Portland Bridge Pedal

Today I took part in the Portland Bridge Pedal, along with about 18,000 other people. Bridges were closed to automobile traffic so that bicycles could cross them, even some freeway bridges. It was a strange experience to be in such a large mass of bicycles.

I was riding along with my mother and father, my brother, and my sister-in-law. My brother and I tend to joke around a lot, so during uphill sections as we were passing slower-moving riders, I would yell out, "Yeah! This is when all that steroid use really pays off!" On the bridges I would turn to him and exclaim, "I filled my Camelbak with olive oil and it's great! I have so much energy!"

So many people do the Bridge Pedal, and the traffic can be so dense, that it can be easy to get separated from other riders in your group and not be able to find them. To help prevent that, some of my group wore feathers attached to their bike helmets, to make them easier to spot from a distance. They got compliments on the feathers. I also saw other people with stuffed animals attached to their helmets.