Bikes, gorgeous landscape, delicious food and beer all make Portland great, which is why you know you don't want to miss Portland's premier century ride that combines all of those features into one incredible ride. The ride also offers top-notch support with rest stops at least every 15 miles, full mechanical support at every rest stop, medical riders on the course, ride-along mechanics on bikes by your side and incredible food at the rest stops.

As for the food, The Portland Century isn't a peanut butter and jelly ride (though you'll probably find that supplemental nourishing option at some of the stops); they're stocking rest stops with strawberry shortcake, Hot Lips pizza, deli sandwiches, pasta salad and much more. Food options vary by route. The finish line is a gourmet salmon dinner cooked on site under the tree canopy of the Portland State University gardens and it includes free beer. Yeah, you might actually gain weight on this ride.

Three route options make The Portland Century just right for varying skill levels. Register in advance and you'll save big, and guarantee your slot on this ride that is poised to sell out. The ride is capped to ensure ample quantities of that great food on course. In-store registration is open until Sunday at midnight.

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This is an ORbike member event. If you're an ORbike member, register online and you'll save $10 and you'll get a free sports massage at the finish line.

( Register now ) ( More info )

Watch the area's fastest cyclists compete for the region's biggest purse in the Portland Twilight Criterium, presented by Subaru, tonight downtown. The course surrounds the North Park Blocks of downtown Portland, creating an island oasis of 360-degree race viewing. This year the event is starting early with the food court, beer garden and a special Oregon Manifest preview show opening at 4:00pm. You can check out unique bikes from some of Oregon's best builders, including Metrofiets cargo bikes, Vanilla and Chris King/Cielo and learn what's in store (a lot) for Oregon Manifest '09.

Criteriums are exciting especially as the clock winds down and the race heats up. You can get close enough to the action to feel the wind from racers rushing by as they complete each half-mile lap in just over one minute.

Pack a picnic or visit the food vendors and grab a seat on the grass for one of Portland's most thrilling downtown events. Racing begins at 6:30pm. Bike parking (bring a lock) is available. This event is free.

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This is an ORbike member event. If you're an ORbike member, you'll be treated to the VIP lounge for premier viewing, food and free beer.

( More info ) ( Schedule )

Get all dogged up and take a biking tour of all three Lucky Lab breweries. This ride was wildly popular in its inaugural year last year, and we can only assume it's going to be a howling good time this year.

Dogs are welcome, and get ready for some cute puppy action on course with dogs in trailers, crates and tiniest little guys riding shotgun in handlebar baskets! And because all dogs love the dog park, this ride is best ridden with a big group of your friends so you can take pictures and make fun of each other wearing dog noses, dog collars and whooping it up in support of Dove Lewis emergency animal hospital.

The ride starts at the Lucky Lab Northwest this year. Choose from two route options, The Puppy (18 miles) or The Big Dog (40 miles with extreme climbing in the west hills).

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This is an ORbike member event. If you're an ORbike member, register online and you'll save $5 and you'll get a free beer or soda at the finish line.

( Register ) ( More info )

Oh what a summer of biking it has been so far, and Sunday Parkways has been an integral part of it for many of you. After a jam-packed successful first year in 2008, this year the City of Portland decided to host three separate events to open the streets.

The response, and activities, have been overwhelming. Dancing, karate, workshops, roller blading, skate boarding, walking, strolling, jogging and of COURSE biking have been taking place all along the wide open expanses of streets. The course is a carfree zone, allowing everyone to enjoy the street without traffic woes.

The final 2009 Sunday Parkways event is Sunday, August 16th in SE Portland (there will be plenty more in 2010). The circuit is a two-way 9 mile route. The roads are closed until 4pm, which gives you ample time to roll through after you've completed the Portland Century.

( More info ) ( Map )

At many of the rides this summer that are ORbike member-discount events, spud!'s organic produce has been there to fuel you along the way. Throughout the year, spud! delivers produce and groceries right to your door while supporting local small-scale farmers and producers. When you get your groceries from spud! you can ensure that your purchase is directly supporting local and organic agriculture

Their method is pretty great for cyclists. You simply go online, pick out exactly what you want from their wide variety of products, including 100% organic produce, and wait for your delivery to your home or office in a reusable bin. With spud! there is no set price - you can order as much or as little as you like. Also, spud! is the first and only retailer to measure and publish "food miles" which let you know the distance each product travels before reaching spud!'s warehouse. spud! is also carbon neutral and reduces individual car trips to the grocery store. The number of car trips avoided by each delivery van carrying an average of 60 orders is up to 120. You can make one of those 60 orders your own when you join spud!.

( More info ) ( How it works )

PC CHALLENGE | August 16 - Portland
The PC Challenge offers you a chance to ride the Portland Century while raising support for prostate cancer, a disease that will affect approximately 232,000 men this year.


BiKETOBERFEST | September 19 - Portland Let's just say that a gigantic, free party to celebrate the end of the summer season is coming to Hopworks Urban Brewery - but really we're not yet ready to talk about "end of summer"! We'll tell you more in due time, but because we can't reisit here's the insider scoop for you faithful ORbike readers: five live bands, the Sprockettes, a Bike Shop Challenge Rodeo, Goldsprints roller races, flatlander and BMX trick riders, happy hour prices all day and much more. Bikes only, no cars allowed.

( More info - PC Challenge ) ( BiKETOBERFEST on Twitter @HopworksBikes )