Just a sampling to pique your interest for Disaster Relief Trials 2012. A full roster of riders and bikes will appear in June.

Reuben Deumling is a bike trailer activist. It is his photo that starts this post. Reuben is currently amassing a bike trailer fleet in the hopes of providing a SE Portland neighborhood trailer rental service. Trailers, rented for cheap, allow anyone with a bike to easily make “car load” trips without a car. Reuben has been involved with developing bicycle-based medical emergency management systems.

Adam Shapiro will be coming up from Oakland, California to compete. He will be riding on an Xtracycle cargo bike with their new SideCar. This will be the world debut for the SideCar product. Adam has won many messenger alley cat races in the Bay area as well as “super market sweep” competitions. Both events are related in nature to the DRT.

Joe Partridge, Deputy Director of Emergency Management for Multnomah County, is a talented bike racer who is excited to compete within our unique format. Joe recently captured second for single speeders in the infamous Trans-Iowa “gravel grinder.

Local deluxe cargo-bike maker, Metrofiets, will have a talented racer representing their latest incarnation. They have not yet revealed their pilot.

Joel Metz, the saltiest professional cargo bike courier of the West Coast (almost 20 years in San Francisco and Portland) will be competing. The larger load and longer distance should cater to his “diesel engine” style.

Ryan Hashagen is the Pedicab King of Portland and has brought pedicabs and food trikes to other West Coast cities as well. He wants to make Portland lousy with pedicabs, business bikes, and food vending trikes, such that streets will become safer and more human-scale, providing a tipping point for the massive population of would-be bike commuters who are “interested but concerned.” Ryan has won (2) Cycle Messenger World Championship Cargo Bike Races: Seattle 2003 and Edmonton 2004. In Seattle, he won using a pedicab (relatively oafish) + incredible fitness + exacting efficiency with route-selection.

Katie Proctor, a prominent cargo bike user in the Portland family community. Katie has a Yuba with custom boxes on either side. Katie, and her husband, David, also in DRT, have used cargo bikes for travel with their children as well as daily errands. Katie recently taught a family biking workshop, and is a salient leader of KidicalMass. Katie is the every day cargo bike rider.

In addition, there will be relief organizations and people like Bruce Harris, a local ARES HAM radio operator, advocate, and leader. He’s the real deal and has stepped up to help us with our authentic disaster communication.

… and many more. Hopefully your appetite is whetted. The map of check points has been revised. Revised version will appear in a week. If you need specifics on the map of check points, feel free to contact us.

Disaster Relief Trials 2012 overview
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Words by Mike Cobb, co-organizer of DRT. Photo by Reuben Deumling (who appears in the photo)

The map is near its final incarnation. Three desires created changes: (1) making sure our check points were valid and realistic locations for people to go in the event of a disaster. This first area is the reason for the map shifting east. (2) allowing for easier set up and clean up of check points and supplies. Keeping everything on the east side of the Willamette this year will help us keep the event simple. Remember, this is year one. (3) creating check points that do not interact with high traffic or complicated route finding decisions. This will support our cargo friends from out of town.

A favorite check point of mine was scouted out by Ethan Jewett. This section involves getting rider, bike, and supplies over two obstacles–rock fall and concrete barricade–as well as through a puddle and over a stretch of pitted dirt road.

The updated map of check points is below. Remember, there is not a course and it is not a race. There are check points through which all riders must go.

View Disaster Relief Trials 2012 in a larger map

One of the changes to the map is terming “supplies” and “disaster section” a check point. This way, riders do not need to think about having two different types of stops. The stops are check points.

Riders will receive a map at the time of the event. Riders may also print out a map prior to the event. The final map of check points will be set in early June. We will notify riders of “setness.”

If we are lucky, rain from previous weeks will keep the puddle full and awaiting the riders.

Overview of Disaster Relief Trials 2012
Some of the riders this year