Thousands on bicycles roll across Sellwood Bridge in ‘Bridge Pedal’

Published 12:00 am Sunday, August 25, 2024

Gray skies and cool temperatures didn’t discourage either avid or casual bicyclists from making their run in the 2024 Providence Bridge Pedal on Sunday morning, August 11.

Smiles prevailed on the faces of the riders as they cruised briefly into Inner Southeast Portland, heading under the Ross Island Bridge southward along the Springwater Corridor Trail, in this the 28th annual bike event.

Meantime, those driving cars were relieved to see that the Sellwood Bridge wasn’t closed off for the duration of the event.

As in during the past two Bridge Pedals, to avoid traffic, participants stayed on the Trail until they’d crossed under the Sellwood Bridge, then east on S.E. Umatilla Street and then north along 6th Avenue, before turning west onto the Sellwood Bridge to head west in the eastbound bike lanes.

Although the Sellwood Bridge was only their third of the seven bridges they were to cross, some of the non-electric bike riders already appeared to be a bit tired as they reached the apex of this, the southernmost bridge on the tour.

“I think next year, I’m going to be doing this on an electric bike,” mused Sellwood participant Sandy Smith, as she “refueled” with an energy bar while looking out over the Willamette River from the bridge.

The loop from the Springwater Trail around onto the Sellwood Bridge was the only presence of the Providence Bridge Pedal in Inner Southeast, but thousands of riders making that loop turned it into a major event in Sellwood on a Sunday morning.

Now watch, as thousands of Portland’s ‘Bridge Pedal’ riders loop under, and then around and over, the Sellwood Bridge – in this brief and exclusive BEE VIDEO – here they come, and, there they go!… https://youtu.be/mzvTWLQZO2w