Another End Of The Road

Cycle Washington Day 7-Langley to Redmond

For the final time....Let's do the numbers:

Distance: 54.22 miles
Ride Time: 4 hours, 44 minutes, 53 seconds
Avg Speed: 11:42 mph

Here are the total numbers for the trip:

Distance: 386.95 miles
Ride Time: 32 hours, 24 minutes, 48 seconds
Avg Speed: 12.24 mph

Today's final leg of the tour had us take a ferry from Langley across Puget Sound to Mukilteo just five miles into the ride.  When the ferry picked us up, us cyclists rode our bikes onto the boat followed by the cars and trucks.  When the ferry docked on the other side, we rode our bikes off followed by the cars and trucks.  It was awesome!

Just like yesterday's segment, the was A LOT of climbing today.  I always thought the last day of a ride should be like the Tour De France where it's a flat route, you ride at a leisurely pace, chat with your fellow riders and drink champagne as you pedal.  Well maybe not chat with your fellow riders! :)  But just like most days of this tour, very many hard efforts were put forth today, especially by your humble blogger.  But it was well worth it!

So our tour is over.  I always have mixed emotions on the last day of any tour I've done.  On the one hand, I'm glad it's over.  Riding an average of 55 miles a day can be taxing on the body.  On the other hand, I didn't want it to end.  Doing these multi day rides for me is like the adult version of summer camp.  It is soooooooo much fun!  When talking to my mother a few weeks ago about the trip, she found it amazing that I would hop on a plane and fly to a part of the country I had never been to to ride my bike with a bunch of people I did not know.  I said to her, "Mom, I'll make friends!"  And that I have.

This is a picture (l to r) of your humble blogger, Mike, Angela and Judy.  I had the pleasure of riding with them quite a bit during the tour.  I want to express my sincere thanks to the three of them for sharing their stories, laughter and friendship with me.  You are awesome people and my life has been enriched because of you.  Thank you! :)

I also want to thank the Adventure Cycling Association (ACA) for a running such wonderful event.  Our ride leader Tom Radley and his staff were terrific during the week, especially last Friday when they coordinated our SAG rescue off of Washington Pass due to inclement weather.  This was Tom's last job as an ACA ride leader as he is retiring. It was an honor to have Tom's last ACA ride as my first.  Best wishes and good luck to you, Tom.  And thank you for everything this week! :)

I also want to thank Anne, Holly & James, June & Steven, Jacquette & Howard, Netzy, Peter and Carol & Pete for your friendship this week.  You all made my week so much fun! :)

My thanks to Gerk's Ski & Cycle for putting my bike together when I arrived in Redmond and for packing it up and shipping it back to me after the tour.

Thank you dear readers of my ramblings on this site.  Your comments about how much you enjoy it are very much appreciated by me!

Two last things.  As you know, I always wear a Team In Training (TNT) jersey on the first and last days of a tour.  I do it to honor the organization that help me discover a passion for cycling.  During the week, I got a lot of questions about why I got into cycling and (by extension) TNT.  I am currently fundraising for three TNT cycling events coming up in August, September and November.  If you wish to donate, please click one of the links below:

August-Bike Benzie Tour:
http://pages.teamintraining.org/il/bikebenz12/gclayh

September-Viva Bike Vegas:
http://pages.teamintraining.org/il/vbvegas12/gclayh

November-El Tour De Tucson:
http://pages.teamintraining.org/il/Tucson12/gclayh

Finally, a friend of mine recently posted a photo on Facebook with the following message:  "Life is short.  Live your dream and wear your passion."  No matter what your situation in life is, you have to have something you truly love to do.  My passion is riding my bike and doing it in various parts of the country.  Whatever you love to do, get off of the sidelines.  Get in the game.  Find YOUR passion and WEAR IT!! :)

And with that, the book on Cycle Washington is now closed.  Until we meet again, may you all have tailwinds as you ride through life! 

Saddle up!
Gary

“I love the bicycle. I always have. I can think of no sincere, decent human being, male or female, young or old, saintly or sinful, who can resist the bicycle.”—William Saroyan

Here Comes The Rain Again

Cycle Washington Day 6-Mount Vernon to Langley

It's time for America's favorite part of my blog!  Let's do the numbers:

Distance:  64.66 miles
Ride Time: 5 hours, 59 minutes, 32 seconds
Avg: 10.79

Yeah, the rain came back for today's ride segment from Mount Vernon to Langley.  Although there was no threat of lightning today, the rain was off and on (mostly on) and was heavy at times.  It made for a soggy sojourn through the Puget Sound region of Washington.  It was also cold today.  Temperatures ranged from the upper 50's to low 60's.  Plus, there was MORE climbing today.  In fact, one of our riders had a Garmin GPS unit on their bike which calculated we climbed at total of 2,600 feet today.  That's just 500 feet short of the climb up to Washington Pass this past Friday.  It was tough with the rain and the hills.  Again, I had thoughts of calling the SAG wagon and stopping especially after lunch when the rain resumed and I was being drenched as I rode by myself.  But soon after the rain stopped.  And I decided I was going to finish today's ride come hell or high water.  I knew it was going to be slow because of the hills.  But I was determined to finish.  And finish I did! :)

After the ride, we had our regular group dinner.  However, tonight's meal was special for two reasons.  One, it was our last group dinner as the tour ends tomorrow.   Two, our ride leader Tom Radley is retiring after this tour.  He was given awards and testimonials for his direction with this ride and for his sixteen years of service to the Adventure Cycling Association.  His awards are well deserved judging by how he ran our tour.  He did a FANTASTIC job! :)

What Will Gary Wear Tomorrow?

My first Team-In-Training (TNT)  jersey.  Like I said earlier in this blog, I always wear a TNT jersey on the first and last day of an event to honor what TNT has meant to me.

Random Picture of the Day

Talk about a do-nothing street! Geez! ;)

That's all for now, kids.  Tomorrow, we ride to our final destination, Redmond.  I'll talk to you then!

Ride it like you stole it!
Gary

"For instance, the bicycle is the most efficient machine ever created: Converting calories into gas, a bicycle gets the equivalent of three thousand miles per gallon." --Bill Strickland (The Quotable Cyclist)

Lovely Day

Cycle Washington Day 5-Rockport to Mount Vernon

It's time for America's favorite pastime!  Let's do the numbers:

Distance: 69.39 miles
Ride Time: 5 hours, 6 minutes, 58 seconds
Avg: 13.56 mph

I said it before and I'll say it again, what a difference a day makes!  Great weather and great riding companions made for a fantastic day of riding!

This is a picture of (from l to r) Mike, Angela, Judy and your humble blogger.  We rode the entire 60 mile route today.  We had a LOT of laughs, got to know each other a little bit more and did some awesome riding.  For example, I learned Mike and Angela are engaged and will be getting married next month.  Congratulations you crazy kids! :)  The course was mostly flat was a few climbs thrown in just for fun.  But in the end, we made it safe, sound and DRY!

I mentioned above we rode 60 miles.  But when I did the numbers, I wrote I did 69 miles.  What gives?  Well, the route was scheduled for 52 miles.....if you stayed at base came for the night.  However, I stayed at a hotel 8 miles away.  And since we rode from the hotel to the start of the route, 60 miles was the distance.  Then after the ride was done, I discovered my hotel was 9 miles away from today's base camp.  And since I had to ride my bike to the hotel, BAM! 69 miles for the day.

This is the cabin I rented while in Rockport last night.  It looked like a shack from the outside,

but inside, it was pretty nice I must admit!

What will Gary wear tomorrow?

My "It's The Law" jersey.  This jersey reminds drivers to give cyclists at least 3 feet clearance when passing from the rear.  I figured it would be a good way to educate drivers on a Sunday morning/afternoon.


We have a 70 mile trek to the Puget Sound region on tap for tomorrow.  Ride director Tom says no severe climbs, but lots of rolling terrain.  And some rain (possibly).  Good times, good times! :)


Keep the rubber side down!
Gary


"I thought of that while riding my bike." --Albert Einstein (On the Theory of Relativity)

I Picked The Wrong Day To Climb Up A Mountain

Cycle Washington Day 4-Winthrop to Rockport

Let's do the numbers:

Distance: 30.52 miles
Ride Time: 3 hours, 20 minutes, 23 seconds
Avg: 9.14 MPH

Today was a day I have never, EVER experienced in my nine year adult cycling life.  Our ride today was scheduled to be 99 miles including a climb up to the summit of 5,477 foot Washington Pass.  The climb started at mile 18 and continued for 13 miles.  I was going real slow as to conserve energy to complete the almost 3,100 elevation gain on the climb.  I would use the end of guard rails as a resting spot the further up I went.  I had completed nine miles of the climb when the heavens opened up and it started raining.  Really hard.  I stopped, put on my rain jacket and continued on when HAIL started pelting me in the head.  OWWWW!! :(  At this point, one of our SAG vehicle drivers who had been watching me during this time yelled out of his window "Do you want a ride up to the top?"  I thought for a moment and then said "yes".  I can ride in rain, I've done it before.  When you throw hail into the mix on a mountainside, it was a no brainer for me.  Of course, ten minutes after me and my bike got into the van and were on our way up to the summit, the skies cleared and sunshine came back out.

So I get to the top which was the lunch stop.  I have my lunch, put on all the warm cycle clothes I have with me, take a timid look at the overlook from Washington Pass (I'm afraid of heights) and then decide to ride down.  I mean it's all downhill from here, right?  WRONG on sooooooo many levels.  So I'm at the intersection where I make the right-hand turn to begin my descent.  A group of ladies from Montana who were doing the ride rolled up next to me.  I asked them if I can ride with them and they say "sure!"  So we start down.  Just two minutes into the descent, the skies open up again.  A minute later, the hail starts pelting us intensely.  Then I see this sign:

And boy was it ever windy!  In fact, it was all we could do to maintain control of our bikes as we are rolling at approximately 25-30 mph.  We pulled into a scenic overlook area and then huddled under a map information board as the lightning and thunder started up.  It was right then I know my ride day was over.  In fact, Tom Radley our ride director and his staff did a tremendous job in getting all of us (and our bikes) safely into vans and trucks to ferry us down the mountain.  Like I said, I day I have never, EVER experienced on a bike.

What did Gary wear today?

 My Ace Paint Century jersey.  In the midst of fundraising for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, I managed to be the top fundraiser for the inaugural Ace Paint Century Ride in 2010.  I figured it would ba fitting to was this jersey to complete my 50th century ride.  OOPS!! :)

What will Gary wear tomorrow?

My White Sox Jersey.  I feel it's time to show these Seattle Mariner loving fans  a taste of Chicago's South Side! :)

Tomorrow, we head to Bay View State Park in Mount Vernon, WA for a 52 mile jaunt.  Here's hoping for better weather!

Stopping!
Gary

"Think of bicycles as rideable art that can just about save the world." --Grant Petersen

The Road To Winthrop

Cycle Washington Day 3-Pateros to Winthrop

Hey Everybody! Lets do the numbers:

Distance: 44.44 miles
Ride Time: 4 hours, 46 minutes, 49 seconds
Avg: 10.80 MPH

Today was a much better ride day than yesterday even though we had many loooooong hills to climb and a headwind for most of the ride.  It was not nearly as hot as it was yesterday and the headwind did provide a cooling breeze.  Since it was such a short distance, I finished about 1:00 PM and had the rest of today to cleanup, take a nap and relax before dinner.

The one thing I have to keep reminding myself is to take the hills easy.  There's A LOT of them and I don't want to "burn my matches" at the beginning of the ride and then have nothing in the tank at the end.  I felt I did a good job of managing this today.

While I was out on the road today, I saw some interesting sites.  I passed this farm and I saw Mr. Ed.  Yes, THAT MR. ED!  He was muttering to himself.  I was able to record what he was saying.  Take a look at the video I shot to hear his random ramblings:

I also saw a roadside waterfall.  Don't believe me?  Take a look:

Tomorrow is going to be interesting.  It's the 98 mile ride day which I will attempt to do the extra two miles to make it a century.  There is 3,100 feet of climbing in the first 31 miles of the ride.  And if that isn't enough, the weather forecast is calling for thunderstorms and flash flooding in the the area which we'll be riding tomorrow.  How's it going to turn out?  Stay tuned.  Same Bat Time.  Sam Bat Channel! :)

Car Up!
Gary

"What do you call a cyclist who doesn't wear a helmet? An organ donor."  --David Perry

What A Difference A Day Makes!

Cycle Washington Day 2-Wenatchee to Pateros

Alright kids!  Let's do the numbers:

Distance: 64.77 miles
Ride Time: 5 hours, 25 minutes, 52 seconds
Avg: 11.93 MPH

Today was a tough day.  Throw in some heat (between 90-94 degrees), some wind and many more hills than yesterday and you get today's numbers.  I was hot, could not stay hydrated like I wanted to and basically felt like a turd.  In fact, there were several points during the later parts of the ride that I was thisclose to calling SAG support and ending my ride day.  The reason I did not was due to these two angels:

This is Holly (on the left) and Anne.  These two ladies were my saving grace today.  Whenever we were at a rest stop, they gave me encouragement. Whenever they saw me pulled over on the side of the road, they would check to make sure if I was ok and ask if I needed anything.  Because of them, I pressed on no matter how slow I was.  The end result...I finished today.  Holly and Anne:  Thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you did today! :)

What Will Gary Wear Tomorrow?

My Apple Cider Century jersey.  The ACC was the 2nd organized ride I did after the L.A.T.E. Ride back in 2002.  I have done this event five times and had a great ride each time. 

Tomorrow is recovery ride day!  WOOHOO!!  A 42 mile ride from Pateros to Winthrop.  Our ride director Tom has promised great scenery along the way.  I will try to capture some and bring it to you. Until tomorrow...

Slowing!
Gary

 "Life is like riding a bicycle - in order to keep your balance, you must keep moving."
-Albert Einstein

Today Put the "Adventure" in Adventure Cycling!

Cycle Washington Day 1-Stevens Pass to Wenatchee

Please indulge me as I tell a quick story.  My lovely girlfriend Laura has used her feminine wiles to get me to listen to National Public Radio (NPR).  There's a show I have become quite enamored with called Marketplace.  The program focuses on the latest business news both nationally and internationally, the global economy, and wider events linked to the financial markets.  During each show, the host, Kai Ryssdal introduces the daily results from the financial markets by saying "Lets do the numbers"  Why did I tell you this?  Because I'm going to steal his phrase to report my daily results.  So without further ado......

Let's do the numbers!

Distance: 58.95 miles
Ride Time: 3 hours, 40 minutes, 21 seconds
Avg: 16.05 MPH

On every week long tour I have done, something always goes wrong.  Does it make me upset?  Nope.  Why not?  Because everyone makes mistakes and more importantly, I paid for an adventure and an adventure is what I'm getting.  The latest example of this happened this morning on day one.

A little background.  The Seattle-Tacoma area has increased in population by quite a bit over the years.  Unfortunately, they can't expand west because of Puget Sound.  They have exhausted the land to the north and to the south.  The only area available to expand is the mountainous east.  This means a bunch of towns and homes have sprung up along highway US 2.  Because of this, Adventure Cycling made a decision a few years ago to shuttle its Cycle Washington riders up US 2 to the Stevens Pass area and start the ride there.  This way it bypasses a lot of car traffic that could be potentially dangerous to the riders.

A bus was to pick us up at 7:30 AM from Redmond Elementary and shuttle us to the Steven Pass starting point.  7:30 came and went with no bus.  Our ride director Tom Radley informed us the bus would be delayed and would be here at 8:15 AM.  Ok.  No worries. 8:15 came and went with no bus.  Tom whipped out his phone to inquire what was going on.  As it turned out, the bus driver went to Stevens Pass, thinking we were to be picked up there and dropped off at Redmond Elementary.  It's 1 1/2 hours between the two locations.  The bus finally showed up to Redmond at 10:30 AM.  That meant our ride did not start until noon.  But like I said, I wasn't upset.  I paid for an adventure, and by golly, I got one! :)

Stevens Pass is 4,000 feet in elevation.  So to start by riding down this mountain range was AWESOME!!  At one point, I hit a speed of 40.6 MPH.  That's the second fastest speed I have ever achieved on a bike.  There were a couple of eye opening climbs as well, but I handled them with grace, aplomb, vim and vigor.  It was a great way to start my trek across the state of Washington.

Here's a video of the Wenatchee River rapids I rode next to today:

My cycling tatoo:

And yes, we did ride on Easy Street today!

What Will Gary Wear Tomorrow?

My El Tour De Tucson jersey.  This jersey is special because I have done this event 7 times which is the most of all of the TNT events I've participated in.  This November will mark my 8th time riding this event.  And I CAN'T WAIT!! :)

Tomorrow, we leave Wenatchee for a 65 mile jaunt to the little the hamlet of Pateros.  I'll talk to you then.

Hole!
Gary

"The bicycle is the noblest invention of mankind." -William Saroyan