Last Saturday’s (May 10) Cascade Ride Calendar included a 100 mile tour of Kitsap led by Goose Bumps “Rabbit” David Roberts. Since this urban cyclist is starting to feel like a landlocked sailor, the prospects of a long frisky ride in the countryside made my thighs involuntarily twitch with anticipation.
Before leaving the house that morning I checked the Doppler a dozen times to convince myself it was going to be a dry ride. Although a weather system was moving in, I theorized that we would be spared any serious rain since the route looked kinda sorta in the rain shadow of the Olympics.
Iffy weather and all, I headed for the Fauntleroy Ferry, where it was raining…though we didn’t have even a sprinkle the rest of the day.
On the Ferry to Southworth, assistant ride leader Tom Shafer gave a ride briefing and highlighted the difficult climbs, screaming descents, and a long stretch at the South end of the loop that was new territory for even the ride leaders. Most folks knew one another from previous outings, and I sized up the other riders to guess whether I’d fit in.
Best case, I imagined a day of vigorous pedaling with new and compatible cycling friends.
Worst case, I imagined getting dropped, lost, broke down, and looking for a lycra-friendly (hopefully not too friendly) redneck in a pickup to haul me back to the Ferry.
About fifteen of us rolled off the Ferry and through Southworth, and I hung at the back of the group and chatted with my riding companions. About eight finished the 100 mile loop, while the others took a cut-off that yielded about 80 miles. According to David, about seven of the group were “Goslings,” or members of the Goose Bumps. Tom mentioned that some folks in the group originally met in the early ’90’s as part of the Cascades CATS. It was clear that I was amongst old friends who had ridden hundreds if not thousands of miles together.
*****
Parenthetical Sidebar:
In my opinion (and I’m sure there are varying opinions on this topic), when joining the first couple rides with an established group, I think it’s prudent practice to just sit in towards the back and hang out. There are two reasons for this:
1. It gives you a chance to scope out the group. How do they pedal together? Can they pedal in a straight line? Are they overlapping wheels? If things don’t look safe, you can bail out with no hard feelings. If things do look safe, the back end of the group is a good place to socialize with riders as they peel off the front.
2. It gives the group a chance to scope you out. In an established group of experienced cyclists you will get affirmation that your cycling skills are compatible (or not) and at some point given the high sign to actively participate in paceline duties.
*****
Typically on an outing like this I’m thinking: “Boys Club.” In this case the group included three women, two of whom were in for the full 100 miles.
Lezlie Plastino has a reputation for wise cracks like “you climb pretty well for a big guy” as she effortlessly ascends the steepest climbs and leaves the Boys Club in her wake. Sooner or later I expect to be the recipient of the wise crack reserved for smaller guys who don’t climb particularly well.
Juli Zalud kept demurely claiming that she had only been cycling for a year and a half. Maybe so, but if that’s the case, Juli won the cycling karma lottery because her legs had no problem staying with a group that moved at up to 23 mph on the flats. On a challenging ride.
The first 15 miles or so were relatively benign and took us on a mostly flat scenic cruise along the water.
The first attacks happened as we left Bremerton. There were a couple short climbs followed by a longer climb that splintered the group. We re-grouped at the Seabeck grocery, which was at about mile 35.
Smiling Goslings on the Fauntleroy-bound ferry.
After nourishment and potty breaks, we carried on towards Dewatto. The morning’s testosterone blush had worn off by about mile 50, and the Goslings flew (or is it Rabbits hopped?) together until the chipseal tipped dramatically upward and riders panted up the switchbacks of what Tom called “Dewatto Hill.”
Steve Hamling (or was it Michael Cann?) impressed everyone on the Dewatto climb because he had no trouble migrating to the front of the fractured flock while hauling a daypack that weighed at least 10 lbs.
There was a scenic regroup at the top of the climb followed (I think it was around here…) by an amazing descent that rocketed a couple folks to over 50 mph. The invigorating acceleration led a number of the Goslings to shriek, hoot, and holler with delight. On the stretch between Hollly and Tahuya we rarely saw any vehicles and pedaled through gorgeous, serene Northwest rollers. The stretch between Holly and Tahuya was awesome cycling country.
At Tahuya the route turned Northward on a better road surface, but with more traffic. A wonderful paceline developed and everyone enthusiastically worked together, though by my calculations Rick (last name?) and Tom did 76.4% of the workload during the course of the day.
By the time we reached Belfair and mile ~77, everyone was starting to get a bit cranky, and we took an extended Starbucks break. According to David we were ahead of schedule and would have no problem making the 4:40 ferry, even if we didn’t push hard on the final stretch.
During the final miles there was still plenty of climbing that came in the form of long rollers that were probably really hills, but after a long day in the saddle they all kind of blend together.
Despite the challenging terrain in those last miles, the group pretty much stayed together and the pace picked up once we started to smell the finish.
As we hammered the final approach vector, I distinctly remember looking over to see Lezlie baring her teeth and growling as she dug for a few extra watts.
All in all, an exceptional ride with a talented group of Seattle area cyclists.
If this sort of ride sounds appealing, look for upcoming Goose Bumps rides posted on the Cascade Ride Calendar.
If you are looking for a ride with experienced cyclists who don’t need to bare their teeth and growl to have fun, look for Laughing Group rides on the Redmond Cycling Club Web Site.
Ride Metrics:
My speedo needs calibration, but I ended up with about 100.7 miles and an average speed of 17.6 mph. David Roberts claims we climbed about 6,000′, and that the pace picked up a bit from Belfair to Southworth. Yowza.
Ride This:
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GPS:
Goose Bumps Tour Kitsap .GPX file
Google Earth:
Goose Bumps Tour Kitsap Google Earth file
