Alice Lifts Off

ast your eye down this incredible list of top-notch nominees, and tell us we don't live in Bike Nirvana. Take a moment to bask in their glow, and if you bump into any of these worthy souls, give them some much-deserved love.

AL DENSMORE

In 1973 the Bear Creek Greenway was formally created in the state legislature out of a bill that enabled Jackson County to plan and acquire land for the trail, and the year ODOT built 3.4 miles of trail through the City of Medford. The Bear Creek Greenway has been completed in segments over the last 37 years and now spans 17 miles from Ashland to Central Point. Any project of this magnitude has a long list of advocates and staff that helped make it happen, but there is one particular name which deserves large, bold font - Al Densmore. It was a bill that Al sponsored as a young state representative in 1973 that took the greenway from a great idea to a great reality. It was Al's leadership that helped make the BOB a reality. He is far too humble to agree, but some would argue that there would be no Bear Creek Greenway without Al Densmore. The bridge over Barnett, which will be a huge benefit to the greenway and to the City of Medford, is a result of Al's leadership and dedication to the trail, and it is for this reason that Al deserves an Alice Award.

ALIX LAND

Alix Land had always been a recreational bike rider, but she really got into the sport when she saw her friend and neighbor, Brian Reynolds, training for Reach the Beach back in 2003. As it turned out, Brian had a very rare form of cancer that had gone to his lungs. She was so impressed by his positive attitude and what appeared to be his effortless, but substantial, fundraising that she took it as a personal challenge to do the same. Alix has been riding in Reach the Beach ever since, and has raised over $10,000 in the years she’s been riding. Last year she was the top fundraiser for Reach the Beach.

ASHLEY MITCHELL

Ashley Mitchell is an emerging star in Portland’s cycling constellation. A teacher, ride leader, mechanic, photographer, and champion volunteer, Ashley’s enthusiasm and irrepressible energy is behind so much of what makes Portland’s bicycling scene incredible. Wielding a wrench and a camera, Ashley’s bicycle activism is understated but powerful. An accomplished educator, she has taught bike safety in every single program at the Community Cycling Center. She co-teaches Basic and Intermediate Bike Maintenance Classes, empowers kids in after-school Bike Clubs, and encourages those newest to cycling at the Holiday Bike Drive. She creates inclusive and meaningful opportunities for individuals new to cycling. She collaboratively founded 2 Hot 4 Handlebars, a non-competitive ladies’ touring club with a “leave no rider behind” philosophy. As an apprentice at CityBikes Cooperative, she helped establish regular women’s repair nights. With the grace and confidence with which she leads a gaggle of Bike Club kids, Ashley calmly leads the way to a more inclusive and fun-loving two-wheeled community.

BEAVERTON BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE

The nine members of the Beaverton Bicycle Advisory Committee devote their time and effort to promote bicycle safety and recreation within the City of Beaverton, Metro's second-largest city. For the past two summers the Committee has organized "Bike Beaverton", a family-oriented recreational ride through the streets of Beaverton led by Mayor Denny Doyle. The third summer will feature the biggest ride yet, with an extended route and up to 1,000 attendees.

BEND'S COMMUNITY BIKESHED

A little over a year ago, Bend’s Community BikeShed (BCB) began as a service-learning project for the Heart of Oregon Corps. The BCB has now developed into a community-wide program that serves the needs of the homeless, low-income individuals, and anyone who wants to learn how to repair and maintain their own bicycle. The program is staffed entirely by dedicated volunteers and operates under the umbrella of Bend's nonprofit Community Center. The BCB provides bike valet services for local events, provides skills training for youth, maintains the fleet of bikes used for Safe Routes to School education, resells refurbished bikes and provides free bike vouchers to partner agencies, and conducts repairs on-site at area homeless shelters in addition to accepting walk-in clients three days a week.

BIKE TEMPLE

We have Shift for bike fun, BikePortland for news, and the BTA for activism - the Bike Temple blends all three in an accepting, constructive, positive, and belief-based group that can bring in old and young, funnists and activists, fierce believers and the bike-curious. The Bike Temple has grown from an idea to a ride and now to a physical space where people gather for Thanksgiving dinner, indoor minibike cyclocross, and a free wrenchit shop. These folks really want to make biking a better place. With their fingers in the alternative activism of transcon PDX and huge support to the BTA's Build It rally, their money is where their mouth is and where the rubber meets the road.

BUD RICE

Bud Rice has spent thousands of hours leading hundreds of bike rides around the Portland Metro area. He has done this consistently, over many years, under the auspices of the Portland Wheelmen Touring Club, although membership in the club has never been a prerequisite to join any of the rides. His routes vary, and he seems to have an internal GPS for figuring the best way to get somewhere by bike. The rides therefore attract a lot of new riders, or people getting back into the activity. He deserves to be recognized for his many years of service, helping ease riders into the sport.

CATHERINE CIARLO

Catherine Ciarlo is a trailblazer and a true bike community heroine. As Executive Director of the BTA, she took the organization from grassroots to true power player, increasing membership and budget, adding staff, and in general, laying the groundwork for the success the BTA enjoys today. As Transportation Director for Mayor Sam Adams, her advocacy for bikes and the critical role they play in a sustainable future has only increased in its effectiveness. From pushing through the city's first cycle track and buffered bike lanes -- and many other bike-friendly facilities -- to integrating bikes deeply into the city's Portland Plan and Climate Action Now plan, she is our champion in city hall. Neither the city nor the BTA would be where we are today without her.

COMMUNITY CYCLING CENTER

The Community Cycling Center has been serving the community since 1994 with innovative programs designed to build community, using bicycles as "tools for empowerment and vehicles for change." What began as an idea to help children in NE Portland in a run-down space with boarded up windows and one bike stand has blossomed into a full professional bike shop and a nonprofit organization with nearly 20 employees and 8,000 community supporters! From its humble beginnings, the CCC now offer year round programs for low-income youth and adults, as well as bicycle services that address the needs of the community. Throughout the CCC’s fifteen-plus years of life, it has evolved and changed to best meet the changing needs of the community; that commitment to build a safe, sustainable, and healthy community has been unwavering.

EGON DUBOIS

Where to start?  He is an awesome role model, full of integrity with a commitment that shines so bright.  He has instilled safety awareness in me in a way that doesn't even have a cool factor - being alive and safe is cool, not wearing black at night!  He is completely accessible and always available to help (including offering great deals on his expansive bike parts collection and placing wholesale orders).  He has tireless energy for the bike community, be bridges the bike cultures and acts as a liaison if needed.  He always has an eye open for hazards to cyclists and knows who to call and how often to keep calling to rectify the situation.  He looks out for everyone, he embodies the bike community, he is our humble/modest leader!  He volunteers countless hours to bike causes, events and enthusiasts.  He is the fairy godfather to all the kids who have ever passed through his classes - when he sees them around town he does not hesitate to compliment them if is he sees them riding safely or to check them if they could be doing something differently to be more safe. His gift and passion for maintaining bicycles, teaching classes, attending public meetings, coordinating bike rides, fitting bicycles, etc. is a catalyst for people to improve their transportation habits. He models positive change and reminds each of us that we can make a difference one bike ride at a time.

IAN STUDE

Ian is the guiding hand behind PSU's bike program, which has seen massive success in the past couple years in cutting the number of students who drive alone to campus from from 44 percent in 1997 to 25 percent in 2009. Stude pushed the university to invest in biking, leading to the unveiling of a new, much-expanded campus bike co-op this year and $200,000 in new bike parking. Plus, he's an awesome, diligent guy and a good story teller.

JEFF SMITH

Jeff is as close a thing as Portland has to bicycle saint.  He has literally dedicated his entire adult life, both professional and personal, to furthering the cause of cycling.  It all began when, as a new graduate from PSU, Jeff found a part-time temporary job with a strange little back room anomaly known as the PDOT bike program. Since then Jeff has held a whole slew of positions to advance bicycling in Portland: working at ODOT as the official roaming sweeper-upper of the then brand new I-205 bike path, taking tar and feathers from Irvington residents on the first Knott Street bike lane project, starting a polite, but unrelenting multi-year fight with Portland Public Schools to install bike parking on their campuses, and more. He was among the first people charged with ensuring that bike parking standards were being implemented and he was the first person in charge of the city’s bike locker program. Almost all Portland bike maps in use today were created in whole or in part by Jeff; he is responsible for the City’s current internet-based regional recreational bike routes site; and he is the creator of the much celebrated and increasingly sought after Portland bike map scarf.

JIM PARSONS

Jim lives in Beaverton and is passionately involved in bike advocacy work throughout the region, including Beaverton, Tigard, Tualatin and Portland. He is a reliable attendee of Bicycle Advisory Committee and city meetings in each of the above-mentioned cities, providing important input to policy makers about bike safety issues and bringing attention to troublesome spots along bike routes. City maintenance crews can count on Jim to let them know when an unsafe storm grate or pothole is likely to eat a bike wheel, when an overgrown tree needs pruning, or when a section of the road needs repainting or repaving.

JOCELYN SYCIP

As Executive Director of Oregon Manifest, Jocelyn was instrumental in building the celebratory exhibition into the overwhelming success that it was this past fall. Under her leadership, we enjoyed 6 bike-tastic weekends that showcased the many beautiful facets of cycling culture so unique to our state. Her contribution to our community through the Manifest made a substantial impact on a wide range of riders, from families that were allowed to test ride cargo bikes to the designers that had the ability to showcase their art during the Constructor's Challenge. Because of her hard work, the Oregon Manifest is the principle bicycle cultural summit in the United States.

JONATHAN MAUS

Bikeportland.org is nationally and internationally relevant and powerful in the active transportation environment that continues to see an increase in the number of groups and movements. While it is unifying, the online blog has enhanced the cycling community and has created a forum where everyone can join in and voice their opinion too.

LAKE STRONGHEART McTIGHE

Lake spearheads the Active Transportation program at Metro. She has worked tirelessly to raise the awareness of active transportation as an important component of the overall transportation system. She has taken the Blue Ribbon Committee for Trails and built it into a strong advocacy group of business and community leaders. In 2009, Lake was the project lead for Metro's TIGER grant program, which sought $98 million in federal funding to build bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure in Hillsboro, N/NE Portland, Clackamas County, and a trail that will someday reach Mt. Hood.

A mother of one who has not owned a car for years, Lake is a passionate advocate for healthier communities and for a more balanced transportation system.

MARK LANSING

Mark, an attorney by trade, has been a bicycle rider and advocate in southern Oregon for well over 20 years and a member of the Grants Pass bikeways committee for over 15 years. His advocacy is passionate, persistent, and persuasive as he pushes the city to keep building more and better bicycling facilities. He successfully advocated for the city to carve out a 3-foot section from the middle of speed bumps in two of our local city parks so that cyclists can pass smoothly. He has been instrumental in getting the more bikeways along the Rogue River and he helped make the footbridge across the Rogue River a reality. Thanks to Mark, we now have a bike path under the Caveman Bridge and one near Baker Park. Mark raises awareness of cycling issues by writing letters to the editor of our local newspaper, and he has opened a dialogue with the local city police in an effort to raise their awareness of the problems cyclists face out on the road. As an attorney, Mark represents cyclists who have been injured and/or wrongly charged in traffic collisions. He has collaborated with Ray Thomas, a well-known bicycle attorney, on many of these cases. Mark has been working quietly in Southern Oregon for years on these cycling issues and he deserves some well-earned recognition for all of his efforts!

MATT ARNOLD

Matt has been a member of the City's Bicycle Advisory Committee for a number of years and currently serves as chair. In his professional work as an urban planner, he travels throughout Oregon and the US to make sure his projects respect the unique needs of bicyclists and pedestrians. He has been part of critical transportation projects throughout the City of Portland, Of course, he is also a committed bicycle commuter, bicycling into work througout the year - rain or shine. In the year he organized the Bicycle Commute Challenge at SERA Architects, the organization had over 90% participation and logged more than 75% of their daily commute trips by bike. Not bad for an organization of over 90 people!

MIA BIRK

As the City of Portland's Bicycle Program Manager, Mia Birk led Portland's transformation to the country's most bicycle friendly city by writing and helping to implement the 1996 Bicycle Master Plan. She has been involved with the leadership of the BTA, the Community Cycling Center, and Cycle Oregon. She recently wrapped up the 2030 Bicycle Master Plan, and she is a relentless advocate for all things related to the bicycle. Her influence extends beyond Portland; as CEO & Principal at Alta Planning + Design, she leads the nation's leading firm specializing in bicycle, pedestrian, and trail planning, design, and implementation. She's also helping develop the next generation by teaching bicycle and pedestrian planning as Adjunct Professor at Portland State University and founder of PSU's Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI).

MICHAEL WETTER

Mike conceived of the Metro Council's Blue Ribbon Committee for trails and wrote the successful grant applications to the Marshall Fund Trans-Atlantic Partnership and the Oregon Community Foundation, which enabled a team of Portland area officials to make an inspection trip of bike facilities in Copenhagen and Amsterdam and then a reciprocal team of Europeans to visit Portland to coach us. Mike is also the prime mover behind the Intertwine, the new organizational coalition promoting the region's system of parks, trails and natural areas. Without his inspiration and steady effort, these two significant Metro Council initiatives would not have gotten going.

MICHELLE POYOUROW

Michelle is a talented and charismatic advocate whose work as an advocate and educator at the BTA has had a sweeping impact on the bike community in Portland and in Oregon. Over the past five years, Michelle has shared her collaborative spirit and passion for bicycling and bike-friendly communities, her extensive and unmatched knowledge about bike advocacy issues ranging from infastructure to safety and enforcement to education and encouragement, and her unique grasp of the political landscape to become a credible and convincing presence with any audience. In February, at Michelle's urging, hundreds of grassroots advocates, business leaders, families, daily commuters, mildly curious commuteres, engineers, police officers even people who "don't care about bikes" rallied City Council to adopt and fund the Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030. She was also recently recognized as Honorary Portland Police Officer!

NAN STARK

Nan Stark has used her bike as her main means of transportation fromt SE 54th to her job as a city planner in downtown Portland for the past 15 years (at least). Along with her full-time job at the City she is an active member of CISPES, (Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador). She has lived and worked in El Salvador ensuring the people a fair election. Every week she rides her bike to take care of her two granddaughters. Nan walks the walk of sustainability.

PAUL ADKINS

Over the past three years Paul has helped to redefine the bike advocacy movement in Eugene. Paul served as GEARs Board President during a transition that could have been very contentious as Eugene Bicycle Coalition and the Greater Eugene Area Riders club merged into one. His strong vision of what an advocacy and recreational organization could do with greater strength in numbers and better effectiveness with vision and goals brought an important energy to the effort.

PORTLAND SUNDAY PARKWAYS TEAM

In 2008, Linda Ginenthal, Rich Cassidy and Janis McDonald brought the first successful Sunday Parkways to the United States. In conjunction with the International Car Free Conference, 15,000 north Portland residents walked, strolled, rollerbladed and, of course, biked 6 miles of streets open to people and closed to cars. Following this outstanding success, three Sunday Parkways in north, northeast and southeast Portland neighborhoods with 15,000, 22,000, and 25,000 fun-loving, active participants were planned and executed in 2009. The program continues to grow with five events planned in 2010. Ginenthal, Cassidy and McDonald work with the City of Portland Transportation Options Division.

PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS/AEG

This year’s nomination of the Portland Trail Blazers and Rose Quarter management firm AEG stems from their efforts to make the team and district the most-bike friendly in basketball. The Blazers have a connection to Portland’s bike community that spans back as far as Bill Walton, one of the team’s most celebrated bike enthusiasts. Today, led by the Trail Blazers’ Basketball Outreach Director Ian Jaquiss and Rose Quarter Director of Property Management Justin Zeulner, the team is making it easier and more convenient to bike to games and enlisting the help of players like Jerryd Bayless to get more people riding in the first place. Star player Brandon Roy has said that his morning bike ride is his favorite times of the day. Earlier this year, the US Green Building Council certified the Rose Garden LEED Gold – a milestone in the greening of sports, according to the NRDC – in part because of the team’s efforts to encourage active transportation. Fans that regularly bike to games will enjoy more parking, better signage and designated covered areas for bike parking. In addition, they’ve worked to make the third annual Bike-to-Blazers game the biggest to-date, partnering with organizations like the BTA and advocates like Jonathan Maus of Bike Portland to make it a success. The goal is to encourage fans to see biking to games as more than just a one-time event.

RICHARD HUGHES

Richard Hughes has single-handedly created GEARs’ Bike Rewards program, through which bicyclists arriving by bike at over 30 local businesses—including all of the bike shops in Eugene—receive a discount. Thanks largely to the Bike Rewards Program, membership in GEARs (Greater Eugene Area Riders) has doubled, resulting in a larger pool of energized cyclists to draw upon for GEARs projects. Richard also brought together a private donor and the staff at the Lane Events Center to install covered bike parking that has been sorely needed for decades, but for which there was never enough money. As the treasurer of GEARs, Richard has discovered a steady stream of ways to make more money available to GEARs for projects benefitting bicyclists in Eugene. Richard is literally worth his weight in gold to bicycling in Eugene-Springfield!

SEAN HUTCHINSON

Sean does an awesome job serving on the Kerns Neighborhood Association Board as bike advocate. In his position Sean has:
Coordinated the SE Uplift Grant for Bike Awareness and Safety in Kerns; Distributed 300 helmets from Trauma Nurses Talk Tough program; Hosted a live music event and Bike Gallery tune-up tent at the SE Sunday Parkways; Distributed 50 bike lights in coordination with Portland Police Bureau in November at SE 28th and Ankeny; Worked with businesses and PBOT on installation of 8 bike corral street parking installations in Kerns Neighborhood; Advocated and testified in support of Twenties Bikeways (the highest endorsed proposal of Metro’s Regional Flexible Funding) during call for public input; Maintained bike blog during his year as Tour-de-Fat commuter; Served as OPB’s representative to the Bike Commuter Challenge for several years running; Improved safety at Sunnyside school by working with city and administration to get additional crosswalks after an accident happened there; More!

SLATE OLSON

Slate is an energetic and effective ambassador and steward of both the commerce and culture of Oregon cycling. As the General Manager of Rapha's North American operations, Slate exports Portland's ideas and magic around the world (ex. Gentlemen's Rides, blog, Embrocation publication, Vaux Swift jersey, etc). On the home front, he continues to feed our precious resource at a grass roots level with his tireless and direct support of local framebuilders, Oregon Manifest, Cross Crusade, and more. Slate is a rare bird who pours effort into making cycling a viable and attractive option for everyone while also designing a company and products that embody the romance and theater of cycling at its highest level.

SUSAN KUBOTA

Words that come to mind when thinking of Susie Kubota include "passionate," "eloquent," "thoughtful," and "inspiring." A founding member of We Are All Traffic, Susie was instrumental in the We Are All Traffic Rally that took place Nov. 2007 in response to the deaths of Tracy Sparling - Susie's niece - and Brett Jarolimak. As a result, Portland's Transportation and Police Bureaus began to work on what eventually became the Community Policing Agreement. Two months later, in January 2008, Susie advocated in support of the Safe, Sound and Green Streets proposal. Over the past few years, Susie has become a regular presence in discussions that involve road sharing and safety for cyclists and pedestrians.

SUSAN REMMERS

During the four years that Susan Remmers served as Executive Director of the Community Cycling Center, she has been instrumental in bringing the organization to the level of success it enjoys today. In that time she has strengthened the financial position, provided critical career development for key individuals, honored and respected staff, and positioned the organization for strategic success. Her leadership and encouragement have been inspirational. She leaves this organization strong and focused on the future.

URBANMAMAS

As a group and as individuals, the four founders of Portland's urbanMamas - Sarah Gilbert, Hau Hagedorn, Shetha Nolke, and Olivia Rebanal - have been instrumental in changing the culture of our city's bike scene from one focused on young, childless bicyclists and solo commuters to an inclusive community of families and individuals who are helping to raise the next generation of bicyclists -- and are changing the behavior of Portland families every day. Leading by example, together the four women have amassed thousands of miles hauling two or three children each, groceries, chicken feed and library books; organized multi-family camping trips by bike; braved rain and snow and naptime and tantrums; and encouraged other mothers and fathers to ride with their children, too.