PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN<\/strong><\/a>) \u2013 After community members rallied online, a Grammy-nominated artist, known for his killer mustache and backflips, was seen Friday leading students on a bike ride through a Portland neighborhood.<\/p>\n Sam Balto is a physical education teacher and executive director of Bike Bus World<\/strong><\/a>, a nonprofit that brings kids and families together through community bike rides to and from school. Currently, there are more than 30 local bike and walking buses through the program, according to Balto.<\/p>\n On October 3, however, students gained a \u201ccore memory\u201d with special guest Benson Boone joining a bike ride before his show at the Moda Center that night.<\/p>\n Close<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Watch for us in your inbox.<\/p>\n Subscribe Now<\/p>\n \u201cI lead the Vernon Bike Bus and a couple weeks ago, we made a video inviting Benson Boone to come join our ride,\u201d Balto told KOIN 6 News in an interview Monday. \u201cThe video gained a lot of traction online with thousands of people tagging him, and over the couple weeks, we made a couple more videos to just encourage him to join, and he did.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt was after school and the weather was absolutely perfect and it was a magical experience,\u201d Balto said. \u201cHe is the kindest, most genuine person I\u2019ve met. I have a camera that was on his bicycle, and getting to watch the interactions he had with the students really touched me as a parent and community member \u2013 the amount of love and care that he showed our students, asking what their names were, taking selfies with them, staying and signing tons and tons of autographs.\u201d<\/p>\n Musician Benson Boone joined the Portland bike bus on Oct. 3, 2025, leading hundreds of students on a bike ride after school before performing at the Moda Center (Courtesy Sam Balto).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n Musician Benson Boone joined the Portland bike bus on Oct. 3, 2025, leading hundreds of students on a bike ride after school before performing at the Moda Center (Courtesy Sam Balto).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n Benson Boone met with hundreds of Portland students after participating in a bike bus with the World Bike Bus nonprofit ahead of his Moda Center performance Oct. 3, 2025 (Courtesy Sam Balto).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n Benson Boone met with hundreds of Portland students after participating in a bike bus with the World Bike Bus nonprofit ahead of his Moda Center performance Oct. 3, 2025 (Courtesy Sam Balto).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n While Boone may not have done one of his signature backflips during the bike ride, Balto noted, \u201cthere was a funny interaction where a kid asked him if he\u2019s ever done a backflip off of his bicycle and he said, \u2018I\u2019ve never tried that.\u2019 But he did not do any backflips. He saved them for his concert.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe played all his greatest hits, and it was amazing. There\u2019s a couple moments when the kids and him were all singing together, throwing their hands in the air. It\u2019s totally an amazing experience while the kids are yelling, \u2018I can\u2019t believe this is happening!\u2019 So, it was truly a surprise, totally spontaneous and really something the kids in the community will always remember,\u201d Balto said.<\/p>\n Boone isn\u2019t the first celebrity to join a Bike Bus in Portland.<\/p>\n 5-star recruit, son of NBA champion, ex-Blazer, commits to Oregon <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI want to say it was a year-and-a-half ago for the Alameda Bike Bus birthday. The band AJR was coming to town and their bassist, Adam Met, was the first celebrity to come and join. It was really cool. He had a show in Boise, Idaho the night before, took the first flight to Portland, and thanks to the time change, was able to make it in time so, he joined,\u201d Balto recalled.<\/p>\n That interaction encouraged Balto to invite Justin Timberlake<\/strong><\/a>, who would join a Bike Bus event in January and later Benson Boone in October.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re now three for three (celebrity guest invitations) and it\u2019s really exciting to see how Portland\u2019s really putting Bike Bus on the map and celebrities are using their power to come join the experience and bring more awareness to it,\u201d Balto told KOIN 6.<\/p>\n\n
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