Lascauxcaveman 

Port Angles Metric Century, Saturday May 4, 2019

What: Metric century ride (~60 miles) on mixed surfaces

Where: On the North Olympic Peninsula, in and near Port Angeles, WA

When: 4 May 2019, 9:30am start

Who: Anyone who wants to spend a day riding some highways, MUPs, gravel roads and (optional) single track

Why: Because it's fun.

Pace will be moderately slow (last year's participants are welcome to weigh in on that). This is a no-drop ride, with many brief stops to regroup, have a snack, etc. Hardcore roadies will be bored silly.

Here's a link to last year's invitation & photo thread if you want to get an idea of the scenery, etc: Invitation - Port Angles Metric Century, Saturday May 5, 2018
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Follow this link to get way more info about the route than you care to even know: Downtown Hotel Metric Century

Ask questions in this thread; I'll check in regularly to answer them; PMs ok too.

Hotel: For this event only, I'm offering 1/2 off rooms at The Downtown Hotel; which I can do because I run the joint, and the first weekend of May is usually really dead for some reason. Half price offer good from Thursday through Monday for the event weekend. (Regular rates start at $45 a night, so half off makes it crazy cheap!) To make this even easier, I'm offering a no risk cancellations on room reservations. If the weather looks like it's heading south for that weekend, just call to cancel and no hard feelings.

Route Options: The official route takes the peloton through some fairly strenuous climbing, (+1900 ft in the first 8 miles, by far the worst of it) but there are bailouts on all the hard stuff along the route for those of us who are still riding on our "winter legs." OPTIONAL FIRST LEG: All our riders last year opted for the more gentle first leg with about 500 ft of climbing vs the more scenic and fun route with 1800 ft in 8 miles. That will be an option this year, too. And if we all go that route, we'll stretch out the Lake Crescent portion of the trip to go out to the first tunnel to gain back a couple of km we lose on the easier first leg, but none of the climbing.

Travel: For people in the Puget Sound region or PDX, or even more far-flung, your best best is to get here sometime on Friday to join the pre-functioning at the hotel. But you can drive to it on the morning of the event and make the start time if you want to get up real early. Look at a map, you can get here. Obviously, talk amongst yourselves about carpooling.

Side attractions: Lots of dining and drinking options close to the hotel. Ditto Olympic Discovery Trail. Ditto Ediz Hook. The local brewpub is 2 blocks away, right here on the waterfront. Ferry to Victoria BC is a block from the hotel, if you really want to stretch this into a vacation. Usually, this is the weekend they do the vintage Mustangs & Cougars event on Sunday in the big parking lot next door to the hotel; a big plus for vintage cars guys!

Second-day rides: For the hardcores; Hurricane Ridge or the Olympic Adventure Trail. Medium-cores; down the mouth of the recently un-dammed Elwha River or the Spruce Trail out at Lake Crescent (trail is officially closed for construction, but on Sundays when there's no work being done, people go in anyway) Soft-cores, dead flat ride out to Ediz hook, or along the nearby stretch of the Olympic Discovery Trail.


Rivers. Lakes. Mountains. Alluvial sand spits. The Pacific Ocean. Yada yada yada. You name it; we got it.

RiddleOfSteel

Thread bump / wanting to do this! Did it last year and had a great time. Been sussing out my left knee issues that started out in February and have progressed immensely. Hoping it will be dry as it was last year (it was gorgeous), and likely taking the EPS-equipped Paramount for it's slightly lower than normal road gearing and fantastic ride.

Spaghetti Legs 

I’d love to do this but can’t this year. I’ll block out that weekend for next year!

since6

Sounds great, but I won't be released from surgery recovery until the middle of June, but I have copied your post for next year. Neat goal for us to train for over the winter on the tandem. Hope to see you next year.

gugie 

My wifely chits are depleted, same here!

Tim, perhaps next year you can post significantly earlier so I don't commit to anything the weekend before, during, or after?

Lascauxcaveman 

Yes, sounds like you've been through the ringer this winter with major surgery and all that. Take it easy, y'hear.


I did mention this one about a month ago on someone else's "I wanna ride the PNW" thread; thought you saw it there? Probably see you at Cino this year, anyway. Or before then.

Andy_K 

Count me in! I’ve got a freshly powder coated 650B Grand Jubilé that needs to see some friendly gravel!

since6

Will this ride be about the same time next year? Just need to know if get it on the calendar for next year.

Thanks.

RiddleOfSteel

And here I am trying to avoid gravel this year!

droppedandlost 

Really enjoyed this ride last year, not sure yet if I can make it this year. If I do, I will probably be a day tripper again.

Andy_K 

It's tough to avoid gravel completely when you go on a ride organized by @Lascauxcaveman, but the gravel on this ride is, as I said, "friendly." Most years, there are no casualties on the gravel section.

rccardr 

Last year I said I'd do it this year. Then, like a fool, I committed to a 2 week trip overseas with Mrs. Doc for the same weekend.
Perhaps...next year?

RiddleOfSteel

You are correct. I ran the gravel with my Miyata 1000 and it was fine (fenders FTW). If I run the fragile-ish painted Paramount, that won't fly. I remember @Dean51 running the paved detour as we rode the gravel.

Lascauxcaveman 

If you want to plan ahead, it's always the first Saturday of May. I picked it for the combination of nice spring weather and not too much else going on in town. @rccardr, too, mark it on your 2020 calendar Bring @RobbieTunes with you, I think he may have been the one who started that "I want to ride in the PNW" thread I was thinking about. Not sure.

OK, now that is just crazy talk. But yeah, you can stay on the pavement exclusively if you ride with @Dean51. Unless he shows up on a bike with bigger tires this year

Dean51 

I'm not available for the ride this year, so my no-gravel kin will need another guide for the bypass. As past participants have attested, the route is gorgeous and highly recommended.....'course I'm more than biased as this is effectively "my backyard".

Dean

since6

Thanks I've booked first Saturday in May 2020.

Gravel, LOL, as a kid growing up in the Willamette Valley once you left my hometown and got out into the farm roads, gravel was all you got, then when you got into the logging roads there were either dirt (not currently being used) or industrial strength gravel (2-4" rock for logging truck tires and under current use). But then this was a time when my Schwinn Corvette 3speed had 2"+ lugged balloon tires. I was low pressure, big tired before it was cool.

But back to today, I have my 72 Nishiki Professional on 32mm tires, would that be wide enough for the gravel portion?

Seeing you all next year. Oh, and recovery is going great AND I've been able to ride the trainers as the Y for three days in a row, hello Hamstrings and Calf muscles, but it's so good to be moving again, even if it is in place.

droppedandlost 

bump

Weather looks nice. As in bring sunscreen.

Dylansbob 

Just seeing this. Making plans.....

Andy_K 

You should bring your new Grand Jubilé.

Dylansbob 

Unfortunately, the crank puller is still in transit from Europe. Could ride the Norco Magnum, but need to check wife's and cats plans.

ryansu

Hanging out with my Daughter this weekend and frankly I am good for about a half metric century at this point in the year even at a relaxed pace. Have fun I am going to get over there one of these years -I actually marked the calendar for next year so I am not surprised by this event

Dylansbob 

Looks like it'll be a day trip for me, but I'm planning on driving up from Tacoma. I think I'll be bringing my '85 Norco Magnum ST

Andy_K 

Are you coming over for the ride?

Random Tandem

I am thinking of cycling and ferries from Vancouver, Canada, via Victoria, leaving Friday morning. Anyone else interested in a few extra kms?

-Will

Lascauxcaveman 

Epic! You might try reaching out to @mikemowbz, he's from Vancouver, too, so you guys probably ride together all the time, right? He's also a bikeshop guy, so he probably has to work all weekend, though.