Portlanders came together on Sunday to ride in solidarity with a cycling team based 7,000 miles away. The Great Ride of Return was organized by Palestinian liberation activists and the new Revolutionary Bicycle Club as part of a global gathering in support of the Gaza Sunbirds Cycling Team.
The Gaza Sunbirds are a para-cycling team that began in 2020 to raise awareness for Palestinians with special needs and to foster a competitive spirit among athletes with disabilities. When Israel attacked Palestine in response to an invasion by Hamas in October 2023, the Sunbirds were thrust into the global spotlight.
A few riders donned Gaza Sunbirds jerseys and jackets on Sunday as about 70 people gathered at Peninsula Park in north Portland before the ride. They shared commemorative spoke cards and heard a few speakers before rolling out. I spoke to one man named Perry as he readied the speaker pulled behind his bike in a cargo trailer.
“I’m here to support the Palestinian people. I think we need to do what we can as humanity to come together and fight for these inhumane practices that are going on,” Perry said. Asked about what cycling had to do with the event, he added, “Pedal power is it’s just the most efficient way of mobilizing, and we don’t have to rely on fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are funding this genocide. They’re directly connected with fueling these tanks and aircraft carriers.”
Joel F. was going around and lubing bicycle chains for free. “This is one of the more critical concerns that the world has right now,” he shared with me. “It really is a genocide happening in Palestine and in other parts of the world as well as Sudan and Congo — and we can’t let that happen on our watch, not without being out here and saying, ‘This is not right.'”
I asked a woman who had a “Ceasefire Now” sign on her bike what the Gaza Sunbirds mean to her. “They represent resilience and resistance and riding, enjoyment, and life.”
Another man, who was one of many folks wearing a keffiyeh traditional Arabic headdress, said the Gaza Sunbirds’ resilience, “Is what’s best of humanity.” “And I just love anyone that is willing to get out in the rain and ride and have a common purpose for a better world,” he added.
Right before the group got on their bikes and pedaled out of the park for a short loop around the Piedmont and Arbor Lodge neighborhoods, a speaker encouraged the crowd to fight back against fascism, “before it comes for all of us.” After mentioning the disappearance of Mahmoud Kahlil by the Trump administration, she added, “We all have to fight back and speak up against that every day.”
During the ride, the large group took over the road amid intermittent chants of “Free, free Palestine!” and honks and waves of approval from passersby.
The Revolutionary Bicycle Club plans to support another event this week: On Thursday they’ll bring cyclists and bike-based support to Make Some Noise, a protest against Society Hotel owner Jessie Burke that will be held in Old Town.
Listen to an audio report from the ride and view a full gallery of images below.
