I set out to break my previous personal record for the Lake Wa Loop (http://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/?route=8828) yesterday, here's a little ride report with stats.
I'm sure everyone's Lake Wa Loop differs a bit, but here's my route: from Capitol Hill, take La Wa Blvd to Renton, then turning north take the Lake Wa Blvd/Trail up to Bellevue. Market Street through Kirkland, then Juanita climb to Bothell & B-G trail back to the Hill.
I rolled out at 11:05 A.M., to the tune of sunny skies & a 7 mph headwind. Going down Lake Wa Blvd through Leschi (into the headwind), I could barely stay at 32 km/h (20 mph). It started to rain by the time I was in Kirkland, but it was so light you could barely feel it (yay for PNW rain!). On the top of Juanita the rain was frozen, that was kinda cool! Got back at 2:05 P.M.
Anyway here are my stats:
Distance: 81 km (50 mi)
Elevation Gain: ~3,900 feet
Rolling Time: 2 hours 50 minutes
Average Speed: 28.2 km/h (17.5 mph)
I had to hold 32-40 km/h on the flats to acheive this average, as well as "haul ass" (well 20-25 km/h) up the hills too.. it was tough, and even though it rained a bit towards the end I kept up the speeds.
Enough about me... what's your fastest Lake Wa Loop time/avg speed?
BengeBoy
03-31-08, 09:22 PM
Matt, clearly you are following an inferior route around Lake Washington.
Mine looks like this:
- Start with coffee at Starbucks Leschi. Wander across the street to look at the old French bikes at Il Vechio.
- Get on bike, headed north...realize when you climb the hill toward Madison you forgot to eat. Tough decision: Madison Park bakery, or Essentials?
- After breakfast, north through the park, up to Burke Gilman. Stop at Ti Cycles (under new management) to look at bikes, buy some chain lube.
- North on Burke Gilman to Lake Forest. Stop at Lake Forest Starbucks for Frappucino or Hot Chocolate, depending on season.
- Time to get serious. Head south, up the hill, then down to downtown Kirkland. Stop by Montlake bike shop to look at bikes.
- Bellevue...big decision. Tacos on Main Street at La Cocina Del Puerco, or push on for a bowl of chowder at Ivar's at Coulon Park?
- Lunch finished, realize you're running late...put the hammer down, resisting the urge to count the unpainted 737's at Boeing Plant.
- Bathroom break, Seward Park.
- Big finish: climb the hill at Madrona, grab a cupcake from Cafe Verite
My average speed - usually about 14 to 15 mph.
Calories consumed - just barely under calories expended.
CliftonGK1
03-31-08, 10:03 PM
Matt, clearly you are following an inferior route around Lake Washington.
Mine looks like this:
- Start with coffee at Starbucks Leschi. Wander across the street to look at the old French bikes at Il Vechio.
- Get on bike, headed north...realize when you climb the hill toward Madison you forgot to eat. Tough decision: Madison Park bakery, or Essentials?
- After breakfast, north through the park, up to Burke Gilman. Stop at Ti Cycles (under new management) to look at bikes, buy some chain lube.
- North on Burke Gilman to Lake Forest. Stop at Lake Forest Starbucks for Frappucino or Hot Chocolate, depending on season.
- Time to get serious. Head south, up the hill, then down to downtown Kirkland. Stop by Montrose bike shop to look at bikes.
- Bellevue...big decision. Tacos on Main Street at La Cocina Del Puerco, or push on for a bowl of chowder at Ivar's at Coulon Park?
- Lunch finished, realize you're running late...put the hammer down, resisting the urge to count the unpainted 737's at Boeing Plant.
- Bathroom break, Seward Park.
- Big finish: climb the hill at Madrona, grab a cupcake at Cafe Zeitgeist.
My average speed - usually about 14 to 15 mph.
Calories consumed - just barely under calories expended.
If you're already at Cucina over in Bellevue, zip across the street and get some truffle frites at Porcella. If you're into Lebanese food, head up the street to Zizo Market.
marqueemoon
04-14-08, 11:54 PM
That's a pretty impressive time. I'm sure you stopped at all the signs in Lake Forest Park too, right?
marqueemoon
04-26-08, 07:28 PM
I did 4 hours door to door from Ballard today. I cut through the Arboretum though.
zacster
04-26-08, 09:09 PM
I'm dying to get back to do this again. It's been 20 years. Riding in NYC just sucks.
FlowerBlossom
04-27-08, 09:09 AM
Matt, clearly you are following an inferior route around Lake Washington.
Mine looks like this:
- Start with coffee at Starbucks Leschi. Wander across the street to look at the old French bikes at Il Vechio.
- Get on bike, headed north...realize when you climb the hill toward Madison you forgot to eat. Tough decision: Madison Park bakery, or Essentials?
- After breakfast, north through the park, up to Burke Gilman. Stop at Ti Cycles (under new management) to look at bikes, buy some chain lube.
- North on Burke Gilman to Lake Forest. Stop at Lake Forest Starbucks for Frappucino or Hot Chocolate, depending on season.
- Time to get serious. Head south, up the hill, then down to downtown Kirkland. Stop by Montrose bike shop to look at bikes.
- Bellevue...big decision. Tacos on Main Street at La Cocina Del Puerco, or push on for a bowl of chowder at Ivar's at Coulon Park?
- Lunch finished, realize you're running late...put the hammer down, resisting the urge to count the unpainted 737's at Boeing Plant.
- Bathroom break, Seward Park.
- Big finish: climb the hill at Madrona, grab a cupcake at Cafe Zeitgeist.
My average speed - usually about 14 to 15 mph.
Calories consumed - just barely under calories expended.
:roflmao:
I'm going to have to try this route. I love cupcakes.
BengeBoy
04-27-08, 02:01 PM
:roflmao:
I'm going to have to try this route. I love cupcakes.
I had the name wrong -- it's Cupcakes Royale at Cafe Verite. Cafe Zeitgeist is the place in Pioneer Square.
http://www.cupcakeroyale.com/info.html
forrest_m
04-27-08, 04:58 PM
That's a pretty impressive time. I'm sure you stopped at all the signs in Lake Forest Park too, right?
If you're trying to go fast (or you don't dig bumping over roots every 10 feet), the best route (coming south) is to get off the trail at the big mall in LFP and head up Lake City Way (there's a full bus lane, so traffic isn't as much of a problem as you might imagine), then cut left on 30th (which quickly becomes 35th) and head due south, rejoining the BGT at U. Village. A bit hillier, but faster because it's straight and you don't have to share with joggers/dogwalkers/etc. This route skips all the LFP MUP stop signs.
[edited to add:] plus this lets you add a stop at the fiddler's inn for a brew before cruising the final bit back home. :-)
forrest_m
05-09-08, 10:13 AM
matt, just out of curiosity, what are you using for elevation data? Is is based on the google maps elevation data? I did this ride at the end of last week, starting and ending at the top of capital hill, and my gps gave me a total climb of only 2,600 feet. I did the same route as you but with the lake city detour, which adds a couple of additional climbs as well.
mattm
05-09-08, 01:30 PM
i'm using USGS data, combined with lat/long info from Google Maps - definitely not as accurate as a GPS device.
seems like my site (veloroutes.org) exaggerates the gain somewhat - perhaps there's a bug in my code somewhere?
thanks for pointing this out, always interesting to get data to compare to.
vrkelley
05-09-08, 07:57 PM
Not without me...when are WE going?
:roflmao:
I'm going to have to try this route. I love cupcakes.
sourdoughT
05-20-08, 08:32 PM
What is an average time going around the lake? I'm thinking of setting aside a whole day for this trip.
BengeBoy
05-20-08, 09:14 PM
What is an average time going around the lake? I'm thinking of setting aside a whole day for this trip.
It's roughly 50 mi.
It's mostly flat; there can be a fair amount of pedestrian traffic on the Burke Gilman trail that will slow you down; there is a good-sized hill to climb in Kirkland.
But it all depends on:
- how fast you normally ride over long distances?
- how many breaks do you like to take?
To be safe, I would think any rider who *thinks* that riding 50 miles in one day is fun is probably experienced enough to average at least 12 mph on the bike. Counting breaks, rest stops, etc., 5 hours would be plenty of time.
On the other hand -- if it's your first long ride -- budget the day, take lots of breaks, stop to eat, and enjoy yourself. And let us know how it goes!
FlowerBlossom
05-20-08, 10:37 PM
Not without me...when are WE going?
I need to do a very long ride a couple weeks before the STP; end of June-ish?
Edit: I did 80 miles last weekend, I'm bored to death with the training route, so a cupcake run would a good diversion for me. Ready to do 50-80miles?
keithm0
05-20-08, 11:14 PM
So... when is the inaugural BikeForums One Lap of Lake Washington Bike Ride and Cupcake Feed(tm)?
CliftonGK1
05-21-08, 09:13 AM
I need to do a very long ride a couple weeks before the STP; end of June-ish?
Edit: I did 80 miles last weekend, I'm bored to death with the training route, so a cupcake run would a good diversion for me. Ready to do 50-80miles?
Flying Wheels Summer Century on June 14th?
I'm starting at my apartment (8 miles from the start line), riding to Marymoor Park for the 100 mile loop, then riding back home the long way to finish out with 200k for the day.
(this was also my plan for the TdC last weekend, but I didn't pace myself over the 6100' of climbing I did and had nothing left after 108 miles so I hitched a ride home with a teammate. Total elevation this time will be only 3700'.)
FlowerBlossom
05-21-08, 09:55 AM
Unfortunately, I'll be out of town the 14th. I'll be visiting my Grandma, who turns 90 on the 15th!
June 28/29 is open...
CliftonGK1
05-21-08, 11:43 AM
Unfortunately, I'll be out of town the 14th. I'll be visiting my Grandma, who turns 90 on the 15th!
June 28/29 is open...
After FW, I'll be keeping my distance rides under 100 up to July 11th to get recovered and prepped for my double at STP.
mattm
05-21-08, 03:47 PM
What is an average time going around the lake? I'm thinking of setting aside a whole day for this trip.
when i first started doing it, years ago, it would take about 4-5 hours. granted, i got lost a lot (mostly in renton area), and was on a fixed gear. but i think 4 hours would probaby be average. 5-6 if you want to take breaks, eat a real lunch.
so like clifton said, it really depends on how fast you can/want to do it - there are numerous beaches along the way, and i used to stop & swim at all of them, which of course adds lots of time.
and certainly there are riders that can probably do this loop in 2:30, but i'm not quite there yet! need to quit smoking first i think.
FlowerBlossom
05-21-08, 04:19 PM
After FW, I'll be keeping my distance rides under 100 up to July 11th to get recovered and prepped for my double at STP.
Once around Lake Washington is under 100, no?
InTheRain
05-21-08, 11:22 PM
Anyway here are my stats:
Distance: 81 km (50 mi)
Elevation Gain: ~3,900 feet
Rolling Time: 2 hours 50 minutes
Average Speed: 28.2 km/h (17.5 mph)
I had to hold 32-40 km/h on the flats to acheive this average, as well as "haul ass" (well 20-25 km/h) up the hills too.. it was tough, and even though it rained a bit towards the end I kept up the speeds.
[/B]
You're in Seattle and posting in Pacific Northwest forum, right? Did we already switch to the metric system? Your speed and distance are stated in kilometers and kilometers per hour... but your elevation gain in feet?
Anyway, after I figured it all out... you were cruizin' along pretty quick. The best I've been able to do on a 50 mile ride is 16 mph and that's on a relatively flat course.
good job!
mattm
05-22-08, 03:13 PM
You're in Seattle and posting in Pacific Northwest forum, right? Did we already switch to the metric system? Your speed and distance are stated in kilometers and kilometers per hour... but your elevation gain in feet?
kind of confusing, i know. i use metric on the bike (distance) a) so i know what they're talking about when watching pro euro races b) that's what randonneurs use, since we're all training for a big (1200km) ride in France (Paris-Brest-Paris). so their rides are measured in 200km, 300km, 400km, 600km, and 1200km lengths.
also, using metric makes the distances seem different (bigger numbers, like 161km=100mi), even though it's all the same road. i like that.
and it made me think differently about looking at my speed. when i used to hit 20 mph, i'd be all, "sweet, i'll just hold this." then switching to metric, at first i didn't know that 32km/h=20 mph, so i'd be pushing it up to 35-40 km/h without thinking about it, since i wasn't limiting myself to a certain speed that i thought was my max. kind of a placebo effect.
but i should start listing elevation in meters, thanks for pointing this out!
and yeah i hauled on this ride - i had to hold 32-40 km/h (20-25 mph) on the flats, and at least 20 km/h (~12 mph) uphill. which is why i bragged about it! =]
theclipper
06-18-08, 01:15 AM
I just moved to Seattle a couple months ago and just started riding. I have been loving it, I would really like to try out this route but am not very familiar with the area. I live in the U-District and ride my bike about 15 miles on the B-G to my school in Kenmore. I ride about a mile up Juanita. Can anyone help me out with how would be the best way to easily do this route?
Thanks much
BengeBoy
06-18-08, 07:32 AM
I just moved to Seattle a couple months ago and just started riding. I have been loving it, I would really like to try out this route but am not very familiar with the area. I live in the U-District and ride my bike about 15 miles on the B-G to my school in Kenmore. I ride about a mile up Juanita. Can anyone help me out with how would be the best way to easily do this route?
Thanks much
Here's one version of the route from the maps library at the Seattle Bicycle Touring Club (a great resource, by the way).
You also can cut the loop around the lake in roughly half by cutting across the I90 bridge instead of doing the whole loop. So people talk about doing the "north loop" or the "south loop".
If you're not already familiar with bikely.com, there are lots of routes already there. There are a number of slightly different ways to do the lake, here's one:
If you dig around on bikely, you'll find several different version -- there are different options on how you get through Bellevue, for example...and some people extend the lap to go all the way over to Lake Sammamish and include that in a bigger lap.
theclipper
06-18-08, 09:56 AM
Here's one version of the route from the maps library at the Seattle Bicycle Touring Club (a great resource, by the way).
You also can cut the loop around the lake in roughly half by cutting across the I90 bridge instead of doing the whole loop. So people talk about doing the "north loop" or the "south loop".
If you're not already familiar with bikely.com, there are lots of routes already there. There are a number of slightly different ways to do the lake, here's one:
If you dig around on bikely, you'll find several different version -- there are different options on how you get through Bellevue, for example...and some people extend the lap to go all the way over to Lake Sammamish and include that in a bigger lap.
Thanks alot, I will check those links out. I'm looking forward to trying one of these routes out. So far I only really just ride on the B-G.