Pacific Northwest - Seattle Century?

There's a new century ride coming to Seattle in July, put on by the folks who do the Portland Century. Looks interesting as it has you touring through different areas of the city with major rest stops 12 miles apart. Though, I'm wondering how feasible this ride is knowing how bad traffic is here. The ride's in July and their website http://www.seattlecentury.com doesn't have the full route details yet. Anyone here, heard of it or planning on riding it?

Not much information on the website. $60 registration per person seems a little steep. I will keep an eye on this one.

There's a new century ride coming to Seattle in July, put on by the folks who do the Portland Century. Looks interesting as it has you touring through different areas of the city with major rest stops 12 miles apart. Though, I'm wondering how feasible this ride is knowing how bad traffic is here. The ride's in July and their website http://www.seattlecentury.com doesn't have the full route details yet. Anyone here, heard of it or planning on riding it?

Hmmm.....they charge $60 to ride, but they're looking for volunteers to staff the ride?

Two other rides that day: Tour de Kitsap (Kitsap peninsula) and Tour de Peaks (Snoqualmie). Ramrod is the following week. A crowded weekend for local riders.

They don't have the route posted yet, but sounds (roughly) like they will follow the Burke Gilman trail out to Woodinville/Carnation, loop back through Redmond, around Lake Sammamish, and across Mercer Island and back home. Somehow they are working a loop up to Green Lake into that.

All of that is bikeable and part of various well established rides/routes. Traffic should be OK on a Sunday morning. Still, a fair amount of stop and go since a lot is in the city. If you want to do a "city" ride, one can also do the Cascade Bicycle Club's "Cascade Spawning Cycle" in September.

Hmmm.....they charge $60 to ride, but they're looking for volunteers to staff the ride?

Two other rides that day: Tour de Kitsap (Kitsap peninsula) and Tour de Peaks (Snoqualmie). Ramrod is the following week. A crowded weekend for local riders.

They don't have the route posted yet, but sounds (roughly) like they will follow the Burke Gilman trail out to Woodinville/Carnation, loop back through Redmond, around Lake Sammamish, and across Mercer Island and back home. Somehow they are working a loop up to Green Lake into that.

All of that is bikeable and part of various well established rides/routes. Traffic should be OK on a Sunday morning. Still, a fair amount of stop and go since a lot is in the city. If you want to do a "city" ride, one can also do the Cascade Bicycle Club's "Cascade Spawning Cycle" in September.

LOL what a joke. So you are telling me they want us to pay $60 to ride the north half of the well known "2 lakes loop". I hope nobody gets suckered into paying this to ride around in the city. How about this; you give me the $60 and you come with me on my weekly ride on this route. I will carry all the food and drinks you want. You don't even have to wait every 12 miles to have it.

Just checked their website. It's actually $60 *only* if you register in advance. $80 if you register day of event. If you're on a tandem, it's $80 per rider. If you have a kid in a trailer, it's $25 for the kid. So if you're pulling a kid on a tandem, it's $185.

Lots of dead links on the website. No maps. No route details. However, even though they are too busy to post the details of the ride yet, they *do* have their registration system going, so they are happy to take your $60 non-refundable ride registration now.

Might be a great event! Might not.

Hmmm, is it really a ride, or someone wanting to bring in some cash?

Seems to be organized by a company called GoodSportPromotion, you can google their website.

I noticed that they do, indeed, organize the Portland Century, as noted by the original poster. But the Portland Century only costs $40 in advance, $50 day of ride.

Yeah! Seattle wins!

Just checked their website. It's actually $60 *only* if you register in advance. $80 if you register day of event. If you're on a tandem, it's $80 per rider. If you have a kid in a trailer, it's $25 for the kid. So if you're pulling a kid on a tandem, it's $185.

Lots of dead links on the website. No maps. No route details. However, even though they are too busy to post the details of the ride yet, they *do* have their registration system going, so they are happy to take your $60 non-refundable ride registration now.

Might be a great event! Might not.


$80 day of? My STP registration (including a spiffy tyvek windbreaker) was just about that much, and I get to go all the way to Portland!

I think my vote lies with "Might not." :p

I think that is a confirmed "might not". There isn't any scenic riding along that route to speak of and its the route that anyone who is considering a century in seattle has already done. I doubt there are many who can ride a century who has not rode on the burke gilman.

Its maybe because we have Microsoft, Boeing, Cray, and some other big name company here in Seattle, that they think everyone is so rich that we just throw money away. Flying Wheels in not even that steep.

OK, I got a flyer for this event included in my copy of the Cascade newsletter this month. A couple of interesting things --

- The route is now published on the website. Pretty much as described above, but no mention of Greenlake any more. It goes from Magnuson Park - Burke Gilman to the Sammamish River trail to Redmond; up Novelty Hill Road to Duvall, down through Carnation, Fall City, Snoqualmie and Preston, then back through Issaquah, Bellevue and Mercer Island across I90, up along the lakefront back to the start. As noted by several posters above, not exactly new territory to most cyclists.

- There is a mail in registration form in the flyer but no address to mail it to! (on the website, there is at least a PO box)

- Registration is non-refundable but "non transferable." So, technically, you can't sell your registration if you can't make the event.

- The website says rest stops every 12 miles. The flyer says ever y 15 miles.

- The flyer says, "We're keeping it local, from title to take-home (gifts)." However, it's clearly being run by a Portland firm. And one of the take home gifts is a two-pack of Widmer Beeer (from Portland).


BTW, "Ride is capped at 2,0000 riders and is expected to sell out."


This whole thing seems odd. Why don't they just say, "We're a Portland firm, experienced in running great cycling events, and we're now throwing a for-profit de-luxe century in Seattle." Instead, they try to come off as a "Seattle" event whe 90% of the ride they're organizing won't even take place in Seattle.

So, get your money in now!

Sounds almost as good as my ride yesterday:

Bellevue-Redmond-Fall City-Carnation-Monroe-Snohomish-Centennial Trail (return same route)

Miles: 138
Registration fee: $0

Doesn't sound like something I would waste $60 or $80 on, especially since I would probably do the Tour de Kitsap anyway.

East Hill

OK, I got a flyer for this event included in my copy of the Cascade newsletter this month. A couple of interesting things --

- The route is now published on the website. Pretty much as described above, but no mention of Greenlake any more. It goes from Magnuson Park - Burke Gilman to the Sammamish River trail to Redmond; up Novelty Hill Road to Duvall, down through Carnation, Fall City, Snoqualmie and Preston, then back through Issaquah, Bellevue and Mercer Island across I90, up along the lakefront back to the start. As noted by several posters above, not exactly new territory to most cyclists.

- There is a mail in registration form in the flyer but no address to mail it to! (on the website, there is at least a PO box)

- Registration is non-refundable but "non transferable." So, technically, you can't sell your registration if you can't make the event.

- The website says rest stops every 12 miles. The flyer says ever y 15 miles.

- The flyer says, "We're keeping it local, from title to take-home (gifts)." However, it's clearly being run by a Portland firm. And one of the take home gifts is a two-pack of Widmer Beeer (from Portland).


BTW, "Ride is capped at 2,0000 riders and is expected to sell out."


This whole thing seems odd. Why don't they just say, "We're a Portland firm, experienced in running great cycling events, and we're now throwing a for-profit de-luxe century in Seattle." Instead, they try to come off as a "Seattle" event whe 90% of the ride they're organizing won't even take place in Seattle.

So, get your money in now!

They don't say it on the website, but it's a fundraiser for bikeworks and bike alliance. It says that in the pamphlet if you look closely.

7 hills is a similar price, and they're a fundraiser also, so I don't think it's out of line.

I do agree that they need some work on their website and pamphlet. My mapping suggests the 50 is really a 45, and the elevation charts seem fictional (the 50 miler shows a climb to 1100 feet when the only climbs on the route take you up to about 350 feet).

My only concern about the route is the amount of time you spend on the trails. Others may view that as an advantage, however.

They don't say it on the website, but it's a fundraiser for bikeworks and bike alliance. It says that in the pamphlet if you look closely.

Actually, I did look very closely at that portion of the pamphlet. My conclusion is that they are *trying* to make it look like a fundraiser, but it really isn't.

The pamphlet suggests that if you want to *add* some additional funds to your registration they will then make a donation to bikewords and bike alliance. However, there is nothing that I saw that suggested that the ride itself is a fundraiser for anyone but the organizers. (I just checked the registration on the website as well...nothing about donating any of the proceeds for the ride to charity; but you are invited to add extra money as a donation to the causes you mentioned).

In fact, the pamphlet itself is strangely silent on *who* exactly is organizing the ride (you have to dig around on the website to figure that out). There are "sponsors" and "partners" but no one claims to be the organizers.

By contrast, on the 7 Hills ride you mentioned, it was incredibly clear (a) who the organizers are and (b) what they money is going to fund. Most rides are similar (sponsored by Cascade, or the Kiwanis, or Lion's Club, or whatever.). You pay your $30 or $35; you eat $5 worth of stuff at the SAG stops; the organizers have some expenses to pay (the all-important porta potties, for starters); the rest goes to the sponsoring charity. The Seattle Century is more of a "gourmet" SAG stop and "gourmet post-ride dinner" kind of deal.

I am willing to stand corrected if anyone knows anything different.

(BTW, I personally have no problem with anyone trying to run a business organizing bike rides; just wish they'd be a little clearer).

One more thing.

The Seattle Century is the same day as the Tour de Peaks in Snoqualmie Valley.

I don't know the exact routes of the Tour de Peaks, but given that they are running a century out in the Snoqualmie Valley on the same day that the Seattle Century goes through, I don't see how they can avoid using the same roads. Even the Dan Henry's will be confused...


http://www.tourdepeaks.com/rides.html

What elevation totals did folks get for the 100M route? My Hac gave me 5,555 but that seems a bit low.

Thanks!

The Seattle Century is more of a "gourmet" SAG stop and "gourmet post-ride dinner" kind of deal.

For $80 day-of, they'd better have Tom Douglas grilling Copper River King salmon at the finish line.

Actually, I did look very closely at that portion of the pamphlet. My conclusion is that they are *trying* to make it look like a fundraiser, but it really isn't.

The pamphlet suggests that if you want to *add* some additional funds to your registration they will then make a donation to bikewords and bike alliance. However, there is nothing that I saw that suggested that the ride itself is a fundraiser for anyone but the organizers. (I just checked the registration on the website as well...nothing about donating any of the proceeds for the ride to charity; but you are invited to add extra money as a donation to the causes you mentioned).

In fact, the pamphlet itself is strangely silent on *who* exactly is organizing the ride (you have to dig around on the website to figure that out). There are "sponsors" and "partners" but no one claims to be the organizers.

By contrast, on the 7 Hills ride you mentioned, it was incredibly clear (a) who the organizers are and (b) what they money is going to fund. Most rides are similar (sponsored by Cascade, or the Kiwanis, or Lion's Club, or whatever.). You pay your $30 or $35; you eat $5 worth of stuff at the SAG stops; the organizers have some expenses to pay (the all-important porta potties, for starters); the rest goes to the sponsoring charity. The Seattle Century is more of a "gourmet" SAG stop and "gourmet post-ride dinner" kind of deal.

I am willing to stand corrected if anyone knows anything different.

(BTW, I personally have no problem with anyone trying to run a business organizing bike rides; just wish they'd be a little clearer).

I did some more research, but I'll be damned if I can figure out what the story is. Bike works doesn't say anything about it, and bicycle alliance lists it but doesn't say it raises money for them. I agree that the pamphlet is ambiguous and there's no mention of charity (that I could find) on the website.

I am likely to do it, mostly because I can't do FW and my wife and daughter are wanting to do the 50 route (because of the flatness).

One more thing.

The Seattle Century is the same day as the Tour de Peaks in Snoqualmie Valley.

I don't know the exact routes of the Tour de Peaks, but given that they are running a century out in the Snoqualmie Valley on the same day that the Seattle Century goes through, I don't see how they can avoid using the same roads. Even the Dan Henry's will be confused...


http://www.tourdepeaks.com/rides.html

Ick.

But I still think I am going to do the Tour de Peaks.

East Hill

Hmm....

I was half curious about this one just because STP is not going to work with my schedule the year, but yeah. I pretty much agree with everyone else.

One of these weekend I'll probably just get fresh batteries in my computer and ride until it reads 50, then ride home.