thanksgiving day fixie ride (with food)

David Auker has been hosting a Thanksgiving Day fixed-gear bicycle ride for as long as I’ve been cycling (which isn’t that long). And the last three Thanksgivings, he and his wife Sarah have served a pre-ride breakfast consisting of huevos rancheros, potatoes, cinnamon rolls, fruit, and of course, coffee.

fixie fuel
Originally uploaded by tangobiker

Attendance was down a little this year, perhaps because of the gray wetness that persisted all day. Nevertheless, I knew some of riders who showed up, including Bryan Curry and John Forbes. (David’s a veteran racer, and therefore knows a lot of guys I don’t.)

The ride took off from the Auker home in the hills of SW Portland, and immediately headed up to the Fairmount loop. After 1 ½ laps, we rode Humphrey Blvd. over to Sylvan Hill. Both Bryan and John had gone their own ways before this point. I said goodbye to Dave at the Scholls Ferry – Skyline intersection, and after warming up a bit at the Sylvan Hill Starbucks, continued on Skyline clear over to Newberry Road (past Germantown). Newberry probably wasn’t the best road to descend to Hwy 30 on a fixie in the rain (constant grittiness between my brake pads and rims), but I made it, and then continued to Sauvie Island.

end of the road
Originally uploaded by tangobiker

On the island, I rode “lower” Sauvie Island Road, which ended at a protected Wildlife Area. By this time, I knew I was far enough along to reach 100k by the time I got home.

I stopped at my friend Amy’s parent’s home in St. John for some delicious Thanksgiving leftovers and some fun games before finishing the ride. And the distance once I arrived home was 66.6 miles (or 107 km). Must say, I was a bit sore after this many miles of no coasting on a single-speed (the first half in the hills). But it was good to get in my annual Thanksgiving workout … and dine so well in the process.

All eight pictures from the day are here on Flickr.