Pedal Portland: 25 Easy Rides for Exploring the City by Bike

by | May 22, 2014 | Archived Reviews (pre-April 2020), Portland Publishers, Sports & Recreation, Travel

PedalPortlandInvaluable Guide to Make Bike Riding Accessible for All

5stars

By Todd Roll
Timber Press, $16.95, 224 pages

Pedal Portland: 25 Easy Rides for Exploring the City by Bike is a compact bike Bible loaded with tips for safe trips throughout Portland. There are 25 different rides: seven of rides include downtown, northwest and the west side, eight rides are in the northeast, north of Vancouver and ten rides are in the southeast, south and east side locales. All 25 rides are numbered, information about the bike infrastructure and highlights along the route are also provided.

“Beyond the turns, you’ll learn the history, features, and other fun facts about the things you’re riding past.”

Todd Roll cleverly created a scavenger hunt with clues for each ride and provided an answer key at the end of the book. Each numbered ride contains the starting point, distance and difficulty level. Followed by detailed directions, distance for each twist and turn along with a map and route elevation key. This book is clearly written by someone who loves to ride his bike and wants to inspire others to ride and explore the different locales. Pedal Portland: 25 Easy Rides for Exploring the City by Bike is a valuable find for learning how accessible bike riding in Portland really is and for those looking to add new elements of adventure in their life.

Reviewed by Seniye Groff

On May 15th, I attended the Pedal Portland launch party  to celebrate the urban biker’s quintessential book, “Pedal Portland”.  The gathering was located in the Pedal Tours retail shop in a beautiful, old brick building in downtown Portland.  It worked out perfectly that Timber Press, the publisher of “Pedal Portland” is housed in the same building.  Todd Roll, a tall, lanky, athletic-looking guy and the author of the book, greeted me at the door.  I mentioned immediately that I loved how user-friendly the book was and was most impressed that several rides based in Beaverton were covered, since Beaverton does not come top of mind as an urban mecca for biking.

Roll’s mom carried in homemade cookies and placed them at the end of a table littered with all sorts of goodies ranging from salad rolls, cheese and crackers to hummus.  It was obvious that Roll has a following as many people sauntered into the space.  Many passed the photo booth, props and all, while marketing folks tried to get people to get on the bike and mimic a ride for a photo.  I am happy to report I was the first to hop on the bike and take a photo,after all it is for a good cause–promoting a local book from a local publishing house on a topic near and dear to many Portlanders’ hearts.  This was a fun, intimate event that reinforced Portland’s love of all things “bike”.
SeniyeG100Seniye Groff, MEd is the owner of Groff Solutions, a consulting practice focused on human resources, training, management coaching and organizational development initiatives. She has authored articles and spoken at national conferences on best practices for effective training. Seniye volunteers with Dress for Success since 1999. She has found her experience with Dress for Success particularly rewarding because she is able to help women make long lasting changes in their own lives. You will find Seniye at the gym six days a week. She also spends time with her daughters. She is an avid cook (hence the gym) and reader. Seniye is also a reviewer for Elle Magazine.

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