I’m excited to share there’s a new Bike Happy Hour happening on the west side! Friends from Beaverton want in on the fun and they’ve planned an inaugural gathering for Monday, July 15th from 4:00 to 6:00 pm at BG Food Cartel.

“Hang out and have a beverage, some great food, and some bike talk! Let’s hang out and talk about… everything but mostly bikes!” reads the event description.

I’ve fielded several requests for more Bike Happy Hour events around town, so it’s really cool to see another one take shape. At the end of last month a reader named Rob Lewis reached out to BikePortland on Instagram. He wants better bicycling in the “west burbs” and thinks an event like Bike Happy Hour will raise the profile of the issue and help bike culture flourish. He’s right!

Rob connected with a few folks and I’m happy to say that Westside Bike Happy Hour will be hosted by Ride Westside and the Westside Wednesday ride — two groups that are doing great things for cycling in and around Beaverton.

You might recall Ride Westside from the ride I joined them on last year. There were just getting started back then and they’ve continued to meet and ride together since. You can learn more about them via Instagram. One of the founding members of the group is Tina Ricks, who has written a few articles recently as our Washington County correspondent. She will be there Monday and is one of the folks who helped make the event happen.

Westside Wednesday is the name of a group ride that happens every two weeks. This fun-loving, adventure-seeking group is in their fourth summer and they consistently pull in several dozen riders. All types of bikes and riders are welcome and they’ve established a great community. See what I mean by perusing their Instagram page.

Much thanks to Rob, Tina, and the Westside Wednesday crew for getting something on the calendar. One of my favorite maxims is that a revolution is only possible if you can get people to show up. I also know great things can begin when just a few people of like minds come together and meet face-to-face.

If you live, work, or ride in Washington County and want to hang with other bike-minded folks, show up next Monday night (7/15), 4:00 to 6:00 pm at BG Food Cartel and hang out with us. I can’t wait to see you! Who knows, maybe Mick (in “The Tron” hat in lead image) will gift you one of these rad stickers?!