Worst Day Of The Year Ride

UPDATE 1/22/14:
THE 2014 RIDE IS ON SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9TH.  REGISTRATION IS STILL OPEN.  

Riding your bike in February has a high potential for misery.  Chances are it will be cold and rainy, maybe windy, maybe even freezing.  We still have potential for SNOW this time of year. But this weekend, we beat the odds and had (gasp) Sun, it was even a LITTLE warm as we hit the road for the annual Worst Day of the Year Ride.  It’s not a race.  It’s not timed.  It’s just a nice casual loop through Portland.

It starts and  ends at the Lucky Lab in SE Portland.  Now, if you’re doing this ride, as part of a weight loss plan, you better come stocked up on willpower because this is an event with a LOT of food.  They feed you donuts, granola, coffee and bananas before you start.  Then there are three rest stops with more food! Granola bars, soy chai, chocolate milk, cookies…. the last stop we were so full we didn’t even stop but I saw some boxes that looked an awful lot like pizza on the tables.

At the end, they have soup and fresh bread. Plus they serve beer.  Overall we had a great time, it was 16 miles which was the perfect length for our out of shape legs.  There is an important difference between this ride and other rides like the Bridge Pedal; the roads are not closed. So that means the danger level is much higher. You have to navigate crossing streets and get through intersections yourself, and there are cars on the road with you.  It’s not hard, but you do need to pay attention.

Other than the food, the best part of this ride is the costumes.  People are encouraged dress up, my favorite was the gorilla with a boombox strapped to his back, although there was also a pretty good group of dressed as Pacman game.  Can you find Waldo?

Will I do it next year.  Probably.  The entry fee was a little steep at $35 ($30 with a coupon), but you do get two meals and a lot of snacks.  Plus, I love an opportunity to wear a costume.  I wonder if my Marge Simpson wig will fit over my bike helmet?

http://kristidoespdx.com/2014/01/rose-city-classic-dog-show/