The Cascade Bicycle Club’s High Pass Challenge has been on my hit list for quite a while, and I was finally able to fit it in my calendar this year. This event was conceived by High Performance Cycling buddy and climbing aficionado Tom Meloy, who isn’t having fun unless the pavement is pointed towards the heavens.
In contrast to most event rides, the High Pass Challenge is officially timed and has a 10-hour time limit. Riders who finish before 2PM earn a “gold ribbon”, riders who finish between 2 and 4PM earn a “silver ribbon” and riders who finish between 4-5PM earn a “bronze ribbon.”
Despite a forecast for a 30% chance of rain, the atmosphere was clear and crisp at game time; I wore a windbreaker until the climbing got serious, and wore a vest and arm warmers all day long. Had it been raining at start time I was fully prepared to spend the day enjoying an extended pancake breakfast: I have it on good authority that the coffee shop in Packwood has great homemade muffins.
Mt. St. Helens dominates the view along the ridgeline.
The ride begins with a 7AM mass start. For the first ~25 miles several High Performance Cycling teammates and I rode at the front end of a long paceline that moved at 21-25 mph down Hwy 12. The video I shot (below) shows a bit of that paceline; I moved back in line after about 25 riders, but there was quite a crowd behind me.
As a result of the time limit and the nifty prize medals dangling at the finish chute, most riders are motivated to move as efficiently as possible all day long.
The climbing gets serious at about mile 26 after the Iron Creek food stop. Although I rode with High Performance Cycling teammates up to that point, it was “mano-a-mano” once we hit the climb and everyone settled into their own tempos. After cresting Independence Pass the terrain changes from steady uphill to rolling hills along Windy Ridge, with glimpses of the terminus point along the way. Despite its name, Windy Ridge was calm this year. I think we got lucky.
The ride along Windy Ridge is simply spectacular, with vistas of Spirit Lake, Mt. St. Helens, and Mt. Adams all the while accompanied by the skeletal remains of a dense forest that is now the Mt. St. Helens blast zone.
Strong, confident descending skills are essential on the return trip. The ride literature rightfully calls this an “advanced” ride–and I would say there are three components that make it so:
1. A time limit
2. Lots of climbing
3. High speed descending and riding on cracked and broken road surfaces
While this is an “advanced” ride, the Cascade Bicycle Club provides more than adequate food and liquid support along the course so that riders can focus on their objectives for the day. There is a restroom at the end of the road if you want to hold it until the 1/2 way point.
Panorama of Spirit Lake.
This was the maiden voyage for a new set of Hutchinson tubeless tires, and I think I would have pinch-flatted at least twice if I were riding conventional tires. At one point on the long high-speed descent I hit a large crack on off-camber pavement at about 40 mph and was launched sideways a good foot or so. Fortunately the new tires stuck to the pavement when I landed and the bike stayed perfectly upright. Don’t think that would have happened with my formerly beloved Continental 4000s.
Several of us High Performance Cycling team members regrouped on the return visit to the Iron Creek food stop, at which point there is about 34 miles to the finish. We had a 90 minute window to make the gold category, which sounded easy until we started pedaling. Many of those final miles are over bumpy, cracked, broken, poorly maintained pavement interspersed with gravel sections. Pedaling 15 mph was about all we could muster at some points, and most of the time we were head down, not talking, and taking turns pulling one another. Riding with teammates in that final section made all the difference for me–even though we weren’t saying much, the camaraderie (read “misery loves company”) motivated us to keep the pedals moving.
Some of the crew at the finish area.
While I saw that section as a glass half empty, one of my buddies pointed out that it’s just as scenic as Windy Ridge, though in a different way. Unfortunately my eyeballs were vibrating so much I missed the great countryside views. The video of that section accurately conveys how rugged it felt.
Despite the difficult final miles, most of the High Performance Cycling buddies made the cutoff for the gold ribbon, and we enjoyed the afternoon in the finish area lawn eating, drinking, recuperating, and recounting the twists and turns and ups and downs of the day.
