Oregon Bicycling Industry Testimony Submitted to Congressional Record

TESTIMONY SUBMITTED TO CONGRESSIONAL RECORD

September 14, 2004

Senator Larry Craig, Chair
Senator Ron Wyden, Ranking Member
Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee
   Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests
364 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman Craig and Ranking Member Wyden:

On behalf of the undersigned Oregon bike and tourism industry, we write to offer comments on S. 2723, the Oregon Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness Act of 2004. We applaud Senator Wyden's efforts to protect areas in the Hood River region and preserve the land, in its natural state, for generations to enjoy. We support the goal of providing more opportunities for Oregonians to get outdoors and to help further instill the ethic of land protection.

As you know, Wilderness designation prohibits bicycling. For this reason, bicyclists seek modifications of Wilderness proposals that will protect the land while continuing to allow this quiet, low-impact, muscle-powered recreation on significant trails. S. 2723, as written, could close to bicycling more than 200 miles of trails Oregonians have ridden for more than two decades. Mountain biking is an extremely popular sport in the state and we encourage the committee to amend the bill to accommodate trails for cyclists.

We generally support the goal of S. 2723, to protect the Mount Hood area from development, road building, mining, commercial logging, and the other pressures from our rapidly expanding society. However, since mountain bicycling is extremely popular in the region, we cannot support Wilderness in many areas of the bill. We believe that formal Wilderness protection is only one tool to protect the land, and that there are many other ways to achieve the goal of land protection while allowing for continued bike access.

It is important that Congress understands the impact Wilderness trail closures would have on Oregon tourism and bike related industries. Bike industry, bike shops, restaurants, gas stations, lodging establishments, and mountain bike touring companies will be among those affected when mountain bike access is restricted. We encourage Senator Wyden to continue working with the International Mountain Bicycling Association and their Oregon affiliated clubs to accommodate existing and future bicycle trail access. Once adjustments have been made, we hope Congress passes legislation which protects the land in perpetuity.

Last year more than 39 million Americans participated in singletrack bicycling and almost 7 million consider themselves enthusiasts (Outdoor Industry Association). In Oregon, mountain biking is a popular sport with close to 400,000 people participating in 2003 (Outdoor Industry Foundation).

Oregon has a long history of innovative public policy solutions and unifying groups for a common goal. We encourage the Oregon delegation and the entire committee not to confine the debate to historical Wilderness definitions. We thank Senator Wyden for starting down this path by proposing the Mount Hood Pedalers Demonstration Experiment Area (Hood-PDX), which would manage 13,000 acres like Wilderness, while allowing for continued bicycle access. We hope Oregon will set a national model for protecting the land and accommodating existing bike use of this growing sport.

At stake in S. 2723 are fabulous riding routes such as Larch Mountain, Bonney Butte, Frog Lake, Sandy River, Devils Peak, and Roaring River. These beautiful trails attract cyclists from around the state and around the nation. Cyclists spend money on lodging, food, gas, and at their local bike shops. They hire tour guides, buy cycling gear, and generally bolster the local economy.

Thank you for the opportunity to submit comments on this precedent setting legislation. It is extremely important to the mountain bike community that Congress understands the role cycling plays to the economy, the health, and the quality of life of Oregonians. Please work to pass legislation that protects the land, but doesn't displace cyclists from trails they have ridden for years.

Sincerely,

Oregon Bicycling Industry

Cc: Oregon Congressional Delegation

King Cycle Group
Chris King and Matt O'Rourke
2801 NW Nela Street
Portland, Oregon 97210
800-523-6008

Mountain Cycle/Kinesis USA
Bill Thomas
3808 N Williams Ave
Portland, OR 97227
503-294-4340 x18

Bike Magazine
Ron Ige
33046 Calle Aviador
San Juan Capistrano,CA 92675

Ryders Bike Surf and Skate
Danny Stevens
2950 Cornelius Pass Rd. Suite C
Hillsboro, OR 97123
503-356-5705

Cycle Path
Bill Larson
2808 NE MLK JR Blvd Suite J
503-281-0485
Portland, OR 97212

Cage Rocket, Inc.
Chris Towers
PO Box 17835
Seattle, WA 98127
206-850-9945

Fat Tire Farm
Park Chambers
2714 NW Thurman St.
Portland, OR 97210
503-222-FARM

Mount Tabor Sports
Shane Mills
5941 SE Division
Portland, OR 97206
503-772-1711

Cyclone Bicycle Supply
Michael L. Kloeppel
135 SE Main St
Portland, OR 97214
503-226-0696

River City Bicycles
Mark Ontiveros
706 SE MLK Blvd
Portland, OR 97214
503-233-5973

The Bike Gallery Inc.
Jay Graves
5329 NE Sandy Blvd,
Portland, OR 97213
503-282-3455x203

On the Way
Scott Murray
345 SW Century Drive
Bend, OR 97702
541-322-8814

Vulture Cycles
Derrick Bell
23370 Alfalfa Market Rd.
Bend, OR 97701
541-593-1251

Jeff Jones Custom Bicycles
Jeff Jones
8000 Griffin Creek Road
Medford, OR 97501
541-535-2034

Hutch's Bicycles
Mike McMackin
820 NE 3rd Street
725 NW Columbia Street
Bend, OR 97701
541-382-6248

Eurosports (Bike Shop)
Brad Boyd
182 E. Hood Ave.
P.O. Box 1421
Sisters, OR 97759
541-549-2471

Pine Mountain Sports Bike Shop
Dan McGaragle
155 SW Century Drive
Bend, OR 97702
541-385-8080

SteepPlanet
Scott Schauer and Lisa Schartz
862 Corvette Lane
Eugene, OR 97404
541-684-6940

steepplanet.com

Singletrack Ranch(tm) Mountain Bike Camps
John Stamstad
2111 30th Ave. South
Seattle, WA 98144
206-709-9266

Western Spirit Cycling
Ashley Korenblat
478 Mill Creek Drive
Moab, UT 84532
800-845-2453

Cog Wild Bicycle Tours, LLC
Woody Starr
550 SW Industrial Way, #22
Bend, OR 97701
800-818-1902

Shane Wilson
Discover Bicycles
116 Oak Street
Hood River, OR 97031
541-386-4820
discoverbicycles.com

GorgeKids.com
Dee Holzman
P.O. Box 1233
Hood River, OR 97031
541-386-6250

Bike Parts Manufacturing
Stu Fisher
PO Box 977
White Salmon, WA 98672
509-493-4447

Mountain View Cycles
Wes Swearingen
205 Oak Street
Hood River, OR 97031
541-386-2453

Andrew's Pizza
Andrew McEldery
107 Oak Street
Hood River, OR 97031
541-386-1448

Sunset Cycles
Cliff Eaves
85 NE Estes
White Salmon, WA 98672
509-493-3117