March 2, 2002
Rider #2666
Turns out this was actually my first “official” ride. Yeah I rode when I was younger, but that was just for fun.
Well what are my impressions? The ride was fun as hell. The weather was all but perfect (a bit of a cold breeze, but you are riding on the edge of an island). They say there were approximately 3,000 riders today. As you can tell from my number I decided to do a walk-in registration. I went with a co-worker and his girlfriend, and we all had a terrific time. Michelle decided at the last moment to bag as she hasn’t been on a bike for ages (~10yrs), and thought starting off with a 33mile jaunt would be pushing it. That may be true, but I think she could have done just fine.
We started off catching the 8:30am bike-only ferry over to Bainbridge Island. After the 35min or so ride we saddled up and began our journey. There is something to be said for being in the middle of a ton of fresh riders starting a ride. The talk, the changing of gears, brake pads whistling, the wind in your ears, and the intoxicating sound of free-riding rear derailleurs.
Right off the bat you are weaving through the Island, passing a lush green golf course and down onto a coastal bit. It is terrific you say to yourself as the first hill comes into view. It is a smallish one, and at the top you begin to think it is time to take off your full gloves and opt for the half-fingered ones. Tempting (and I was), but don’t. It was shortly after that we decided to split up as we each had seperate riding speeds and comfort zones. The meeting point would be the Cider stop at mile 20. From there it was a fun and exhilarating ride to mile 20. Passing alot, and getting passed alot. It should be mentioned that this was the first big ride for the Cannondale R400. I must say taking a road bike was far better than taking a mountain bike. The lightness alone is justification enough, with the handling and comfort coming in respectively. 15-20mph was easy to keep on most parts, and I do have to say I envy those with more than 14 gears.
Around mile 10 I noticed my water-bottle cage was beginning to rattle (I must not have tightened it enough), and became very annoying. Luckily around mile 15 was a huge stop with a mechanic (and line) to help out. I was introduced to the Clif-bar shot here (thanks to the Clif-bar man), and well.. I think only 15 miles of biking can tell you how good/bad these things are. Fortunately I didn’t have to wait in line too long as my co-worker joined up and had the appropriate allen-wrench for my cage. Tightened up we went off and headed towards the cider stop.
Doing a post-mortem on the ride, it is interesting, and quite neat to note how everyone acts towards each other when pumping up a hill. The group I went up with (all for a few who chugged up quicker on the outside) were all in a similar cadence just driving up. There’s something I find satisfying about the sounds of the bike machine and heavy breathing. Everyone concentrating on the task at hand, putting everything they have into it. All with a common goal. Get up the hill.
We all met up at the cider stop around noon I believe and hung out and talked/ate/rested for a bit. At this point we hit 20 miles, and had the option of continuing an additional 13 miles, or taking a short cut that would shave the total ride down to 22ish. We all decided to do the full ride, and after an hour rest we pressed on.
Between miles 27-33 is where it gets interesting. There are a few hills (well a couple of big ones, and then some smaller managable ones). It was around this time that I began to deal with low-blood sugar, and some minor cramping in my right inner thigh. I hit the blood sugar with a h20/clif-bar/ultra-fuel-drink punch. The cramping started on the second big hill, and it forced me to get off and walk up. Sorta funky, but intriguing. I’m working, and I can feel it.
Ahh the finish line. I crossed around 2:10pm, my co-workers s.o. crossed around 2:20p, and co-worker at 2:45p. From there we went and got our bowl of chili (and corn bread muffin). After that we left and went down and basked in the sun at the ferry dock and caught the 3:50p ferry back to Seattle.
Once at home, there was a beef-stroganoff dinner, hot bath and shower, and another crepe dinner awaiting. From there a nice long hard sleep in bed.
I’d recommend this ride to anyone. All ages and styles were there (bikes, ages, fitness levels). Yes it is hilly, but really not too unmanageable. If it is too much, get off and walk up. Lots do. It’s crowded, but everyone is pretty polite and out to have fun. The weather helped. I’ll be the first to admit that I was going to bail had it been raining. Oh another thing. In my rush to catch the 8:30am ferry, I forgot the digital camera. Sigh.. next year!
Additional photos
Daily Log
# 6:25am - Shut off the alarm… and stay in bed..
# 6:50am - Michelle wakes me up saying it is time to get up
# 7:30am - Leave the house after eating some toaster-waffles, cereal, and slice of toast
# 8:05am - Arrive down at Madison/Alaskan Way
# 8:15am - Get in line (Pre filled out registration night before)
# 8:27am - Get registered, grab sticker and patch. Look around for the rest of my party.
# 8:30am - Farewells to the doggie and Michelle, and rush off to the boat.
# 9:10am - Pedal off the ferry
# 11:11am - Stop off for bike-cage repair and clif-bar handouts
# noon - Show up at Cider stop and hang out.
# 1:00pm - Leave cider stop for fantastic coastal ride (and hills)
# 1:50pm - Notice my chain comes completely off. Quick stop to fix.
# 2:00pm - Mild cramp in leg…. manageable
# 2:20pm - Cross finish
# 3:15pm - Leave for ferry terminal
# 3:50pm - Catch ferry bound for Seattle
# 5:00pm - Arrive home
# 5-8pm - Eat/Bath/Shower/Rest/Eat/Rest
# 8:38pm - Turn on some Amon Tobin and write up this page
# 9:17pm - Finish up and crash for the night.
Stats:(by my cyclocomputer)
Distance: 34.6 miles
Max speed: 38.9 mph
Avg speed: 11.5 mph
Trip meter: 3hrs 00min 06sec
March 2, 2002
Rider #2666
Turns out this was actually my first “official” ride. Yeah I rode when I was younger, but that was just for fun.
Well what are my impressions? The ride was fun as hell. The weather was all but perfect (a bit of a cold breeze, but you are riding on the edge of an island). They say there were approximately 3,000 riders today. As you can tell from my number I decided to do a walk-in registration. I went with a co-worker and his girlfriend, and we all had a terrific time. Michelle decided at the last moment to bag as she hasn’t been on a bike for ages (~10yrs), and thought starting off with a 33mile jaunt would be pushing it. That may be true, but I think she could have done just fine.
We started off catching the 8:30am bike-only ferry over to Bainbridge Island. After the 35min or so ride we saddled up and began our journey. There is something to be said for being in the middle of a ton of fresh riders starting a ride. The talk, the changing of gears, brake pads whistling, the wind in your ears, and the intoxicating sound of free-riding rear derailleurs.
Right off the bat you are weaving through the Island, passing a lush green golf course and down onto a coastal bit. It is terrific you say to yourself as the first hill comes into view. It is a smallish one, and at the top you begin to think it is time to take off your full gloves and opt for the half-fingered ones. Tempting (and I was), but don’t. It was shortly after that we decided to split up as we each had seperate riding speeds and comfort zones. The meeting point would be the Cider stop at mile 20. From there it was a fun and exhilarating ride to mile 20. Passing alot, and getting passed alot. It should be mentioned that this was the first big ride for the Cannondale R400. I must say taking a road bike was far better than taking a mountain bike. The lightness alone is justification enough, with the handling and comfort coming in respectively. 15-20mph was easy to keep on most parts, and I do have to say I envy those with more than 14 gears.
Around mile 10 I noticed my water-bottle cage was beginning to rattle (I must not have tightened it enough), and became very annoying. Luckily around mile 15 was a huge stop with a mechanic (and line) to help out. I was introduced to the Clif-bar shot here (thanks to the Clif-bar man), and well.. I think only 15 miles of biking can tell you how good/bad these things are. Fortunately I didn’t have to wait in line too long as my co-worker joined up and had the appropriate allen-wrench for my cage. Tightened up we went off and headed towards the cider stop.
Doing a post-mortem on the ride, it is interesting, and quite neat to note how everyone acts towards each other when pumping up a hill. The group I went up with (all for a few who chugged up quicker on the outside) were all in a similar cadence just driving up. There’s something I find satisfying about the sounds of the bike machine and heavy breathing. Everyone concentrating on the task at hand, putting everything they have into it. All with a common goal. Get up the hill.
We all met up at the cider stop around noon I believe and hung out and talked/ate/rested for a bit. At this point we hit 20 miles, and had the option of continuing an additional 13 miles, or taking a short cut that would shave the total ride down to 22ish. We all decided to do the full ride, and after an hour rest we pressed on.
Between miles 27-33 is where it gets interesting. There are a few hills (well a couple of big ones, and then some smaller managable ones). It was around this time that I began to deal with low-blood sugar, and some minor cramping in my right inner thigh. I hit the blood sugar with a h20/clif-bar/ultra-fuel-drink punch. The cramping started on the second big hill, and it forced me to get off and walk up. Sorta funky, but intriguing. I’m working, and I can feel it.
Ahh the finish line. I crossed around 2:10pm, my co-workers s.o. crossed around 2:20p, and co-worker at 2:45p. From there we went and got our bowl of chili (and corn bread muffin). After that we left and went down and basked in the sun at the ferry dock and caught the 3:50p ferry back to Seattle.
Once at home, there was a beef-stroganoff dinner, hot bath and shower, and another crepe dinner awaiting. From there a nice long hard sleep in bed.
I’d recommend this ride to anyone. All ages and styles were there (bikes, ages, fitness levels). Yes it is hilly, but really not too unmanageable. If it is too much, get off and walk up. Lots do. It’s crowded, but everyone is pretty polite and out to have fun. The weather helped. I’ll be the first to admit that I was going to bail had it been raining. Oh another thing. In my rush to catch the 8:30am ferry, I forgot the digital camera. Sigh.. next year!
Additional photos
Daily Log
# 6:25am - Shut off the alarm… and stay in bed..
# 6:50am - Michelle wakes me up saying it is time to get up
# 7:30am - Leave the house after eating some toaster-waffles, cereal, and slice of toast
# 8:05am - Arrive down at Madison/Alaskan Way
# 8:15am - Get in line (Pre filled out registration night before)
# 8:27am - Get registered, grab sticker and patch. Look around for the rest of my party.
# 8:30am - Farewells to the doggie and Michelle, and rush off to the boat.
# 9:10am - Pedal off the ferry
# 11:11am - Stop off for bike-cage repair and clif-bar handouts
# noon - Show up at Cider stop and hang out.
# 1:00pm - Leave cider stop for fantastic coastal ride (and hills)
# 1:50pm - Notice my chain comes completely off. Quick stop to fix.
# 2:00pm - Mild cramp in leg…. manageable
# 2:20pm - Cross finish
# 3:15pm - Leave for ferry terminal
# 3:50pm - Catch ferry bound for Seattle
# 5:00pm - Arrive home
# 5-8pm - Eat/Bath/Shower/Rest/Eat/Rest
# 8:38pm - Turn on some Amon Tobin and write up this page
# 9:17pm - Finish up and crash for the night.
Stats:(by my cyclocomputer)
Distance: 34.6 miles
Max speed: 38.9 mph
Avg speed: 11.5 mph
Trip meter: 3hrs 00min 06sec