Bike Rides for 2013

In case any local cyclists happen to be on them and want to say hello as you pass, here’s my list of registered bike rides for 2013. I’m hoping to use these as incentive to get back to my 2008 form.

April: Daffodil Classic is a ride down south near Orting, WA. There are two 50-ish mile loops, of which I’m partial to the souther for its rollers and views of the looming Mt. St. Helens. On a clear day, you can often see a lenticular formation.

May: Century Ride of the Centuries (CRoC), Pendleton, OR. May 25-27. That I’ve done this ride six times ought to say something about how much I’ve enjoyed the three days of cycle-therapy in northeastern Oregon. Days 2 (Long trek up Cabbage Patch Hill then to the Bar-M ranch) and 3 (Bar-M up Thorn Hollow Road) of CRoC are phenomenal. Last year, I made a side trip to see another site of John Day Fossil Beds.

August: Ride Idaho, a week-long loop around the northern Idaho panhandle, starting from Coeur d’Alene. I had been looking at a variety (sold out), of (way sold out) rides (did this route in 2006).

September: Tour de Blast, Toutle (WA). This is an out-and-back ride up to the Mt. St. Helens visitor center. In previous years, it’s been held in June, which given the mountainous location, always meant crappy, unpredictable weather and predictably ice cold showers.

October:
Manastash Metric, Ellensburg (WA). This is a bookend onto the riding season, a rolling metric century (62-ish miles) between Ellensburg and Cle Elum, with a lovely spin along highway 11. Last year’s event was canceled due to forest fires in the Ellensburg area.

(Past)
March: McClinchy Mile, Arlington; I did the Granite Hills loop, apparently where all the hills were.
February: Chilly Hilly, Bainbridge Island. This is a 30-ish mile loop that acts as a good reminder of why it’s good to keep biking through the winter. Or, “I’m not in the worst shape of everyone here.” The Point 83 group holds their FHR aka “Chilly Swilly” concurrent with Chilly Hilly.