clicking out 100k
I mentioned in the past that Paul Johnson is foolishly letting some of us young bucks handle the SIR summer 100k. Time is ticking away quickly and we are starting to notice that it is coming up very shortly.
This 100k is typically known as a suckers ride because it is a bit shorter and usually has nice weather. There tend to be more of the Cascade riders out with us blue jersey types. I missed last years ride because it conflicted with Seattle to Portland. Thankfully it is on a different date this year. The 100k is on June 27th and STP is on July 11th/12th.
Matt and I are going to scout a few roads this weekend and Chris and I may do some driving to check out even further south. I’m trying not to eat up every weekend with bike related stuff, but I want to get a few hours in here and there.
This map is very rough but it shows some of the area that we want to cover. I personally think West Seattle has been underrepresented on SIR rides. It is home to some of the craziest hills in the city and if you know your way around, it can be very low traffic.
The only obvious issue with the area (and it is a big one) is the amount of choices you have in alternate routes. The trick will be to find roads that are fun and challenging without easier alternates. I don’t want a ride with 15 controls and a million turns. Riding in the city can be very pleasant, honest!
Chris and I are itching to start from our home in South Park. There should be ample street parking to handle the overflow if needed. I’m hoping that some of the folks that are nearby will have easy enough access to ride to the start.
If it proves to be a nice day, there should be some pretty spectacular views all along the water front. There are sections where you can see every mountain range in the state. I am really crossing my fingers on this one, it should be a lot of fun.
On a totally different note, I’ve been working with Dan Boxer over the last couple of weeks.
He is diving head first in to his bicycle building company and wanted some logos. I happened to be in the market for a bicycle so we shook hands and went to work. I don’t normally go into the business end of things here, but I can’t even tell you how excited I am at the prospect of riding a custom bicycle with logos that I had my hands on. I’ll lay out some more details in the next few weeks as things come together.
April 23rd, 2009 at 1:36 pm
Hi.
The route looks like a lot of fun. Do you have any tips/suggestions for someone interested in doing these rides, as far as gear/fitness requirements?
Thanks. Keep up the interesting posts. =)
April 23rd, 2009 at 1:48 pm
Honestly, just bring your bike out and give it a go. The fact that you have an interest in it goes a long way towards your future success on these rides. Most people automatically think, “125 miles on a bike? No thank you.” They are probably correct that it is not right for them.
As far as gear goes, you’ll learn what works the hard way. Stuff that works for myself or anyone else may not work for you. You will notice some overlap in favorites of course. There tends to be a surplus of wool and fenders in our group, and I think it is with good reason generally. If you have any specific gear questions, I’d be more than happy to share what has worked for me this last year.
As far as fitness, SIR generally likes sticking a steep hill or two on the rides. If you are already riding on a regular basis, don’t avoid them too much if possible. We aren’t racing anyone but the clock out there, and that is pretty generous overall. I’m pretty confident that a 200k completion is within the reach of every rider.
I hope to see you out there!
April 23rd, 2009 at 9:31 pm
Looks like a great route! I would suggest going around Alki (just because it’s cool!) If you need some input for the south end let me know. I may have ridden on one or two of the roads down here
I looks like you have nailed the route though. Look at the hill winter training series and my 200K to get turns and distances for the south end stuff.
G.
PS Can’t wait to see the Boxer with the custom graphics!
April 28th, 2009 at 7:32 am
Did I read something about a post ride kegger in South Park?
April 28th, 2009 at 7:43 am
Oh man… that sounds like a good idea!