I just signed up to Ride Around Mount Rainier in One Day! You know, the (in)famous RAMROD? I believe the stats are something like 10,000 feet of gain over 150 miles. Yeah. For comparison, the HPC was 7,500 feet of 115 miles. The HPC was tough, but doable. Interestingly these two rides are about a week apart! the 200-mile STP & the 275 mile S2S (Seattle to Spokane via Highway 2) happen about two weeks prior to the RAMROD! That'll be a high-mileage week month if all goes as planned.
There's a "lottery" to get in on the RAMROD, so I'll go on a wait-list if I don't win a spot. If it doesn't work out perhaps I could turn it into a multi-day unsupported gigantic loop from Seattle.. we'll see how it goes.
They say the RAMROD is good training for the S2S ride, another local long-distance classic that I'd like to finish. And that the double century Seattle-to-Portalnd ride doesn't count as training for S2S! How's that for a "You sure you're ready for this, kid?"
Friday, March 7, 2008
Another RAMROD Hopeful
8/1/08 update: I did it, and then some.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
8 comments:
sorry, i messed up the last comment
i'm looking to do ramrod as well, heres to hoping we both get tickets. i've looked at cannonball but that temptress hasnt whispered in my ear just yet. i used to live on the east side of the mountains, the terrain is rather boring, i have no particular desire to chug through those monotonous miles
just a heads up; it seems you are wrong on your dates. the last i heard the month of august came between july and september, giving you 5 weeks between the two rides. honest mistake, it is late.
ramrod is july 31 http://www.redmondcyclingclub.org/RAMROD/index.html
and hpc is sep 7
http://www.cascade.org/EandR/hpc/index.cfm
Thanks for the correction, it was pretty late when I posted. It was the S2S that I was thinking of, which is on July 19th, and the STP is July 12th. Gonna be a busy month! (Post updated)
S2S is different than the Cannonball (it goes to Spokane via Highway 2 & Stevens Pass), but it would still pass through that boring section of the state called eastern washington!
But I figure by the time I got there, I'd be so tired/dazed/zoned that I could be cycling on Mars and it wouldn't make a difference. That or the sun will be burning me up & I'll be wondering why I signed up for this.
Good luck in the lottery!
matt...(Matt? matt? Case sensitivity!) ... I believe August falls between July and September only on leap years. My birthday is August 1, and I am sure I am no older than 12 (or so my wife and kids keep telling me).
I was googling S2S information and found your blog, are you still planning the STP, S2S, and Ramrod trifecta? I'm skipping STP but am doing the other two.
David
Not sure about the S2S at this point, but definitely the STP, RAMROD, and a painful 600k brevet put on by Jan Heine later this year.
While STP almost seems easy at this point, the RAMROD scares me a bit (but I've done Cayuse Pass after 200 miles and lived), but I think I can survive RAMROD.
But the S2S has a certain ghoulish quality to it (probably that you don't hear much about it - does any live to tell stories?!) that does make me think twice. But I'd love to do it some day.
I have heard S2S horror stories about the heat on the Eastern Washington side of the Mountains.
This will be my first S2S and my third Ramrod in a row.
Well after you kick Ramrod in the teeth this year, you can take on
S2S.
You seem to like hills, have you heard of the Mt Baker Hill Climb?
David
Hi Matt, any plans on doing S2S this summer of '09? I'm a coworker of Dennis K at amzn and enjoy your blog...I especially liked your tale of the brevet from last summer where you had to pull the pin due to a mechanical so close to home. I've got the S2S planned as my 'big event' of the summer and was wondering what rides/races you were planning this summer. Keep up the good work on the blog and the mapping site. Dave
Post a Comment