(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)
Another Bridge Pedal is in the books and the reviews are already coming in.
Nick Abbott shared with us via Twitter that he felt it was the “Best course layout yet” in the last 4 or 5 years he’s done the ride. “They need to tweak it around OMSI… too narrow, but still fun.” Lynn Treat said it was “Awesome” and that her sons, ages 7 and 9, completed their first 6 bridge ride. “They had a blast!”
Reader Paul Cone rode the very first Bridge Pedal in 1996; but had only done it once again since then until today. Here’s what he shared via email:
“We signed up for 10 and started right at 7:30. I commute 10+ miles a day so I’m not slow but we took our time and probably combined total of 30 minutes of breaks. The band at the top of the Marquam was good and they were also set up for a DJ. We were looking forward to the Fremont but we didn’t look at the map and notice time restriction until we were on top of the St. Johns. We started pedaling like mad but we still did not make it. Disappointing they close it so early (11:30).”
And reader John Irish was nice enough to share this excellent time-lapse video he shot. If you didn’t make it out this year (like me), check out his footage for the next closest thing:
How was it for you? I didn’t make it out this year (I was out in the gorge racing my mountain bike!) Share your experiences and tell us what you saw in the comments below…
10th year in Portland, probably 5th Bridge Pedal, best one ever! No snags or chokepoints. Kudos to the organizers. Can’t wait until the 11th bridge is finished…
A couple of other thoughts… there were some chokepoints (had to dismount and walk) on a couple of the bridges, but that was because we were merging with the other rides. Also the Honey Buckets were a bit lacking on the ride out to the St. John’s bridge — I counted only 3 from downtown all the way to St. John’s downtown proper. The first had a 10 minute line. Have to wonder if we (and the many others) might have made it on to the Fremont if we didn’t have to wait for the bathroom. But overall thought it was great and we liked the route.
my experience was much different: we walked at least 4 bridges and a huge chunk between marquam and burnside. if i had only done inner bridges, half of them would have required walking. very disappointing!
It was all right. I did my first one last year and admittedly overslept and wound up getting there in time for the 6 bridge one. I did get up in time this year for the 10 and registration was a snap and took right off. I did find that there were too many bottlenecks. I had to dismount on the Hawthorne Bridge and walk half way, the start of the Burnside Bridge and a couple other spots. The only one that seemed to take long was the Hawthorne.
I get such a good discount working for Providence that it is worth it. If I did not, I would almost just chalk it up to too many people and not worth it.
This was my second 8 Bridge Petal. One bottleneck (of several) occurred when we were stopped cold for 10 minutes by a moving freight train blocking our route. I wondered whether Portland could have communicated with the freight train company requesting it to suspend their trains on the Petal routes until 11:30 am?
Also not nearly enough porta potties enroute to St.Johns. There also could have been a few additional ones along the route (there were a few, but not enough in my opinion).
But, as usual, I was thrilled to have another opportunity to be cycling on the roads with NO cars or trucks, seeing only thousands of cyclists, including lots of families with children, and a few pedestrians. It wets my imagination for an end to King Car, an urban life with no cars.
I saw only two other handcyclists. I wonder if there were more.
I am grateful to Providence for providing this organized cycling bonanza which raises money for their heart and vascular programs.
Speaking of freight trains. I got on a Greyhound bus at 6:30 am yesterday. The driver had no idea he couldn’t take the standard route: get on I-405 Southbound at ~14th & Davis. So he headed back downtown. When he crossed the wide-open and completely empty Burnside bridge to the East Side I got concerned since this was (supposed to be) a Southbound schedule. After finding the on-ramp to I-5 South also closed he started to freak out. Hew let me out so I could speak with the policeman guarding the closed off West-bound access to the Burnside Bridge about moving the barricades (it was still 6:40am and no bikes to be seen). He was not the least bit interested in helping a Greyhound bus full of poor people. So I directed the driver down 99E to Oregon City and back to I-5 via 205. All turned out fine, but when we encountered a Northbound Greyhound the driver called him up on his cell phone and suggested he not expect to approach the Portland terminal via the usual routes.
Perhaps someone could send Greyhound the memo next time.
This reminds me of the 5 hour Greyhound trip in Texas that turned into 15 hours, including some angry ex-cons. Greyhound drivers seem fairly clueless much of the time. Let’s hope the BoltBus helps them raise their standards.
whets, is what I believe you meant to say…
Mandatory helmet use is such a turn-off. If we can’t feel safe in this town without plastic hats, what kind of example are we setting as ‘America’s cycling capital’?
The kind where we have well organized, mass participation events to further promote cycling as a healthy transportation choice and lifestyle activity. Helmets are a requirement to get insurance for such events. Don’t want to wear a skid lid? Don’t ride Bridge Pedal.
With all the inexperienced riders and children, the bridge pedal is dangerous. I think a helmet is a good idea. I’ve seen many people taken out over the years by inattentive riders or weaving children.
Hey hey, Hart. You go for it, dude. Go ahead and be free of that turn-off. Remember the Allstate commercial that said nobody plans to have an accident? I was five minutes away from the Tomato Battle on July 21 when I hit a curb and was ejected from my bike, landing on two points: my helmet and mouth, with my knee following. I got stitches and a slight concussion out of it, but I spent the evening at home, not in the ER or worse. Without my “plastic hat” taking the brunt of the impact, I might not even be here. The folks in the first car told me (through my stars and blood), “We didn’t even see your bike; we just saw you flying through the air.” They were nice enough to call 911 for me. You set your example, and I’ll happily set mine. I commute by bike daily, so I know the risks. You may never hit a curb at 20 mph, or get blind-sided by a car door opening, or a car turning in front of you, or a kid chasing a ball out in front of you from between two parked cars, or any of a hundred different scenarios where you unexpectedly fall at bike speed and slam your head into the concrete, but if you do, I hope that on that one day, someone who cares about you goaded, pleaded or bribed you into wearing a plastic hat for at least that one ride.
My bridge pedal was great. 64 miles of beautiful country roads in Linn County. Only about 600 folks and very few cars. My bridges were covered bridges and there were plenty of honey buckets at the three rest stops. The Mid-Valley Bicycle Club does a wonderful job. Of course they have had 34 years of practice.
Shhhh. Don’t let the secret out. Last thing we want is a bunch of twice-a-year riders out clogging the roads of the valley…
Did the 6 bridge ride with my son. We both had a good time and enjoyed the ride. Well worth it.
his was my forth bridgepedal we always do the max number of bridges available. this year was by far the best less bike & hike spots. I would recommend that they send the 10 bridge rides to St. johns first. it would remove a lot of congestion of the bridges all the 6 & 8 bridge riders are doing by sending a large number of riders somewhere else and giving time for the other riders to clear those bridges.
What does Bridge Pedal offer that WNBR doesn’t do better?
Pants, for one thing. Also, as far as I know the naked ride doesn’t go over the Fremont bridge.
Well, I certainly won’t put this on the WNBR organizers because they do a great job. However, it is nice to not have so many drunk people on the Bridge Pedal.
I rode the 10-bridge and I saw more swerving and sudden stopping from amateur riders there than I ever have from drunk riders during Pedalpalooza.
My first bridge pedal (10 bridges) and only decided to go on Saturday. I was very impressed with the organization, from the simple online reservation onwards, and want to send a big thank you to all the volunteers – I think I saw at least one at every intersection! Thanks also to the Police, it was fun to roll through red lights right next to a cruiser! I did not experience any delays, just the fun of riding for nearly 3 hours with only bikes on the road. Well done everyone who participated, and thanks again to everyone who helped make it happen.
I agree with bicycler1951. If you want to get away from the crowds try the Covered Bridge Ride as an alternative. It starts in Albany and meanders through up to 5 covered bridges depending on your distance (40, 60, 85, 100). Well supported and I got to pee whenever I needed to
great event! I did the 10-bridge express start at 6:30 and it was worth a little less sleep and a little more money. Thank you!
I did the 10-bridge ride, it’s my first year in Portland and I thought it was great, such a good idea and riding over the Marquam and Fremont bridges was worth the $40 alone.
The biggest problem area was the lead-up to Hawthorne Bridge, where the 10-bridge riders meet the 8-bridge and 6-bridge starters. I was quite far towards the front of the 10-bridge ride, but this area just became a jam, the directions off Naito for the 10-bridge riders were poor, and at SW Madison & 1st there were cars driving down Madison toward the bridge, no marshalling, just trying to drive through the riders??!!
I signed up for the 10 bridge but there was some lack of communication towards OMSI and a workers was yelling “10 bridges on the left!” so thats where our group went and turns out it was the wrong direction. Ended up missing the Sellwood and Hawthorne but did everything else and doubled back and hit the hawthorne on our way back to the eastside to make it a 9 bridge total. Other than that, it was pretty great!
The idea there was “10 bridges first time right, second time left”, but they didn’t communicate that very clearly.
Idea — when they hand you the map at the registration they should open it up for you and show you the route.
We only did the six since the Saint John’s is always available and the Sellwood will fall down anytime; hence we decided to wait until the replacement bridge is built for that one. The slow downs were a little frustrating but to be expected in a crowd of that size including children, they could have placed the “rest stop” in a slightly better location with more room.
Also, they need composting bins next to where they give out the bananas….We were disturbed at everyone tossing good compost into plastic trash bags.
Overall a wonderful event though. I have been wanting to go for years but I usually had to commute through it on the way to my old job.
Don’t worry about that too much. The plastic will eventually rip to shreds in transport/storage and the bananas will compost anyway.
Had a blast riding down 405 with no cars! the Marquam was pretty great too!
For a different perspective next year, consider volunteering! Help out the people and families who don’t ride bikes often… If we increase the the numbers of people who drive less and support biking and walking, everybody wins.
Along the 6 bridge route I helped with a lot of seat adjustments, flat tires or low tire pressure, a loose crank bolt, a pedal that fell off, a bent tag along hitch, etc. Most of the repairs were on kid’s bikes. Suggestion: I appreciate the bike shops that set up on Marquam and Fremont Bridges, how about one near the start area?
Another suggestion: The volunteers who staffed the intersection of NW 2nd and Couch were slammed with east west vehicle traffic trying needing to cross the bike route. Maybe set up vehicle detour signs, or staff the intersection with Portland Police Officers?
For those who wish to ride fast and get a good workout – avoid the shortest 6 bridge ride, it’s is a family scene. Unfortunately there was a serious crash with emergency response on the downhill approach to the Marquam. Thanks to the people who slowed down, as requested, through the crash zone. I hope the rider who crashed recovers quickly!
I plan on volunteering next year, saw tons of smoking hot babes doing it!
My family and I did the ride again this year and as usual we thoroughly enjoyed it. I think it was my 10th or 12th, my wife’s 3rd or 4th and our 9yr old’s 3rd(riding a Burley Piccolo). It’s one of the best celebrations of cycling I’ve ever been involved with on a mass level. The fact we have the opportunity to close major bridges in a metropolitan area and ride our bikes while taking in the incredible Portland scenery is to be cherished. I never understand the complaints from “arm-chair” ride organizer wannabes. Not sure how folks could ever expect there not to be a couple bottlenecks on the route somewhere with 20k riders of eevry type all going the same direction at varying speeds, with varying skill levels on city streets. It happens, it will always happen, slow down, relax, smile, let someone go in front of you, give a bit of encouragement to someone not as skilled as yourself and just have a good time and be happy with live in bike friendly Portland and have a sponsor, Providence that supports our chosen activity in such a wonderful manner.
The only question I have is this: I 100% understand the cost of an event like this and the need to charge a registration fee, however, I wonder what would happen if another sponsor came on board for the sole purpose of lowering the entry fee. We’d like our entire family to do the ride but that would cost us $160! Instead 3 of us ride and it costs $80, still a serious chunk of cash when I can ride an organized century for maybe half that amount w/3 rest stops and a post ride meal. Every year I think about how many 1000s of Portland residents don’t do the Bridge Pedal because they can’t afford it, both young and old, black, white, hispanic or whatever, old 1speed or shiny modern bike, fixie or cargo, or handcycle. I think the effort should be made to get as many Portlanders on a bike and into the Bridge Pedal that want to be a part of it and it can be done by finding an adjunct sponsor to cover the cost of lowering the reg fee and then marketing the ride to areas/people who also ride bikes, live in Portland and would enjoy seeing their city “from the saddle” with 20,000 of their closest friends. In today’s economy $40 doesn’t go very far in the grocery store or at the gas pump. For some paying $40 “to ride their bike” is just simply not in the budget even though they’d love to take part by themselves or with their family. Let’s make an effort to include ALL cyclists aka bike riders in the Bridge Pedal.
The volunteers, the city police, the folks who sit on every corner and smile as we ride by, those who cover the Hawthorne Bridge at 4am with plywood, who hand out bananas, pour cups of water, respond to crashes with first aid etc should all be applauded. They are the shadow warriors of Bridge Pedal who work and take their time every year to make this every great and allow us the joy of riding the bridges of Portland once a year in safe and fun manner. Thanks.
Interesting perspective because when I was done with the ten bridge ride I turned to my bike partner and said “They should raise the price to $200, then I’d do it again for sure.” First most likely not last Bridge Pedal, but it was annoying trying to actually pedal through the throngs of people.
Wasn’t too bad with an early start, but I absolutely agree with the suggestion to have the 10 /8 bridge riders of the Fremont Bridge when the 6’ers get on.
First PBP for me. I’m from show-me Eugene, and I got schooled. WONDERFUL ride. Did the 10-bridge express start and total time was like 2:45. Staff was great; amenities were solid, and live music on the top of the Marquam bridge…priceless. Among other things. Now if I could remember the website where my ” free ” picture taken at the top of the Fremont is located…
Do have to observe that it sure was nice to be on a bike Sunday morning…lotta steamed motorists. Yes, many bikers don’t care. I do if only out of self-preservation…
Dsg
My 13 year old nephew from Detroit just completed his 3rd Bridge Pedal. Great time. This was absolutely the best one yet. Great weather, absolutely no congestion and some awesome times
There are some pictures here.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinwagoner/
dude we saw you riding that super dope FELT bike. Made my group double take. cheers!
The cash outlay has been my downfall so far….that and getting out of bed, haha.Now imagine if all those folks were in hydrocarbon emitters, stalled in traffic, 100 degrees
I didn’t do it, as I had a planned hike in the Gorge, but what I found interesting were all the bikers streaming through SE after the event, and how cars gave them right of way frequently when really they had no real reason to do so. I do think most people driving in Portland look at bikers with respect, and a little bit beyond the idea that every bikers is a reduction in their car traffic, so encouraging biking is in everyone’s ultimate best interest…
I did the 10-bridge along with spouse and two teens. There seemed to be no water stops available between Marquam and St. Johns bridges, so we were very parched by the time we got to bike jam in St. J. Rather than wait in lengthy lines for bathrooms and water in St. J., we slightly detoured to our home 3 blocks off the route in St. J. A few observations: (1) the rest stops need better flow design so that people w/ bikes can more easily access the food and beverages. Sellwood did a good job by setting up the tables in the middle, making the goodies accessible from both sides of the tables. (2) For some strange reason, I saw nearly a dozen crashes occur along the way. They were at low speeds, so no injuries occurred. I also saw others being treated for crashes that I didn’t see happen. One such person looked to be in rough shape on the downhill curve where NW Vaughn approaches St. Helens Road. The rider was in a daze. I guess these crashes are to be expected when riders of varying skills are closely mixed together, wheel to wheel. The need for constant vigilance was more tiring than the ride itself. (3) The Highway 30 stretch is scary, with thousands of riders sharing a single car lane and bike lane, and oncoming trucks and cars only a cone’s width or less away. Question: why is only one lane on the St. J bridge devoted to bikes? Why not two lanes? It would be much safer.
We did the 6-bridge ride with our daughters (5 & 7) who did it in their own bikes for the first time. Especially the 5-year old did great on her 20″-no gears kids bike. We had a lot of fun and the kids enjoyed riding the freeway. It’s a great family event and I guess those who don’t want congestion need to pay extra for the fast track start early in the morning.
We did the 8-bridge ride, started around 8am, and by the time we got to the rest stop at the St. Johns bridge, they had completely run out of water. So we continued on to the rest stop before the Fremont Bridge, where they still had water, but no cups…
Also, all the delays due to trains and poorly designed bottlenecks almost had us miss the Fremont bridge deadline (made it at 11:27am!). None of this ever happened to us before, and we have been riding for 5 years. They definitely have gotten cheaper over the years… cloth vests gave way to paper tags, juice bottles gave way to water in cups (which now gave way to water without cups or no water at all…). I am already afraid that next year will be “bring your own refreshments”.
Somehow, I also saw more crashes this year than ever before.
Did anybody catch the name of the band playing at the top of the Marquam? I asked the root beer lady and she said “This Radiant Light”, but my Google searches for that name have come up empty. I’d like to ask them if I could use some of their music as background for the video I’m creating about the event.
Does anyone have the link to the person who was snapping portraits at the Fremont Bridge and handing out slips with the website and time your photo was taken?
http://www.portlandharborpartnership.com/
Thank you, Barbara!