(Photos © J. Maus)
Portland resident and regular Zoobomber Gabriel Amadeus Tiller, dueled his way to victory at the recent St. Ratrick’s Day tall-bike jousting competition in Chicago.
Held each year since 2002 by Chicago’s infamous Rat Patrol bike club, St. Ratrick’s Day is celebratory event that features a freak bike parade and other shenanigans.
To win this year’s coveted crown, Tiller outlasted his opponent in what was reportedly an “epic joust” held at midnight amid sub-freezing temperatures in Logan Square. On his way to victory in the finals, Tiller endured a second round match that took six jousts to declare a winner. In the final contest, Tiller said it was a close call, with both men hitting the pavement at nearly the same time.
A versatile competitor, Tiller also won the Zoobomb Century — a 100-mile mini-bike downhill race — back in June.
In a message posted in the Zoobomb Forums, Tiller wrote of his tall-bike victory:
“In an epic battle of lances and whiskey buzzes I managed to win the Ratrick’s tallbike joust as well as the hearts of all the fine princesses of this nasty cold, wet, flat chicago land. I got a really sweet buckle too.”
In tall-bike jousting, competitors ride toward each other with long lances in an attempt to knock down their rivals. The spills can be brutal, as the saddle on tall bikes is usually about ten six feet high. The first one to hit the ground loses.
A tall-bike jouster prepares for battle.
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Jousters at the Multnomah County Bike Fair, held each year at Colonel Summers Park in Southeast Portland.
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Portland has several tall-bike jousting competitions each year with the most coveted contest taking place in June at the Multnomah County Bike Fair.