BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

One interpretation: It's a parade. It's not a commuting "event". It happens once a year. Like that St. Patrick's parade, which blocks bunches of streets and intersections. There's also that whole Marathon thing. Which is even worse. And then there's that gay pride thing, messing up downtown. So why should there be problem with bicyclists? Oh right... People who don't get it (yet). (Re cranky bus drivers: complain to PAT. Their drivers are supposed to be professionals.)

I had to skip PP due to a volleyball game at Highland Park (where I saw a ton of cyclists between 10-11), and I heard a lot of random griping about it - not stopping, riding N abreast, etc. I'm a pretty big stickler for following traffic laws in normal circumstances, but it's just not practical to have hundreds or thousands of cyclists riding single file and individually stopping at every stop sign. Of course people who have never been on a bike in a big group (or haven't been on a bike on the road at all) don't understand this and get angry about it. Short of closing the streets (which is one big difference between this "event" and the others Ahlir named), I don't know what the right answer is.

I had the exact opposite experience.

"It's a parade". I like the way you think. I am not sure how to react to it all. Just figured I would post my experience and see what others experienced. Seems I am not alone. Maybe we need to be more lawful? Just seems so low IQ to stop if no one is there. Do we have to dumb down to that level?

People in the pedal Pittsburgh ride always look at me weird while riding by as if I am lost and going in the wrong direction. Like I am the idiot that lost the pack. I just prefer to ride solitarily aimlessly around the metro for hours every weekend day. I get social anxiety even when I have to pass a group of four.

I was a ride marshall for the Pedal Pgh event and rode with family including my 9 yr old son on the 25 mile course, I witnessed both sides of the coin , some bad drivers and some bad cyclist . I feel the problem is most people do not know how to interact with bikes at an intersection and the cyclist who think unclipping and actually stopping and putting a foot down at a light or sign will mess up thier ride . I stopped at every sign and light with my group and had to move over to the right so i would not cause a bike on bike collision since i did stop , many would not even slow down and would fly in between us if we left any gap to do so , I also had a woman in an suv texting and putting everyone at risk and other drivers that did not want to yeild when a group was turning in a pack , Some People just don't get it and never will ?

I did the 62 mile ride. I probably wasn't the only "long rider" who got annoyed at the pace when the 62 and 25 mile routes merged and have to admit to crossing the yellow line to get around slow riders (after looking back to be sure no cars were coming). The parade analogy is apt and a good point, but there were times, otherwise not too crowded with riders, when there were three or four slow riders riding abreast and really holding up everyone, cars and cyclist. Don't know what the solution is short of closing streets or having monitors all along the route shooing riders to the right, but one thing that would be a major improvement--Keep the 62 and 25 mile routes separate except where they cross at rest stops. There are lots of beautiful hills and routes that could make this work. And a big "thanks" to all the volunteers at the rest stops and behind the scenes.

This is a good conversation - I logged in today specifically to see if we were talking about it. Amazing event, route, volunteers, organization. Please let this be a big takeaway. It was a really well run ride. Sadly, I saw some of the most awful cyclist behavior I've ever seen on any ride (on the metric century). I watched a cyclist verbally harass an 80-year-old woman whose ride was briefly double parked in the bike lane to pick her up. Same cyclist then blew red lights without looking, jumped up and down off of the curbs to pass, and passed cars stopped at red lights to get in front of them before the green. I watched someone do a Pgh left in front of 2 lanes of traffic. I was almost rear ended by a cyclist when I stopped at a red light, and then was scolded for stopping. I saw a cyclist ride directly in front of a car that had a green light and scream back at the rest of us, "Car up!" as she almost got t-boned by it. These are just the highlights, but it was *all day* that these things happened. I seriously considered dropping out of the ride out of frustration and embarrassment. I stopped having fun almost immediately and had to work to keep in a positive mindset to finish. I'm sad. It's an amazing event, and either I don't have thick enough skin for it, or something's got to give.

I saw plenty of bad behavior from both cars & cyclists yesterday. The biggest problem is that people are basically herd animals. So when they see one of their kind do something, they all just follow along. This goes equally well for the four & two wheel varieties of the species. As a two wheel example: at the intersection of Bigelow and Fifth in Oakland I saw most cyclists making the left turn from the middle (going straight) lane instead of the left turn lane. Why? Because when the pack I was riding with approached the intersection there were already ten or so cyclists waiting in the going straight lane and there were four or so cars in the turn lane. So despite a few of us queuing up in the left lane behind the cars there was a strong urge to herd up with the bigger group of cyclists, and you got a bonus for doing so by getting to the front of the line. When the light changed there were probably thirty cyclists in the going straight lane and a dozen of us in the left lane behind the cars, but everyone made their turn and no harm was observed mostly because there was no oncoming traffic on Bigelow. With more traffic it would have been way more confusing and I guess it could have been more dangerous. As a four wheel example, lets use Negley Ave. For much of its length it’s too wide to be a single traffic lane, and not wide enough to be two lanes. So to this normal confusion we throw in many groups of cyclists who are riding sometimes in single files and sometimes in wide groups and the car drivers were doubly confused. Most drivers I encountered here were being cautious and passing only where/when it was safe, but a few drivers were aggressive and stomped on the gas and passed in a reckless manner despite my & others taking the lane. The thing is, whatever the first car in a line of traffic did, the cars behind it would mostly do too. So an aggressive pass was surly followed by another aggressive pass; and courtesy was followed by courtesy. So the cars were following the heard mentality just like the cyclists.

I think we need to distinguish regular everyday city bikers from week-end or suburban bikers. The thing about yesterday is that more or less everyone came together for the occasion. It may not have been a pretty sight. Those of us who have had to figure out how to coexist with cars on a daily basis simply do things differently. Let's just say we've learned some manners that let us get by in a difficult and not always forgiving world. I was on the magenta ride; the bits shared with the green ride may have been a bit off-putting but they were tolerable (you could always pass clumps on the "climbs"). On the whole it was nice to see all these folks out and tooling around.

There were clearly a LOT of people on the 25-miler yesterday who had never ridden in city traffic before, and were obviously really unnerved by the (very light) amount of traffic. Others were not prepared for the climbs (special thanks to the couple whose brake-squealing deceleration early on Lake Drive forced me to swerve right and ride a tenth of a mile in the actual cobblestone gutter). What isn't clear to me is how to address the bad behavior described in the posts above. People don't read advice provided to them in printed form. With the "start whenever you want" start times there's no easy way to address groups of newbies. Do we need more marshals? More volunteers at busy intersections?

Definitely a very well organized event and a very enjoyable ride. I did the metric century and, like many, I saw some poor behavior from more than a few cyclists, including myself. I almost blew through the traffic light making a left onto the Birmingham Bridge because I wasn't paying attention and the driver who was waiting to make that left honked at me and, rightly so, called me on it. I also blew a few red lights on the North Side, but that's mostly because we had no way to trigger a green. Perhaps a possible improvement for next year's ride would be to identify a few of these lights and have volunteers trigger them with the walk sign? Then again, saw on many occasions riders barely stopping at red lights before continuing on their merry way. This included a mom who barely stopped at the PNC Park traffic light, and her kid, who was chasing her from far back, who completely blew the red light without even looking. The silver lining for me from all these traffic light shenanigans was that, whenever the road turned uphill, I repeatedly caught and dropped many of those who couldn't be bothered to stop when they had to. I got a few chuckles out of that :-)

While Pedal Pittsburgh is a well organized ride, there is little they can do about behavior on the actual course..... I stopped riding PP several years ago for the sorts of reasons described above/ Mostly, I saw a lot of irresponsible and potentially unsafe riding, I tried to lead by example, etc., but I was riding this event with friends. This was supposed to be "me" time. I felt like I was marshalling/parenting too much for that. So, I just stopped riding that particular event. Sad, but true. Maybe I'll implement a plan to check back every couple of years to see if behavior has improved, so that I can go back to riding it regularly.

I rode 45 miles and had an entirely positive experience. Although in general I almost never have the negative encounters that many people describe, so I'm either oblivious or charmed. On the 25 mi part of the route thru town, I was in some large clumps of people, and I have to say that I think adherence to stops and traffic rules is improving every year. The clumps I was in stopped and waited for lights pretty consistently. There were a couple of situations when the light changed at an inopportune time, when a clump was starting across, and some people wisely decided to blow it to not be rear-ended. But in general, good. The thing about the older woman being harassed sounds horrible. I probably would have given that fuck an earful. re: "I probably wasn’t the only “long rider” who got annoyed at the pace when the 62 and 25 mile routes merged and have to admit to crossing the yellow line to get around slow riders..." The ride documentation does recommend that the metric century leave by 7:30 am, and the 25 mi an hour later, so the organizers attempt to address that, but there is only so much you can do without being draconian. I am opposed to draconianism. The north hills loop kicked my ass badly, but I had a fantastic day.

BTW I am sure I wasn't the only metric century rider to arrive at the finish line and discover that all the beer was gone. I did see a lot of people not stopping at stop signs (including me!) I basically think this is OK so long as you slow down and look. Running the stop sign at speed, not OK. I didn't see that much. And red lights appeared to be respected, almost all the time.

I also logged in to see if there was a discussion about this. Nice event, nice after party down on the Southside riverfront and overall I enjoyed the ride. However, I felt like any motorist who encountered Pedal Pgh yesterday saw exactly what every anti-cycling motorist troll puts in the comments section after a story on a cyclist injured is published in the papers. Cyclists don't stop at stop signs Cyclists run red lights Cyclists don't think the rules of the road apply to them. I saw some of the worst cycling behavior on the road yesterday, and yes, you can point to herd mentality, you can say that because of all the cyclists, people feel they are part of an event that supersedes the need to follow the rules of the road, but those are all lazy excuses for failure to do the right thing. I saw a couple that did things differently. They were wearing matching yellow/orangish "Bike Cleveland" kits and were on the long ride. They stopped at every stop light and stop sign. They signaled, and rode a good example for everyone around them. As my wife and I rode behind them, it was difficult to watch everyone blow by them through red lights while they patiently waited for them to change. Another commenter mentioned not doing Pedal Pgh specifically because of this behavior, but I think that avoids the real solution of some self policing and discipline as we ride. Specifically, course marshall's could provide a little more education to riders they see riding in an unsafe manner, but there should be more communication amongst riders that it's really not ok to blow lights where traffic is present (it's not really ok in most circumstances), but I found myself wanting to chase down people who rode through red lights and did not appear to even glance to see if traffic was coming. BikePgh did a nice job of periodically placing signs that indicated riders should stop at all stopsigns, but they seemed universally ignored. I used to think all the stereotypes about cyclists not following rules of the road were the result of a few bad apples who flagrantly blew stop lights/signs, in traffic etc., but after PedalPgh, maybe they are the majority. In any case, it's the largest cycling event in the city each year, and for those who do not cycle in traffic regularly, it unfortunately encourages/reinforces bad behavior with those who might not know better. Those of us who do know better, need to do a better job in self control, and maybe some self-policing.

First, a big "attaboy/girl" to all the folks at Bike Pgh! What an enormous undertaking this event is, and to pull it off so well says a lot about your people and the organization. Next, big thanks to all of the people that volunteered: marshals at corners, bright and friendly faces at the rest stops, helpful people getting in and out of rest areas with a cheery point in the right direction. I could stop my post right there, but this thread seems really heavily weighted towards "bad things" some riders observed. Maybe my threshold for "bad rider behavior" is higher, or maybe I expected that when you blend all the various types of cyclists together in one event like this, there are bound to be clashes of style and expectation. For the record, I didn't see anything unexpected nor anything that rose to the level of "ohymgoshhe shouldntdothat!" As for me, I had a fantastic day (except I neglected the Bike Pgh! advice, and did not apply sun screen). (My only request: could we get a food vendor with gluten-free options next year?) Thanks again to all involved.

Thanks for the replies. After reading them, I guess I should have told the bus driver that I was sorry she had to endure all the folks blowing through everything and riding as though they don't have to share the road. I am thankful my commute to work route was only shared with Pedal Pittsburgh for a few blocks. I loved seeing the tons of cyclists everywhere, but big group rides aren't my thing. I do love the idea of big group rides and Pedal Pittsburgh is one I used to do many years ago. I think the last group ride I was on was to deliver a keg to Penn Brewery via bicycle. That was fun, but very slow. People in that ride did stop at all stop signs and red lights and I don't recall having any issues with motor vehicle drivers. I think to coexist with cars cyclists need to adhere to traffic laws for the most part. Having a motorist sit at a 4 way intersection to allow a string of cyclists to go on and on wouldn't be good manners and will just get another motorist angry at cyclists, because they would be sitting there waiting for their turn to proceed. Is that fair? We don't need more haters out there. Muscling up to motor vehicles is never a good idea. They will win every time. Thanks to BikePittsburgh for all they do. Cycling in Pittsburgh is vastly improved from a decade and beyond ago. I am very happy there is a Pedal Pittsburgh. Maybe education to the cyclists that ride it is key to a more successful day for all.

"I should have told the bus driver that I was sorry she had to endure all the folks" It would be a rude awakening to any PAT driver that they have to endure anything… (Snark meters should be reacting…)

My $0.02 (USD): I saw both good and bad behavior by cyclists yesterday during the 25 mile ride. For the most part, I tried to play the role of Captain Safety and stop at all the red lights (even some empty ones) and exercising caution at stop signs. When I encountered a car at a stop sign I would stop, but pretty much all of the drivers would wave us through. It was also worth noting that, for the most part, when I stopped the other riders around me would stop as well. Based on this, I think having more marshalls on the ride, and having them clearly marked (with a vest, t-shirt, helmet with large plume, etc...) might help mitigate some bad behaviors. Assuming there were enough marshalls, the event organizers could send them out in groups of 2-4 every ten minutes. The marshalls would simply ride the ride in a safe & practical manner, and could politely remind the riders around them not to engage in the unsafe behavior mentioned above. I think this could help a lot by establishing the marshalls as pseudo-authority figures and reminding people that when they ride in traffic, they are ambassadors to motorists (whether they want to be or not). If you wanted to take this a step further, you could give the marshalls cameras and let them snap photos or capture video of people riding like idiots. Since everyone is wearing a unique rider number for the ride, their names could be looked up in the registration database for the purpose of publicly shaming them! :D Or you know, we could just get more people to set a good example during the ride.

I would like to add a comment that I really liked moving the start/finish/party from the harsh REI parking lot to the more shady and inviting SouthSide park. It definitely made the post ride more enjoyable, and it seemed that people hung around and socialized more than in the past.

I have to say that through downtown, most people did try to stop at lights, except when they were part of a large clump (and continuing on was actually the safer thing to do). The people deliberately blowing lights tended to be the roadie types. For example, coming off the 9th St. Br everyone stopped for the red light. Not them (though they did pause before powering through). It was the same way on the North Side: I would be stopped at a light. They would all power by me. If I'm going to grumble, it's at those people, who really should know better. And should have the noblesse oblige to set an example. If only on this one one day of the year. What do those people talk about on their club rides, anyway? Also, I missed the beer at the end. Now that was inexcusable...

I did notice some really rotten cyclist behavior at Dallas and Forbes. A cyclist in a red jersey maneuvered through the crowd of cyclists, then on the right past a car in the right lane, after the light change (the car could have easily turned right onto Forbes, but didn't), then over in front of the car he'd just passed in the right lane, around some other cars in the left lane, then left on Beechwood. I am sure he saved several seconds on his Pedal Pittsburgh time through this maneuver.

"The people deliberately blowing lights tended to be the roadie types. ...If I’m going to grumble, it’s at those people, who really should know better." Yeah, I wasn't going to go there, but since you did, yeah.

I think it's a fools errand to try to blame a 'group' of cyclists and then disassociate yourself from that group. Motorists don't make such distinctions, and I don't think it's a helpful solution to stereotype. Like I mentioned, the best behavior I saw were a couple of 'roadies' from Cleveland.. That Forbes/Dallas intersection was problematic because once you cross Forbes, you had to recognize that you did not have the right of way over motorists coming from the right. Another common theme I saw during the entire ride, was cyclists often not recognizing a motorist at an intersection having the right-of-way. I think those are educational items that could be addressed. It was mentioned above, but so many cars with the right-of-way were waving cyclists on, that I could see how people would get lazy and just assume that all motorists were going to yield to PedalPgh. Maybe Bike-pgh could do some pre-ride educational emails on right of way, lights, stop signs, etc.

I didn't read the advice Bike Pgh helpfully provided in their pamphlet. Still haven't. I'd bet 95% of the riders didn't. The best advice is to ride like you are a motorist. Stop at stop lights, and wait for the green. Ease through stop signs. Don't pass at intersections. Take the lane. Just ride like you were driving a car. That's good enough.

This happens every year. I noticed the exact same thing on the route down Highland when the routes merged. I feel pretty silly about it now. http://localhost/mb/topic/cyclists-behavior-at-pedal-pgh/

This is all rather maddening. We get 3,000 people out on bikes on a beautiful August Sunday, a large percentage of whom have never ridden on city streets before, and people are whining about "bad cyclist behavior". I don't give a shit how other cyclists ride. I ride according to the law, and worry about myself. I am not a cop so I am not going to "police" people. I'm a dad, but I'm not their dad, so I'm not going to tell people what to do. I don't give a shit about what motorists see and think, it cannot be anticipated or controlled. The most extreme motorists will not be placated even if every cyclist follows every law to the nth. Based on the number of motorists who just wave cyclists through, many in this instance must just see people out on bikes having a lovely day. I get annoyed with being waved through as much as anything because it indicates that they are not viewing me as a vehicle. Plus it is unpredictable. The best way to make biking safer for everyone is to get more people biking. Then even when they are driving, they relate, bikers are just people. They'll get it. The best way to NOT get more people biking is to start harping that they are doing it wrong. rant over, god willing. edit, and yes, all Bike Pgh!/Pedal Pittsburgh documentation does indicate to stop at stop signs, red lights, and follow all traffic laws. I read mine.

+1

I just did my own thing but I saw a lot of people out there on bikes and smiling. That made me smile. That's the day in a nutshell for me.

I think it would be really cool it motorists had a message board where they discussed what they saw while driving around and engaged in self-criticism.

Also I would like to see a tabulation of all the crash/injuries/deaths/zombie apocalypses that resulted from all the awful bad cyclist behavior on the day. Bike Pgh! please provide.

+1 on the "atta boy" for BikePGH. A well-planned, well-executed event. I loved the finish line area and atmosphere, and wish I had more time to spend there. I'll plan for that next year. I saw equal parts of good and bad behavior from cyclists and motorists yesterday. One particular annoying instance was the rider on Dallas who went around a group of about 30 of us who were stopped at a red light. He yelled "Clear!" Since I get more cantankerous with age, I yelled back "and red, too!" Then chased him down when the light changed and dressed him down for his behavior, telling him that he was making it dangerous for the rest of us. Surprisingly, not a word of argument from him, just a nod. And he stopped at the next red light. I'm all for self-policing. I can't see the benefit of adding marshals, as there is already a shortage of volunteers, and the burden of "soft-enforcement" should not fall on BikePGH beyond what they already do.

FWIW - I thought the behavior that I witnessed this year was better than last year. I saw much less unsafe riding. I thought that people gave traffic signals an appropriate amount of reverence (read into that what you will) and with only a few exceptions they were courteous to car traffic around them. I did see a lot of bad cyclists. Weaving, walking bikes, passing too close without warning. Blah blah blah. I won't let any of that ruin what was a very nice day. Kudos to Bike Pgh for an excellent event. The volunteers were fantastic! Cheerful and helpful at every interaction that I had with them.

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/08/25/Organized-bike-ride-draws-nearly-3-000-bicyclists-for-tour-of-city/stories/201408250057 Captioned photo claims bicyclists are "joking" with motorists on the Smithfield Street bridge. Clearly this reporter is high or otherwise delusional. Shoddy reportage, surely conflict will soon ensue. Also, Francis Kilinsky comments! Whoo-hoo!

Staggered starts and merged routes: 5+ decades of riding on city streets has taught me it's stupid NOT to obey traffic laws. My frustration with the merged part of the ride wasn't so much the bad behavior as the sheer numbers and slow pace. The staggered start times may actually increase the problem. I started just before 7 AM, so probably hit the merged part at its peak BECAUSE they started later. If everyone had started at the same time, the 25 milers might have been pretty well cleared out by the time I get back over the 16th street bridge. Realistically, of course, numbers would drop precipitously if everyone was required to start during the first hour. So, I gather, a lot of the reckless riding was because of the race to get back before the beer ran out.

i definitely yelled "STRAVA MOTHERFUCKER!!!" at a few asshats. slowed most of them right the hell down. this isn't a race. knock it off.

I like the parade analogy best. I don't know that there's a way to inject order into such a disparate group of people. I didn't see as many novelty bikes this year as last. (Unicycles, tall bikes, that kind of thing.) That said, I think that behavior overall was better than last year vis-a-vis stop signs and red lights. I rode my single speed on the 25 mile route. That had the inadvertent effect of making me one a bit of an ass any time there was an uphill since it was either pass or stall. The only annoying motorist that I encountered all day was riding up Darlington Rd on my way back home. (Living near Frick Park in Sq Hill means every ride ends with a climb!) They honked at me because I was going (too) slow (for them). Admittedly, I was going pretty slow because I was tired. Had they not honked, I probably would have yielded them a passing opportunity. Instead, I just let them honk at me while I made my way up the middle of the road. (One lane / one way if you're not familiar.)

As for my brief time on Negley / Highland, I will say 'Kudos' to those drivers patiently going along with the packs.

Maybe my threshold for “bad rider behavior” is higher, or maybe I expected that when you blend all the various types of cyclists together in one event like this, there are bound to be clashes of style and expectation.

What is interesting that 99% of those bicyclists got to the PP by car. :) So they "switched sides" mostly for this event only (well not all 99% but probably 95%) for short period of time. I think they behavior did not changed much in compare to a regular car driver behavior. People just do not realize that now: 1. they don't have 150-300 hp to make Pittsburgh left; 2. it is much harder to climb a slope; 3. they don't have the same stopping power; 4. they are much more vulnerable. I hope those 2800+ people would consider cyclists differently than they did before. And in this sense PP brings very good expirience.

I think the last group ride I was on was to deliver a keg to Penn Brewery via bicycle. That was fun, but very slow. People in that ride did stop at all stop signs and red lights and I don’t recall having any issues with motor vehicle drivers.

Most negative reaction got marshals (I am speaking as one of them). They are known "problematic intersections" (e.g. Baum-S.Negley) where drivers are not ready to wait a couple of traffic light cycles to get through an intersection (if you close intersection then crossing traffic got pissed off, if you don't close it then traffic behind got pissed even more).

Having a motorist sit at a 4 way intersection to allow a string of cyclists to go on and on wouldn’t be good manners and will just get another motorist angry at cyclists, because they would be sitting there waiting for their turn to proceed.

Did you ever try to calculate how much it would take to let 300 bicyclists to go through 4-way intersection one-by-one as cars do? And there are other (non group bicyclists coming from different directions). And this "endless stream" of bicyclists coming through 10 4-way intersections. This would be perfect "french strike". And sometimes I think this what bicyclists should do in tthe city -- just paralyze the whole city with perfect stopping for a day. May be then car drivers and some bicylists would be more forgiving. :)

They honked at me As an experienced city biker I know honking to be the international sign for "take the lane, please". But seriously, this year's ride was fun. And spent in the company of such diverse humanity. How can you beat that?

I think having more marshalls on the ride

Marshals are not allowed to control/manage traffic (even we did). Marshals can only ask riders to obey traffic laws. :( Controlling/managing traffic is police duty/privileges. And police officers are pretty expensive. And they not always appear even they got paid (e.g. Open Street -- we were supposed to have 3 POs at Dequesne Blvd just before bridge and only one appeared when Pedutto or someone from his office called police chief and in very harsh words asked why paid POs are not in place).

Good thread, seems like there are plenty of opportunities for people to learn from this. a**holes are a**holes no matter if they are riding a bike or driving a car. I feel so bad for the "long" riders who had to slow down when mixing in with the 25 milers ( who probably never rode a bicycle before,let alone on the mean streets of the big city), probably f'ed up your strava for the whole season.

On a separate but related note: Any word on the condition of the cyclist who went down on the newly paved downhill, just after you cross the Parkway North? He was being removed on a stretcher when we rode through there.

Last year was my first Pedal Pittsburgh, and I had some of the same appalling reactions expressed throughout this thread regarding riders ignoring stop signs and traffic signals. This year, I certainly saw more of the same. But perhaps because the shock factor was lessened for me, and I've since gained more road experience myself, it didn't bother me as much, as I just rode my pace and tried to stay on the right side of the law as much as possible. Honestly, I would have to say that I experienced a well balanced mixed bag from all angles. My observations/anecdotes/takeaways: good bad and ugly... 1)Very well marked route as always. I actually never looked at my cue sheet until I was home reviewing my mileage split times. 2)The pleasant little surprise "pick me ups" from residents along the way. Specifically sticking out to me--the AWESOME unofficial pop-up rest area/bike service plaza set up along Brighton Rd as we climbed up from Jacks Run. The simple pleasures of Hydrox cookies and some water/gatorade refills was the perfect boost to help the push into Riverview! (And the cats there seemed a bit more relaxed than the friendly German shepherd fittingly named "Chase" that I helped corral for a panicked young owner after he escaped his yard and wanted to play with a pack of cyclists that was zipping down Jacks Run just before the little church ;-) ) 3)Speaking of rest stops, they were all pretty well stocked, staffed, and spaced. The water stop at the bottom of Troy Hill seems unnecessarily early when you get there, but after climbing the hills on that segment, you find yourself thankful that you topped off the fluids! 4) Soon after the unofficial Brighton Ave pit stop, I unfortunately came across what was by far the biggest negative of the day, from an impatient driver and her passenger. While traveling Woods Run towards the lower park entrance, the two women in the car became VERY upset at the large pack of bikes that they had just encountered. Lots of obscenity laced disgust being spewed from the occupants about how "&*%$#(& Unbelievable" this apparent atrocity was. They then proceeded to continuously shout "SHARE THE ROAD!" as they passed everybody in the opposite lane, right up until they were nearly in a head on collision with a thankfully much more law abiding vehicle coming down the hill on a narrow blind bend. Had the opposing driver been speeding, it could have gotten REALLY ugly, with a bunch of riders right next to the near impact. So sadly, as this story illustrates, there are idiots in all walks of life. 5) The marshal at the bottom of Perrysville was a welcome sight, as it is quite easy to build up a lot of speed approaching the stop sign at Federal. The turn off of Federal into the War Streets can still sneak up on you if you're not careful, but the marshal definitely smoothed out what can be a dangerous high speed transition. 6) Had a slight buzz clip from a driver coming back across the 16th St Br into the Strip, but not too egregious. Just a bit closer than I'd prefer. 7) Any chance we can make that temporary extended bike lane on the lower part of Liberty a permanent fixture? 8) The barricaded festival section through Bloomfield was a bit unexpected after seeing it wide open to traffic and heavily congested Friday night. While I figure it was more an act of the city and/or festival planners, it made for a very pleasant cruise through the vendor areas. A guy I was riding with through this stretch had developed a serious pizza craving after seeing one of the banners on the bridge in town. Try as I may, I don't think I was able to convince him that the PB&J's awaiting him in Highland Park would be just as good. 9) Much like last year, the turn from Highland onto ELB seems to be one of the more patience requiring areas from a traffic navigating standpoint. Without a turning light there, it feels like you are often at the mercy of a friendly oncoming motorist to wave you across. 10) A driver on Beechwood near Blue Slide Park decided that the best way to pull over and zone out in the car with his headphones was to park diagonally, fully covering both the bike lane and the parking lane near an intersection. He seemed pretty oblivious to all the riders passing him. Great focus sir! 11) Noticed a bit of a wobble on the downhills between Frick and Schenley. Upon pulling into the rest area, I discovered my front tire pressure was also low. But again, kudos to the support staff, as the volunteer mechanic on site did a great job of getting me tightened up, aired up, and back on the road again. Can't say enough about all the volunteers that help make this happen! 12) Coming across the Birmingham Br, I reached the critical decision point. I wanted to tackle Mt. Washington last year, but my wife rejected the idea, and we ended up completing our metric mileage on the trails after spending some time at the finish festival. But since she unfortunately had to drop out at the last minute due to her pothole related accident Friday night, I was free to listen to my heart this year. I went for it, but soon after rounding the bend onto the slope part of Josephine, my body said "No Way!" I proceeded to walk the rest of the way up Josephine using the sidewalk on the opposite side of the road. Really seemed like a wise decision for me, given the speed of the drivers in both directions, and limited berm area on the uphill lane. After pausing at the top of Josephine, I briefly attempted to get back on for the lesser climb along Arlington, but shortly succumbed to walking much of the next mile as well. These two miles were by far the most brutal 30 minutes of the day. 13)Near the peak of Arlington Ave, another of the friendly neighbors lifted my spirits. A family was having a cookout, and I noticed their young child spray a pair of cyclists that had just passed me with his Super Soaker. It brought a smile to my at that point miserable but determined face. When I reached the home, he had retreated to playing in the yard, but Mom on the porch noticed me and said "Here come's another one!", and he was right back at the fence to give me the same refreshing service. So sweet! 14)I missed the left turn just before the light at Warrington, but rather than turn back, decided to self navigate to my goal of Grandview Park. As I saw the counter flow of riders coming at me down Beltzhoover, I got excited thinking that the park was the turnaround point and it would be all downhill from there. 15)Disappointment set in when I realized that A: There was no steak dinner waiting as a reward for me there, and B: the route still had a few more roller coaster hills to the other side of Mt. Washington. 16)In my tired state riding along Virginia Ave, my slightly lazy rolling stop (looking for traffic as I slowed through) apparently impressed a passing driver, who complimented me with "Nice stop!" I wanted to thank him, but he was already long gone, so I pushed onward. 17) Upon reaching the Duquesne Incline, I did what any logical person would do: went multi-modal back down the hill, cutting off potential remaining uphill climbs, and proceeded on the trail the rest of the way back into the park. I'm betting I may be the only person to do this highly intelligent reverse cheat. It brought my total down a few notches short of a true Metric at only 58 miles and change, but I was content to have waved the white flag where I did. Now having first hand knowledge of the route up from the Slopes, I may opt to incline UP next year and roll into the finish. I am by no means a speed racer, only averaging in the 10-15 mph range, and slower on climbs. Many of the more experienced Metric riders probably passed me, and perhaps even pegged me as a 25 Miler. But no matter! I still enjoy the Metric ride, and am in it more for the distance and hill challenges that I would normally not attempt, rather than to set any records. We all have our own pace in this law abiding parade, and whether low and slow, or GO GO GO, we'll all reach our destination eventually!

@smarchit: great report! Some comments: 7) Yes! Or at least sharrows from 31st to Herron. 12) Josephine is devious. The curves make you not notice that it's a real climb. Eventually you figure it out. And then comes Arlington... 14) You only missed the bit that lets you avoid the tram tracks but takes you past the Jake Garage! Same distance, and a side-street to the park. 15) Yeah. It took me a while to accept that the feast was Not For Us (confusingly, some bikers had appropriated chairs and were sitting around, contemplating the skyline).

Oh yes...the "Faux Feast"....Devious Bike Pittsburgh!!! *FingerWag*

I got a flat tire from broken glass on the Birmingham Bridge. Did anybody else have that problem? I do a lot of biking. I got a flat on Pedal Pittsburgh a couple years ago, also! Is there an effort to street-sweep the glassier parts of the route shortly before the event?

Hmm. Injured cyclist? Might be a co-worker, who self-reported a bad crash, including a concussion, in an email. I don't have any more details.

Could be, Stu. The guy was already on the gurney, about to be placed in the ambulance when I came by. He had contusions along the side of his head and eye socket, and seemed sort of dazed.

"I rode my single speed on the 25 mile route. That had the inadvertent effect of making me one a bit of an ass any time there was an uphill since it was either pass or stall." Hey, great! I challenged myself to do the 62 miles on a single speed this year (I made it). I only saw one other single speed beside me, a young woman very happy at making it to the Highland Park rest stop. You are right--pass or stall. Were the riders pedaling furiously in low gear that I passed on climbs really, in the end, doing less work? Don't want anyone to misunderstand me regarding complaints about pace on the merged routes--loved the ride and love being on the street with so many other cyclists. It's just that years of commuting have me pretty much constantly in fast mode.

62 miles on a single speed after 5+ decades of cycling is really awesome. I really hope I can say the same in a couple of decades. Congrats David.

This was my first pedalpgh, and really my first major ride in a city. With that being said, I rode as if I were in my car. Stopped at lights, signs, yielded, signaled, etc.. An important thing to remember is this is just an organized ride, not a competition, so very often this is the first time many of these people have done anything quite like this (me included) and not everyone knows what to do, yes they should have read the pamphlet provided, but I look at it this way, we all were beginners once and I bet we all made stupid mistakes that we frown upon now. I had a great time, and the group I took also had a great time. I saw lots of smiling, laughing, I got to talk to people I didn't know and everyone was having a good time. I will do pedalpgh again and I thank bikepgh for putting it together and having 3000+ bikers get together on a gorgeous day and making events like this possible for the community. I plan on becoming a member so that I can help out more. Thank you!

This was my first PedalPGH (been meaning to ride it for the past few years). Did the 62mi route and had a great time. Things did get a little crowded when the 25mi / 62mi were riding together in the east end... But, I am not going to focus on any bad things! The route was very well marked and never once did I get confused which direction to go (this was a concern of mine because of how twisty the course is). The PB&J sandwiches provided by whole foods were delicious. The rest stops were nicely gaped at about 18 mi apart. This all added up to just a relaxing day of riding in the city! Also, it was good to chat with several people. I talked with a guy who came from NYC just to ride in PedalPGH! That's super cool. Probably will do it again next year.