(Photos: J. Maus/BikePortland)
If you were in charge of a bicycle advocacy organization and needed to raise awareness about the importance of using lights at night, what would you do?
19 years ago Vélo Québec decided to have a night ride. They called it Tour la Nuit. The first year a few thousand people showed up. Tonight, under cool and rainy skies, I joined about 15,000 other people on the 12-mile route. We pedaled on gloriously carfree streets from the city center to an industrial area south of town, and then back again.
To me it felt like a mix of Sunday Parkways and Bridge Pedal — but in the dark. Despite the late start and associated hazards of riding dark streets with 15,000 other people, there were tons of young kids on the ride. Everyone seemed excited for this once-a-year chance to ride major city streets devoid of cars.
There was a light rain the entire night; but it didn’t seem to dampen the mood. The finish line party was still rocking when I rolled home at 11:00 pm.
Check out more photos below…
It was a festive mood at the start.
I was fascinated by this woman using a large trailer to pull another woman who was in a wheelchair. The company she’s with is a professional moving service that happens to specialize in bike moves (hence the trailer skills)!
These young guys were out on their own and having a great time. They told me they do the ride because it’s so fun to be on the streets without cars.
Riding in front of the Notre Dame Basilica was definitely a highlight.
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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