Portland’s big weekly social ride turns 10 today — and after surviving Covid, leadership vacuums, drama, and calendar delisting, its fans are more than ready to celebrate.
The Thursday Night Ride (TNR) began in the spring of 2015. One of its first organizers, former Portlander Nathan Jones, said he was inspired by large social rides he attended in Guadalajara that have thousands of riders each week. The ride is a socially-paced mass of folks who come for all different reasons. One year in and it was clear TNR had become an institution. It somehow managed to be massive and important like Critical Mass, but without the political baggage or police presence. It was just a fun, rolling party and it was reliable: every Thursday rain or shine at Salmon Street Springs. Meet at 7:00, announcements at 7:30.
But it wasn’t all hunky-dory. Drama spouted up here and there as original founders moved away and various folks emerged as self-proclaimed leaders. When events blow-up in popularity, they often also attract lots of different egos and ideas for how to keep the fun going. Intra-community drama eventually reared its head at TNR, with various types of dysfunction, usually centered around the fact that there was no central form of leadership.
In late 2023, the drama spilled over when there was an altercation at the meet-up spot that was recorded on video and shared widely in our community. As I reported at the time, the situation was serious enough that the ride was ultimately taken off the Shift Calendar due to violating the group’s code of conduct that exists to make rides safe for everyone.
In our community, the Shift Calendar is ground zero for organizing. If something isn’t on Shift, it’s almost like it doesn’t exist. So Shift, an all-volunteer group of scrappy activists who believe bike fun makes the world a better place, plays a key role in mediating these complicated and emotional disputes.
This past week, after many hours of meetings and discussions, Shift and TNR organizers came to a resolution and the ride is back on the calendar. (Note that the ride never stopped happening, it was just delisted from Shift.) “TNR organizers stepped up, met with the Shift Code of Conduct (CoC) Committee, and addressed standing concerns,” reads a post shared on Instagram by Shift today.
The new calendar listing shows John “JR” Russell (who you might have met at Bike Happy Hour) as the person who’s “sort of in charge now.” JR calls TNR a “an energetic, party-paced, rolling dive bar of a ride for newcomers and regulars alike.” He says the ride has new leadership, but same positive vibes. He also wants to remind folks that if anyone displays behavior that makes other riders feel uncomfortable or unsafe, they will be held accountable.
So come out tonight and celebrate this great ride and all the amazing folks who show up to have fun on bikes. 10 years of a weekday ride that is held together by nothing more than a few dedicated folks and a shared love of community and cycling is something very special that no one should take for granted.
“We are TNR!”
