Worst day of the year ride!

Last Sunday was the 8th annual Worst Day of the Year Ride in Portland. Other than commuting I haven't done much riding over the last couple months so I needed something to get me going. There could not have been a more perfect venue. I opted for the 18 mile urban loop. Start and finish were at the Lucky Lab brewery (a purveyor of most excellent suds).

The route was diverse, though all through familiar territory. The pace was easy, with three manned stops. As to the weather, it was raining when I left the house, grey at the start, clear at the finish, and warm on the ride home.

With 3000 riders, there was an attempt to prevent large bottlenecks by staggering starting groups every few minutes. That turned out to be all in vain when the drawbridge went up at the first bridge crossing. Epic bicycle traffic jam, Portland style.


Traffic jam


The trophy

Oh yeah, cash poor at the post ride festivities, I asked one of the girls manning the kegs where I could locate an ATM. She thought about it for a second and said, "I remember seeing one at the strip club on the next block".

I love Portland.

Full gallery.