COMMUNITY CORNER: BICYCLE ADVOCACY

Benton County Public Works seeking input, feedback on road safety concerns

by Steve Harvey, MVBC Director at Large & Bicycle Advocate

Benton County Public Works is holding a series of open houses in early April where they'll be sharing crash data, highlighting key trends, and gathering additional feedback on safety concerns in the community. Please feel free to share these opportunities with your friends and neighbors who may be interested in talking with County/project staff about their observations and experiences. 

• April 2  |  5-7:00pm - Adair Village at the Officer's Club (6097 NE Ebony Lane, Adair Village 97330)

• April 3  |  5-7:00pm - Corvallis-Benton County Library (joint open house with Corvallis)

• April 9  |  5-7:00pm - Monroe Community Library (380 N 5th St, Monroe 97456)

They are also inviting folks to share their concerns by dropping a pin on an online map to note unsafe locations (e.g., near misses, poor visibility, unsafe speeds, confusing traffic patterns, etc.): https://publicproject.net/map/benton-county-corvallis-tsap.

The MVBC March general meeting was an information gathering zoom meeting with Benton County Public Works.  About 20 club members attended and provided feedback on area roads. In particular, the club members were asked about options for multi-modal road designations: Fern Road and Bellfountain outside of Corvallis and Springhill Drive and Independence Highway outside of Albany. 

Click the link to stay up to date on the advocacy and bicycle education work that MVBC is doing.

Filmed by Bike: Bike Love program comes to Corvallis

The Corvallis Bike Collective (CBC) is hosting Filmed by Bike at 7 p.m., May 10, at the Whiteside Theater. Starting at 7 p.m., the event includes a social hour to bring together local cyclists for a night of building community and sharing our passion for all things bike! The film showing will follow shortly a

fter the social hour.

The Filmed by Bike: Bike Love program is a diverse group of bike movies, perfect for an all-ages audience. The collection mingles short films with a few heartfelt pieces that tell stories ofhow bicycles are changing lives. This year's films include a stunning collection of fun, lightheartedmovies, as well as important stories from all over the globe.

Bike parking will be available and local beer and wine is available to purchase. Come for the community and good times!

General admission tickets are $8-10, through the Whiteside Theater.

All proceeds go to support Corvallis Bicycle Collective, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. CBC's mission is to enhance health, safety, sustainability, and happiness through bicycling. Towards this end, we're working to find ways to support and celebrate all cyclists, around our community and around the world.

For more information and to watch the trailer: www.corvallisbikes.org/filmed-by-bike

Plaid shirts, argyle socks, Fig Newtons, M&Ms and a coasting contest

A sure sign of spring: Midge Cramer Ride celebrates one of MVBC founders May 17

In our modern world of Strava segments, Ride with GPS challenges, club riding kits, a multitude of ride-fueling bars, gels and powders, sometimes it's nice to look back and appreciate some of the cycling history of the area. 

Midge Cramer taught Physical Education at OSU, including a bicycle touring class where students concluded the term by riding to South Beach for a campout. Midge,  who passed away in 1997,  was a dedicated bicycle advocate and was also one of the founders of MVBC. His nickname, Midge, stuck from an early age when he was a small guy. The name did not describe his Marine stature of his adult life. 

He was on the Oregon State Bicycle Commission and the Benton County Bicycle Commission for many years. Many bicycle friendly amenities around the state, especially in Benton County, are attributed to Cramer. The Midge Cramer multi-use path connects 53 rd Street to Reservoir Road and is an access to the Bald Hill recreation area. A park bench and commemorative plaque are located on this path.

He took groups of OSU students on regular rides through the Mid-Willamette Valley. While riding, Midge encouraged friendly competitions along the way, think Strava before the digital age, where the students would compete along certain sections of the ride. This included a coasting contest down "O'Shea Hill," along Bellfountain where the club continues this tradition with our own coasting contest. 

Midge had a signature ride kit: he wore argyle socks that his mom knitted for him and wore the same plaid shirt on all tours and many day rides. He always carried and shared Fig Newtons when he rode: the power bar of the day! At OSU, he treated the staff to peanut M&Ms: if they could guess the color of the M&M, they would get a bonus treat. He also had a good sense of humor. 

Ann Asbell, coordinator of the Midge Cramer Ride explains, "He and a student were coming down the steep hill on Western, at the west end of Philomath.  Midge very sternly reminded the student that he had to slow down for the railroad tracks.  They were riding side by side, and the student braked, as instructed.  Midge, however, accelerated, jumped the tracks, and flew down the hill.  Yes, Midge was onery."

MVBC started the annual ride in 2001. Join some of the Cramer Family and friends on May 17 for this year's ride! Riders meet at the east parking lot of Linus Pauling Middle School at 10:00 am. There will be a choice of routes, all going along the Midge Cramer Bike Path and heading towards Philomath. Mileage ranges from 20-47 miles. The longer route goes over Decker Road, with a possible extension around Smith Loop, and the short ride goes through Philomath with a possible stop at Hiatt Bakery. There is another route that is about 30% gravel. All routes return via Bellfountain Road where riders participate in a coasting contest. See MVBC.com for more information on this event, the club, and Saturday rides.

Cramer could always bring a smile to a weary biker’s face, and he had a joke or story for anyone who would listen. There are many people who enjoy bicycling because of Midge Cramer. For more information, contact Ann Asbell, ann.asbell@oregonstate.edu.

Covered Bridge Tour prepares for 46th year, Sunday August 10th

Planning is already underway for MVBC's annual fundraiser, the Covered Bridge Bicycle Tour(CBBT). The 46th annual event will be Sunday, August 10, leaving from the Linn County Expo Center (fairgrounds) in Albany. Routes include varying lengths: from the family and beginner friendly 23-mile ride to the 101-mile ride that takes riders to five covered bridges and 3,500 feet of climbing. 

The CBBT takes the efforts of more than 80 volunteers on the day of the event but also many volunteer hours prior to the event. Please contact CBBT directors  Rick Olson or Sam Stern to  help be a part of this 45-year-long tradition.

By helping with the CBBT, you will be helping to support Bicycle Education and Safety programs in the MVBC's Willamette Valley community. CBBT is also a way to earn priority registration to the club's touring options. All CBBT volunteers will also receive a free event t-shirt.

CBBT looking for volunteers

by Rick Olson, CBBT director

This is Rick Olson and you might know I'm one of the directors of the Covered Bridge Bike Tour.  But do you also know?:

  1. This summer's event on Sunday, Aug. 10 is the 46th annual, held every year since the late 1970's.

 2. It's the club's only fundraiser and is put on by about 90 volunteer club members.  Most of the funds raised go to youth bike education and safety training.

3.  In recent years, we've attracted between 400 and 600 riders from everywhere including CA, WA, OR, even as far away as the east coast.

Every year, about half of our riders are "returners", having ridden the event before.  What brings them back?  Our great routes and the friendly volunteers who provide support in multiple ways.  One way is to post sandwich board signs along the routes, giving directions to participants, but also giving vehicle drivers a heads up to watch for bicycles on the roads.  I'm looking for one or two volunteers to help us with the deployment and retrieval of these signs, starting work early in the morning on Sunday for a few hours and then again in the mid afternoon for a couple of hours.  No experience needed, we shall train.  It's not hard, but there is some physical lifting involved.  Great exercise while exploring the country roads around Lebanon and LaComb.  All for a great cause!  

To be fair, deploying road signs on Sunday might not be your "cup of tea".  So here's some other ideas:  during the week before the event, there's marking arrows on the roads, buying and sorting the food, helping transport and dust off all the gear and so on. Lots of ways to contribute, and if that sounds like something you'd like to try, just give either Sam Stern or Rick Olson an email at cbbt@mvbc.com.  

Bike Bus for Bessie Coleman scheduled for Earth Day April 22

Tyler Wilson, a 4th/5th grade teacher at Bessie Coleman is planning a 
Walk, Bike, Roll to School, for Earth Day, April 22 and is looking for volunteers. Contact tyler.wilson@corvallis.k12.or.us for more information.

To see what a "Bike Bus" in the Portland area looks like, view this short film from StreetFilms:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kT_GwQfoomw

Open Streets set for June 29

Join us on Sunday, June 29 from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. for a free street festival that re-imagines our most shared public spaces -- streets and parks. A mile of city streets between Lilly Park and Willamette Park will be opened up for people to walk, bike and roll. Here's this years route map. 

Local orgainizations and businesses will host activities in each park and along the route, including giant-sized games, local food and drink, dance, live music and more. Join in on the parade led by local funk and jazz band, DTW, leaving from Lilly Park at 11:15 a.m.

For more information, visit openstreetscorvallis.org.

Loop Tour 2025: Wheelin’ Wallowa  → Elkhorn → Blues

 by Alex Vincent, Loop Tour Committee Chair, photo by Brian Cripe

2025 Loop Tour Registration

Behind the scenes, the Loop Tour Committee has been hard at work creating routes and reserving camping spots for this summer's tour. Their hard work has paid off and priority registration for both Loop Tour 1 and Loop 2 opened April 1 and will go through April 30. 

There is a single registration fee that includes SAG support and transport of personal gear. The adult fee is $295 and the minor/student fee is $145.

Please refer to the document: http://notices.looptour.org for additional information about the 2025 tour, including the routes, registration, priority levels and fees. Those new to MVBC and Loop Tour should read the document found at http://guide.looptour.org/ for general information about our club’s loop tours.

For the best chance of securing a spot on a tour, you can and should register before April 30 regardless of volunteer status. After Priority Registration closes, the Loop Tour Committee meets to assess participation, and then an announcement is made that Open Registration has begun. Folks who are registered will receive an email

confirming that they have a spot on a tour, or if the tours are filled, that they are on the waiting list. Open registration continues until close to the starting date of the tours.

For answers to questions, email loop@mvbc.com.  

We hope to see you on Loop Tour this summer!

Highlights of the 2025 Loop Tour

Loop Tour 1: July 12-20

Loop Tour 2: July 26- Aug 3

In the summer of 2025 MVBC’s Loop Tours are wheelin’ back to the Wallowas, to explore new territory and this year’s tour also adds new miles in the Elkhorn Range.

The nine-day tours will start in Baker City and travel counterclockwise to Halfway, Ollokot Campground, and Wallowa State Park. Following a layover day at Wallowa State Park, we will continue to the Wallowa River Wayside, Grande Hot Springs Resort, and then up to Anthony Lake Campground and on to Union Creek Campground past Sumpter for our last night.

The riding surface is nearly 100% paved. The distance varies from 20-54 miles per day with an average mileage of 42 miles per day. The total mileage is 336. The daily elevation gain varies from 215 to 5232 feet with an average of 2658 feet. The total elevation gain is 21,260 ft.

We will be camping in US Forest Service campgrounds, an Oregon State campground, a private campground, a school and a wayside. All camp spots have water and toilets and most have showers. At least one group meal is provided, otherwise food is the responsibility of the participant. Two SAG vehicles will support riders and transport personal gear.

MVBC Touring - Plans for 2025

MVBC members love to ride bikes and camp out together.  We have a full schedule of tours planned for this year. These are all posted on the calendar at https://calendar.mvbc.com . (It may be easiest to change the calendar view to month.) There are both road and gravel. long and short tours for every level of rider. We hope you'll consider joining us on one of these tours. Look for registration announcements sent out via the MVBC-Announce email list. Go to touring.mvbc.com for more information on all of our tours

May 19-21 Columbia Gorge Campout: Eagle Creek hub & spoke tour

Camp at the scenic Eagle Creek Overlook group campground and do out and back rides or hikes each day.

May 31-June 1 Brownsville Overnight

One-night, weekend, self supported tour to Brownsville Pioneer Park. It's a great way to get ready for the touring season.

June 6-9 Camp Sherman Gravel Camp: hub & spoke tour

Join us for up to three nights of camping and four days of riding in the Camp Sherman area. Our campground reservations are for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. Our organized group rides will occur on Saturday and Sunday. You may ride on your own on Friday and Monday.

July 12-20,  Wheelin’ Wallowa  → Elkhorn → Blues  Loop Tour #1:  & July 26-August 3, Loop Tour #2: 

Loop Tour is an annual nine-day cycling & camping tour. Loop Tour started in 1976! Come and be a part of a long tradition. This year features a return to the Wallowas and an addition of some new areas.

August 22-23: Gravel Camp with GEARs: hub & spoke

Join us for a weekend of camping with a group of like-minded gravel riders from Eugene.  This year we will be at one of the nicest campgrounds on the Oregon Coast, Honeyman State Park just south of Florence. In partnership with the Eugene GEARs.

September 25-28 Coast Range Gravel Adventure

Gravel and low traffic roads make this 4-day, 3-night bikepacking adventure in the Coast Range a highlight. This ride takes two days to the beach and two days back. 

October 2-6 Baker City Gravel Excursion: hub & spoke

Three days exploring the wide open possibilities of Eastern Oregon, while staying at a hostel. 

Bike Education updates: trailers updated for spring, volunteers needed

Through the years, Nancy Meitle has headed MVBC programs to provide helmets to those in need and has been MVBC's link to the bike education program for area schools. The program started as a 5th grade bike safety education program and now the current Corvallis Bike Education program spans elementary through middle school grades. In addition to members volunteering during the spring with the classes, MVBC also provides funding for a complete set up for each school district: bikes, helmets and an enclosed trailer for storing the bikes. 

Nancy reports, "This past winter, MVBC member Tim Corbet and friends, did an amazing job reconfiguring the two trailers used at the elementary level. It will really help staff and volunteers run a safe and efficient program. Tim hopes to work on the other two trailers in the fall."

About five MVBC members came out in March to prep the bikes for the Spring Bike Ed program. They inflated tires, checked kickstands and ensured each trailer had the cones and other supplies that are needed for the program. Nancy Meitle took charge of the power washer: preparing the trailers for the new decals that will be installed. Rob Upson, MVBC bicycle advocate, gave some much-needed elbow grease to the trailers. 

Click here for a more detailed history of MVBC's bike education program.

Spring Bike Ed for K-5

Corvallis School District Bike Ed Coordinator, Cassie Minot is a new MVBC member and will be sharing information about upcoming Bike Ed Volunteer opportunities. Working in the schools does require an up-to-date background check with the Corvallis School District, find the application here. These background checks do take a few weeks so get yours in early to participate with the Bike Ed Volunteer opportunities.

Here's a message from Cassie:

Hi! My name is Cassie Minot. I’m a new MVBC member and the Corvallis School District Bike Ed Coordinator. At the end of March we’ll be starting the spring sessions of the K-5 Bike Education program at the remaining five elementary schools.

We have some upcoming Bike Ed Volunteer opportunities:
In addition to assisting PE teachers during classes, here are some other ways to get involved:

District Office Work Parties:  I hope to organize a work party in June before we store the bikes for the year. [no volunteer background check required]

Maintenance Sessions:  This spring, I’ll be hosting short after-school bike maintenance sessions at Corvallis elementary schools. These sessions will give students more hands-on experience with bike maintenance while also addressing necessary repairs. With more than 80 bikes in the elementary school fleet, there’s plenty to keep us busy!

I’d love your help. You can choose to work directly with students (and/or review their work—please register as a district volunteer) or focus on bikes that require more involved maintenance.

Weather permitting, we’ll work outside, but if it rains or if gym bikes need extra attention, we’ll move indoors.

Elementary School sessions: After school dismissal (which is 2:30p on M-Th  or 1:30 p.m. on Fridays), we’ll run 45-minute sessions to check bikes for issues and focus on specific maintenance areas (e.g., tires, brakes, chain, contact points, shifters, etc.). Originally I had thought of doing a session every week on Friday, but I’m scaling this back to one session per school. 

Middle School Fridays: After middle school dismissal (2:30 p.m.), we may use a similar process to maintain the middle school bike fleets. This is contingent on when the MS teachers schedule their programs.

If you’re interested in helping, please complete a Corvallis School District volunteer application as soon as possible. The background check takes a few weeks or more, but once completed it is valid for two school years.

Select the District Office location for district-wide bike education if you want updates on opportunities at all participating schools and work parties at the District Office. If you'd rather focus on helping at specific schools, you can instead select just those locations.

If you’ve already completed the background check, please update your volunteer profile to include the Bike Ed activity. To do this, see the instructions below.  

Spring K-5 Bike Ed & Maintenance Schedules

Franklin: March 31 – April 11

bike maintenance: Wed, April 9  2:40 - 3:30 p.m.

Kathryn Jones Harrison (Jefferson)

April 14 – April 29*

bike maintenance: Friday, April 25, 1:40-2:30 p.m.

Garfield: April 30 – May 13

bike maintenance: Friday, May 9, 1:40-2:30 p.m.

Adams: May 14 – May 28**

bike maintenance: Friday, May 23, 1:40-2:30 p.m

Mountain View: May 29 – June 11

bike maintenance: Thursday, June 5, 2:40-3:30 p.m.

* No bike education classes on April 17–18 due to Teacher-Parent Conferences.
** The Memorial Day holiday (May 27) will interrupt this program.

Please let me know if you have any questions, need help with the volunteer application process, or encounter any issues updating your existing volunteer profile. 

Feel free to share this email with anyone else who might be interested in supporting the CSD bike education program.

Thank you for your support!

Best regards,
Cassie

Bottle Drop offers Earth Week bonus, continues to provide funds for club programs

by Lindsay Parker, MVBC member

I want to add to this information about participating in our BottleDrop GIVE program, with news of the 5th Annual Earth Week Give campaign, that will be happening the week of Earth Day. During this week, BottleDrop will be contributing a 20% Match for all qualifying Blue Bag returns between April 15th - 26th. These Match Funds will be directly deposited into MVBC's account on May 19th. 

So this will be a great opportunity to make each bag count even more! One strategy is to hold onto your full Blue Bags from now until the week of the Matching Funds...April 15th - 26th...and turn them in then. Only if anyone has an extra large quantity, would you need to let me know so that I can make an appointment for a good time to drop off.

Thank you all again for supporting this important program, which is simultaneously helping us be good Earth stewards and raising funds for MVBC's valuable programs and activities. In 2024, an impressive $4,432 was raised by our Blue Bag donations, and that was via 618 individual bag drops!!...it truly does take a village, and your continuing participation is making a real impact, one Blue Bag at a time!! 

More about Bottle Drop GIVE

by Peter Wendell, MVBC member

Did you know that simply collecting and redeeming cans has become one of the most effective fundraising efforts for our club? Thanks to the vision and dedication of Lindsay Parker, our can deposit program has turned empty beverage containers into real financial support for MVBC’s programs.

It’s easy to participate! Pick up a blue deposit bag from Lindsay's house, fill it with eligible cans, and drop it off at the redemption center. You just scan the barcode on the blue bag and drop the bag inside after the door opens. Every deposit adds up, directly benefiting our club’s efforts in cycling advocacy and bike safety education.

New Markings on Deposit Cans

If you've noticed a change in the way deposit cans are labeled, you’re not alone. Instead of relying solely on printed labels, many cans now have their deposit information embossed on the lid. 

This means:
 No more worrying about worn-off printed labels!
 Easier identification of deposit-eligible cans.

This new system is being applied to a wider range of canned beverages, including:

• Carbonated waters like LaCroix and Spindrift
• Juices like V8 and fruit juices

So, keep an eye out and make sure those eligible cans make it into the deposit bag instead of the trash!

A Big Thanks to Lindsay!

This program wouldn't be what it is today without Lindsay Parker’s inspired idea and hard work. If you see Lindsay, be sure to give her a well-earned thank you for making such a simple act into a powerful fundraiser for the club!

Let’s keep up the momentum—grab a bag, fill it up, and support MVBC! 

If you need bags, reach out to Lindsay via her email for directions to her house and the bench outside where the bags are waiting for you.