Blackberry Bramble celebrates growing cycling population in Eugene
EUGENE, Ore. (KMTR) -- In the thick of the summer heat and on the hottest weekend so far in Oregon, a celebration Sunday of two things you’ll likely find a lot of on the roadside this time of year: bicyclists and blackberries.
The 14th Annual Blackberry Bramble rolled through Eugene on Sunday, August 5th, 2012. About 600 people took part in the bike ride and festival this year.
The event is designed to get people of all ages outside on their bikes, exercising, enjoying the weather and meeting others who share the passion to ride.
True to the festival’s name, riders also get a juicy celebratory glob of blackberry pie and ice cream at the end of the event.
Riders can choose to ride in a 100-, 62-, 39-, 20- to 10-mile bike ride for the Bramble. Some kids as young as four took part in Sunday’s ride.
"An encouragement event like this gets people out and maybe they haven't pulled their bikes out of the garage and pump up the tires and come out for a fun ride, and then they do this 10 mile ride and go, 'Geez, maybe I can ride to the store.'” says Shane MacRhodes, coordinator of the Blackberry Bramble event.
“The more people that ride, the safer our streets are,” says MacRhodes.
The event raises money for GEARs, a Eugene-based bike group that does weekly rides, advocates for cycling and works with other groups like Safe Routes 2 Schools to do bike education in schools.
For more information GEARs, click the following link: http://eugenegears.org/.
