Slideshow below
(Photos © J. Maus)
Bridge Pedal is this Sunday and that means nearly 20,000 people will hit the streets and bridges around Portland seeking fun, camaraderie, or merely hoping to be a part of the annual cycling spectacle.
Last year, overcrowding problems reached a high point when a few spots on the course (especially before the Ross Island Bridge) turned into bike bottlenecks. Lots of folks were disappointed with their experience and even The Oregonian, one of the event’s main sponsors, raised questions about how to improve the ride.
Are the annoyances of the massive crowds on Bridge Pedal enough to keep you away? Or are you like many people, who just grin and bear it, realizing that it comes with the territory and that the tradition and spectacle of the ride outweighs any negatives?
I was a bit annoyed last year when I didn’t make the time cutoff to get up on the Fremont Bridge (I was stuck in a bottleneck). But even so, it’s a ride I don’t like to miss. I’ll be out there Sunday, snapping photos and taking video. Stay tuned for a full report Sunday night.
Do you plan on doing Bridge Pedal this year? If not, why not, and if so, what do you like most about the event?
Here’s my slideshow from last year:
Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
Thanks for reading.
BikePortland has served this community with independent community journalism since 2005. We rely on subscriptions from readers like you to survive. Your financial support is vital in keeping this valuable resource alive and well.
Please subscribe today to strengthen and expand our work.
I won\’t be riding this year (too crowded, slow, and frustrating for me) but I think Bridge Pedal is a great idea and I want it to continue, so I am volunteering instead. I\’m looking forward to being on the other side of an organized ride for a change.
I haven\’t tried the bridge pedal in years. It turns out to be one of the best days to ride almost anywhere else. That\’s where I\’ll be again this year – anywhere else.
OH, I liked the bottleneck at Ross Island! Flow dynamics and how animals micro adjust in heards/flocks. Where some found irritation, I found Teh Science! Anyway I\’m riding in spirit this year, have fun on the ride if your are going!
In the early days of the event, bike mechanics employed at any of the local bike shops could ride the route for free if they signed up to bring tools and pumps and help out as ride-along wrenches. We were given t-shirts that marked us as mechanics (that first year, anyway); a patch kit and some simple instructions. The first year of the ride, I gave mechanical assistance to at least a dozen riders. I did the first five Bridge Pedals that way.
Then the organizers did away with ride-along mechanics, and told me I\’d either have to be employed by one of the two or three shops with whom they contracted [to provide stationary mechanic tents along the route]; OR I\’d have to pay and ride like a citizen.
Since I couldn\’t really afford the citizen fee on my bike shop income — I know it\’s a fundraiser, but the entry fee\’s a bit steep for most hourly-wage types — I stopped participating in Bridge Pedal after that. Nowadays I\’m content to ride my bike all over the city, any day I like — for free.
I definitely plan to NOT do Bridge Pedal.
In reality you wouldn\’t catch me dead there.
I am however considering doing the 24 hour Alleycat this weekend…… Since first place last year was won under dishonest circumstances. (I did win the race at 3:30 in the morning though, and Gary and I came in 3rd place overall after the 24 hours of HELL!)
Avenge Me Son! Avenge Me!
Wolverines!!!!
I\’m going camping at Champoeg State Park:
http://www.shift2bikes.org/cal/view3week.php#09-393
and skipping the massive traffic jam that is the bridge pedal. Why don\’t you consider joining us? Leaving at 10am Saturday from VooDoo Too at NE Davis & 15th. We\’ll be back about 6pm Sunday.
I\’m going. My first time. I\’m looking forward to it!
Then to Oregon Bites (or whatever it\’s called) for a beer and some food.
We will be steering clear of the Bridge Pedal. Way too many people and inexperienced riders.
Thanks for the reminder! I\’ll now be staying away from Portland Sunday.
Like Beth, I did the volunteer ride along mechanic thing about five years ago. One Bridge Pedal was enough for me. It\’s a victim of its own popularity, and the organizers are always one step behind with coping….my impression was that for every \’avid\’ cyclist, a lot of once a year riders turned out.
What I like most about the event is that it makes the people that might not otherwise give us a second thought, think about bikes. This impacts us the safety, the facilities, and the future of our community. As we bike around the city, hopefully all of those \”cyclists for a day\” as one poster called them, might just see one more bike on the street and we can avoid a potential crash. I think it also gets people thinking differently about the streets in our community, and that in and of itself is a really good thing. Finally, it is a ride with lots of children (my two girls included), and I hope this is one of those family events that will build the bike community of the future keeping the mechanics, the sales staff, and everyone in the industry engaged.
Having attend the Five Boro Ride in NYC this May, it pains me to think that Portland doesn\’t have the largest organized ride in the U.S. I mean how can we let that challenge go unmet.
Hopefully, this year has fewer problems with traffic control.
I will not be riding in the bridge pedal this year. I did it two years ago and that was enough for me. I recommend for all of you planning on riding, especially all of you first time riders–DO NOT TAKE YOUR BEST, FAVORITE BIKE along, I know too many stories (mine included) where people have been cut off, side swiped, or bumped into by inexperienced riders, causing a crash and broken bikes. Just be cautious and careful.
No.
I miss most of the big events Portland offers. I\’d probably miss Bridge Pedal too if I wasn\’t meeting friends. Bridge Pedal is all about epic crowds and slow speeds. That\’s what I expect and that\’s fine. The view from the bridges is solid helmets that look like marbles and the line of riders is endless. It really is amazing, but the scenic view from the St John\’s Bridge is great any day of the year.
I\’m looking forward to the whole day starting with an invigorating ride from home at 5:30 AM, great local bands at The Bite, and pleasant ramble home afterwards. Mid 70s? Yeah it sounds like a great day.
I\’ve never been and have decided to do it this time. I\’ve heard lots of nightmares about the crowds but really looking forward to being on top of the Marquam bridge!
I am going to steer far, far clear of the Bridge Pedal (I confess, I do not like children, and I avoid any places where they might be . . . especially when they are on bikes), and instead I will pre-ride the route for the Oregon Randonneurs\’ Gorge 200 K – the event itself is om August 16, and is in celebration of the 10th anniversary of Randonneurs USA (www.rusa.org).
Or Rando will be hosting a 100K populaire and a 200K brevet on the 16th, and I will be riding the route to make sure our cues are accurate and that the slide on the HCRH bike path outside Bonnevllle is still portage-able.
So, Jonathan, when the hell are we going to get you to join us on a brevet? Randonneuring is gaining popularity in Oregon with each brevet, yet you have yet to join us 🙂
It\’ll be my husband and I\’s first ride, he was in recovery last summer (our first in Portland) from a bike injury (broken leg). Sounds like it\’s going to be a bit of a crazy nightmare, but it\’s something we want to try at least once!
we\’re going. My 12 y/o loves it.
The rest of you can be \”Too cool for school\”
First timers and veterans, have a blast. For all the bottlenecks, weaving riders and sudden mergers, there\’s that uplift one gets looking along the river from any of the bridges and seeing the city filled with bikes. I\’ll be out on the Columbia, on Marine Drive, letting my road machine do its best and trying out new pedals.
My plan is not to ride it. Absolute disaster the past 3 years with the bottlenecking and people weaving in and out with little regard for others. Nuh uh , no way !
I love the feeling of being in a massive group ride and being part of the Portland bike culture and community.
The Bridge Pedal is a ride I look forward to every year and wouldn\’t miss it for anything.
some of these posts really make me smile
burr\’s especially…
i get the feeling that if someone gave you a brand new bike, the first thing you would do is to see if it was cool enough for your elitist cred and then kick the gift giver in the shin just for fun
come on people – a zillion people riding bikes and bridges closed to cars!!! this is a ride, but it is much, much more a gathering and a statement
oh yeah, burr- one of the statements is that as the bicycle movement grows it is going to be more about families and less about vehicular cyclists grumps like you – this may be the best reason to go on this ride
i know there will be bottlenecks, i know that i\’ll be cut off repeatedly, i know that some yahoos will make some rude comments, i personally can\’t wait…yippee
I plan to be there for the long portion (11 bridge ride).
I do also plan to start early (6am, I think) and just go.
I plan to just go. No stooping for food or sweats.
I plan to be through by 9:30 / 10 and be off the route when the hoards arrive.
Mark
I will be at the Weir’s Cyclery bike Aid Station at the east side of the St Johns Bridge.
With the thousands of riders who will be on the road will be those unprepared//unskilled and occasionally unfortunate riders who need a little support. That is what I enjoy doing. ( And a chance to plug St Johns and its great community)
A couple years ago a fellow showed up after a collision with a 12 year old who pulled in front of him coming off the bridge. His leg was lacerated and his carbon=fiber bike was no more.
Plan on a slow careful ride and focus on the event rather than expecting any speed. Ride carefully. You will be one of the more experienced riders. Seriously.
Adult ride Saturday, family ride Sunday?
Could be the future of bridge pedal.
$30 bucks to get stuck in traffic? This is on bicycles right?
Cecil isn\’t doing that pre-ride by herself 🙂
+1 on Jonathan covering an OrRando event.
Did it a few years ago and couldn\’t handle the amount of inconsiderate, inexperienced riders out there. Took it casual, and wasn\’t really concerned with going fast or beating a clock, but got sick of being cut-off, almost run in to, etc.
Dangerous riding conditions for everyone if you ask me.
Stopped mid-way and had a nice breakfast @ milo\’s instead.
I love the idea of the ride though. Great to ride through the city and see if from a different perspective, but need to see some major changes to how it is organized before I\’ll consider doing it again.
Separate rides for adults / kids / families, or staging the ride for people of various ability / experience levels would be a great start…
I\’ll be driving in my gas sipping Civic for a week of vacation on a big mountain.
Hey guys, you don\’t get to complain about why more people don\’t ride bikes on one thread and then complain about the inexperienced riders on another thread. Think about it. Everyone starts somewhere and isn\’t that the point of the bridge pedal?
We haven\’t done it for years because yes it seemed way too crowded with too many inexperienced riders even though the views off the bridges were spectacular. But hey, this year I participated in some rides that I had never tried before because they were \”too short to be real work-outs\” and isn\’t that what cycling is all about? Yes, these rides were crowded and had inexperienced riders but they were a BLAST because they were just plain FUN events and sent me thru parts of town I havenever meandered thru.
So to add to a summer of new experiences, we\’ll be volunteering for the first time tomorrow morning and then joining in the ride.
I\’ve done it twice. After watching my 16-year-old daughter almost get taken out by a totally inexperienced rider, I swore never to do it again.
I have relented this year and am going to give it one more chance. I\’m leaving in the earliest wave of the 11 bridge ride. I\’m going to ride as fast and as safely as possible and do my best to stay in front of the novices.
While I agree that getting more folks interested in riding is a good idea; this is not the kind of ride to mix serious and novice riders together.
Scott
\”couldn\’t handle the amount of inconsiderate, inexperienced riders out there…… got sick of being cut-off, almost run in to, etc. Dangerous riding conditions for everyone if you ask me.\”
The call of the wild automobile operator.
\”Hey guys, you don\’t get to complain about why more people don\’t ride bikes on one thread and then complain about the inexperienced riders on another thread. Think about it. Everyone starts somewhere and isn\’t that the point of the bridge pedal?\”
I hear ya, Eileen. Though if the internet proves anything, it\’s that people can complain about anything, at any time 🙂
Imagine a world free of cars, where bicycles could freely roam the roads – isn\’t that a lovely vision? The Bridge Pedal is a window into part of that world – the rush-hour part. It\’s not a perfect world, not utopia, but I\’ll take it over the car-choked semi-dystopia we\’ve come to accept as normal the other 364 days of the year.
A bicycle traffic jam is a wonderful problem to have.
Also, I\’ll take an inexperienced rider pushing 30 pounds around under his or her own power over an inexperienced driver spurring 4000 pounds into motion with the twitch of a gas pedal. Any day of the week.
I\’ll leave this to the masses.
Can\’t afford to fall over on my bakfiets.
Past rides were less crowded and fun.
LOVING the adults ride Saturday,family ride Sunday!
Could there also be the same options for families as adults and still have the time cut-offs?
Relax and enjoy the slow pace and new friends!
I won\’t be doing it this year, I\’ll be on a training ride. I have really enjoyed the Bridge Pedal in years past, it\’s a great way to see the city from new vantage points! There is nothing like hanging out in the sun on the top deck of the Fremont Bridge..
I\’ve had plenty of \’grief\’ from inexperienced riders and/or kids at the Bridge Pedal, but isn\’t that what it\’s all about? A great ride for everyone.
I did my last Bridge Pedal two years ago, so Jess could experience it and that was enough for both of us. Mark Allyn (#23) has a great strategy. I did that one year (rode early and fast) and was home and in bed by 9:00am. Good luck.
I like the fact that BP goes on for others to enjoy. I\’ll have to make a note to myself to stay on the east side tomorrow…
Looking forward to your pictures Jonathan.
Oh yes we\’ll be there.
We\’ll be starting as early as possible, and hope to take advantage of the bottle necks to meet some of our neighbors.
I saw quite a few dangerous situations last year, but none as dangerous as most of our daily commutes to work every day amongst the cars.
I also see this event as an opportunity to gently educate inexperienced riders about good cycling etiquette.
I can see no disadvantages to splitting to a Saturday/Sunday ride, and believe that more riders would come out as a result.
I love riding over the bridges and the fun vibe. I\’m doing the long ride, but I expect it to be a long toodle, which is fine with me. Better to view our fair city.
I\’m riding with my best friend, who recently got totally fired up about bicycling. Looks like it\’s going to be a nice day, too!
We\’ll be doing in again this year; it seems like most of the people who get turned off about it are people who have underestimated the idea of this ride:
It\’s not a race
It\’s not a training ride
It\’s an organized ride allowing all sorts of people to experience Portland
It\’s a casual hang-out sort of thing with 18,000 of your closest bikey friends.
And then, it\’s getting into the Bite for free and drinking beer at 10:30am. And eating yummy food at 10:30am.
We\’re doing the 11-bridge, starting early. The plan is to have fun. Period.
My house is doing the 6-bridges ride. We\’ve never done it before, so we figured we\’d go with the shortest route to see how it goes. I\’m ignoring all the comments here about how awful it might be, but can anyone tell me how early we should get there, if we\’re supposed to start at 9? We\’ve searched the Bridge Pedal info site and can\’t find anything much that\’s helpful. Also, is it impossible to jump in somewhere besides the official start point?
i did the bridge pedal two years ago and loved it, missed it last year, and will be there tomorrow. when the H else can you walk around on the fremont bridge? never! never is when. i think i like the bridge aspect even more than the cycling part. it\’s fun and novel.
Dangerous, frustrating, crowded, and expensive. Never again.
Staying away. But only because I just got back from a week in NC and need to recover.
Otherwise I\’d volunteer to wrench.
Doing the 11 bridge ride for the first time.
And as far as inexperienced people go, I\’d rather they were on bikes than behind the wheel of SUV\’S.
Bicycle traffic jams, I love it.
Kt wrote:
\”It\’s a casual hang-out sort of thing with 18,000 of your closest bikey friends.
And then, it\’s getting into the Bite for free and drinking beer at 10:30am. And eating yummy food at 10:30am.\”
Only problem is, this year you can\’t eat for free. I believe that food is a separate thing and you pay extra for it.
Yes, splitting the ride into two days would probably be good, though I can\’t imagine it would be possible without charging more money overall (using ODOT resources for two days instead of one, et al).
And while too many bicycle riders is probably a good problem to have, it also shows just how limited we are in terms of providing adequate infrastructure to allow more bike riders to safely use the roads and paths.
I do this nearly every weekend..Sauvie Island to Sellwood bridges. ..I think the ride is a great mixer..It\’s the \”mob mentality\” that gets to me.
I agree with Beth, It definitely shows just how inadequate the infrastructure is when ridership increases.
In a perfect world, the city would take notice of the problem areas. posting them here as I\’ve seen done (Broadway- Flint ave area) as an example.
Hwy 30 turnoff to St Johns Bridge is one area.
Crossing St Johns Bridge is another..(without ODOT help)
Apparently the same rude people who drive cars partcipate in Bridge Pedal. Even on two wheels it\’s still intolerable. What\’s happened to this city?
And is it really necessary for the Tour de France wannabes (you know who you are)to show up at a ride like this? You people aren\’t Lance Armstrong (and never will be) and it just simple isn\’t appropriate to blast so fast through other bikers.
Bridge Pedal is a nice idea, but unfortunately people ruin it.
Nice ride! Great weather!
Red shirt ride – too short.
NASTY multi-bike wreck on Marquam Bridge! Very sad way to start the ride, finishing in an ambulance…
No complaints otherwise.
Just read many comments above with concerns about crowds and bad bike drivers.
This is my 4th ride and completely understand the concerns from previous years. This time I rode in the front portion of the red pack and stayed ahead of too many newbies. It was not too crowded and for the most part folks handled their bikes courteously and competently.
There were few children where I was. Most of them may have chosen the family ride. I did still see too many kids who seem to be strong riders, but who don\’t understand they need to maintain a straight path, or look behind before veering off. The sponsors really need to provide some basic bike courtesy and safety guidelines along with the other materials they hand out.
Again, all in all, it was a much better ride than previous years.