Remember Portlander Merritt Raitt? He’s the amateur filmmaker whose “Commuter Dreams” piece went viral (over 64,000 views and counting), became the toast of film festivals nationwide, and even won him a trip to the Tour de France.
Raitt’s next project is based just a few feet from his front door near Ladd Circle in Southeast Portland.
“I often ride centuries on the weekend,” Raitt told me about his new project, “and for some time now I have been thinking that it would be cool to ride a century on the circle.”
So on Sunday, with friends and family cheering him on, Raitt pedaled 650 laps around Ladd Circle, completing 100 miles in five hours and 10 minutes.
Did he get dizzy? Not quite says his wife Sue Shattuc. “The circle was just big enough to mitigate getting woozy.”
Even without hills, 100 miles is 100 miles. “It was much harder than I thought,” said Raitt after the ride.
Stay tuned for the release of the film. Who knows, maybe it will spur a new ride idea — The Ladd Circle Century.