Despite all the warnings

We rode - along with 18,000 fellow cyclists - in the Providence Bridge Pedal this past Sunday.



A few different folks had spoken of poor organization and over-crowded routes in previous years. We'd opted out of it a couple times already, but this year Jeff suggested it again, and I agreed we should see for ourselves.



We chose the 14-mile, 6-Bridge ride.



I thought it was all pretty groovy. We started by crossing the Hawthorne Bridge, then on to the Ross Island followed by the Marquam Bridge which is actually a section of I-5.



Here's Calder bombing down a section of I-405 on the approach to the upper deck of the Marquam Bridge. Love this!



The route then took us over the Burnside Bridge, back over the Broadway Bridge and finally looping around on the eastside to access the biggest one, the Fremont Bridge, which is also part of I-405. (The logistics for this event must be insane.)



The ride was a lot of fun. Not too many bozos out there. Room enough to avoid trouble the whole way. And lots of great spirit.



The line was huge at Voodoo after the ride, so we hit up Stumptown instead and ran into a friend we hadn't seen in a while.

Two hours of great, car-free riding around Portland and a lovely iced Americano made for a really nice morning. I would contest any Bridge Pedal nay-saying and recommend it highly to anyone inclined to give the ride a try.

P.S. All shots were taken by me while riding. A little bit sketchy, but I never wobbled.