Off-road advocates prep for first-ever legislative day

Oregon is ripe for more — and better — off-road cycling access. But it won’t happen unless we ask for it.
(Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

On February 27th the Oregon Mountain Biking Coalition (OMBC) will host its first annual lobbying day in Salem.

The OMBC launched in October of last year with a mission to, “Advocate for, create, enhance, and protect mountain biking experiences in the state of Oregon.”

Don’t let Portland’s cold relationship with mountain biking fool you, the rest of Oregon is embracing off-road cycling. The Oregon Interscholastic MTB League had a very successful first year and new riding areas are popping up everywhere — from Silver Falls to Sunriver, Bend to Bandon.

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The OMBC wants to capitalize on that excitement — and remind lawmakers of the hundreds of thousands of Oregon voters who love to ride bikes on dirt (and the millions they spend doing it every year). “It turns out there are 620,000 of us,” reads an OMBC statement about the legislative day. “Do your representatives know who you are?”

The goal of the event is to connect individuals with their elected representative. The OMBC will be on-hand in the capitol to provide briefings on key issues, offer advice on how to talk to electeds, and coordinate meetings. No experience is needed and they’re especially looking for people from suburban and rural areas to participate.

Here are the details:

OMBC Mountain Bike Legislative Day
February 27th, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Meet at Venti’s Cafe in Salem (2840 Commercial St SE)

If you want better mountain biking in Oregon, this is a great opportunity to play an important role. For registration and more info, see ORMTBCoalition.org.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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