RAMROD 2001

Here are some of the pictures I took on RAMROD - places I rode to, people I rode with.

• 5 AM Start putting the first few miles behind us
• Kathleen and Todd at the Eatonville rest stop
• Jan (?) - I was really bad about learning the names of my training buddies! Completed the ride despite a nasty fall between Enumclaw and Eatonville.
• Pete, Carol, and Norberto - at the Kautz Creek lunch stop.
• Lola J at Kautz Creek
• Nick with Pete and Carol at Longmire
• Pete and Carol at Longmire
• Wildflowers in the cliff on the climb to Paradise
• Pete, Nick, Carol, and Norberto at Paradise
• Nick at the summit of Backbone Ridge
• View From Backbone Ridge - most of a 4-shot panorama I took at the summit.
• View from backbone ridge (slow modem version) - half size version
• Maarten and Joseph at Box canyon #1 - I like this pic
• Maarten and Joseph at box canyon #2 - I like this pic less, but Joseph has his cool glasses on :-)
• John (?) and Lisa at Box Canyon. Again, bad with names, but these folks were indispensable paceline buds on training ride #6
• Gregg fixing my broken spoke - broke it somewhere between Kautz and Paradise, got it fixed after the Box Canyon descent
• Nick at Deer Creek - 40% of the way up Cayuse, and feeling the burn
• Nick topping Cayuse - One of the ride volunteers got this snap of me reaching the top of the climb.
• Nick, Joseph, and Maarten at Cayuse Summit - It's all downhill from here.
• Nick at the Finish - Check out the "I survived" grin
• Nick and the In-Laws in Riverside, California, the day after RAMROD

Nick's ride report:

The RAMROD Report - All the news that fits in the pannier

After nearly a year of training, I finally got to Ride Around Mount Rainier in One Day.

My total elapsed time was just under 14 hours - probably about 10 1/2 or 11 hours saddle time and 3 hours of breaks. I had hoped to take minimal breaks and complete the ride in under 10 hours, but for several reasons my performance was towards the lower end of my range that day. I think lack of sleep and skipping breakfast (after my large late dinner, I wasn't even hungry in the morning!) started me off on the wrong foot. Still, I felt great as we started out from the fairgrounds at 5 AM. I grabbed onto a group right away, and alternately pulled and drafted with a group of between 5 and 12 people up until the first rest stop at Eatonville. There at the bakery, Pete, Carol, and Norberto, three friends from Oregon who are members of the Adventure Bicycling Association, asked if I'd like to continue riding with them since we seemed to be of a pace. I waited for them and we had a great time riding up to the lunch stop at Kautz Creek. Around Elbe, I was feeling my strongest, and I pulled all the way to Ashford, keeping up a 19-21 Mph pace the whole way. We rode strong into the lunch stop at about 9:30 AM.

After lunch, we started on the climb to Paradise. Stopped for photos at Longmire.

The climb to Paradise is the lesser of the two long climbs on RAMROD and I wasn't worried about it at all. However, it turned out to be far more difficult than I expected (read on to find out one reason why...). My riding buddies soon outstripped me and kudos to them for waiting at the summit for me for about 45 minutes... On the way up, I saw a guy jogging with a croquet mallet and a sign on his back saying CAMROD - Croquet Around Mount Rainier in One Day. Groan...

When I finally reached Paradise, 5400 feet elevation - the top of the first climb and the halfway point of the ride, I got off my bike and noticed it was quite hard to push. The tire was rubbing against the brake pad. It seemed badly out of true. The bike tech had since moved on from there, so my only options were to try to true the wheel myself or ride on and hope it was ok. I chose the latter.

The descent from Paradise is long and steep with mile after mile of absolutely breathtaking views, including the reflection lakes. I didn't stop to take pictures (photo stops are for the climbs where you need an excuse ;-)). Most of the way down was the next food stop at Box Canyon. I cornered Greg, the volunteer bike tech, and asked if he had time to true my wheel. He took a look and pointed out that I was missing a spoke. I couldn't believe it - I'd been biking for over 20 years, I've never bent or broken a spoke, and here my new bike throws one and I don't even notice! Well, no wonder I had such a tough climb up Paradise :-). He replaced the missing spoke and my bike was much more fun to ride after that!

The next milestone is the 3 mile climb up Backbone ridge, which is a piece of cake after Paradise. I stopped at the top to take a bunch of pictures, including a 4-shot panorama of the surrounding mountains.

After a brief descent and some flat riding past the grove of the patriarchs, it's time for Cayuse Pass. Cayuse is generally considered to be the toughest climb on this route. However, I found it easier than Paradise. Took my time, stopped to rest my legs every couple of miles, and the next thing I knew I was coming up to the top where I rendezvoused with Maartenv and Josephp for a few pictures before we headed down the mountain. At the park entrance there was a sandwich stop with yummy deli-style sandwiches, and the rest of the ride was either gentle downslope or low rolling hills for the last 30 miles into Enumclaw. I got into a good paceline for part of the way back, but wound up cruising down Mud Mountain Dam Road alone and up to the finish line just a few minutes ahead of Maarten and Joseph. See my finish line photo for the biggest grin you've ever seen on my face.

The best part about the experience, though, was that I raised close to $3000 for the LifeLong AIDS Alliance ($2700 collected so far, about $300 still to collect, and a number of people who have pledged indeterminate amounts). More than $2500 of that is eligible for Microsoft match, so more than $5000 will go into their coffers as a result of your support. Those of you who I have not yet received a donation from will get a separate reminder mail from me. I hope to send in the rest of my money this week or early next.

Pictures from my ride are in my office, or you can see them online at http://www.kittycrack.net/nick/ramrodpix.asp

-NKD

Joseph's Ride Report

NOVEMBER 2000 decide to do RAMROD next summer APRIL start training train train train train train train train add climbs to my commute Cougar Mountain backwards and forwards JULY 19TH start going to bed early to get used to getting up at 5:00 JULY 26TH up at 4:45, on the road at 5:50 am, roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll roll weather cool wondering if it's going to warm up later roll roll roll get pulled over by a cop in Eatonville for running a stop sign grrrrrrrrrr... roll roll roll get on highway 7 SUN COMES OUT yippee!!! stuff face at first food stop, then climb climb climb climb climb climb climb to Paradise so far so good sense of accomplishment beginning to fill chest DESCENT DOWN STEVENS CANYON! wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! take in the views when not keeping eyes on the road .... what a high... seems like momentum pulls us up Backbone Ridge then another descent wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!! but all things must come to an end, this time in the form of the climb to Cayuse Pass -- I misunderstand where the waterstop would be (somebody said at the base of Cayuse and I thought that meant well the base of Cayuse - not!) run out of the liquid stuff just as the water stop finally appears halfway up the climb - or is it a mirage? - no, it's for real! yeah!! gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp then continue up Cayuse climb climb climb c - l - i - m - b c --- l --- i --- m --- b make it to the top without stopping but slower than I expected got to do this climb again to learn it ... CAYUSE PASS!! THE TOP!! sense of accomplishment way bigger than I expected no room in chest bursting with excitement grinning from ear to ear yee-hah!!! socialize cheer on other riders appearing around the bend -- quelle camaraderie -- we've all made it! ok, now the long descent back to Enumclaw wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! oops, head winds, so more like whee push whee push whee push whee push ... what fun though, gravity and the wind fighting it out and you get to watch -- deli at park exit last food stop cheese sandwich does not agree with me but I love the nectarines bananas grapes melon -- back on the road, descent much more gentle, so we need to paceline since the wind has not gotten any gentler so Maarten and I rotate every three or four miles it's a breeze especially when I'm in Maarten's slipstream Mud Mountain Dam Road or is it Mud Dam Mountain Road or Dam Mud Mountain Road who cares Maarten seems to know where's he's going nice little windy descent to the Enumclaw plain long straight road to Fairgrounds that goes on and on and on and on and on and on haven't people here heard about signs? and on and on until finally the big lights in the ballpark appear in the distance we've made it! my time on the saddle 10 h 1 m 28 sec so avg about 15.4 mph pretty much what I had expected which makes me happy (both the time and the accurate guessing) still grinning from ear to ear (and ear and ear if I had four ears but I don't) what a high am I going to do this again next year? don't answer that now wait a couple of days .. get home, weigh myself I weigh the same as two days ago which is a good sign means I didn't dehydrate don't really feel like eating draw a hot bath instead soak for 45 minutes ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh then sleep -- next day breakfast at Coastal Kitchen coffee at Victrola - then massage - grin is still on my face can't seem to wipe it off so I leave it alone I decide it looks good

two days later the deferred question comes up again, and yes, I will do it again next year (I'll be in the last year of the 50-54 age group) no hesitation there interesting.