Trying to kill two birds in one thread.

The Ride Around Puget Sound--RAPSody--is coming up, Aug. 23-24.

I was thinking of doing it in one day since it goes right past where I live, but when I looked at the vertical feet to be climbed and compared that with the Seattle to Portland and discretion won out over masochism (at least in my case), so I'm signed up to do it in two days. Sounds like the camp-out in Shelton should be fun.

The ride is about 170 miles total, more or less half each day, with a total vertical ascent of somewhere around 9,500 feet.

Any other BF'ers planning on it?

damn, if it started in seattle i'd do the one day option.

I'll be doing it it one day. My goal is just to finish and not worry about time. I did the TYRBR century last Sunday and felt pretty good despite all the hills in the last 20 miles.

Anyone know how the elevation gains are- short and very steep vs. long and gradual? I generally don't like changing my freewheel from 13-24 to a 13-28 unless absolutely necessary.

my limited riding experience on the peninsula is more short/steep climbs than long/gradual. but don't quote me on that.

I would say the climbs are of the short and steep variety vs. the long and gradual. The first part of the course covers much the same route as the Peninsula Metric/Century (you'll see both sets of markers from Gig Harbor through Port Orchard). You're going between sea level and about 400 feet. The route avoids some of the real killer hills out here during that part of the route, so you probably won't see much more than 7-9% grade most of the time. There's a short section on 96th just leaving Gig Harbor that is 10-12%.

Hopefully someone will post the route on MapMyRide or Veloroutes, etc. where we can see the vertical profile.

This will be my last big tune-up before Cycle Oregon.

I made it to within a half hour of finishing without getting rained on. (yes I'm whining). It was a good ride. The cue sheets said 169 miles. My GPS recorded 173, but then a missed a couple of turns, etc. GPS also said the total ascent was 8,265 feet. Given that fact I would say that it was a tougher ride than Seattle to Portland, although the latter is about 35 miles longer, it has less than half the vertical.

The support was great and the food was tremendous: Calzone at one rest stop and rice & veggie burritos at another. For those that did the 2-day the dinner was huge as was the breakfast. The jazz band after dinner ws soothing and the campsite, literally "out in left field" at the Shelton High School baseball diamond was quiet and comfy.

I think maybe 40 riders did it in one day, I was one of them. Time was maybe 6:10am-6:30pm. I had a 12 hour goal which was shot by the fact that I met people at various stops that were nice to chat with.

Food was pretty sparse, but it obviously makes no sense to have a huge spread for so few riders. The nice weather for the entire ride was more than fair compensation.

I bonked a couple of times, once at the trailhead to the Chehalis Western Trail and after "beer bottle hill" on the climb into University Place. I've never been able to chug 5 ounces of chocolate Hammer Gel so quickly.

I really enjoyed the relative solitude of the ride and hearing "You're the fifth rider to pass through."