This morning the League of American Bicyclists awarded Portland with platinum level recognition as a Bicycle Friendly Community, rising from our previous gold level status. The only other city in the US with platinum level recognition is Davis, California. What better reason to get on your bike? Take a spin to celebrate and stop by Ben and Jerry's for the unrelated -but-perfectly-timed Free Cone Day! Read on for more information including biking maps, details from the city's application for platinum status, and--ok ok--the locations of Ben and Jerry's.

Google Maps has a driving directions page that already tops all the others. After all, after you enter your starting and ending addresses, you already can click the option: "Take Public Transit," and it will give you several options--even calculating the price of driving vs. the price of riding!

How was your ride? Write about it in a short message and compare notes at Velog Portland.  Like a bike computer meets a text message (in the 140 word limit familiar to users of Twitter.com), Velog capitalizes on the urge to tell your pals about your bike ride and the need to keep it short and sweet. Calling itself "the worlds simplest cycling log" Velog allows users to post on a message board open to "bike commuters, roadies, mountain bikers, cyclocrossers, randonneurs, weekend warriors, and anyone and everyone with a bicycle under their butt." If you had to google randonneur (long distance cycling) or haven't seen your bike since the leaves hit the ground, use the Velog ride descriptions as encouragement.

Sunday, February 11th, beat the band in Portland, OR, must say! Bad weather is to the Rose Festival as gorgeous climate is to the Worst Day of the Year Ride, and this year did not disappoint. And if that weren't enough, the final day of the North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS) was an ogle-fest of epic proportions.

For those who have never had the great pleasure of partaking in the most enjoyable and fun-loving organized bike ride of the year, the Worst Day of the Year Ride is a wonderful 18/40 mile urban route whose population benefits the Community Cycling Center. For those with visions of Bridge Pedal crowding dancing in your heads, please note that the ride caps at 2000.

Between the North American Handmade Bicycle Show and the Worst Day of the Year Ride, I don't know how anyone could resist not either riding or ogling our two-wheeled metallic (or bamboo) friends.

The North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS) this weekend might just be one of the most exciting events in Portland's imminent bike future.  In its fourth year as an annual national event, NAHBS 2008 will offer seminars that highlight local and national handmade bicycle manufacturers as well as the techniques used to craft mobile works of art.

Here's the whens and wheres and how muches:

(Image via Inhabitat)

The FutureFashion show has come and gone, much buzz has been created and many have something to say about, skeptics and supporters alike. An article by Lauren David Peden for Vogue shared some inspiring comments from participants, including Barney’s New York fashion director Julie Gilhart, who was instrumental in bringing together the 28 participating designers. Apparently, Julie grimaces at the phrase “eco-chic”, stating, “I hope we don’t use that word anymore. It’s just the way it should be....It’s more luxurious to really think about where your fabric comes from, about the impact of it on the environment, and about fair trade and labor issues.” Adding to the idea of this is ‘just the way it should be done’ was Rogan Gregory, the man behind Loomstate and EDUN, who pointed out that compared to even 5 or 6 years ago, finding high-quality, sustainable fabric is much easier. He tells Vogue, "Now, the demand is greater, so there are all these great fabrics available, which makes designing a lot easier. People understand that this is the way of the future….Why wouldn’t you do this?”

American auto racing and auto manufacturing, represented by NASCAR and the Big 3, have lived by the adage “Win on Sunday, sell on Monday,” since the helmetless glory days of the 50s and 60s. Back then, drivers weren’t too far removed from their moonshine running brethren who birthed the sport.

“Win on Sunday, sell on Monday,” describes the commercial benefits enjoyed by a successful racing program. That little marketing nugget rings true today as manufacturers dump hundreds of millions of dollars into auto racing and racing related marketing. If you doubt its resonance, make a mental note of how many Giants and Patriots hats, jerseys and t-shirts you see compared to that of, say, the St. Louis Rams.

It's a special week for Michigan. No, I'm not talking about the Presidential Primary but one of the World's premier automotive events. Flashing my Ecometro press credentials, I gained access to a childhood annual pilgrimage, Detroit's annual North American International Auto Show. In past years the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) has been Detroit's grand ball for the Big Three auto manufacturers. With the American auto industry on the ropes and its low-mileage-SUV-chickens "coming home to roost," this year's auto show is in many ways a celebration in new technologies. Diesels and hybrids abound. Maybe the auto industry is starting to come around.

Nothing makes some folks antsy for travel like post-holiday drizzle.  Of course, one can't just leave one's trusty two-wheeled steed at home while one traipses to points continental, so here to share a little insight into the "Art of Boxing the Bike for Air/Train Travel" is a guest snack of edifying prose from Ms. Anna Garwood:

Biofuels and the Price of Food, the Real Story

The Economist, the New York Times and publications across the country, both herald the economic benefits that biofuels are bringing to the farm belt, while bemoaning the rising price of grains, the primary source of livestock feed and food inputs in North America. Even Rogue Ales’ owner James Joyce, has had to raise the price of beer (gasp) to defer his rising cost of grain.