Report: Pedalpalooza Preview Ride

[Editor’s note: We’ll be posting Pedalpalooza ride reports as they come in. Pedalpalooza begins today, but there has already been one ride — a preview ride, on Tuesday, June 9, encapsulating as many themes and destinations as possible. This report came over the Shift list yesterday.]

Special thanks to Laughing Planet Cafe, official sponsor of our Pedalpalooza 2009 coverage.

From Esther Harlow, via Shift, on June 10:

A small but devoted crew of Pedalpalooza riders took to the streets last night on a psychogeographical Portland-wide search for and of Bike Fun, guided only by our fearless leader Chris, the Pedalpalooza calendar, and our wit.

Along the way,
— Puns, Spanish, tales of touring, horticulture, and the trials of Rev Phil were discussed;
— sex with bicycles, pregnancy, and homosexuality were simulated;
— the wonders of nature & the works of man in the forms of parks, birds, houses of worship, multi-sensual art, butt cleavage, graffiti, fountains, the Zoobomb pyle, and bro-brahs were experienced;
— the indigent, the daring hands-free, the Cirque of bicyclists of Mississippi St., and the lowriders were observed;
— freeways were killed, 12-lane bridges were protested, and Sisyphean hills were conquered;
— breakfast, tacos, pizza, sausage, water from Benson bubblers, and beer were imbibed;
— the lane was taken, the road was unimproved, and legal rights were exercised; and
— there was nudity (natch).

Sadly, our shorts were not short, our bikes were not French, we did not properly celebrate Oregon’s birthday, nor did we show off our Pretty Panties or drink in Vancouver (glaring oversights), but in all we previewed 43 rides and found them to our liking. A full list of rides we previewed is here (excepting Jon Van Oast’s Psychographical Tour of Portland, which encompassed our entire ride).
Entire set of photos here.