Barack Obama is right to call out Senators Hillary Clinton and John McCain on their campaign season proposals for a gas tax holiday. Besides resulting in meager savings (if you fill up a 10-gallon tank once a week, you'll save $1.84) it will also starve the federal budget for repair and maintenance of roads and bridges - like that big one that fell in Minneapolis, or like the several criss-crossing the Cuyahoga Valley.

As gas is almost sure to reach $4 a gallon this summer, that's probably the first and most obvious reason to join the Cleveland Bicycle Week festivities. Here's a look at some of the events planned by Cleveland Bikes, the Ohio City Bike Co-Op, the Green City Blue Lake Institute, Ohio Canal Corridor and other organizations that understand.

Bike to RiverSweep
9 a.m.-1 p.m. May 10

Meet at Nautica Stage on the West Bank of the Flats and bike to locations along the Ohio and Erie Canal for Ohio Canal Corridor's annual RiverSweep. Last year's event attracted 1,200 volunteers. This year, target areas include Tremont, Ohio City, the Flats, Slavic Village, Old Brooklyn, Clark Metro and Parma. After the event, head back to Nautica for lunch and entertainment. For information, call 216.520.1825.

Burning River Bike Polo and Alley Cat
1-4 p.m. May 10

The couriers and weekend warriors have been training for this week's Burning River Polo Match and Alley Cat Bicycle Race since the weather broke. But how to train for a race that involves a pool of shaving cream, or for a game that involves whacking a ball with a makeshift mallet? Edward Wiklinski is organizing this kick-off of Cleveland Bicycle Week, and he's keeping the course a secret because "routing decisions" - a courier's skill to find the fastest route to a destination - are part of the challenge. But besides pedaling fast, there are certain skills a person can practice. For the polo match, learn to ride slow, be brave and whack the ball hard with your stick. For the race, don't worry about the standard alley cat challenge, the "tire change" stop, but get ready for the "Where's Waldo" stop, apple bobbing, beer chugging, sausage eating, face painting, a ride through a water balloon gauntlet on a child's bike, and something involving shaving cream and a kiddie pool. Get your team of four together and meet in the West Side Market parking lot at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 10 for bike polo. The race starts at 4 p.m. Prizes include a custom trophy made of glass and bicycle parts by the artists of the Glass Bubble Project.

Bike Imitates Art
6 p.m. May 10

Anna Gerodette, the drive behind the Fast Track Cycling Velodrome project, is curating a collection of bicycle-related art. For real bike nuts, the most exciting entry she's expecting is a handcrafted, old-school steel frame built by Don Polito, a local craftsman whose Ciclipolito frames are plainly dazzling. Polito works in classic chrome-moly steel, like Columbus SL and Reynolds 531, lugged and/or butted if you wish, because this is the just and true way to build a bicycle, and all the rest is hype. Portions of the proceeds benefit the velodrome project and Bike Week. The show is at Lake Erie Artists Gallery, on the first floor of Tower City. An opening reception is scheduled for 6-9 p.m. Saturday. Exhibit runs through 8 p.m. Friday.

Bike to Work
8-9:30 a.m. May 12-16

These may be the three most powerful words in the oil crisis: bike to work. You'll save money, get exercise and see the city in a whole new way. And you'll arrive at work energized. Skeptical? We dare you to try it. Go to clevelandbikes.org for meeting and route information so you can join a group ride from your neighborhood to downtown. Or just do it. Commuters will gather at the downtown YMCA (2200 Prospect). NOACA will give prizes to the first 30 riders who bike to work each day of the week. Do it every day, and you could get a free headlight, taillight, mirror, pump, lock and seatpack with a total value of $110. (Training for ride leaders will be held May 10. Meet at Ohio City Bicycle Co-Op (1823 Columbus Rd.) by 10 a.m.)

Bike to the Movies
6-8:30 p.m. May 12

Everyone's seen Breaking Away and The Flying Scotsman. Ride your bike to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History (1 Wade Oval Dr., University Circle) for an evening of short films you haven't seen - films about bikes, made by cyclists, films that celebrate the wonder and the joy of two-wheeled travel! There will be tall bikes, small bikes, rowing bikes and garden bikes. Rollerblades, rollerskates, wheelies and scooters. If you arrive via a human-powered vehicle you will receive extra raffle tickets for the prize drawings. Bonus points for creativity, style and unusual attire. Think outside the 2,000-pound metal box, as they say. Tickets cost $9. For information, go to walkroll.com/movie.

Cleveland Bicycle Week Conference
9 a.m.-5 p.m. May 15

Most bike advocacy groups in town are involved with the Cleveland Bicycle Week Conference at the Louis Stokes Auditorium of the Cleveland Public Library (325 Superior). Panels and keynote speakers will discuss everything from skills to infrastructure, from laws to the logic of riding a bike. On the agenda are speakers about the local bicycle scene, on-road cycling skills, safety, bicycle education, the connection between health and active living, and tips on building an advocacy organization. Registration costs $20 before May 9, $25 after. To sign up go to walkroll.com/conference.