Don't know, but it sounds as if there will be a good number of BF folks there! I think everyone knows what I look like, but I will send a PM to you all with my mobile number in case we can arrange for a short meet and greet.

I'm going to be visiting stringbreaker after the ride, as I have brought him a mixte frame for him to build up for Mrs. stringbreaker.

East Hill

Ok, I have a stupid question. How well is the route supported? should we expect drinks ie gatoraide and snacks on the way or should I prepare to bring all my own nutrition fluids etc.... I have never participated in an "official" event. Thanks for any feedback. RNog

Well, I had a great time on this ride . I got to meet CliftonGK1 and Keithm0 for the first time, and met up again with BengeBoy. I had a slight problem with my rear derailleur, which was fixed at the first rest stop. I was unable to keep up with CliftonGK1 and Keithm0 due to the problems with the rear derailleur, but managed to catch up to them again at the second rest stop.

CliftonGK1 is busy making sure his bike is functional here:



and Keithm0 is saying, "Let's ride!" .



One of the few photographs I took during the actual ride, but it's a great photo!



Ah, Mount Rainier .

Back after the 61 mile ride, and I was pretty tired. I had not realised that the roads would be mostly chipseal (uck!), and it was hard on my hands from the road vibration. Still, it was a great ride, with some challenges--not too many--and some really nice downhill runs!



Doing the Daffodil Classic worked in very well for my afternoon plans. I had arranged to meet member stringbreaker, and take him a nice Univega mixte frame for him to build up for Mrs. stringbreaker.

A little taste of Bike Heaven!



Stringbreaker's garage....

And the proud caretaker of those bikes!











Just when I thought the day could not get better, fellow C & V member caterham came over to visit .

Caterham rode over on this absolutely stunning De Rosa:



Stringbreaker is looking it over quite carefully--I think he's getting some ideas...



Caterham took a spin on the Sachs:





And stringbreaker decided that he'd better try the Sachs as well!



I figured that this might be my only chance to check out the De Rosa, so even though it was slightly big, I received permission to take it down the road for a few hundred feet.



What a wonderful day! Thank you to all who were able to visit, and I am very sorry that I missed others of you . We will try again soon to meet up again, and see if we can't get the folks who weren't able to connect to join us!

East Hill

Margaret check out my entry in the C+V. It was so good of you to deliver the mixte my wife is thrilled at what this bike can be. After riding that De Rosa I gotta get me some Italian steel. Note to any readers thats not my house that needs a paint job.

Nice seeing you guys at the ride...great bikes, too!

I've officially had my fill of chipseal roads for the month, though.

No joke -- I think the feeling has finally returned to my hands.

Allright already!! I'm so jealous! lol. I even showed my honey the pic of strings garage. I don't think it will help in my quest for more bikes tho... great pics east! wish I could have been there

Oh man, that chipseal was gruesome! I think that's why the last five or six miles was like ecstasy--it was on REAL roads !

You are welcome to visit anytime! I'm pretty sure we can manage to rope stringbreaker into a tour, and if we're lucky, perhaps caterham as well.

I'm busy plotting to see if we can't get up a meet and greet with kpug, stringbreaker, gregam, caterham, and me sometime (and any other South Puget Sounders).

East Hill

Roll out from Redmond at 5:30am and drive an hour to Orting. By then, it's getting light and the sun is breaking through the clouds. The forecast kept pushing the rain back more and more, so we didn't get wet. keithm0 and I met East Hill in the parking lot and headed off to register. No numbers, no free shirts; just a mesh slingpack and a "fill-it-in-yourself" wristband with an emergency contact number. No biggie, it was only $16.00 to register, which by far is one of the least expensive registrations I've seen for a club ride. Met bengeboy at the registration line. Took our final pit-stops, double checked out gear, and got rolling.
The start pace was slow because East Hill was having problems with her RD. After 8 miles I pulled ahead and shortly after keithm0 started chase and caught me at the first rest stop. We took a quick break, had some food and a pit-stop, and were on our way. The food was good and the toilets were clean and plentiful, so I won't disparage the fact that there were no free shirts. I'll take a clean bathroom with no line over a free shirt and a solitary, full to the brim port-o-john any day.
keithm0 and I kept the pace to a reasonable 14.5 - 15mph for the rest of the 61 mile loop, except for the chipseal sections. There was a butt-ton of chipseal. Holy hell. Turn left onto Crackhammer Ave. Make a right on Nadrattler Way. Take Repreive Rd. for 2 miles of smooth pavement then turn onto Taintpuncher Blvd for a 20 mile section of chipsealed logging road.
We finished up the 61 mile loop and I felt great, so I dragged keithm0 on the 40.5 with me. He was reluctant at first (probably because as he rolled into the finish only 2 - 3 minutes behind me, I jokingly said "Fuel up and roll 'em out!") I was over-ambitious and set out at 15.5 - 16mph. There was a gnarly climb out of a river valley at the 73 mile mark, and that started to do me in... with 28 miles left to go. Ugh. We were hauling along until just before the midpoint rest stop, when my quads started hurting. Not cramping, but those crummy pre-crampular twitchings. I sucked back a couple of redskin tater slices with a bunch of Johnny's seasoning salt, washed it down with some more Accelerade watered down with Gatorade (horrible combo, BTW) and off we went. There were a few more sections of chipseal, and some rolling up and downs to make sure that my legs never got a good long rest. We kept cranking along, cracking jokes to stay sane since we were starting to hurt around the 90 mile mark. At 98 miles, there was an insane hill. It was steep and winding, and we were so burned out (well, at least I was; keithm0 was doing much better, or at least hiding it better than me) at that point that we just didn't care any more. Holy cow, we hammered up it and there was a nice roll-out on the other side, and not much of any uphill sections afterwards. While it would have been nice to roll across the finish line, we already had our 100+ in for the day when we reached our cars which were in a parking lot about 0.5 miles from the 'official' start/finish line, so we rolled into the lot and packed it in for the day.
Big thanks to keithm0 for keeping me going the last 15 miles. I might have packed it in and caught a SAG if it wasn't for you pulling me on those last couple of hills.
It was great meeting East Hill, bengeboy, John (from SIR, whose name on BF I can't remember,) and keithm0's friend from the McClinchy ride (who will be joining BF soon, but I can't remember her name either.) Hopefully I'll be seeing everyone at Flying Wheels and 7 Hills of Kirkland.

103.36 miles
7:15:05 rolling time
8:15:00 total time

Thanks for the summary, Cliftongk1. During yesterday's ride, I was wishing that I had switched to 28c tires on my bike (I'm running 25c's) because of the chipseal. Your comments make me think, though, that bigger tires might not have helped that much (don't you have 35's on your Crosscheck?). Now I'm wondering whether changing to 28c's would be that helpful or not...I may just let my current tires wear out.

BTW, that hill toward the end was demoralizing -- I thought we were done climbing. When I went up the hill, one guy was walking; there was a photographer at the top getting pictures of us all suffering.

I run 28's, but they're Conti Ultra Gatorskins so they run narrow. People say that the 28's run about like 25's. My wrists were really achy, and by the time I got home I had some wicked forearm cramps.
I don't think I saw the photographer, but if he was there, he got a good pic of me and keithm0. About halfway through the turn on the hill I saw that it kept going up, got really mad about it, looked at keithm0 and said "Eff this hill" and turned up what little steam I had left in me.
My commute to work this morning helped work out some of the kinks, but my legs are still a little tight in places. Can't figure out what it is about the positioning on the X-check, but I get sore muscles at the inside top of the groin after a lot of climbing; similar to doing a steep mountain climbing hike like Mount Si.

I've seen a couple of references online to a rider getting hurt yesterday; I guess would have been around 3:30 or so? I saw ambulances as I was leaving....I hope this is not true; anyone know?

If someone did, then it was right behind me and keithm0. The ambulance was only a couple hundred yards behind us when the sirens came on. I haven't heard anything about anyone getting hurt, but I'll look for more info.

Mrs. Noggin and I were there yesterday too. It was our first ever official event. I wish I could have met some of you. Mrs. Noggin did the 61 mile loop and I did the full cent. I thought it was really fun. I agree about the chipsealing though, it was vibratious to be sure. the food and refreshments were awsome and I grubbed on the Potatoes and Johnys and bagels and peanut buttter and Jelly. I started at 7:25 and rolled in to the finish at 2:30. 6:26 rolling time.

Wow, that's awesome that Mrs. Noggin did the 61 miles and you did the full century for your first official event .

You turned in a very respectable time, too!

East Hill

Good finish time! Our crew missed you at the start by a few minutes, and you were well ahead of us. keithm0 and I finished about 50 minutes rolling time slower, and got back to the cars a little after 4pm.

We would have made it by 4:00 if it not for that last stop light...

Wow, what a ride. My quads and hamstrings are almost back to normal again (although I can't quite touch my toes like I could before the ride). I think that last twisty hill at the 90-something point is going to haunt my dreams for a few months.

It was great hooking-up with CliftonGK1 and EastHill. We should arrange more "BF Gatherings" at organized rides!

Now... where did I put that ibuprofen?

CK, you don't accept PMs, do you ?

East Hill