Introducing the Goose Bumps’ “Chuckwagon”

March’s weather hasn’t exactly been conducive to getting in early season base mileage (except maybe for those Randonneurs whose eyes brighten at the chance to pedal in sloppy conditions), but a glorious window of opportunity opened for us on Sunday.

Looking for a challenging day in the saddle, I headed to the Redhook Brewery in Woodinvile and an outing with the Goose Bumps Rabbits. These rides, led by David Roberts, move at a Cascade “strenuous” pace, and have a reputation for long, fun rides that include sprinting for intermediary points, and vying for KOM honors.

I’m particularly fond of the Goose Bumps rides because they have one of the best route libraries around, and they emphasize safe and considerate riding skills. Added bonus is that most of the riders who show up have excellent bike handling skills, and riding with them in formation is both a learning experience and a thrill.

Sunday’s Rabbit route (Woodinville-Canyon Park-Cherry-Valley-Union Hill) totaled 67+ miles with about 4,000′ of climbing. At the start of the ride, David also proposed a “kinder and gentler” version at a “brisk” pace riding sweep behind the more ambitious Rabbits.

I opted for “kinder and gentler.” Hah.

About 20-ish Rabbits began the ride, and the more ambitious riders jockeyed for position at the front of the paceline. The “kinder and gentler” group fell off the pace and got dropped at a traffic light within a couple miles of Redhook.

For a very short while, I think our pace really was “brisk,” but soon enough, despite talk of slowing down, we were at “strenuous.” As for our role of riding sweep behind the faster group, we did in fact ride behind, but not at a “kinder and gentler” pace that would provide relief to anyone who popped off the front group.

We towed a few wayward Rabbits to escape points along the route, and I came to think of our little group as “the Chuckwagon.” The Chuckwagon is where fried Rabbit legs get barbecued a second time, because as the saying goes, “once is not enough.” The only thing that remains from the Rabbit legs that get ejected from the Chuckwagon is gristle and a little barbecue sauce. In most cases even the bone marrow is sucked dry. Just joking. Sort of.

Goose Bump ride leader David Roberts (2nd from left) enhances his performance at the mid-ride coffee stop.

The half-way stop in Duvall was all about, ah yes, a coffee stop. Local cycling / caffeine addicts were abuzz last week with a NY Times report about the performance enhancing benefits of coffee. We were compelled to determine the accuracy of the report and savored our favorite caffeine blends before moving on.

The outer part of the loop east and south of Duvall was new terrain for me. Although distracted by a pleasant state of lactate intoxication, I remember this section to be particularly gorgeous, with low traffic, and that we enjoyed a scenic dusting of snow at the tops of the climbs. This section was Northwest cycling terrain at its best.

For regular Goose Bumps riders, the ride is secondary to the post-ride party at Redhook. This was my first Redhook finish, and according to Laughing Group ride leader Bill Pence there was “a pretty big crowd, including bleacher seating.” The Redhook finish is an essential part of the Goose Bump experience and reinforces the camaraderie this group cultivates on the road.

Cyclists looking for a group ride that moves at a Cascade “moderate” pace are encouraged to check out the Goose Bumps Laughing Group rides listed on the Cascade ride calendar.

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