Category: Cycling

I drove down to Mount Rainier on Saturday morning for the chance to climb up to Paradise along Steven’s Canyon Road. It was raining on the way down and driving over Cayuse there was practically zero visibility in the low fog. I actually overshot the turn and had to drive up to Chinook before I could turn around. It was looking a bit hairy for the ride up to Paradise if similar conditions prevailed.

Thankfully they didn’t! The cloud cover started to burn off and we had ideal riding conditions heading up to Paradise. Some sun but not overly hot. The only downside was that Rainier itself was obscured by cloud for the whole time so we didn’t get the stunning views of it that are potentially available.

There were 4 of us in total; Marcel, Rosemarie, Annie and me. I’d decided I would stop and take more photos along the way this ride as I had no time constraints to get to the next control which are always prevalent on my randonneuring rides. It’s a nice steady climb with plenty of spots to stop and admire the views.

We climbed at our own paces regrouping periodically and stopped for a bite to eat at the top before descending back to the cars. My bike worked well and the new wheels and tires rolled well going down hill. I had plenty of opportunity to practice hopping my bike over the numerous grates in the road as I headed down at 35+ mph.

After 4 years I have finally been able to ride the Mountain Populaire, a 100k ride starting in Issaquah and tackling many of the local hills. I’ve had a variety of conflicts over the past number of years but everything worked out this year. The ride starts climbing straight away with Zoo Hill, the steepest climb of the ride, so there’s essentially no warmup.

My new wheels worked well and climbing seemed a bit faster (as did descending). I did my usual mix of riding with people for some of the time and riding solo for the other half of the time.

The ride wasn’t as tough as I’d expected, some of the Native Planet loops are tougher, but it was still a nice day out.

Next up this weekend is a climb up Paradise with Native Planet.

I rode this weekly ride for the first time in about two years (my schedule at work these days doesn’t allow me to make it to this ride anymore).

It was great to be out tackling these familiar hills again. It’s a 25-30 mile loop depending on what hills we decide to tackle which basically involves blasting up a steep hill, regrouping at the top, descending quickly and repeating. The various climbs have evolved nicknames over the years with evocative names such as Deaththreat, Guillotine, and Goat Hill.

It’s a good group of strong climbers to ride with and a nice training ride. I’m looking forward to my new lighter wheels arriving next week so I can kit out the bike better for hills.

At the start

View North (Canada in the distance)

Who says steel is heavy

View south at the top

I hadn’t climbed Hurricane Ridge before and when I saw that the Native Planet group were heading up it on Saturday I decided to ferry/drive over to it and give it a go.

The ride to Hurricane Ridge takes you to 5200 feet above sea level in 17 miles from the park headquarters. It is one of Washington’s toughest climbs with switchbacks reminiscent of the French Alps.

I saw a couple of familiar faces on the ferry and we met up at the Visitor Center parking lot for the start of the drive. All told there were only 5 of us which was surprising given the gorgeous weather, clear blue skies and temperatures creeping up to the 90s.

The climb starts right away from the car park with some of the steeper pitches in the first 5 miles leading up to the park entrance. It took a little while for my legs to get into a climbing rhythm with no warm up and the other riders I was with were soon out of sight ahead. There were gorgeous views all the way up (it’s impressive just how far you can see from 5200 ft on a clear day, from Canada to Mt. Rainier).

At the summit

I had a leisurely stop at the top with a big plate of fries enjoying the view.

Then it was time for the fast descent back to the car. The first part of the descent was a bit sketchy with some cross winds but once I dropped down a bit into the tree line it was more stable and I was chasing down and passing cars on the way down.