Yesterday I joined 800 fellow Portland cyclists and 100 gallons of ice-cream for the first-ever Hottest Day of the Year Ride.
It started with riders of all ages staging at the Lucky Lab brewpub in Northwest Portland.
The ride was a benefit for the CCC and their new director of communications, Alison Hill was on hand for a pre-ride pep talk. I also ran into Tom Knipe. Knipe recently moved on from the CCC and has now re-surfaced with Good Sport Promotion, the company behind this and many other fun rides this summer.
ready for 40 miles.]
At Good Sport, Knipe joins his former co-worker at the CCC Ayleen Crotty and company president Porter Childs. This trio have proven to be a winning combination and getting 800 people out for a first-year event is a true sign of their success.
What I love about their events is a focus on fun and how they draw such a wide range of people; from families to the fully spandexed. I saw tons of kids, including this cool little 8 year-old named Emerson. He did Bridge Pedal on a trail-a-bike last year but this was his first big ride all on his own.
Then I bumped into Heidi Ottiger and Tisa Ambrosino (age 11). Tisa—a graduate of a bike safety class at Buckman School—was more than ready for her 15 mile loop. She’s been biking more and more near her home on Mt. Tabor and she just signed up for the Community Cycling Center’s Summer Bike Day Camp.
I saw a few funky jerseys while we waited for the start.
This guy was sporting a vintage Portland Wheelmen jersey circa 1980 and here’s one that’s got four geese wearing Groucho Marx glasses. Weird.
Soon we were off, up and across the Broadway Bridge and beyond.
The ride coursed through North and NE Portland with highlights that included a wind up the Going St. overpass, an ambush by some water-balloon throwing boy scouts, and a rest stop at the Community Cycling Center.
On the homeward stretch, we all broke in the newly painted bike lanes on Vancouver Avenue and then made our way across the Broadway Bridge.
Unfortunately just before we hit the finish line, a bunch of us got stalled at a railroad crossing. Unfazed, this guy pulled out a bottle of Wild Turkey and made the best of the situation.
We were welcomed back with cool sprinklers and even cooler buckets of fresh ice cream. Event organizer Porter Childs told me he bought 100 gallons of ice cream and all the fixins‘ including berries, caramel, nuts, and of course whip cream (this lady couldn’t restrain herself).
And then, the boxes of free squirt guns were unleashed and it became a water war-zone.
What were once cute little kids, quickly turned into roving marauders of drenching doom. It was every man, woman and child for themselves. No one was safe…but no one was complaining either!
Squirting water and eating ice cream with new friends after a pleasant ride on an 80 degree day…is there a more perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon?