Add to your list of Seattle-area must-dos: The loop from Log Boom Park (aka Tracy Owen Station) in Kenmore to Snohomish, Monroe then back to Log Boom. The basic loop is about 65 miles.
On a day with dry skies and warm temperatures, I felt inspired and ambitious, so I rode to the start point and returned to Seattle via the east side of Lake Washington to make it a 100-mile day.
At Log Boom I joined a group of High Performance Cycling teammates. As the organizer Charles Caswell put it “this route has a little bit of everything.” There are some short climbs, rolling terrain, flats, and…baked goods.
Snohomish is the standard regroup point on this loop because there is a public restroom on the main drag, and on most any weekend morning there is usually a lycra-clad crowd stationed there eating, drinking, and deliberating the second part of the ride. In addition to the restroom, Snohomish has several cyclist-friendly baked goods shops.
During our mid-ride pie and coffee break at the Snohomish Pie Company we speculated about the rise and fall of cyclist-related business at the Snohomish eateries depending on the time of year and weather.
From Snohomish to Monroe we enjoyed a fast tailwind-aided paceline. One of the hallmarks of High Performance Cycling is that we emphasize safe, cooperative group riding skills. The flat Snohomish Valley has some of the best paceline terrain in the area. It’s easy to keep a group together all the while feeling like Fabian Cancellera at the sharp end.
After Monroe the terrain gets a bit lumpy and a couple of us pushed the pace and one another’s limits. The group split with a plan to regroup on Fales Road. Although we like to push the pace when we can, none of us are out to “win the group ride” as is the culture of some groups and weekly rides.
When we got back to Kenmore, teammate John Pottle (who was a member of our 4-man team that won the 2013 Race Across Oregon) and I both headed east and added the Juanita climb before dropping into Kirkland where we parted ways. From Kirkland to Seattle I was once again solo, and was prepared to spin around the south end of Mercer Island if necessary to reach my 100-mile goal for the day. As it turned out, the route was almost a perfect century without needing to add the Mercer Island lap.
In addition to pie, I fueled myself during the ride with 3 Allen Lim rice cakes, which are basically “onigiri” updated for fitness activities. I had never tried the “original” recipe which includes bacon and eggs. My diet trends pescetarian, though my dietary choices have evolved over the years and I’ve recently started to eat terrestrial animals from time to time.
During the first couple of century rides of the season I typically hit a “bad patch” around mile 80 when I want the ride to be over. That “bad patch” feeling is more mental than physical, and thus far I have not experienced this familiar though unwelcome sensation this season. I think my food choices may be playing a role in helping avert the problem: I’ve been downplaying (candy) bars and sports drinks in favor of “real food” and plain water.
The post-ride recovery included a green smoothie:
-8 oz Coconut water
-1/2 Orange
-Mango
-Ginger
-Spinach
-8 oz frozen blueberries
