Category: Cycling

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.

This was a great ride, an SIR classic which hadn’t been run since 2005. The course was based around 3 volcanoes (Mt. St. Helens, Adams and Rainier) with 3 major climbs over 193 miles, all on low traffic forest roads in Gifford Pinchot National Park. What more can you ask for!

The ride started at 5am in Packwood which meant a 1am start in Seattle to drive down. There were around 45 people doing the ride and we started off in the dark with a relatively flat leg to the first control. I ended up in the front in a small group of about 5 people (which gradually reduced down to just two of us and for a time just me, not a usual position for me). Saw a number of elk running across the road as we went along but managed to avoid any collisions.

The first main climb was up Babyshoe Pass which had a 7 mile stretch of loose gravel at the top which was quite challenging on my 25 tires. I ended up in my granny gear seated for the whole climb to avoid spinning out. Quite a few people on wider tires passed me on the way to the top and I actually fell over at one stage after I’d stopped the bike and was trying to get it going again. Nothing like a slow topple over at 1 mph with an audience riding up behind you 🙂 Thankfully the bike was fine and I only had a minor scrape or two.

After the summit there was an even hairier descent in the gravel and dirt for about 3 miles before we reached smooth tarmac again. I took it pretty slow and was happy to reach pavement. One more bump in the road and then a great 15 mile descent to Trout Lake with a tailwind on smooth pavement with no traffic. Hung out on my aero bars and caught up with some other riders on the way down.

We arrived in Trout Lake just as a parade was going by the single cafe in the area. It took a while to get food as 45 riders streaming in overwhelmed the single cook but it was fun to actually have the whole group bunch back up at 85 miles into the ride as we all hung out in the sun outside waiting for our orders. It’s tough to shake the mindset of in and out as fast as possible at these stops but once it became clear that this was going to take a while just hung out and enjoyed the rest.

Left after about an hour and climbed over to Northwoods. I rode up this climb with John Pearch and the chat made the climb go pretty fast. Kole and Jennifer caught us near the top and I rode with them for a while as well.

Northwoods was a manned control and I enjoyed a nice sandwich and soda ahead of the climb up Elk Pass. I was feeling pretty sleepy as I hadn’t had a lot of sleep leading up to this ride with the arrival of Sean a week ago. Caffeine was the order of the day.

Started up Elk Pass with Jennifer, Kole and John but their pace was a bit faster than I wanted to go so let them go. It was a pretty steep climb and took quite a few hours to get to the top, with a brief stop along the way at a secret control were I donned my rain gear as the rain had finally arrived. My goal was to get down the other side of the pass in daylight as the road was meant to be pretty sketchy. Sure enough it was pretty broken up and I was glad to have longer sightlines in the rain and mist with daylight as I dodged cracks in the road. It sounds like it was quite an experience for the riders behind me who had to descend in the dark.

My front light was acting up slightly at the bottom once I put it on, dimming and then going out. Thankfully stopping and pressing all the connectors tight seemed to fix the issue.  I suspect it was all the vibration on the gravel patches early in the ride.

Rode in the final 30 miles to the finish and arrived at 10:35 (17 hours 35 minutes after setting off, 15 hours 15 minutes in the saddle). Then all that was left was the drive back to Seattle, with various stops for caffeine. I was back in my bed 26 hours after having risen for the ride, a long but satisfying day (and night).

93 riders, 7 DNF, 1 Hors Delai

17 on the 1000k
76 on the 1200k

Results: 1000k – 67:57, 260k – 16:29

3 years after my first attempt at a 1200k in 2007 (PBP), I completed the Cascade 1200 this year. At PBP I got 900k into the ride and then had to DNF due to a multitude of reasons detailed in more detail here (PBP 2007). In 2008 I had registered for the Cascade 1200 but then blew out my left knee in the 600k qualifying brevet. I completed the 600k but at the cost of not being able to ride longer rides for the rest of that year.

Now in 2010, an older and wiser Randonneur it all came together for a successful ride at this longer distance.

DAY 1

Monroe Inn – Start (0 miles)

– started as large group of 93 riders, all riding together for the first hour or so
– then the strong riders picked up the pace and vanished for the rest of the ride
– rolling hills to the first SIR manned control on the side of the road
– didn’t bother getting food at this control as I still had enough on my bike and there was a long line in the grocery store
– pretty familiar rides from previous brevets in this area
– chatted with a couple people but riding pretty much by myself

Cumberland – SIR manned, side of the road (53.5 miles)

– riding with various people, still generally people in sight
– got to the first real control and stopped at the Plaza market for lunch (too many people waiting at the “Truly Scrumptious Bakery”)
– couple of chicken legs and refilled water

Eatonville – Plaza Market (95 miles)

– stopped at Morton just before 3pm for a bowl of tomato basil soup and roll (Bean Tree Coffee House), Chris stopped as well but got moving before I was finished
– saw Jennifer and others arriving just after 3pm
– trying to eat better food during the course of this ride to keep energy levels up

Morton – Bean Tree Coffee House (123 miles)

– uneventful run to Packwood
– apparently there was a tailwind but it wasn’t obvious to me

Packwood – Shell station (158 miles)

– chatted with Minnesota women doing ride (Michelle Brougher)
– rode out together but parted company as riding at slightly different paces going uphill
– nice climb up to White Pass, arriving at the top just as sunset approached around 9pm
– nice temperature for climb
– used granny gear for most of it and sitting up vertically to use different positions for leg muscles

White Pass Summit – SIR sweep, Dan and Matt (178 miles)

– Dan and Matt were set up at the top in the sweep vehicle to cheer people on at the back of the pack
– Got into night gear and carried on down to Clear Lake control
– Great little set up and got a bit of food before heading on

Clear Lake – SIR manned camp site (188 miles)

– nice stretch from here around Clear Lake and the downhill run into Naches with a strong tail wind
– great nearly full moon shining on the sides of the canyon walls, lovely color in the night
– Japanese rider missed the Clear Lake control and ended up riding up the 40 miles into a head wind to the control and then back again (that would have been an ordeal)
– Arrived at overnight around 12:25 am

Naches – SIR Overnight Control (223.7 miles)

– Bowl of chicken rice soup and cold shower
– Nose started bleeding after the shower but quickly stopped
– Got my bike set up for the next day and then set my wake up call for 5 am (aiming for 4 hours sleep)
– Sleeping in a large gym on mats with sleeping bag (put slip of paper with wake up time at feet), Most people were already in and asleep

DAY 2

Naches – SIR Overnight Control (223.7 miles)

– Woke up at 4:15 , most people had got up at 4am or earlier and once I woke up and saw that the gym was nearly empty decided I better get moving
– Left at 5:10 am and starting riding uphill into a headwind, felt like it could be a long day
– After about 30 minutes a larger group passed me and I latched on
– We got into a rotating paceline which made the wind and the leg easier, rode with Don & Elaine Jameson, Pat, Jeff Loomis and others
– Hit Services at Cliffdell and stopped for breakfast number 2, egg/sausage muffin and cup of tea
– Headed up to Lodgepole control with Jeff and another guy
– Climbing nice and steady

Lodgepole Campground – SIR manned (269 miles)

 

– Left here a bit after 10am, starting to get hot now
– Wind had changed direction so still riding into a headwind
– Toes cramping a bit as go down hill and started taking endurolytes (toes cramping on my left foot are generally a leading indicator of other imminent cramping)
– Stopped for another muffin at Cliffdell, arriving just as another group were leaving (usual crowd who are either just ahead or behind me)
– Riding along and Pat caught up and then Jeff Loomis and Joe
– Borrowed some chain lube from Pat along the way to try to ease my squeaking chain as we sat sweltering outside a convenience store
– Rode together to Fruitvale were ended up in McDonalds for lunch and a cool down

Fruitvale – McDonalds (326 miles)

– Nice stretch along a shaded bike trail with a group of 5
– Started using mouth wash to keep mouth fresher and sugar free
– Stopped to apply some more lube before SR-24
– This looked like a grim stretch, 40 miles on SR-24 in the baking sun
– We all started wilting in the heat and going pretty slowly, 10 mph or so to conserve energy
– Stopped for Ensure along the way
– As the afternoon got later started to feel better and my pace picked up and I left the group and rode solo
– Arrived at oasis, Vernita rest area and saw Jennifer and Steve Davis there
– Quick break and refill of water bottles and then off for a steep climb out of the valley
– Met Dan and Matt (Sweep) at the top of the climb were they were cheering people on and tending to Irene who was down with heat stroke and had thrown up there (she eventually continued and finished the ride)

– Nice stretch along the top of the plateau in the evening sun
– Saw two people with rifles shooting into the air, fields and at signs. As I approached they got into their truck and drove off. I waved after them.

Mattawa – Shell Station SIR manned (391 miles)

– Nice break at the SIR manned stop and then Jennifer asked me to ride with her and Steve for the final leg to Quincy
– Her light was acting up a bit along the way and her knee was twinging a bit when she stopped and had to get going again
– Nice chat and pleasant night time ride with the two of them to Quincy

Quincy – SIR Overnight Control (432 miles)

– Arrived at 1:23 am and had warm shower. More mats in a gym to lie down on. I selected one under a fan for white noise to block out the snoring and managed to fall asleep. Got to lie down at around 2 am and asked for 6 am wake up call.

DAY 3

Quincy – SIR Overnight Control (432 miles)

– Woke up at 5:15 am as most people had already left and decided to get up

– Started at 6:08 am, near the back of the pack
– Rode by myself to Ephrata along familiar Martin road from NW Crank, passed Jennifer and Steve along the way
– Caught up to the usual bunch near Soap Lake as they were leaving a coffee shop but let them go as they were riding a bit faster pace than I wanted to go
– No wind and shade for a lot of the ride up to the visitor center, starting to heat up towards the end
– Nice little break and then back on the road

Dry Falls Visitor Center – SIR manned (474 miles)

 

– This was a hot stretch, two long climbs and then a bit of a head wind to battle
– Nice descent into Moses Coulee but then made the mistake of taking an Ensure just before climbing out and my stomach had problems digesting it. Felt pretty ill for 45 minutes but then got over it.
– Temp was in the mid 80s but in previous years had gone over 100
– The Farmer control was a great little surprise in a little schoolhouse/church/hall. Just a large room with fans and good food. Really did the trick of reviving me before the next stretch.

Farmer – SIR manned (501 miles)

– Long stretch on straight roads on the plateau. Some cloud cover had come up and it was starting to get later in the afternoon so cooling down a bit.
– Eventually Dan Jensen caught up to me and we rode together to the Wagon Wheel control. Great 8 mile descent into Bridgeport, we cheered when we saw the little cheese sign for the downhill ahead. Met up with Wolfgang at the stop at Bridgeport.

– Also got the treat of some fresh new asphalt to ride along on Old Highway 97
– Dan Turner was manning the Marlott control and provided ice socks

Marlott – Wagon Wheel Restaurant SIR manned (560 miles)

– Parted company with Dan Jensen so that I could do the extra little 15k leg for the the 1000k to Okanogan

Okanogan – Chevron (570 miles)

– Started the 19 mile climb up Loup Loup on SR20
– A steep part near the beginning but then it settled into a nice pitch and went up at a steady pace
– Passed Jennifer who had resorted to walking as her knee was in a lot of pain
– Rode with Wolfgang for a bit and reached the top about the same time
– Regular rhythm of water every 15 minutes and endurolytes every hour, body seemed to adjust well to this such that I could sense when the hour was coming up and my legs would start to feel a little crampy
– Dan and Matt (sweep) were set up there minding the tail end of the field, great to see them and put on full gear for the descent

Loup Loup Pass Summit – SIR Sweep (590 miles)

– Kept an eye out for deer on the way down as there have been a lot hit over the past year
– Wolfgang was with me for a bit but then dropped back (and apparently stopped for a ditch nap as he was getting sleepy)
– Long 20 mile stretch or so into the wind and slightly up hill to the over night control and finish of the 1000k
– Rode through shut down nighttime Winthrop
– Saw a red blinky up the road that seemed to keep staying the same distance away
– Arrived at 1:57 am

Mazama – SIR 1000k Finish and Overnight (624 miles)

– Got some chilli and first in a room for the night
– Didn’t specify a time to get up but was told that the rooms would be swept at 8am anyway as the control would be cleared
– Other riders came in and didn’t get much rest with their leaving at 5am and the subsequent noise
– Gave up at 7 am and got up

DAY 4

Mazama – SIR RUSA Permanent 413 Start (0 miles)

– Resisted temptation to stop and get a ride back
– Chatted with Elaine who was stopping with Don after 1000k and driving back
– Had a good breakfast with Chris and then departed at 8:10am
– We took it slow and steady up Washington Pass and passed Jennifer and Steve near to the top
– Great scenery and good to be on the road

Washington Pass Summit – SIR Sweep (18.5 miles)

– Met the sweep vehicle with Matt at the top, they had a mattress laid out that looked very tempting
– I was feeling pretty sleepy at this stage but nothing like PBP in 07
– Jennifer, Steve and Wolfgang joined us at the top and then Chris and I took off for the descent
– Headwind all the way down which kept our speed pretty low
– Brief climb up to Rainy Pass on the way

Diablo Lake Overlook (49 miles)

– Stopped at Diablo Lake for a break and to enjoy the view

– Wolfgang stretched out in the sun for a nap
– Reached Newhalem and refeuled, Chris didn’t feel we could make it to the control in time but we got going and found that it was a nice steady downhill and our pace was improving
– Decided to go for it and got into a two man paceline with short 30s pulls doing 17mph
– Really got the adrenaline going as we got closer and saw that it would be close, put the hammer down for the last couple miles and pulled into the petrol station with 1 minute to go
– Raced into the store and got the clerk to sign the card, exactly on the time needed
– Mentally this was a huge lift and got us into a great rhythm for the rest of the ride

Marblemount – (74 miles)

– Kept riding with the same short pulls but at a more civilized pace, 15 mph
– Arrived at Darrington and stopped for some fish and chips at a diner were we met Jeff Loomis, Irene and Dan Jensen
– Matt from the sweep dropped in as well to say hi and see how everyone was doing
– We left before them as our time limits were tighter

Darrington – SIR Sweep (101 miles)

– Steady ride to Granite Falls with stretching breaks along the way
– Saw our first bit of light rain for the ride on this stretch
– Met up with Don Boothby at the petrol station were he was checking to see how Chris was doing

Granite Falls – SIR Sweep Don Boothby (141 miles)

– Nice final 21 miles in the dark with some rollers, no real issues with the hills
– Felt very alert for the later part of the day with no sleep issues which was interesting, I was expecting that they might come back once it got dark but the steady aerobic pace might have kept them away
– Great riding with Chris for this whole day, made a big difference in keeping something to focus on and keeping the pace up
– Finished in Monroe at 12:39 with 41 minutes to spare (actually would have been 2 hours 21 minutes if I’d been doing the 1200).

– Susan and the kids had come up to meet me and were standing outside to cheer me in as we arrived

– Good crowd still up in the Inn as I signed in and got my finishers medal

– Grabbed a beer and a slice of pizza and then headed off to bed

Monroe – Finish (162 miles / 786 miles)

– The next day headed for the celebratory breakfast with the whole family in Monroe

Takeaways

– Riding within myself at a steady pace really helped keep the whole ride enjoyable
– Eating a better mix of regular food is good
– Using mouth wash helped prevent mouth issues
– Didn’t drink many sodas (only tried Mountain Dew once and it seemed to much caffeine)
– Trying for 4 hours but getting up after 3 once my body woke seemed to be sufficient sleep, no significant sleep issues over the 4 days
– Riding with people makes for a much faster pace but the concentration in a paceline can get wearing after a while, nice to alternate during the day
– Limited caffeine ingestion to gels and the occasional soda (no caffeine tablets this ride)
– Did P90X for 6 weeks leading up to it, balanced out muscles and strengthened core

Not much more I can do to prepare at this stage so I’ll be taking it easy over the next couple days and resting up ahead of my monster ride. Full details of ride and progress tracking is here: http://seattlerando.org/C1200/

The ride will start at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 26, 2010 and finish by 3:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 30, 2010 (93 hour time limit).

The actual distance of the ride is 1240km (770 miles).

Here’s the route.

This spring 400k was a relatively flat route starting in Bremerton and heading out to the far west coast and then looping back: “a mix of busy and less-traveled roads and the chance to see the breakers of the Pacific Ocean and the shores of Puget Sound.”

The ride itself started at 7am, dictated by when the first ferry from Seattle would arrive. I was up at 4:30 am to ride down to the ferry dock. It’s nice to be able to leave the house on the bike already in all your gear rather than packing up the car. That said it was only while I was waiting to board the ferry that I noticed the conspicuous lack of water bottles on my bike. The two bottles I’d filled the night before were still in the fridge, nicely chilled by now.

I picked up a bottle of water from the vending machine and went with that for the ride. It worked out OK but was a bit difficult to use so I probably ended up drinking a little less than I should during the course of the ride.

There were about 70 people on the ride and we all headed out shortly after 7am. I ended up riding with a core group of 5 other people for almost the entire ride, picking up a couple more for the end of the ride once it got dark. We got into a good rhythm heading west into a headwind alternating pulls every 30 seconds. It was a bit of a change for me to stick with the same group of people for the whole ride. It worked out well (though the rest stops took longer than I would normally take with this many people in the group). We worked well together and traveled at a good pace, averaging 16.2 mph for the ride with a total time of 18 hours 33 minutes (incorporating roughly 3 hours in breaks).

The first SIR manned control was on the beach out by Westport. A good surfing vibe with one surfer in dreadlocks and colorful bikini speedo cheering all riders coming in and making up songs about SIR from across the road. He was really getting into it all.

A lot of chipseal on this ride and my arms took a bit of a beating from the vibration. Towards the end of the ride my legs started cramping up a bit. Hopefully they’ll adapt now over the next 3 weeks before the 600K when I’ll need to follow up the first day’s 400k with a 200K after the overnight rest stop.

Got in to Bremerton about 1:30 am in the morning to be greeted by Eric, Maggie and Peter who were manning the final control in a hotel. A long spell for them as the finishing times for this distance can vary greatly, from 13 and a half hours to 26 hours. I tried to get a bit of rest before the first ferry back to Seattle in the morning. My body was still to reved up and my arms hurt to much to sleep but I got a bit of rest to keep me going until I got home.

All in all a good ride and good prep for the longer rides to come over the next 2 months.

Selected photos from the various rides on the remaining 3 days.

Friday was a day of climbing (~70 miles with 3 decent climbs). The last one was up to the Mission Ridge ski area. It’s always a good sign of a decent climb when you reach snow level.

Susan and the kids drove over Friday night so on Saturday I decided to do a straight climb up Badger Mountain from the front side so that I’d be back for the afternoon (~40 miles). 2 1/2 hours of steady climbing from the hotel door. Eric and Maggie caught up to me for the last couple miles to the summit where we relaxed for a bit at the SIR support and then turned for a fast descent. It started sleeting and hailing on the way down so it was good to lose a bit of altitude and get back into the sun.

Saturday afternoon saw us heading over to Ohm gardens. (My legs felt the slopes a bit walking around with Ethan on my back 🙂 )

Sunday was the 200k (126 mile) ride and a magnificent loop around the east of Wenatchee. A good climb followed by Rift Valley type landscape on the other side of the mountains.

Northwest Crank – Day 1 Thursday (Wenatchee to Ephrata)

The day greeted us with clear blue skies and temperatures in the 70’s. A pleasant change from the rain and overcast skies in Seattle.

We all headed off at 9am towards Quincy. A brisk tailwind kept the pace high and I was glad I was riding a bike with gears this year. The last time I was out here two years ago I rode my fixie on this ride and was spinning out and unable to keep up with the group. The max speed on my fixed gear with it’s current gearing is about 25mph (and at that speed my legs are really spinning!).

About 15 miles into the ride everyone, except me, took a left turn to head up to Pallisades. I’d decided not to go that route due to 6 miles of gravel which I thought my tires might not be wide enough to deal with. I heard later that they would have been OK.

Anyway I found myself all alone heading east towards Quincy and Ephrata. It was a great day though and I didn’t mind. Here’s a shot from the side of the road en route.

I made good time to the half way turn around at Ephrata and as there was no time pressure decided to have a proper lunch. The good thing about these rides is that all that matters is calories as you’ll be burning through whatever you eat. This was my oh so healthy lunch.

Then is was time to head back and face the headwind. It was very strong from the get go and I settled into a fairly slow pace. About 10 miles later I saw a group of 4 people behind me which was a welcome sight. This was the lead group from the Pallisades option who had looped around and were now returning on the same route as me. I latched on to them and picked up the pace considerably (they are all strong riders and towed me along for the next 20 miles or so to a manned support stop).

Grabbed a quick sandwich and then it was time for the final stretch back to the Inn (22 miles or so). The winds were even stronger here and it was difficult to get a good draft even with the group. Eventually they pulled away from me and I was left to battle in by myself. You know it’s a strong wind when you descending a steep downhill and if you stop pedaling the wind actually brings you to a standstill!

It really made you feel you were out in the elements. I got back to the Inn around 5pm. Now we’ll see how the body recovers ahead of tomorrow’s hilly ride.

P.S. This was dinner