I’ve never been down to Portland for Pedalpalooza, but I’ve heard about it for years and hope to make it down next year. But in the meantime, Seattle now has its own similar festival: FREE BIKE. Details from the All about FREE BIKE page:

For ten days July 1–10, FREE BIKE will be whatever people like you make of it. Inspired by Pedalpalooza in Portland and Velopalooza in Vancouver, FREE BIKE invites anyone to host their own group rides, parties, discussions or anything else you can imagine. We will gather the details into one convenient, bike-fun-packed calendar.

Express yourself, meet new people and explore your city like you’ve never experienced before. That’s what FREE BIKE is all about.

There are only a few rules to being a host: You take full responsibility for your own event, and it must be free to participate.

Want to share your knowledge of neighborhood history? Lead a tour by bike! Is there a social issue near to your heart? Lead a bike ride to rally around the cause! Ever dreamed of cruising down Broadway with your bike posse blasting Sir Mix-A-Lot? I will join if you make it happen!

The organizers (Tom Fucoloro of Seattle Bike Blog, Brock Howell of Bike Happy Cascadia, and Jason Goods of Swift Industries) have some great events on the calendar already, but it’s really up to us normal folks to make this event shine with lots and lots of rides!

I’ve put four things on the calendar:

1. Sunrise Coffee Club
   July 1 @ 5:00 a.m.
   Facebook event page
   Let’s channel our cool cousins to the south and be like Portland Pedalpalooza with a #SunriseCoffeeClub on the first day of FREE BIKE!

   Be at the Madrona Park picnic shelter (853 Lake Washington Blvd, Seattle, WA 98122) at 5:00 a.m. so we can enjoy the sunrise together at 5:16 a.m.

   Bring your outdoor coffee making stuff (camp stove, coffee, water).

2. Kidical Mass to FREE BIKE Party
   July 3 @ 10:00 am
   Facebook event page
   Kidical Mass is a fun bike ride for kids, kids at heart, and their families with over 50 chapters around the world! Join us for a bike parade to the FREE BIKE Party and Pedaler’s Fair.

   We’ll meet at Salmon Bay Park at 10:00 a.m. for some playground action and bike decorating before setting out at 10:30-ish.

   Our 2.5-mile route will travel mostly on Neighborhood Greenways and proposed Neighborhood Greenways. It’s mostly slightly downhill and we will move slowly so it’s a perfect ride for even the littlest biking kids. Kids on bikes, kids on balance bikes, trailers, trail-a-bikes, cargo bikes, bike seats, family tandems–all welcome!

   We’ll make a pit stop at Adams Elementary for some fun bike games before enjoying a nice, long stretch of the 58th Street Greenway past Ballard Commons Park and the bike counter before hitting the party.

   Once at FREE BIKE Party, join in the Family Bike Expo! Ride bikes, leave your bike for other parents to try, and join Morgan Scherer in staffing the event. Volunteering for a Family Bike Expo is easy, and includes talking to people about the bikes/family biking, referring folks to talk to Morgan if you don’t feel confident answering, and helping get waivers signed. Contact Scherer at morgan@familybike.org or 206-841-6538

   Read more about FREE BIKE Party here. Food trucks, Pedaler’s Fair, Bike Poster Art Show, music, kid-friendly breweries!

3. Let’s Skip Town with Kids and Dogs
   July 5 @ 10:30 am
   Facebook event page
   Everyone knows July 5th is the first sunny day of summer in Seattle so let’s commemorate the day with a huge ride (huge for kids and dogs, that is) with an 11-mile pedal (route here) along the Burke-Gilman Trail to the kid- and dog-friendly Lake Trail Tap Room and Beer Garden of 192 Brewing in Kenmore. We will be moving very slowly–possibly 3mph, though it will depend on what sorts of bikes we have along–and likely stop several times along the way for rest breaks, snacks, and checking out the fairy door. A stop at Log Boom Park for a bit of playground time and potty breaks will probably be a good idea before settling in at the brewery.

   I don’t think there’s a kid menu, but the pretzels from the taproom menu are tasty!

   Our meeting spot is Rainier Vista at UW, the big grassy area between Stevens Way and the Burke-Gilman Trail, south of Drumheller Fountain, north of the new light rail station.

4. #coffeeoutsideforher
   July 7 @ 10:00 am
   Facebook event page
   #coffeeoutsideforher is a weekly gathering of biking coffee (or tea) drinkers, started last winter. It’s not just for women–everyone is welcome!

   It’s also not necessary to bring anything–I always have plenty of coffee and mugs, though the usual gist of #coffeeoutside is that everyone brings their campstove and coffee kit to make their own coffee (and yield a cool photo of all the various coffee systems).

   Find us on the plaza at the southeast side of Gas Works Park. If you’re early, bike up Kite Hill to check out the view first! It’s easier to climb up the back/south side of the hill.

   There is no late. If the weather is nice, we often stay until noon and we’re always there at least an hour.

Also, LOOK LOOK LOOK we’ve got a ringer! Shawn Granton of Urban Adventure League from Portland and practiced Pedalpalooza event host is in town and hosting a Sunset Mystery Ride on Thursday, July 5 @ 7:00 pm, starting at Fremont PCC.

Come to my events if you can, and add some of your own!