For years, Ogden has promoted itself as an outdoor mecca, with cycling as part of the action-sports picture.

But a bike-awareness ride that ended in chaos and four arrests after clashes with a motorist Friday has the potential to undermine that progress.

"You have to be kidding. Years of working and this occurs," said the city's chief administrative officer, John Patterson. "We have a reputation to maintain in Ogden, and that is of a bike-friendly community."

To help smooth some of the ruffled feathers, Mayor Matthew Godfrey, along with Patterson, will join the cycling group, Critical Mass, for an awareness ride sometime before the next officially scheduled ride in September.

It started about 8 p.m. Friday, as about 50 cyclists took to the road, said Matthew Hasenyager, a participant and owner of Skyline Cycle. At the intersection of 23rd Street and Grant Avenue, the bikers and a driver got into a confrontation, said Ogden police Lt. Mike Ashment.

The cyclists and the motorist started yelling back and forth, then a cyclist threw a large cup of soda into her car, striking her in the face, said Lt. Scott Conley. During the ensuing argument, the driver struck a bicycle with her car -- how it happened depends on who tells the story -- and police arrived.

"We deemed it an accident," Conley said. "The only thing that fits criminal elements would be identifying the person who threw the cup of soda, which is assault. But the driver did not want to press charges."

Officers later arrested a 19-year-old cyclist on suspicion of disorderly conduct. The deputy then tackled a 61-year-old cyclist off of his bike after the deputy said he refused to stop, then arrested him, Conley said.

A 33-year-old woman and 26-year-old man also were arrested on suspicion of public intoxication and disorderly conduct.

"We want to show this was an aberration, an unfortunate incident, but a single unfortunate incident," Patterson said.

The ride has been held once a month for about two years, and riders say they haven't had problems with police before.

Steve Gehrke contributed to this report.