There were tons of great races, events, and group rides going on this weekend.
To give us a bit of context as we reflect on the weekend’s cycling adventures, I asked Martha Walsh (click here to visit her blog for a complete account) to provide this guest report on an event most of us would never consider:
Organizer Glenn Johnson buried the fact that his is an “ultra” event by abbreviating the full title of Lewis and Clark Ultra into the rather catchy “LaCultra.” But he didn’t fool too many people. Mostly experienced ultra riders turned up yesterday for the 12- and 24-hour versions of this new race. (Yes, meaning racers raced for either 12 or 24 hours as non-stop as possible…)
Beginning at 6:30 a.m., riders started at one-minute intervals from Hockinson Middle School (in Hockinson/Brush Prairie, WA, east of Vancouver). We rode in damp fog over hill and dale with lots of turns and twists (all conveniently marked on the road) in the first 10 miles. There was a beautiful stretch along the Washougal River Road, a climb up Canyon Creek Road, and a descent to the Lewis and Clark Highway along the Columbia. Highway 14 is not the best road for riding, but it was fine, and the notorious gorge winds were mostly mild.
Old Man Pass, the high point of the 140-mile “day loop.”
At mile 49, we turned away from the Columbia and into unknown territory for me. There was a long stretch along the Wind River Highway (including a bridge over a gorge so deep I couldn’t see the bottom), which eventually climbs up Old Man Pass. This was the highest point of the race, and it was chilly up there with the wind blowing off so much snow still along the road and under the trees. There was virtually no traffic along this road, and the dogwoods were in full bloom in the forest understory.
After the checkpoint at the top, there were a couple of miles of descending through trees and snowbanks, then a turn and much more descending (marked “weeeee” on the route cue sheet distributed to racers!). And a spectacular view of Mt. St. Helens. Then a turn onto forest road 90, which follows the Swift Creek Reservoir for miles (and miles and miles). Heading west gradually brings you back to the fringes of civilization, and when the route got complex to bypass busy roads, the course was again marked on the road.
Ultra racers enjoyed a gorgeous view of Mt. St. Helens.
This “day loop” was 140 miles with 5,700 feet of climbing. After checking in back at the start/finish area, riders rode laps on the “night loop,” which was 9.6 miles with 420 feet of elevation per lap. Advertised to have “something for everybody,” the night loop started with almost three miles of smooth, flat, straight, tailwind road. But then it was time for the mountain goat stretch: At mile 3 was a short pitch that was probably close to 20% at the top. Another steep pitch at mile 5 and rollers on to mile 7. In the last mile of the night loop was the steepest, fastest descent of the whole race. The 12-hour racers rode this loop until their 12 hours were up, and the 24s continued riding laps all night long.
After the damp, foggy start, the sun shone through the clouds most of the day. Unfortunately, a vicious thunderstorm moved through Hockinson at about 8 p.m, which drenched the racers still riding–and the roads. After that, the weather was calm and mild all night long.
The race was generously sponsored by Battle Ground Bicycle, which provided gift cards for the winners and showed up before 6:00 a.m. for pre-race mechanical support. The time stations featured Powerbar products and lots of other goodies (I never knew Oreos could taste so good!). The volunteer support staff was abundant and helpful, and Glenn is one of those rare race organizers who is both super efficient yet really relaxed about it all on race day.
Results.
Martha finished 2nd in the 12-hour race!
