Worst Day of the Year

Statistically speaking, the second weekend in February holds the worst for Portland weather. Rain, sleet, wind, repeat. So intrepid Portlanders launched the Worst Day of the Year Ride, now in its 10th year. As former Californians who have done nothing but bitch about imperfect cycling weather since relocating, it was our destiny to do this ride. And Sunday was that day.


The ride started/ended at the Lucky Labrador Brewpub on SE Hawthorne. It should be law throughout the land that all organized rides have brewpub headquarters. Our beer of choice at check-in was Crazy Ludwig's Alt on cask, for those of you keeping score at home.


The standard WDotYR is an 18 mile urban tour de Stumptown, with a 40 -mile option over the crest to Hillsboro. We opted for the shortie, from the Lab in inner SE then north on the Eastbank river Esplanade, across the Steel Bridge, 'round NW, back over the Broadway Bridge and up into NE/Alberta Arts, down again and across the Alameda Ridge (our 'hood) then south more through Laurelhurst and Sunnyside neighborhoods on the way back to the Lab.


Did I mention this is a costume ride? True to the theme, many rode in their best tropical finery but that was only the beginning. I tried to get a picture of a giant pink bunny pedaling merrily along--thinking David and Rune might recognize him from the hallucinations section of last summer's climb up Mt. Shasta--but he T-boned into a lamp post before I had a chance to snap him.


The stats:
40's with showers
18 miles, 2 hours
150 feet elevation gain
0 flats, mechanicals
Hot chai at rest stops

Well it's a start, anyway.