Lawyers ride

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Two years ago, Portland lawyer Ray Thomas summoned all his cycling buddies to his office for a celebration. It wasn't a legal victory he was noting, but the 20th anniversary of something at least as close to his heart - a bike ride.

Thomas, Portland's go-to lawyer for anything related to bikes and biking, is the co-founder of what ranks among the longest-running group rides in the state. The lawyers ride, as it's called, leaves every Monday and Thursday, 12:15 p.m. sharp, from southwest corner of Pioneer Square, rain, sun, fog, snow, whatever.

Just as it has for two decades.

"If it's super icy, we do an alternate route," Thomas says. But they go.

As its name implies, a lot of the participants are downtown attorneys looking for an escape valve and camaraderie as well as a way to stay in shape. But the ride attracts a variety: hardcore racers, club riders, fitness hounds.

Ages range from college students - Portland State University has an active cycling team - to people well into retirement years. And they're all fast.

"We began it as a series of interval workouts for recreational cyclists," Thomas says. "Over the years, we've attracted folks looking to get experience riding in a group."

The rides are fairly regimented, and there are planned re-group stops for stragglers. But they're not for everyone.

That becomes quickly apparent on a recent ride, which heads straight up to 1,073-foot Council Crest at a sprightly clip. And that's only the warm-up. Most of the riding is in the hills overlooking downtown Portland, and the climbing can be steep.

Once they hit the Fairmount Boulevard loop, riders form a double paceline, rotating to the front in a continuous pattern to keep speeds above average. If you're uncomfortable going 30 mph while 2 inches behind another wheel while pedaling through tight turns, opt out of this one. Two laps around Fairmount, then it's over to Skyline Boulevard and a fast descent into town. Elapsed time, about an hour and a half.

Hey, lawyers have flexible lunch schedules.

Thursday's ride might be a better intro. It's the more popular of the two. On a recent Thursday ride, we were about 40-strong. The ride heads into Northwest Portland, up Cornell past the Audubon Society's compound, then a killer hill climb up to the top of Thompson Road. Another killer hill follows on Northwest Greenleaf. Then it's the traditional Skyline and fast descent home. About the same elapsed time as the Monday ride.

Here's the scoop: The riders are friendly and talkative, but they're serious and they go fast, uphill or down. Being lawyers and all, they know the rules of the road, but because they ride as a pack, there are occasional run-ins with impatient motorists.

If you're already in racing shape, the rides are a good mid-week tune-up. If you're looking to take your cycling skills and fitness to the next level, it's a good bet.

"It's got a philosophy that's sort of friendly competition," Thomas says. And he expects the bi-weekly ride to go on for many more years.

"There's a core group of us who have learned that we can rely on it always to be there."