Portland Bicycle Accident Lawyer
Why I Ride
I started riding bicycles seriously in 1994 when I started my first law job as a Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney.
I wish I could say it was solely because of the joy of riding, but it started out as an economic decision. I did not make much money and parking, gas, insurance, etc. were eating up a big chunk of my paycheck. I first started by hauling my mountain bike to Lake Oswego and riding in from there. After a few months of riding, I got the bike bug bad and made the decision to sell my car and buy a road bike.
Around 1995 I started commuting full time from West Linn to the courthouse, which was a little over 20 miles each way with almost 1,000 feet of climbing. Pretty soon I was commuting 5 days a week and riding every weekend. I ended up moving to Portland in 1996 and my commute was only a few miles and I really missed the long miles, so a buddy suggested I start bike racing.
Bicycle racing soon became, besides trying cases, the main focus in my life. I trained around 30 hours a week and rode many thousands of miles a year. Before long, I joined a team and started doing stage races as well as cyclocross. I ended up racing for Presto Velo for a number of years and eventually became their main cash sponsor. Eddy Merckx and Mario Cipollini were my heroes and I was such a geek that I named my dog Cipo.
I eventually burnt out on racing around 2002 and went back to being a bicycle commuter. I started my personal injury law practice at the end of 2002. When I opened my doors, I started getting calls from cyclists who knew me and pretty quickly my practice evolved into a bicycle practice. I still do a number of motor vehicle cases, but the bulk of my practice is cycling cases.
Although I am no longer a super fit bicycle racer, cycling is still a big part of my life.
The first thing I do when I wake up is to check Velo and Cyclingnews.com and see what is happening in the world of bicycle racing. I bought a house on Skyline because I wanted to ride in the hills and to be able to commute on Leif Erickson. During the pandemic the courts were shut down so I had a lot more time to ride, so I went out and bought my dream bike (Colnago C64) and started road riding again. As much as I love gravel riding, I really enjoy riding where I don't have to get into a car to ride my bike. Getting back to my roadie roots has been a lot of fun and great way to build fitness.
When I am stressed out or having a bad day, I hop on my bike for an hour or two and it all goes away. I do my best thinking on my bike and when I am done I always feel better and I can't wait for the next ride. This is why I ride and will never stop riding.
Portland Bicycle Accident Attorney Michael A. Colbach
Host of Bicycleattorney.com - I want cyclists to get the best legal representation wherever they are. I network with many top USA bike attorneys (who are also dedicated long time cyclists themselves). Please email me if you are looking for an experienced bicycle attorney in any other state. I will try to help you find an experienced bicycle attorney in any other state at no charge to you.
Bicycles Change Lives
Proud to support the orphanage bicycle team in Peru, The Casa Girasoles Bicycle Team:
One of our recent partnerships has been around helping to bring more bicycles and support to the boys in the Casa Girasoles. Mike Colbach and BicycleAttorney.com have over a two-decade commitment to promoting cycling and healthy living. The BicyleAttorney.com team, started by a Portland based lawyer and social justice advocate – Mike Colbach – is a vehicle for bringing together people from different walks of life and experiences to share their love of exercise.
In 2022 and 2021 I sent 18 brand new bicycles to the Peru Orphanage bicycle team and some members of the team to train and teach the boys some bicycle mechanic skills. KGW did a news story about this:
Avid cyclist Hugh Givens joined Centrone's team on a recent trip in November. Givens races with the Bicycleattorney.com cycling team. [...] A fiend and fellow cycling teammate, Kevin Chudy, joined Givens on the trip. For decades, Chudy ran his own bicycle shop and spent years assembling and repairing bicycles.[...] The team rode bikes with the kids for nearly a month, teaching them how to repair them, and Givens and Chudy said they know the boys gave more to them than they received.
Oregon Bicycle Racing
If you look through the team's archives, you will see the many different good bicycle causes they have been involved with, always up to something and often many different good projects! Proud that I've been able to be involved in many good bicycle projects as well. Here ae a few of the memorable highlights listed below.
I raced for the Presto Velo team, which is now the Bicycleattorney.com/racing team and I am their main cash sponsor.
I support Oregon Bicycle Racing Assocation (OBRA) OBRA.org
Proud to have been a contributing sponsor of the Alpenrose Velodrome Challenge, and long term supporter of the Alpenrose velodrome.
Proud to be a contributing partner of the Monday Nights Bike Race Series at Portland International Raceway - racing starts mid April - check out their schedule and pics from last year.
Enjoyed riding with the BicycleAttorney.com Cycling Team in the American Lung Association fundraiser, "Reach The Beach" - 104 miles from Portland to Pacific City; the team has done this fundraiser and supported ride for several years. Join Us for the next Reach The Beach fundraiser which will feature a new ride route!
Donated my dream lightly used Colnago Prestige Carbon Cyclocross bicycle to a raffle raising money to bring UCI Road Cycling World Championships to Oregon.
In 2008 and 2009 I was proud to be a title sponsor for the US Gran Prix of Cyclocross the Stanley Cup bringing world class cyclocross racing to Portland, Oregon. The team's sponsors were all part of this, Bike n Hike Keven Chudy and HUB Hopworks Urban Brewery. It was a couple great years with also the US Cyclocross Nationals held in Bend one of those years, and a team member made the podium that year at nationals too!
