On Sunday I rode my February 200km permanent. With sunshine and temps in the 50s by the time I finished, I had to keep reminding myself that it is indeed still February, and whether or not that big city groundhog back east saw his shadow, we still have months of crap weather ahead of us. But the start of the ride was pretty February like. The thermometer near Marymoor on the way out of town said 30 degrees.
I rode the Redmond - Carbon Glacier permanent. I chose the route because I wanted something with easy navigation and not too much steep climbing. I decided to ride this one on my single speed bike just for "fun."
The route is a straight out-and-back that heads almost directly toward Mt. Rainier from Redmond. Then when you're almost there, you turn around and head back along the same route.
I dressed with the assumption that it would be warming up as the day progressed. That turned out to be true, except that it didn't really get warm until over halfway through the ride, so I had frozen fingers and toes for the first five hours. The Carbon Glacier Ranger station is up at 1,700 ft. and deep down in a valley, so it was still below freezing when a got there with plenty of frost on the road and ice on the puddles.
This was really a nice route without a lot of traffic and some interesting scenery along the way. Like the Mowich Mall. (I guess "mall" has a slightly different meaning if you live in Mowich. Do you think the Mowich teenagers hang out here?)
And the Wilkeson cemetary was beautiful with frost still on the grass. It was also a sobering reminder to keep my eyes open for frosty patches on the road lest I end up road kill.
The climb up Highway 165 to the Carbon Glacier Ranger station is gradual enough that it's not a problem at all on a single speed.
I hadn't seen this guy in a while.
A glimpse of Mt. Rainier from Enumclaw.
(In my very best Eeyore voice) Nice barn. A bit drafty.
Overall the ride was uneventful in the best possible way. I never got lost. No flat tires or other mechanical issues. I felt good the whole way. Didn't waste too much time hanging out in convenience stores.
The ride took 8 hours 20 minutes, which is the fastest I've ever done a permanent. That probably has less to do with fast riding than not getting lost and not hanging out too much in convenience stores.
Next weekend is the SIR Spring Fever Populaire which officially kicks off the 2010 Randonneuring season here in Seattle. That means this was probably my last permanent for a while since we have a pretty full schedule of brevets for the next few months.
You're a machine! Blowin' the dust off the old Velope, eh? How are the knees and back?
ReplyDeleteGood news for me: my counterpart runs the triathlon group here and is trying to hunt down a bike for me. Doubt I'll make the PBP next time 'round but at least I won't entirely lose my chops. Downside: the roads are scary narrow here, full of potholes, no shoulders, drainage ditches on both sides and a lot of racing rice rockets. My coach, er, counterpart suggests getting over my fear up front, says it'll only get worse with time.
Sounds like good advice about getting over the fear and just getting out there. It's probably not nearly as dangerous as it seems. I'd guess that drivers there get a lot of practice avoiding things like livestock and sleeping dogs in the road, so a bicyclist is no big deal.
ReplyDelete