(Photos J. Maus/BikePortland)
The 2014 Pedalpalooza got rolling in grand fashion last night as hundreds of people rode in the Kickoff Parade. As usual, spirits were soaring at this ride that marks the beginning of the three-week event.
We met at Colonel Summers Park in southeast Portland. Silkscreened Pedalpalooza pennants (created by volunteers, thank you!) were passed around while people milled about. There were lots of hugs and smiles, music blared from on-bike sound systems, people danced, picnicked, and simply soaked up the scene.
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It was great to see so many familiar faces. I don’t get out as much as I used to, so it had been a long time since I’d seen a lot of these wonderful folks. I caught up with my old friend Dingo the Clown and he said it best, “It’s like looking at your old yearbook!”
showing some Pedalpalooza pride.
As the crowd grew, there was hardly an open space of grass. Everywhere you looked there were interesting bikes decorated for fun and interesting people costumed in all manner of themes. One of the things I love most about Pedalpalooza is how it draws out such a broad cross-section of our city’s bike riders. There were teenagers on fixed gears, guys still dressed in work clothes on their hybrids and recumbents, members of bike gangs on amazing freak bikes, and there were lots of families. What a sight!
Once we massed and got rolling up SE Belmont, the size of the group was quite impressive. It stretched a full side of the road for several block faces. Now this is what Pedalpalooza is all about!
I loved the route. Instead of backstreets, we took many major streets. Going up NE/SE 28th — given all the controversy in recent months about bicycles access — was a nice touch. We also coasted down NE Broadway into perfectly warm and breezy air.
People who happened to be driving amid the massive parade were in good spirits too. Despite being held up for several minutes (at least), they smiled, took photos, and honked in support. Dozens of people ran onto their porches and out of restaurants eager to witness this cycling spectacle. Turns out, a massive and colorful parade of people pedaling bicycles is a thrilling sight even when everyone is fully clothed.
Yeah!
Love the the high five photo at the end. What a happy smile on the face of the motorist. Restores my faith in humanity!
Hey all motorists are not *evil*…we’re all people in the end just trying to get somewhere.
Great work, Jonathan!
What makes me a little sad is that years ago the Kick Off Ride was truely the first ride… Now more and more events are creeping up on it! I wish that people organizing rides/events in the frame work of Pedalpalooza show some restraint and not schedule rides at the same time as the Kick Off Ride…
If you look at old calendars (http://www.shift2bikes.org/pedalpalooza/index.shtml), you’ll see that the kickoff has very rarely been the first ride. We discourage people from posting events that conflict with the kickoff and the Bike Fair but mostly because they’ll miss out on the fun not because those events lack their own critical mass. So I guess I’m a LITTLE sad, too, when rides conflict…but not very.
Great photos. Wish I could have joined in the fun!
I love Pedalpalooza!
Love the variety in the images! Thanks for bringing along those of us that could not be there!
I’ll add my thanks as well. Sorry to miss all the fun this year!
The ride was great last night.
This seems like a good thread for a shameless plug:
If you know any twins or multiples, let them know about this ride on the 15th: http://www.shift2bikes.org/cal/viewpp2014.php#15-4443
more photos here! http://bikeleptic.com/2014/06/06/ride-report-pedalpalooza-kickoff-ride/
Glad you liked the route Jonathon, I put a lot of thought into it 😀 it was a super great time!
It was amazing Matheas! I was a little nervous a couple times that with out huge group it was going to not be ok – but the way it worked out was flawless. And kudos for how professional you were with your marshalls. (walkie talkies and all! So much communication between your team!!)
Thanks! The walkie-talkies are a huge help for communicating from rear to front of ride. I’m told it took 9 minutes for us to roll by from start to finish!