When the Groove got wind of a Bike Move on Sunday, we knew we had to find a way to share the experience. Although we weren’t able to connect with the event live, Paul Adkins of GEARS was ready and willing to provide coverage and photos. So delighted to add it to the Groove. It is SO EUGENE!
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If you were in the right place at the right time on Sunday morning, you could have added your own, “So Eugene, I love it!” to the chorus of drivers, runners and pedestrians who stopped to gape at (and cheer for) the 20 or so intrepid bicyclists, hauling an entire household along the paths and streets of Eugene.
The bicycle devotees — who came on their bikes with trailers or cargo hauling capacity — began their journey at what appeared to be a moving sale in the front yard of Steve and Annette Leibhardt and their two children. But this was no moving sale. This was Bike Move, the Eugene equivalent of an Amish Barn Raising. Tons of work, and tons of fun.
The starting point: West Amazon. The destination: Marion Dr. off of River Road. A total of 6.5 miles across four zip codes.
Together they hauled everything from mattresses to furniture, to appliances, to electronics, to packing boxes. Everything that usually gets dragged onto a truck and driven.
Kids and adults alike carried giant loads, and every conceivable bicycle hauling method was represented. The only thing bigger than the loads were the smiles as the crew rolled north along the Amazon Path to High St. and traversed westward on 11th through the Fair traffic to Monroe, one of Eugene’s Bicycle Boulevards. The group headed north into the heart of Eugene, the Whiteaker Neighborhood, and connected with the River Path system.
The band of Bike Movers made two trips over the course of the day. Roughly 400 bike miles were logged (with no injuries). Local Oakshire beer and Mezza Luna pizza were waiting as the final group rolled in weary from the road.
Many of the onlookers offered their help for the next Bike Move in Eugene. If you’re interested contact Paul Adkins at paul@eugenegears.org.
I love this.
It’s a good thing it rains so much in Eugene so that everyone in the world doesn’t move there! Too cool.
bunch a stinky hippies. geeze!
It is “SO EUGENE” but bike moves happen all over now. I have been involved in bike moves in San Francisco and the East Bay and Davis,CA so it’s really “SO ANYWHERE THERE”S A BUNCH OF CYCLISTS.” But a washer and dryer… That’s amazing!