the same time. On-lookers will appear to be cheering for you and/or heckling you mercilessly, I’ll let you decide. Once done racing on said “cyclocross” course(3+ laps, 1mi per lap), you will need to “haul it” back to Normandale Park asap to claim your triumphant victory or ego-shattering defeat. There will be categories for men and women (maybe several per gender depending on turnout). Feel free to RSVP on the Facebook event page.

There will be prizes (for winners and some losers)! Many of you will be rewarded for your hard work, I swear… The value probably won’t be anywhere near equal to the difficulty of the task, but rest assured you’ll feel rewarded just for trying, maybe. To reiterate, actual physical prizes with a monetary value will be put in your hands for participating in this event on the date and time of this event, but the feeling of personal accomplishment, you may not experience for months or even years to come.

You are responsible for your own food, alcohol, support, repairs, transportation, and general safety and well being. We are simply providing a playground, a loose set of rules or “guidelines” if you will, and prizes. We are doing this for Charity and to have some good ‘ol muddy fun. Of course, if you do get injured volunteers will certainly come immediately to your aid… So long as you promise not to hold any person, business, or group of people liable for your actions as they are yours and yours alone. Actions meaning any form of participation in this race. Yours and yours alone.

Definitions:
Alleycat: informal(unsanctioned) bike race in the city usually including -but not limited to- navigating through traffic, going to multiple locations, performing “tasks” at said locations, etc.

Cyclocross: super rad all-terrain bike race (typically formal and sanctioned) that requires road and mountain bike skills -or no skills at all what so ever- and often includes navigating through (falling in/over/onto) mud, grass, hills, stairs, pits of fire, barricades, gravel, sand, sawdust, puddles, Vietnamese torture apparatuses, or anything you might see in a Indiana Jones movie (original Indiana Jones movies, not new! The new ones suck hole).

Alleycross: take the first two definitions and write them down on a piece of paper. Cut the paper into little bits and mix ‘em up. Try to spell something with the little bits but give up after 15 seconds and go do something cool: like the Camino in Spain or ride that train across Siberia or show up at a park with 4 cans of green beans and get into a muddy race with some bros and beat their asses for cool cycling gear. Then talk smack while wearing your cool new digs. Then go home and recycle that paper! This is Portland and people will hunt down and passive-aggressively ask you if you have a recycling bin and where its located so they can recycle their scraps of paper…

Please feel free to drop off any kids bike during operating hours and we’ll be happy to receive them.

Thank you,

Daniel