Yesterday - Sunday, August 8, 2010 - we rode in the 5-bridge Providence Bridge Pedal. It was the second time we've ridden the Bridge Pedal.
Something like 18,500 other riders took part, making it the second-largest community group ride in the U.S. (I saw that somewhere and now can't find the link - the largest community ride in the U.S. is in NYC)! However, much to the credit of the organizers, it really isn't very crowded. In addition to our ride - which had a staggered start - there were also 7-bridge and 10-bridge rides, as well as a special kids ride.
The only place it was really crowded was at the finish. I'm not exactly sure why people think it's acceptable to stand RIGHT on the finish line and have group hugs and photos. People. There's like 10,000 people behind you, also trying to cram across this line in the street! Just move a few feet to the side. That's all I'm asking...
The boys and I rode all pirate-style in the mighty Revenge (although one of my crew members recently discovered reading, so he spent most of the ride huddled in the bottom of the bucket, voraciously devouring his new library books and ignoring the mayhem around him - I was one of those kids, lost in books, as was his mother, so I can't really blame him!), while Nikki rode my trusty Breezer.
I ride the Hawthorne and Morrison Bridges frequently, but it's a real treat being able to ride over the top decks of the Marquam and Fremont Bridges, two structures that generally see high-speed traffic (or really, really slow, bumper-to-bumper suckiness - that I never find myself in because I ride my bike to work) and are both way, WAY up above the river. Like hundreds of scary feet! The Ross Island Bridge was fun as well.
BikePortland's wrap-up story is here.
Watch a slideshow of my photos
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