The High Pass Challenge almost killed me!

(If you have no idea what the High Pass Challenge is, see the cascade site about it)

My goal for the HPC was to get a 'gold' medal, what Cascade called an 'elite' finish, by finishing before 3 PM. Since the start was at 7 AM (although I heard some people started earlier - cheaters!), this would give you eight hours to complete it and get the gold. I wasn't sure how realistic that goal was, given that my biggest climb so far was Cougar Mountain, which is a whopping 1,300 ft high and three miles long. But after my one-day STP finish (a double-century), I figured it was worth a shot.

The Ride

Here I am (next to the HPC sign, rolling away from the camera) rolling towards the start of the HPC at the Lodge.



I left the Cowlitz River Lodge's parking lot at 7:15 AM, and hopped on a great paceline of 5 or so riders, pacing at a perfect 23+ mph on the flats. The first 10 or so miles were almost flat, and the views of pastures and mountains beyond was nice! Too bad I was sitting in a paceline - not the best time to take in the scenery, gotta watch the wheel ahead of you.

The Gifford Pinchot National Forest was sooo beautiful, it looked a lot like what I'd seen out at the Hoh rain forest on the Olympic Peninsula. Once we started the big climb up to the top, it was hard to imagine going 8-15 mph for the next two to three hours, but that's what 35 miles of uphill means I guess.

The two-lane road that led up to Windy Ridge was pretty much empty, and bikes ruled the road. Some parts of it were unpaved, with loose gravel taking the place of solid road. But those sections were short, and I didn't get a flat or skid out, so if that's what it takes to get to Windy Ridge, the so be it.

Once I turned onto Forest Service Road 99, the views got even better! The blast zone from St. Helens was clearly visible, with thousands of downed trees scattered about. Some parts of that road were sketchy, with no real shoulder and big drop... and some parts of it were crumbling away too.

Windy Ridge

Once at Windy Ridge, I was sooo happy to be 'done' with the major climbing. The rollers coming up meant there'd be rollers going down, but at least you were heading back to the finish line, and not away from it anymore.

My long-fingered gloves were a little wet from sweat, and my under-shirt/jersey/vest combo wasn't cutting the wind like I thought they would. The wind up there was easily 20 mph, and at about 4,000 ft of elevation the clouds were essentially at eye-level that day. Which sucked, because that meant we couldn't see St. Helens - guess I'll have to check that next year.

I was hoping to find some newspaper or paper towels, as I'd heard that helps keep you warm on descents, but all the public bathroom offered was toilet paper. I put some under my jersey (seriously, it helped), and I even saw a guy wrapping tissue around his fingers! It was that cold - I heard someone say it was 37 degrees up there, but it felt like 32.

The Descent

After freezing for a few minutes at Windy Ridge, it was time to head back to the finish line. It was about 11 AM, which gave me a cool four hours to get back. It felt nice to descend for 30 minutes or so, even with the rollers that were here and there. But I'd forgotten about the gravel pits, and so did the rest of the group I was riding with - we almost crashed when we came around a turn and there we are going 30 mph over gravel. All was good though, and I made it to the food stop at the bottom of the climb, safe and sound. But cold. And hungry!

There were 35 miles left, and I was ready to get it over with, gold medal or not. The last section of the ride, Cispus Road and Cline Road, was one of the most beautiful sections, with lots of lush forests - but also small rolling hills that really drilled in the fact that this was a Challenge, not just a toodle in the park!

There was a water-stop 10 miles from the finish, and even though I was low on water I just kept pedaling, I just wanted it to be over! I didn't see many riders at this point, but chatted with a few that passed by. It was about 2 PM, and I only had 10 miles to go!

The Finish

At 2:40 PM I rolled into the finish line, almost in tears of joy, so happy with the fact that I'd met my goal of finishing before 3 PM. So with about 7 and a half hours of riding, I was exhausted, much more so than the STP.

I got my 'elite' gold medal, and my free HPC finishers t-shirt. (I do have a picutre of me holding the medal, dead tired - I'll be sure to post it here soon).

Here I am, damn proud of my gold fucking medal!


Thanks Cascade! I'll be back out at the HPC next year, ready with wind-proof gear and extra gloves too. And with another year's riding under my belt, hopefully I can finish next year's ride in a new category: before 2 PM for an 'ultra-elite' finish.

Training for the High Pass Challenge

Yesterday I ventured out to do something like a century more or less, but I only completed 80% of the planned ride. I'm getting ready for my High Pass Challenge ride, and since I haven't been riding a ton lately (due to job-hunting), I knew I had to get some pain in before the big day. It was basically a tour of the Seattle-area's toughest hills.

The air is getting colder around here, and even midday you can feel it. And a late-afternoon shower in Redmond meant I was freezing! Arm-warmers & and a vest weren't even enough to keep me warm... almost time for the long-sleeve jerseys! I caught the bus home from the Bear Creek Park & Ride, soaked and tired. About 110 km (~70 miles) wasn't bad, and I did plenty of climbing that should help on the High Pass Challenge this Sunday. Here's the elevation profile of the ride (minus the last 30 miles or so):

The large spike is, you guessed it, Cougar Mountain. The hills are, in order,

1. Capitol Hill (start)
2. a tiny spike that's on Lake Wa Blvd,
3. The climb up Highway 900 going East from Renton
4. Tiger Mountain (~800 ft max)
5. Cougar Mountain (~1300 ft max)
6. Going up 43rd Ave in Issaquah
7. Tolt Hill Road, heading West (10% for a mile!)
   
8. Ames Lake Road
9. Union Hill Road (not steep but long rolling hills)

Since I bailed out in Redmond I didn't do the last two spikes on the route, heading back into Seattle. Oh well, I think it had to be upwards of 5k feet of elevation gain, so I think I'm in good shape for the HPC. I don't plan on finishing first or anything, but to get in before 3 PM (for a 'elite finish') would be great!

I'll be at the 2007 High Pass Challenge

I just registered for the 2007 High Pass Challenge!! I thought the STP double-century was gonna be this season's peak ride, but this looks like it'll be the big one.

The HPC is a 114-mile ride with 7,500 feet of elevation gain, and features Independence Pass, just North of Mount St. Helens. The views are gonna be amazing, and my legs are gonna be killing me! I'll hopefully be on my new Ciocc frame by then, so I'll be luvin it either way.

The only thing that sucks about this ride is the logistics - the friggin ride starts in Packwood, WA, just south of Mt. Rainier. I wish they'd make it a tour that started closer to Seattle... but oh well. It's about a three-hour drive I hear, but I don't even have a driver's license, nor a car - but I've got friends with cars, and that comes in handy!

What I might do is get a ride out of Seattle the day before, and ride this route to get to Packwood, and then camp out. But I'd be so tired/dirty on the HPC day it might ruin it... we'll see what happens. I'll probably just get a ride down/back this year - but maybe I'll cycle down there and back for the 2008 edition.

Here's the HPC route on a Google Map, and here's an elevation profile of the route:

(ignore the huge trough about a quarter through the graph, that's just a glitch in the elevation data)

This is gonna be a great ride! From the Cascade page:

The ride begins along Highway 12, with the first 17 miles to Randle on a gradually downhill, smoothly paved road with a very wide shoulder. Expect light traffic, but be aware of the occasional logging truck. Randle is the low altitude point of the trip at 880 feet.

Heading south on the smooth blacktop of NF 25, there’s a “warm-up” climb at 19 miles into the ride. It’s only 1.2 miles long with 400 feet of climbing, but the first half mile or so has an average grade of 8.3%, so that should you in the mood for what follows.