Seattle on the Fringe by Stacey Merrick : Offbeat and Unusual Entertainment, Activities, Events, Attractions in Seattle, WA.

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Last weekend I went to Portland for Zoobomb Minibike Winter V.  It was awesome.  It was crazy.  And best of all, it didn't rain.  Zoobomb is a bicycle club in Portland in which members and friends dress in costumes and ride minibikes (child size bikes) down the hill towards the Portland Zoo every Sunday.  Once a year for the past 5 years, they have hosted the Zoobomb Minibike Winter Olympics, with events such as Ben Hurt Chariot Wars, minibike limbo, live music, bicycle dance troupe performances, and general silliness and fun. 

The bicycle festivities took place Thursday - Monday.  I arrived in Portland late Saturday morning just in time to grab some food at the potluck brunch.  I was really impressed with the hospitality and friendliness of the local bicycle folks I met at the Zoobomb event in Portland.  They all are open and enthusiastic to invite other bicycle enthusiasts to join them for their fun bicycle activities.  Many bicycle clubs have strict rules about becoming a member, but the Zoobombers seem to hold the attitude that all who love bikes are welcome, and that's an attitude I like.

After brunch, we all rode to the first event of the day:  The Ben Hurt Chariot Wars.  In order to compete in the chariot race, competitors needed a bike with a trailer and two people:  one to ride a bike and one to stand or sit in the chariot being pulled by the bike rider.  All chariots were custom made beautiful monstrosities designed in the vein of the mutant bike culture. 

The race had rules, but it turned into ridiculous mayhem to the point where I was not really sure what was happening: 



The winners were the last team standing. 

This guy did not win, although he had spirit trying to ride on a tire that could no longer technically be called a tire:



After the Chariot Wars, I needed a break and took off and got some dinner.  I met up with the festivities again that evening at a warehouse space.  The weekend Zoobomb events took place at different locations all over Portland, and event maps were distributed which displayed the best bicycle routes to each location.  The evening's entertainment including music, dancing, a fashion show, live music, and a performance by the Canadian bicycle dance troupe the B:C:Clettes. 

The next day I showed up at Sunday's first event location by the river downtown ready to watch some bicycle limbo and a performance by the Portland bicycle dance troupe The Sprokettes.  Things didn't get started until later in the afternoon and I had to head back to Seattle, so I begrudgingly headed home just as the blindfolded minibike race was about to begin. 

Last weekend was the first time I have bicycled around Portland, and that town truly lives up to its reputation as being one of the most bicycle friendly cities in the nation.  The Minibike Winter Olympics are over for this year, but if you are interested in going on the zoobomb, they do it every Sunday evening.  You can check the zoobomb website for details. 

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