Monday, March 21, 2011

Saturday the Day Before the First Day of Spring Ride

My ride on Saturday was pretty nice! I decided to ride the Uvillage – Issaquah 100k route (Redmond start) and I must say I wasn’t disappointed. I was riding alone so I decided to pick this route because most of it was on bike trails.

I parked my car at the free parking lot on the east side of Marymoore Park and then biked over to Peet’s Coffee about a block away. It was just about 10 minutes before 10:00 AM when I arrived at Peet’s Coffee. There must have been a group ride going on because when I arrived at Peet’s in Redmond there were about 15-20 cyclists enjoying coffee and scones and chatting away. Some were arriving on their bikes and others were leaving. With no time to waste and eager to start my ride I turned on my Garmin GPS and headed for the Issaquah McDonalds 9.6 miles south.

Kenmore

Log Boom Park in Kenmore

Cruising on East Lake Sammamish Parkway was a great warm up. I had nice clean shoulders to ride on and a great view of the lake and a few little rollers to warm things up. The only section I did not care for was the last mile or mile and half right after the circle intersection. The section of highway immediately after that circle was heavy with traffic. But I made it to McDonalds in excellent time. I turned around and went back the way I came heading north now on East Lake Sammamish Parkway. About a block away from Peet’s Coffee I turned left onto 65th street and cut through Marymoore Park picking up the Sammamish River Trail. The trail was heavy with weekend people out enjoying the spring weather. For the next 20+ miles I cruised on the Sammamish River Trail and then the Burke Gilman Trail which I picked up near Kenmore. Here the trail got a bit bumpy from roots that buckled the trail but nothing I couldn’t handle. I also noticed a lot of mud that had been scraped off the trail near Kenmore. I think the hill slid down covering the trail (a mud slide . . . go figure with all the rain we’ve been getting) but the mud was evidently cleaned off the trail. I arrived at University Village and it was bustling. I pedaled past QFC and then over to a little area where there were outside tables. I found a hotdog vendor and bought a hotdog and told the man to put everything on it. Fried onions, mustard, ketchup yum did it taste scrumptious. I refilled my water bottles went to the bathroom then began the trek back to Redmond. I stopped at Wilmot Gateway Park and took a picture of a fish sculpture I thought was unique then continued on. I rolled into the Marymoore parking lot a little past three when I realized my hubby tried to reach me on my cell phone. I called him and he reminded me that we had dinner plans with our good friends Jim and Kathy at 6:00. It was 3:00 plenty of time to drive back to Bonney Lake, shower, and meet Jim and Kathy. Mexican food at Puerto Vallarta never tasted so good!

Lunch at University Village
Wilmot Gateway Park

The route was 19 miles of road and 47 miles trail. It was a fun, easy, and scenic ride. I think it will be my P-12 ride for April. My last two 100k rides were pretty darn hilly and I feel a need to do a flat ride in April. But of course back to hills in May. Hmmmm now the question is when should I do my April P-12? April is pretty full in my "date" book and it looks like the only two good days are April 9th and April 23rd possibly the 30th but that’s cutting it too close. Whichever date I chose I hope Mother Nature will be kind and give me a sunny beautiful day.

Saturday, March 05, 2011

100k Spring Populaire

My back is feeling much better. Thank goodness! Today I did the 100k Spring Populaire put on by the Seattle International Randonneurs. I finally met Don aka raleighdon. His wife Mimi I've met before on a ride with a bunch of team estrogen ladies. The ride yesterday was hard. The course began in Woodinville in a park just a block away from the Redhook Brewery. We cycled north then south towards Carnation. If you've never done the course it's a wake up call especially for people out of shape. Tons of rollers and two big hill climbs. The last climb is 20 miles from the finish and it's a long three mile hike up out of the Carnation valley. It's the same hill climb on the Flying Wheels Summer Century. When I climbed it last June it was a piece of cake but today it was a total bitch excuse the language, because right now I am so out of shape. I'm surprised I finished. On the climb up my quads began to cramp horribly (and painfully). I had to stop five times or more to massage the cramps away but when I got back on my bike and pushed they would cramp again. I finally made it to the top and was thankful that was the last big climb of the day. With only 17 miles left to the finish I was determined to see it to the end.

But I did enjoy the scenic route that was picked for today's spring populaire in spite of my suffering lol. Lots of farms with scenic country views, mountain, and rivers to enjoy. Low traffic roads for 90% of the ride. It's going to become one of my favorite routes even with the hills and rollers once I get back in shape. The temperature was in the mid to upper 40s with sunshine and clouds. A little headwind coming through the Carnation valley farmlands.

The stop in Carnation at Sandy's Espresso was wonderful. Lots of time to mix and chat with other people, get a hot mocha and a raspberry scone, fill my water bottles, get a real bathroom break, and relax for 15 minutes before continuing on with the big hill coming up and only 28 miles left to do.

This ride gives me number two in my quest to complete 12 consecutive 100k rides this year to earn my P12 award from the randonneurs. So 2 down and 10 to go! They should get easier as time goes on.

Mimi and me before the start of the ride.

Happy to be on my bike on a great ride.

Majestic spectator along Lake Sammamish.
Control in Carnation at Sandy's Espresso.
The start of the 3 mile climb on the Issaquah Fall City Road.
Don and Mimi with matching socks. Aren't they a cute couple?! :)
Along Lake Sammamish. Look at that sky! It was a glorious day!
The finish at the Redhook Brewery. Don, Mimi, and me.
Mimi and me with our hard earned 100k pins.