Meanwhile, in Portland this morning I met a throng of bicyclists from who knows where unleashing their bikes for the annual Bridge Pedal 2014.
This is an organized bike ride, mind you. And it is far less interesting than Portland's famous "naked bike ride."
One thing I've never understood about this gang bang. Why do people drive into Portland with their bikes attached to their gas guzzlers, unstrap them, and then ride around in a vast circle over Portland's many bridges with a horde of like-minded health and wanna-be eco-friendly fanatics?
What a goddamn leisurely waste of petrol! You just drove 100 miles to flaunt your awareness?!
Jesus, if you have to drive your car into Portland with your bike on the roof or bumper just to ride with your fellow sheep why not do us all a favor and ride around your hometown? Call it a day?
Don't get me wrong. I like to bike myself. But if I wanted to go bike around Salem or Bend, I'd bike there first.
Sure I would...
I get the feeling that Portland's utilitarian cyclists, those for whom the bike is a function of their daily lives--a mode of commuting to work rain or shine for instance--avoid this tourist event like the plague.
Another of Portland's almost criminally-stupid events that out-of-towners seem to cherish while the rest of us say ho-hum.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I'll stick with my theory. The bike herd is for those trying to fit in, like all herds in general.
TS
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