PedalGR 8/6/08 cadence

PedalGR at La Grande Vitesse

Approximately 24 riders trickled in to the parking lot at Founder’s for last week’s PedalGR ride. The weather was looking great in the mid 70s and partly cloudy with a decent wind coming out of the west. We headed off through downtown, passing the Blues on the Mall festivities on our way to the Fish Ladder.

We crossed the river again at the historic 6th Street bridge, my favorite bridge in the city and a popular place for photos, and made our way through 6th Street Bridge Park.

We headed south on Ottawa toward Vandenberg Center and the Motu Viget, the DiSuvero giant tire swing sculpture. This awesome sculpture is tucked in a corner between City Hall and the federal building. If you haven’t given it a try, you’re missing out. It’s a ton of fun!

We head south from Calder Plaza, towards Heritage Hill and the ice cream. We pass the Ryerson Main Library, Veteran’s Park, the Civic Theater, and the UICA (Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts) on Sheldon. One of the cool things about PedalGR is the attention that 25 bicyclists riding in a group can get. We will typically get a lot of positive comments (and stares) from passersby.

hand signals are GOOD!

At the Parlor at Cherry Hill Market, each rider got $2 courtesy of the Rapid Wheelmen Bicycle Club, enough for a single cone. And “single” is PLENTY. The scoops at The Parlor are huge and I’d encourage you to check them out on the corner of Cherry and Packard in the East Hills neighborhood. We packed the place!

At this point, the temp had started dropping and off to the west you could tell a storm was rolling in. One of our riders, Dave, had pulled up the radar on his cell phone and it looked to be 30-45 mins. out, so I decided to shorten our already short route a little further. We headed up for a quick jaunt through the north part of Heritage Hill past historic Central High before passing the Meyer May house again on our way back to Founders.

The thunderstorm came through about 15 minutes after we arrived at Founders, so our timing was fantastic! It was a beautiful night to sit out on their deck with a great beer and take in all the sights, sounds, and smells of a summer storm.

Keep showing up and bring your friends, especially those who might not get out on their bicycles without a good excuse.