‘Exercise in inanity’: For hundreds of laps, Ladds 500 is Portland’s most whimsical ride

Had you been walking through Ladd’s Addition in southeast Portland, you might have seen hundreds of people riding in circles for hours, in what felt like both a bicycle race and a college party.

The roundabout at the center of Ladd’s Addition was closed to vehicles Saturday for the eighth annual Ladds 500, where hundreds of people circle the famed intersection for 500 laps, lasting most of the day. Many teams arrived wearing all manners of costumes and modes of transport — as long as it didn’t have an engine.

The event’s motto: “Let’s Do Something Stupid.”

Founder David Barstow Robinson called the Ladds 500 “an exercise in inanity.”

“It’s a tale told by an idiot,” he said. “This is very much a way to have fun together, while, you know, self-regulating as a community.”

It started in 2016 among a group of punks and bike messengers, Robinson said, looking for something fun and free to do. The event took a two-year hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are a lot of recommended rules: teams should only have one person on the circle at any given time, they should switch their equipment at least 10 times, and solo riders should bring two bikes so they can switch.

But Robinson said the rules “are not enforced in any way whatsoever.” Perhaps the only rule is that the Ladds 500 is not a race, but a relay.

“The competition should be with yourself, not other people,” Robinson said.

Teams arrived at 9 a.m. to set up their camps. Between all the canopies, grills and lawn chairs, the atmosphere felt like a tailgate at a sporting event. People could be seen passing out freshly made pancakes to oncoming riders.

The modes of transportation were just as varied. While most used traditional bicycles, there were also unicycles, tandem cycles, roller skates, skate boards and more.

And then, there were costumes. Dinosaurs, dalmatians, lobsters and all types of wigs could be riding in circles.

‘Mockery of a relay race’

Burton Jaursch and his friends set up camp at 9 a.m., each of them wearing large, pointy gnome hats — their team was dubbed “Gnomes Addition.”

“It’s probably very odd, because it’s very Portland,” Jaursch said of the event. “There’s kind of a flow that everyone’s in.”

Jaursch said actually riding 500 laps takes longer than one might assume, with such a crowded field of riders — it took them nearly eight hours last year.

Kira Smith, part of the “Rock Lobster” team, stood at the edge of the circle counting laps as her teammates whirled past. She admitted her group “cheated” the previous year by having two riders at once, still falling short of 500.

“It’s like a mockery of a relay race,” Smith said. “We’re not gonna ever get to 500 even with cheating, so it doesn’t really matter.”

But for her, the Ladds 500 also advocates for safer cycling infrastructure across Portland. She said whenever she bikes in East Portland, an area known for its high number of pedestrian fatalities, she often sticks to small side streets.

“Maybe people who don’t ride yearlong will come out and see other people riding,” she said. “It also shows how popular cycling is in Portland in general.”

As the event continues to grow each year, so does its budget. Robinson said between the permits, portable toilets and other amenities, the total costs are around “five figures.” This was the first year they had a street closure in addition to the park permit.

But no matter the costs, he said one thing will never change — the Ladds 500 will remain free to the public.