The cycling blog is done, but blogging about cycling will continue.

Where?

Good Question.

The new Adventure Guys blog.

In this new blog, Adventure editor Jeffrey P. Mayor and I will write about our adventures, misadventures and insights in the outdoors, keep you up to date on the latest news and answer your questions.

Talk to you over there,
Craig Hill

If you haven't noticed, this blog has been retired. The plan was for this cycling blog to run for the duration of our STP Project, which painfully concluded in July.

But stay tuned. A new blog from the Adventure team is coming soon.

Thanks for reading,
Craig Hill

The STP Project team got its first big test Saturday when we pedaled the Flying Wheels Summer Century.
The course is considered an ideal training ride for the 203-mile STP even though it’s only half the distance because it is considerably hillier than the STP.
All five of us have at least two centuries under our belt, so we knew we’d all finish. It was just matter of how we’d feel when we were done. We were pleasantly surprised.
Russ Meyers was strong for the entire ride and reached speeds of 28 mph on the flats in the final five miles. He also pulled the team for five miles in the middle when a 41-mile stretch without a stop left us running low on water and energy.
Kenny Espinoza was also strong after struggling to warm up early. This was particularly surprising because he hadn’t been on his bike for two weeks because of business travel.
Rick Beitelspacher was giddy all day and said he still felt good when the ride was over.
Scott Wagar and I, however, seemed to have the most problems.
Wagar was constricted early because he mistakenly wore his daughter’s undershirt. And at the 70-mile mark he had run squarely into the wall and told us he was on the verge of puking. Always compassionate, Kenny readied his camera phone for the hurl that never happened.
My problem was my left quad, which started cramping at about 55 miles. I guzzled energy drinks and water and stretched when I could. This all worked pretty well, but on occasion my leg would cramp when I stood up and got out of the saddle.
This made me pretty nervous when we approached the 80-mile mark, where the sadistic route designers planted a torturous 3-mile climb up to the Issaquah Plateau.
As Russ pointed out, the tough thing about the hill wasn’t that it was long, but in many places it was also steep.
As I pedaled, I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was tempted to get off and push. Especially when I saw several who were doing just that. But Beitelspacher, who’s not shy about setting goals for other people, had informed us our goal was to reach the top the hard way.
So I locked my sites on a group of six cyclists in front of me and pushed myself to reel them in. My cramping thigh didn’t like this, but the mid-hill push rejuvenated me a bit.
When we finished the ride, Rick, Scott, Russ and Kenny felt good enough to down a polish sausage. I couldn’t eat and for about five minutes I was the one who felt like I was going to spew.
But by Saturday night I felt great. Whether or not I could have pedaled another 100 miles, well, let’s just say I’m glad we have another month to train.

Is your riding or training becoming stale? The answer to stale riding is to mix it up. If you only ride alone, go on a group ride (check out this website www.cascade.org/Home). If you are always with a group, go ride a trail by yourself. If you only ride your road bike, take a day to try out a mountain bike by trading with a friend for a day or so. If you are Joe Fast, take your kids out around the block on their bikes, and slow down to their speed.

My favorite mix it up riding is to go on an organized ride. My next organized ride will be Flying Wheels, which is next weekend. This is a great ride to see just where you might be as you prepare to ride STP in one day. The ride has 25, 50, 65, and 100 mile loops. If you want to ride STP in a day, give the 100 miler a try to see where you are at with your training.

Have fun riding and be safe - Rick Beitelspacher

The team seems to be getting stronger with two weeks to go until the biggest training ride (the 100-mile loop of the Flying Wheels).
After riding 58 miles last week then 66 miles Monday (with the exception of Scott Wagar and me who couldn’t ride Monday) we took our customary 30-mile Fruitland Loop this morning.
The loop is highlighted by a 40-plus-MPH drop into Orting on Military Road and a 1.2-mile climb up Fruitland Hill in Puyallup.
Everybody was in good shape when he finished up in about 1:50 just before 8 a.m. We all could have taken another lap or two, but busy weekend schedules called for a short day.

The Olympic Cycling Classic is this weekend. This is a popular ride out of Port Angeles and includes 100-mile and 100-kilometer rides. The ride starts Saturday morning.

Click here for registration info.
Click here for more info on the ride.

If you want to ride on a killer paved urban trail, check this one out.
John Keates, Mason County's Parks Director, e-mailed today to offer his favorite after reading today's bike trail stories.

Keates, who hopes to develop a trail system for Mason County, says the Trail of the Couer d'Alenes is worth the drive. The 70-mile trail traverses most of the Idaho panhandle offering a longer cycling route than anything the South Sound has to offer right now.

Check out these links with info on the trail:

Friends of the CDA Trails
Historic Wallace Idaho
Silver Bike Tours
visitidaho.com

The Tacoma Wheelmen's Bicycle Club is an excellent resource for local cyclists.

Whether you are looking for info on South Sound routes, organized rides (there's one almost everyday this summer), advocacy or you want to subscribe to their newsletter, check out twbc.org.

The TWBC was instrumental in getting the new Highway 16 bike trail named after cycling advocate Scott Pierson. The Scott Pierson Trail will be dedicated Saturday morning at War Memorial Park and Cheney Stadium.

Three-time Tour de France champ Greg LeMond will be in Seattle on May 19 for the Tour de Cure. The tour has five rides ranging from 15 to 100 miles, all of which start and end at Marymoor Park. The century ride starts at 7 a.m.
LeMond will ride with his Woodinville-based LeMond Fitness team and present awards after the ride.

Greg LeMond

One of the area's most popular organized rides is Sunday: The May Day Metric.

MAY DAY METRIC
Federal Way
WHAT: Pick a tour named after a Hostess dessert and spend the day pedaling around Federal Way. The Ho Ho Ville route is 50 miles. The Twinkie-Land is 100 kilometers and the Ding Dong Station Mountain route 100 miles.
WHERE: Phil’s South Side Cyclery, 2310 SW 336th St., Federal Way.
WHEN: Sunday. Course open from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Registration open from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.
ACTIVITIES: There is a finish line party at Jake’s Ales.
GETTING THERE: From I-5 take Exit 142B. Highway becomes 348th Street, then Campus Drive, then 336th Street.
COST: $20 per rider. Unicycles ride for free.
OF NOTE: Get a slice of apple pie at the finish line. Portions of the proceeds benefit the Bicycle Alliance of Washington. SAG support provided for stranded riders. There is a rest area with snacks every 20 to 25 miles.
INFORMATION: Call 253-661-3903 or visit maydaymetric.net.

Students at Puyallup High have organized a new ride on the Foothills Trail.
Ride for Rachel is May 12. Click here, to visit the official website.
Considering the news of late, this cause is as timely as any right now.

Here are the details:

Ride for Rachel is a 30 mile, leisurely paced bicycle ride on the Pierce County Foothills Trail from the East Puyallup Trailhead to South Prairie and back. This is a ride designed for all ages and abilities. Proceeds will benefit the Rachel’s Challenge School Assembly Program and the “Friends of Rachel Club” at Puyallup High School.

Rachel Scott was the first person killed at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999. Her acts of kindness and compassion, coupled with the contents of her 6 diaries, have become the foundation for one of the most life-changing school programs in America - Rachel's Challenge.

The “Friends of Rachel Club” at Puyallup High School is a group made up of students and staff members. The club promotes Rachel’s ideals of treating people with kindness, compassion, and eliminating prejudice. This group also works closely with security personnel to heighten the awareness of possible acts of violence at school.

This is a pledge driven ride. Riders must collect a minimum $30.00 in pledges to enter the ride. All riders will receive an official “Ride for Rachel” t-shirt. There will be additional prizes for the 5 riders generating the most pledge revenue.

Mechanical support will be available at Trailside Cycles in Orting. Labor is free for minor adjustments.

All road crossings on the course will be monitored by ride officials. There will be water and snacks available at various locations on the trail.

This is a great ride for a great cause!

This ride is limited to 100 participants.
(Source: home.comcast.net/~friendsofrachel/)

If the STP is not your thing, another ride leaving Seattle on July 14 might catch your fancy. If nothing else, it will certainly be more fun for spectators.
The World Naked Bike Ride has been set for the same day.
I still wear shorts over my spandex, so I still have a lot of work to do before I have the nerve for this event. But to each his own.
Check out local laws and the ride website before you show up for this ride. A carefully placed sock and/or bodypaint might be a good way to stay out of the pokey.