Eugene Weekly : Summer Guide : 6.3.2010

 

Polo, Pints and Poplollies

The sun’s back, more or less, which means it’s time to wipe the cobwebs off the mountain bike or single-speed Schwinn and take advantage of the many options for bike enthusiasts of all abilities.

The Greater Eugene Area Riders group (GEARs) is just one of several groups listing bike events for the summer. There are bicycle safety classes, fun and fitness rides and even bike polo games at 7:30 pm on Thursdays. You did read that correctly. It’s like polo, traditionally played with horses, but this time it’s with bikes. The GEARs event is on hardcourt, played “little Beirut” style, at Washington/Jefferson Park. See eugenegears.org to learn more and find a calendar of events.

Several of these GEARs events involve the Willamette Valley Women’s Cycling Team, often known as the Poplollies. They lead women’s bike rides on Monday evenings to encourage women to get outside, make friends and enjoy bike riding. On Thursdays, the Poplollies amp it up a little bit with a co-ed, racing-oriented 30 mile ride. Slower bikers are welcome to join in, their website warns, but be prepared for a faster pace. You can find more about the Poplollies and summer bike activities at wvwcycling.org

But maybe you’d like a meal with your bike ride? In that case, check out A Taste Gourmet in Junction City. At 6 pm on Thursdays starting in June, it’s group cycling with “Fearless Flyer Graham.” After riding around Junction City for an hour, you’re back by 7 for dinner or a pint — and what would you do after that? Play a game of darts, obviously. More can be found by contacting Zeeta using the form on atastegourmet.com/contact — Darcy Wallace