Whip the Old Lawyer Bike Ride
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Since 1994, bicycle attorney Ray Thomas and his law partner, Jim Coon, have led the “Lawyer Bike Ride“, usually from near the back of the peloton (Ray’s words, not mine). This fast-paced noon ride will whip you into shape in no time. The group meets at Pioneer Courthouse Square every Monday and Thursday at 12:15 p.m. After warming up for a couple of miles, everyone puts in a couple of pedal to the metal efforts, re-grouping after each one.
I never push myself this hard on a solo ride and it only takes just over an hour to complete so sneaking it into my lunch hour is easy.
Monday’s Route
The Monday route heads up towards Council Crest and rips around Fairmont twice. You need to be able to ride comfortably in a rotating paceline when circling Fairmont. If this isn’t your bag, you can drop behind the group and do your own thing. There’s a re-group at the end of each loop so you don’t need to worry about getting left behind.
After the Fairmont hammerfest, the ride crosses over to Skyline Blvd., climbs up 60th (another gut-busting effort) and drops back into downtown Portland via Washington Park.
Thursday’s Route
Thursday’s course cuts through NW Portland, then climbs 53rd/Thompson and Greenleaf. The group fractures fairly quickly on these two hills, but no worries because there’s a re-group at the top of each. You also have the option of by-passing the really steep section of 53rd by continuing on Cornell to Thompson.
Greenleaf is a hidden little gem that doesn’t know the meaning of flat. You’ll be gasping for air at the top if you choose to duke it out with the other riders. At the summit of Greenleaf, it’s all smooth sailing with a descent through Washington Park back to the start.
