Here at Bob’s Red Mill, it seems like there are two types of cycling enthusiasts, the truly devoted and the fair weather friend. For the truly devoted, there is never really a bad time of year to tune up your bike and head out for a long ride. But for the rest of us who have been waiting for clear skies and longer days, now is the time of year to really get started biking around town again.

If you’re like me and haven’t pulled your bike out of its hiding place since last fall, chances are it might need a little bit of a tune up before you’re ready to start commuting to work again. Otherwise you might not make it very far from your house before you realize your tires are almost flat, and that people on the street are stopping to stare at you because of all the creaky squeaky noises coming from your gears. But regardless of whether it has been a few months or more than a few years since you last attempted a bike ride, if you’re in Portland, you’ll love the Portland By Cycle Campaign! They have a full schedule of free classes and group rides designed to get you back on the road again.

If you’re lucky enough to live in the green line target area this year, you can sign up online to receive a free goodie bag full of maps, coupons and transit information. I was lucky enough to live in the last year’s target area, and enjoyed getting goodies like a pedometer and a fabric bike route map

By getting your gear together and your legs ready now, you’ll be ready for all the fun and exciting biking events of summer here in the city. Two of the best ways to keep up on all the local biking news are by checking out the Bike Portland bike blog and the Bicycle Transportation Alliance website. Both are full of helpful links to important bicycle related resources, and will keep you up to date on all sorts of exciting bicycle events all summer long.