Ride Seattle to Vancouver BC and Party! (RSVP) August 15-16th
The SHORT story here is, if anyone in Vancouver BC is up to have a BEER this coming Saturday late afternoon/evening, I'm game!!
The end of event party is down at this hotel
Coast Plaza Suite Hotel
1763 Comox St
And if the Seawall Cruise is this weekend?? I want to hit it for sure.
It's last minute, but the plan to board the RSVP all came together within a matter of days. Ted's not able to join because he's over in Colorado running a 100 miler using his feet of all things, so I figured at least to invade another bike ride and see what's what.
Ride registration was sold out in January, so I assumed it was a wash, but tickets started popping up like crazy on their forum last week.
Departure is Friday about 6 a.m. - destination BC, with 1,300 or so bikers.
The mileage is known, but the terrain is a huge unknown. I've been assured the 183 miles has lots of incline and not a whole lot of easy cruising.
The first night is in the university town of Bellingham. And as just about everything was booked or else priced to gouge ($200 for a single!) the BIRDMAN saved my skin with a last minute lodging plan, the details of which I am still unaware, but at least the chance of sleeping covered in newspapers under a local bridge has gone down. Thank you Birdy!
The following day I hope to start early to cross the Canadian border and finish the remaining miles to the Vancouver BC Party by around 3--4 p.m., if all goes well.
By that time, I'll be ready to try Vancouver's finest brews... which brings me back to the reason for this post...
Re: Ride Seattle to Vancouver BC and Party! (RSVP) August 15-16th
That would be so gnarly! I go to WWU so I would definately have a place to stay. Plus my sister lives in Seattle. Too bad at I'm home in Spokane with no way of getting over there. I don't have a passport either. Damn, I'd actually be old enough to drink up there too!
Re: Ride Seattle to Vancouver BC and Party! (RSVP) August 15-16th
Well depending how this trial goes maybe it'll be a plan for next year too. From what I hear it's going to be a lot more 'workout' than the STP, but also far more scenic. This is the profile for the first day from a biker's blog...and it's going to be 85-90 degrees this weekend!
Re: Ride Seattle to Vancouver BC and Party! (RSVP) August 15-16th
Someday I'll be doing that Seattle to Bellingham ride. What's the route? After I get some longer distances under my belt I think this might be possible. I'd definately do a mostly flat 100 miles before this though.
Re: Ride Seattle to Vancouver BC and Party! (RSVP) August 15-16th
The 1,300 or so bikers were an incredibly supportive bunch - overall a more experienced group of riders than on the STP. A lot of hills and a lot of hot.
Ride stats:
Friday 8/15
Left Seattle 6 a.m.
Arrived Bellingham 6:45 p.m. 103 miles
Total time 12:45
Saturday 8/16
Left Bellingham 6 a.m.
Arrived Vanc BC 4:45
1 hour waiting for ferry, 2 hours rest total 80 miles
Total time 10:45
Skateboarding the Seattle to Vancouver BC bike ride was all about committing, then just doing it. There's no magic of getting over the peaks and across the rough, fresh chipsealed roads, other than tenaciousness, and more fitness required than on a more flat trip like the STP. The camaraderie and support from roughly 1,300 bikers played a huge part in getting over the hills in 95-degree temps.
Both these days were the hottest, in fact record breaking, of the entire Northwest summer, and the overall vertical climb was estimated at 6,200 feet. The toughest part of the entire ride was mid-day Friday, climbing over the highest peak, on a 10-mile stretch of chipseal, with the sun baking us. I stopped to the side frequently and continued to push the entire hill, as I'd committed to pushing rather than hiking any of the hills.
The overnight in Bellingham was great! This ride plan all came together last minute and it would have been a lot more nerve-wracking without Birdman setting that part up. Ben and Brandon, thank you again for the couch crash!
The ride confirmed a couple thoughts I have on setting up for any distance trek.
First, surface is everything. The bikers all thought that the seven hills of Chuckanut Drive at the end of the first day were going to be "the Gauntlet", and wipe me out. That section was actually one of the most pleasurable of the entire trip. I would honestly rather push uphill for 10 miles on surface like Chuckanut Drive, than to free-roll down one mile of chipseal. The smooth, flat Canadian roads on the 2nd day allowed a lot more pumping and energy conservation. Overall I probably pumped 30% of the time and pushed 70%. The development of Washington's road surfaces is disconcerting - it seems that chipseal is the cheapest way to extend the life of rural roads, but considering how much roll resistance it adds even to the large wheels on a bike, I'd guess that it detracts from fuel efficiency on every single automobile that drives the many miles across it as well. If the state could ever study and quantify these effects, they might seek alternatives to this nasty surfacing job that's making a lot of once smooth roads practically unrideable for human-powered vehicles, and fuel-inefficient for the gas guzzlers. But I guess that's something to take up with the state later.
I was riding the Roe Mermaid with 76mm Pink Gumballs which made for a fairly soft yet fast ride. Next time for RSVP I might opt for 74a Avilas (softest on the market) or if going with the dropped deck like the Fathom prototype / Mark G-bomb Cambiar, possibly 85mm Vents or even 97mm Abec11's - but that's only if I give up on the topmounted strategy.
Second, a topmounted board can be efficient on uphill treks. My Roe Mermaid is 5" off the ground at the front truck. In the center of board there's flex, so when pushing, the board dips to around 4" before it springs back upward. I believe there's a lot more to varying the technique of pushing, than simply adhering to the idea that a lowered deck is always more efficient. I used a crouched stance on some of the steepest hills, like "The Wall" in Canada, keeping the knees bent and quickly sweeping across the board when changing push foot. I plan to keep training on hills and eventually compare the exertion differences between a topmount and a drop. The payoff of course is when you're finally back on flats and declines where you can pump the speed and keep both feet happily on the board.
Huge gratitude to the organizers and all the riders who chatted alongside or else provided brief encouragement along the way -- I am horrible with names, but hoping to catch up on photos soon. Thank you Mitch and Shelley, David, Janice, John, Donald, Bill, Mark, and many many others.
More to come ... nutrition, hydration, recouperation, emancipation ... but gotta get to work!
Ride Seattle to Vancouver BC and Party! (RSVP) August 15-16th
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