Pacific Northwest - Ramrod

Where are all the RAMROD guys posts? Thought there would be a couple by now anyway

most of us are dead. :P ill post soon.

Wasn't as hot as I was expecting, but it definitely warmed up on the way up Crystal.

Skate Creek Road had some interesting gravel patches, I almost went down in one loose section.. besides that it was a great ride!

385km (240 miles) for the day since I started/ended in the city. Pretty tired today, good thing I took the day off.

Some photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/seabikr/sets/72157621780278795/

Congrats to everyone else who finished, it was still a tough ride even without Paradise.

Great photos. Congrats you did more than anyone else I bet

I cut a super short video from yesterdays footage. Longer video to come. First day with a camera mounted to the bike, I have a few things to learn.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVpAn73ZlIo

Nice pics - glad you guys didn't broil away on the roads....

Nice photos, Matt. It looks like you were ahead of me all day. I got a late start and spent a lot of time waiting in lines at the rest stops.

I had a good ride. The heat wasn't nearly as much of a factor as I thought it would be, although it was getting a little toasty near the end. Too bad we didn't get to do the climb to Paradise. The scenery on the Crystal Mtn road climb was no replacement for Paradise.

This was the first non-Randonneur organized group ride I've done in quite a while. It really made me appreciate the Randonneur rides. The crowds, sketchy pace lines, waiting in lines at rest stops were a little annoying. I also saw/heard a fair amount of hostility on the road that I never encounter on Brevets. But none of that took much away from the beauty of the route. Matt's photos capture it pretty well.

LS

Hi guys,

I usually lurk on this forum - but figued I'd post. I did RAMROD yesterday as well. I was surprised it stayed cool for so long. mattm, news got around about your "commute" to the start - I heard people chatting about it in the deli line - nice job man!

Anyway - figured I'd say hi to the PNW crowd.

Jimmy

@Mattm - coincidentally I met up with an old friend on the ride. Your name came up in conversation, as you guys have the same employer. He and his crew were talking about this "crazy" guy Matt M. who lives in Capitol Hill... I interrupted and explained that I knew who and what they were talking about. You're either a legend or it's a small world - take your pick. :)

Here's my report. No photos :(
Not as glorious as some, but this is how it happened: http://www.yunt.net/blog/?p=394

Great photos. Congrats you did more than anyone else I bet

Thanks - more on that day maybe - but there are plenty of randos and others who have done much bigger rides than me.. I'm still a little fish in a big pond of iron butts like Ken Bonner/Jan Heine who really ride fast and far. Or people that do Raam, now they're crazy!


I cut a super short video from yesterdays footage. Longer video to come. First day with a camera mounted to the bike, I have a few things to learn.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVpAn73ZlIo

Nice - how long does the battery last on your cam?


Nice photos, Matt. It looks like you were ahead of me all day. I got a late start and spent a lot of time waiting in lines at the rest stops.

Yeah I couldn't believe the size of the line when I got back to the deli stop - I was gonna get a 2nd PB&J but pressed on instead once I saw 50+ people lined up. I saw quite a few randos out there, including Brian O., who was pulling a huge paceline of 50+ people - I bet he finished up front.


Hi guys,

I usually lurk on this forum - but figued I'd post. I did RAMROD yesterday as well. I was surprised it stayed cool for so long. mattm, news got around about your "commute" to the start - I heard people chatting about it in the deli line - nice job man!

Hey Jimmy - yeah I was happy it was cool longer than expected too, I thought I was gonna bake out there. That's awesome you heard people talking about my ride - honestly when I ride to rides I do like to brag a little, it's just not the same if you do some extra suffering and nobody knows about it.. =]


@Mattm - coincidentally I met up with an old friend on the ride. Your name came up in conversation, as you guys have the same employer. He and his crew were talking about this "crazy" guy Matt M. who lives in Capitol Hill... I interrupted and explained that I knew who and what they were talking about. You're either a legend or it's a small world - take your pick. :)

Here's my report. No photos :(
Not as glorious as some, but this is how it happened: http://www.yunt.net/blog/?p=394

Nice report - a bandanna is one thing I forgot to bring, and missed it. I hate the feeling of your neck baking in the sun..

That's funny you heard people talking about my commute too - guess it is a small world out here in the PNW cycling scene. I'm also surprised at how many locals read my blog - a few people said hi along the way that I've never met before.

Just posted a big blog post (http://cyclinginseattle.blogspot.com/2009/07/ramrod-2009-from-city-to-mountain-and.html) for this big ride. Now my fingers are tired in addition to the legs..

Congrats all on the ride, and thanks for the ride reports. I never got below 175 or so on the waiting list...maybe next year!

Nice - how long does the battery last on your cam?


The battery seems good for about 1.5 hours of footage. I can take about 25 minutes in HD, or 45 minutes in medium quality on a 4gb card.

I cut most of the stuff together, I need more practice with video editing. :D

http://www.vimeo.com/5879159

or slightly higher quality.

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=110697419823 (http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=110697419823)

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=110697419823 (http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=110697419823)

Nice. Thanks for sharing.