Bike ride display and showcase

I am a nostalgic person, and I like to save things that are important to me. I am the person that saved my academic fitness award from 6th grade, my varsity letters from high school, and every thank you I've gotten for every volunteer project. It was only fitting that once I started participating in big athletic events that I save mementos from them, too. 

At some point I realized that my bike riding became so significant and the numbers from rides I've done so large that they needed to be showcased somehow. I had a few friends and relatives scrap booked their way into showcasing things they were proud of. A dear friend set me up with everything I needed to make a beautiful biking scrapbook; paper, cutters, and the like. I spent some time on it, but it just didn't feel right. I imagined this giant scrapbook sitting on the coffee table. A house guest picks it up and leafs through the pages. After 5 pages of rectangles of paper with big numbers printed on them, they get bored. I got bored just trying to make the scrapbook. I wanted to save these things and showcase them, but a scrapbook just wasn't right. That was back in 2008.

Enter 2015. I am still biking. I still need to showcase all the big rides I am proud of. I came across an Etsy seller who made a display case and shelf. My partner volunteered to make one for me. I made it longer than the one's being sold, though the design is otherwise very similar. TrendyDisplay has a patent pending on the design, so I hope they are not bothered by my making my own. It is really a brilliant design. And, as you can see, it is already incredibly full!

To make the memories more rich, I pasted the backs of the ride numbers with photos, maps, and fliers from the ride. Some of the fronts have buttons or century patches. I hope to eventually clean up the top shelf so it looks less busy, but overall, I am more than happy with the result!

Bike parking at work

The US Green Building Council LEED certification requires some sort of bike parking and shower space for regular users in all LEED-certified buildings. Since the option for bike commuting was a condition of employment for me, I can thank this certification for the reason I work where I do. 

A parking garage takes up the lower level of the building I work in. When I first started working here, I had the option to park in the parking garage, but all cyclists had to lock up at a bar next to the handicapped parking spots, right next to the motorcycles. I loved the speediness of this option when no one was around. But most of the time, I'd be trying to lock my bike on a over-full bar while people in wheelchairs and motorcycles had to navigate around my fumbling. I don't like having to adjust another person's bike just to get mine to lock, so I cheered for joy when I found out construction started on a portion of the garage just to commuting staff. The result, seen above, allows for nearly all commuters to have a caged, locked space to park. I ended up paying more money than I felt comfortable loosing to a thief for my commuter, so I welcomed the added security. The cage fills up every May during Bike Month, but sits mostly empty the rest of the year. I have a few co-workers far more dedicated to commuting than myself, but they are only a few.

The cage disappoints me for 1 reason: All bikes have to be lifted off the ground and turned sideways to store. The city is working on setting up mini-repair stations in their parking areas, including pumps and multi-tools. While I think this is a great idea and could encourage new riders, this cage would better be improved by changing how the bikes are stored.  The inability to store bikes without lifting them means that the space can't serve:

• Employees with chronic pain, physical issues, or who are simply less strong. Physical exercise can really help people feel better but having to lift a big heavy bike at the end can be a deterrent. Already at least one regular commuter fits in this category. She parks her bike in the "old" spot by the motorcycles. Most employees in my work place are female desk workers; not a subset likely to have the upper body strength required for lifting a bike. The average age of workers is older than most companies as well. This storage option may be a great idea for a lot of workplaces, but doesn't serve most of the staff here.
• Employees with financial barriers. The cheaper the bike, the more it weighs. This is a rule. New riders or riders without financial resources could benefit from the cost savings of commuting, but may get discouraged when they realize how heavy their bike is.
• Employees riding electric bikes. Electric bikes start at 50 pounds. Seattle can be very hilly and an electric bike is a great option for people who live in hilly areas get to work in an affordable, environmentally responsible way. Electric bikes are also a great option for those who have a long commute and I would like to see their use encouraged.

I wish everyone could be helped by the bike storage, but recognize that it's mere existence is something to relish. Most employees don't have an option nearly half as good. I am lucky, and grateful that I am one of the few able to benefit from the cage. I think even if the storage detracts many riders, anyone who uses the garage can see it, and every little thing like this helps to normalize commuting. Ultimately, this is a great feat and a huge step in the right direction.

A bad day for encounters with trucks

A small Toyota pickup pulled out in front of me without using a turn signal or even lights (this was in the dark of morning). It pulled out from its street-side parking spot into the road, crossing my path on the bike lane. I don't think the driver ever saw me. It was a perfect opportunity to use my horn, but when the horn lever competes for my hand with the brake lever, the brake always wins. My brakes squelched in the rain, braking just in time for me to feel safe. I hoped the driver would eventually see me, but I think he had other things on his mind. His turn signal going the other way lit up as soon as he got in the road (still no lights) and he drove like that at least a half mile before turning. Later a large white truck waiting to turn right from a smaller cross-street pulled out in front of me. I saw the driver looking in my direction, so I braked with the hope they would eventually see me. I practically came to a stop by the time the driver noticed me. This happened when the truck bed crossed the bike lane and the cab was well into the road. They stopped anyway. I veered out into the road to pass. As I passed, I stuck my arm out with the "stop" hand sign. I do this to remind drivers when I have the right of way. It is something I do with some regularity at 2-way stops. I have no idea if the drivers realize I have the right of way, or if they just think I am being an ass.

When not riding the bike to work

Occasionally I don’t ride my bike in to work. Sometimes I ride the bus. The bus I ride services a long stretch of hardened Seattle, including many stops for shelters, pawn shops, the needle exchange, the free clinic, Department of Health and Human Services, and more. Usually as many people have to stand as get to sit, all hours of the day. And given by the number of services along my route, It’s safe to say many people on my route are not having a good day. It seems most people aren’t having a good day in general, but I think the case is especially so on the bus.

Decreases in empathy, compassion, and respect in our country are a talking point of most everyone I talk to over age 35. I see data supporting these assumptions in positive psychology research, generational studies, studies looking the sociology of social media, texting behaviors, palliative and eldercare, and the like. As I rode the bus, I considered how the bus appears to be a sanctuary for these values. Everyone unanimously gives up seating for elders, the disabled and mothers. Even the loudest of mouths sensor their words when a young child is nearby. When someone misbehaves, the bus riders around them try to soften the situation. People crowd and cut and rush when trying to enter the bus, but once they are on, doors are held open, and accommodations are made. I wonder, what is it about the bus that makes this captive audience of stressed out, rushed, and generally grumpy people treat each other with kindness? How can we extend the way we treat each other on the bus to other situations? Don’t get me wrong, I see plenty of people on the bus deliberately elbow others, pick fights, eat cartons of smelly onions, urinate, or take up extra seats with luggage while 30 others have to stand, but they are easily the minority.

Today on my ride in, the bus suddenly stopped at a jerk at an intersection. I couldn’t see what happened, but presumably a pedestrian jumped out against the light or something like that. The bus stopped so hard and fast that the wheels squelched and people fell out of their seats. Pretty much everyone seated toppled out (over half the seats on my bus face the sides of the bus, so there is nothing to stop someone from falling forward except another person).  People in the isles toppled on top of each other. I was one of the lucky few who happened to be standing behind a pole. My arms happened to be looped around the pole so when the bus stopped, I merely spun around, but didn’t fall. Several grasped on to me, however, instinctively grabbing whatever was around them that was upright. In the aftermath, several people groaned and hollered “OUCH!” which caused a chorus of, “Are you ok?” comments. The people around me apologized for grabbing onto me. There is a taboo against touching strangers, but I responded that I was glad to be a grabbing post since my positons was one of the few stable ones on the bus. 

Ride the Rain Challenge update

For the month of November, I am participating in the Ride the Rain Challenge. Historically, most rain falls in November in Seattle, and Seattle is known worldwide as a rainy city (even though you see far higher precipitation levels in cities in Florida and others, but I digress). It only makes sense that Cascade Bicycle Club sponsor a bike commute challenge during this rainy season. It does seem the average participant in this smaller challenge is more hardcore than the nationally celebrated May Bike Month. Bike month focuses on attracting new cyclists. While the Ride the Rain Challenge wants that, too, I am guessing most of these participants are seasoned riders. Still, by comparison, I am a super-commuter. I don’t feel like I am a “hardcore” cyclist, which makes me feel even more proud of my stats thus far.

Only 8 lives left

I pedaled breathlessly up the steep Fremont hill in the dark and din of rush hour. Before I could think or react, a scruffy Siamese cat dashed in front of my wheel at full speed. I turned my head in shock, taking a beat to register what was going on. It ran across the lane next to me. It crossed the center line. I saw the oncoming jeep. The jeep wasn't speeding, but going too fast for breaking to make any difference. I watched the cat bolt toward inevitable collision with the jeep's tire. I'm guessing the jeep saw the cat, but it was one of those moments where nothing could be done. An involuntary gasp pushed its way out of my lungs at full volume. Time stood still. In that moment that lasted forever, I had time to consider, "I am going to watch a cat get smashed. This is terrible, but I can't look away. I can't look away. What was that noise? Oh my god I just screamed a little, wait what's that other noise?" At that moment, the cat stopped still in its tracks, likely with whiskers brushing rubber, paused for a split second, then bolted in reverse back towards me. I will never know if I actually heard it's little claws scraping against the pavement, or if that other noise was just the grating guttural scrape of my own fevered gasps.

Requesting traffic signal maintenance from Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT)

I wanted to send a request last month, the first time the issue occurred. Then it went away, and I forgot all about it. Then it came back, and I considered making a request, an then I got distracted. I couldn't take it any more after today, so I submitted the following request to SDOT this morning from the SDOT link: https://seattle-csrprodcwi.motorolasolutions.com/Home.mvc/Index

"The traffic signal at N46th ST & Fremont AVE North is intermittently skipping traffic turns. For the past several years, the signal at this intersection always followed the same pattern: green light for westbound, then green light for eastbound, then green light for north/south bound (except when the lights respond to sensors during weekends). However, the signaling has intermittently, and increasingly changed to: green light for eastbound, green light for westbound, then green eastbound, green westbound, then green light for north/south bound. I have also experienced 3 cycles for east/west traffic before one for north/south: (green light for eastbound, green light for westbound, then green light for eastbound, green light for westbound, green light for eastbound, green light for westbound, then green light for north/south bound). The traffic signals used these new unbalanced patterns today, 11/17, 11/12 (or close to that day, can't remember for sure), and for 4 days in a row the last week of October. During rush hour this creates a backup over 4 blocks in the north/south directions (past the zoo to the north and past Uneeda Burger to the south) as well as pedestrian congestion at the cross walks. Cars several blocks down honk when they realized they haven't moved in several minutes. This change also endangers cars, pedestrians and cyclists who anticipate circular light patterns and start moving when the cross traffic light turns red. If this is a permanent change, please post signage or other communication so travelers can predict and understand the change. If this is a malfunction, please address as the incidences seem to be increasing."

Other than that, this morning's ride treated me well. The trees are bare now, and the roads are clogged with fallen leaves. I think this may be the last of them this year. I also enjoyed the unusual smell of woodstove burning in the brisk morning air. I thought about how, when I ride to work just an hour later, my nose is bombarded by the distinct smell of frying bacon at the Red Mill Burger curve. However, at 7am, there is no smell along that curve at all.

Upside down and outside right

Not even the minor annoyance of wearing my ear-warmer headband upside down could sway this amazing morning ride. The tapered fleece band created a brim of sorts that sunk over my eyebrows when upside down. My lazy morning stupor didn't care to set it right.

The cloudless sky predicted a sunny day. The downright cold air meant I wouldn't get too hot once I entered the heated canopy of downtown. I must not have been the only one who thought it was a good day for riding, I was number 236 at the bridge counter.

I counted 5 blocks of traffic stopped at Mercer (busy road) that extended into a construction area. Construction sites make a habit of closing off bike lanes so cyclists have to merge with traffic. Ahead of me, 2 cyclists rode past the stopped cars by sharing the single lane with them. One car sat out of alignment from the others, hugging the construction cones. His position made it difficult for the cyclists to pass, and when they did, he hammered on his horn. I sat behind, parked in line like a car. There are many cases where cyclists dangerously ride the lines, but this is not one of them. With traffic clearly stopped, cyclists can pass safely. It's one of the times a cyclist has an advantage of a vehicle, when in nearly all other cases a vehicle is faster. I continue to be baffled by people who spread anger onto others just for anger's sake. As a community and a society, we would all benefit from consistent and ongoing transportation training. Perhaps the driver wouldn't have felt angry if all parties agreed on the rules. In the meantime, honking a horn won't change a cyclist's behavior, risks endangering them by the sheer shock of loud noise, and spreads the feeling of anger to all who hear it. This will be something I write a lot about as this blog develops.

amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyzing!

As I pedaled past a bus stop I heard a kid yell, "Your wheels are amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyzing!" It wasn't until the elongated second syllable that I registered he was talking to me. I have a Monkey Light on my front wheel. It is a string of blinking LED's along a spoke that I can set to display a variety of images as the wheel turns. Right now it's set to a flaming comet. I think it looks kind of like a hot teardrop, however. I waved back at the kid and smiled. I am always so happy to be a part of positive interactions between strangers. I didn't see any other cyclists until 5 miles into my commute. That's when "orange rafting bag" (I gave names to all the regulars I'm beginning to recognize on my route, but that's for another post) said to me, "We must be crazy to be riding in this weather!" He must have been right, because I was only number 131 to cross the bridge counter. The weather service warned of gale force winds again. At one point a truck paralleled me going the same speed, making me anxious. I slowed down so we weren't going the same speed, and he swerved into the bike line forcing me to brake. He quickly swerved out, then kindly put on his blinker before swerving back into the lane and turning. I am not sure if he was focused on finding his way and it happened to work to my benefit, or if he saw me and decided to signal. Either way, I was glad for his swerving out so I didn't have to make a full stop. Downtown, a lane-parked chauffeur tried to inch forward when he saw me stropped behind him. He stopped to pick up his riders, and apologized to me and suggested I pass him. I shook my head, not wanting to "ride the white line" as so many speed-hungry cyclists do. Never in 3 years have I encountered such a kind professional driver downtown. I hope to secure the multiple kindnesses of today in my memory banks for later when things do not go so well.

The past came so fast

Today the crisp, dry air brought a cold we've yet to see this fall. The song of ice scrapers hastily run across windshields filled my ears as I rolled through residential streets. I struggled to stay focused through the sleepiness of Monday morning. I observed the mural on the Mason's building on Greenwood. I always took it as an artist's collage of sorts, but today I realized it must be a geographically accurate view of the Seattle Cityscape, shortly after the space needle was built. Trees and greenery filled the areas around the needles and the few skyscrapers of downtown before opening up to the mountains and sunrise behind. This must have been what Seattle actually looked like 50 years ago. The mural looked great. Was it a new mural of an old scene, or had the mural just been well-maintained all these years?

A gas can lay in the bike lane. The sight overwhelmed me with gratitude; gratitude that it wasn't obscured by darkness or leaves and I didn't run into it. Typing about it now, I am regretful I didn't take the 5 seconds to pick it up and toss it somewhere less obstructive.

Photo courtesy of @City_Arts's Tweet: https://twitter.com/City_Arts/status/512703110007889920?s=09 

Parks for free

I just found out that for 1 day next year, anyone can bike to a national or state park for no entrance fee. What a great gimmick for the Adventure Cycling Association! I am tempted to do this.

Today, in Seattle, there is a gale warning in effect

 ....that's what the weather forecast has been saying for days. The wind must have started just before my commute because debree hadn't covered the roads yet. But the wind came in full force. The wind terrified me, to be frank. It didn't continue into the evening, however, and I am relieved that I decided to ride home. Had I not ridden home, the terror of the ride into work may have stayed with me all weekend, causing me to dread the commute Monday. Luckily, the ride home revitalized me in ways only a wet, speedy work out can do.

Red, red rise

I left for work 20 minutes later than usual. I spent my "in case of flat tire buffer" preparing lunch. Like usual, the risks I take don't go unrewarded. I left late enough to watch the beautiful red sunrise (yay!) and ride in daylight (yay!). Sadly, my favorite Louis Vuitton window display changed. The window faces me at an intersection where I reliably hit a red light. They regularly have creative window displays, but the most recent display had product I actually liked for the first time (perhaps their advertising is working on me? Or maybe it was just a great item?) Bridge bike count: 252

Biking up the ramp

Last night I biked up the parking garage ramp at work. This is a milestone of sorts. That ramp is a hated thing. The narrow, short ramp quickly travels 2 floors in a 360+ degree loop. The curve is sharper than the turning radius on the Ford company van. I drive the ramp as slowly as I can, wheels squeaking the whole way, blindly hoping that no oncoming vehicles come my way. It is a ramp I would never take with a manual transmission. In the company van, the driver's seat sits so high that I cannot see the sidewalk until I am on it (the first place the ramp levels out). This isn't a problem on a lower car, and I have come to expect the glare of pedestrians shocked that I proceed into the sidewalk while they are crossing. I wish they knew I couldn't see. There is the loud "caution vehicle exiting" announcement, but still I understandably shock them. When I worked my later shift, I could exit the building via the front doors. Now that I leave while the building is still open to the public, the ramp is my only polite option. I usually walk up it. Other commuters cycle up it without much concern. I have visions of a co-worker in a company van blindly smashing into me. One commuter fell cycling down the ramp. He blacked out with amnesia, and his head felt the impact for a couple of weeks. I am so careful and tentative, but last night I had a brief window with no traffic so I bombed up the ramp to see if I could get the whole way up without crossing the invisible center line. I did it all the way until the very end, where I was able to see if anybody would be coming my way. It worked out well. I'll probably ride up it again, when there is another window of no traffic.

Soaking Wet Commute

The rain pounded hard this morning. Rain fell for the past several days, and a wake formed on the sides of my wheels from the standing water on a good part of my route. It hasn't rained like "Seattle rains" much in the three years I lived here. I think it is only appropriate that the rain is falling so much now, and it happens to be the month I joined the "Ride the Rain Challenge" for commuters. My ears feel deafened during most of my commute from the din of cars and trucks driving by. For about 10 seconds this morning, silence wrapped me during a rare stretch with no traffic around. I got to hear the pitter-patter or the rain falling on my jacket and ground. That sound is one of the most wonderful things about rain. I crave that noise. Months of rain can go by in the city, and I don't hear that noise. I am so grateful I got to hear this sweet and simple treasure.

Book Review: Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook

Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook

I almost quit reading this book. I found the first chapter painfully condescending and overly beholden to US RDA guidelines. I hoped to find a progressive text on nutrition, not an advertisement for American corporate food consumption. For some reason, I persevered, and the American commerce influence of the book took a back seat to sports research.

It was in this second section that I felt more at home. Over the years, I've absorbed quite a bit of health and fitness information, whether it be from sanctioned training programs, fitness instructors, personal trainers, cycling magazines, or Weight Watchers. I was reminded of little nutrition gems that I'd heard before, such as "consume 8 ounces of water every 15 to 20 minutes during strenuous exercise", or "one quart of water on an empty stomach takes one hour to process." That one I've tested myself, and found one quart equals two trips to the bathroom. The book also mentioned the "100 calories per hour after the first hour of exercise" as a refueling mantra for long endurance rides. This became my mantra when dieting. I realized I had been overfueling to the point it was doing me more harm than good. Following this 100-calorie rule works for me; I can ride for hours without getting hungry, bonking, or gaining weight. The book also reiterated the importance of eating a full meal within 45 minutes after strenuous exercise to stop muscle break down. Consuming carbs post-work out stimulates release of insulin which helps rebuild muscles and reduces soreness. Eating 10-20 grams of protein reduces cortisol. This is usually easy for me to do, but has been difficult to do in Seattle. Most of the longer, harder rides I've completed here were with Cascade Bicycle Club. The club arranges meet-ups in various places in the suburbs of Seattle, where the roads quickly reach to pastoral, scenic farm land. The problem with these meet-ups are that they require over an hour's drive. I can get to the ride quickly in the morning, but by the time I finish in the afternoon, the swell of traffic makes it impossible for me to get home in time to eat this important healing meal. I'm left packing things to eat in the car, which leave a lot left to be desired, especially when I already eat "brown bag" meals 10 times a week for work. One cool thing Nancy Clark brought up was the value of the potato for recovery. A normal potato has 840mg of potassium, which helps to restore lost electrolytes. I love munching on baby potatoes during a ride. They are easy to prepare, easy to eat, full of natural carbs, and taste delicious with electrolyte-replenishing salt. The potato as recovery food is a new novelty.

I recognized data about caffeine that has been covered by no shortage of NPR programs, but I haven't applied it to myself before. Clark documented that a large study from 2005 found caffeine enhances performance by 11%, reduces perceived exertion by 6%, and has stronger effects on endurance activities. Those numbers are significant when looking at a 100-mile bike ride. The study found that over a certain amount, caffeine had diminishing results (due to other side effects like cramping or the jitters) and never enhanced performance by more than 11%. The study determined 1.5mg of caffeine per pound to be the target dose for optimal performance. Since one ounce of espresso has 40mg of caffeine on average, I would have to more than double my caffeine consumption before a long ride to feel it's stimulant benefits (I regularly drink a 2-shot latte in the morning). This is hard to imagine. I think I will stick to my regular caffeine consumption. Perhaps I'll lay off caffeine for a few days before a big event to feel the effects more rather than double up on event day. Tea might be a viable option. Drinking iced tea on a ride sounds quite sophisticated. I haven't ever had iced tea on a ride, but it could be delightful, especially if I add a spot of honey for another little energy surge.

I reached the end of the book near bed time. The final pages covered various recipes the author thought encompassed her whole-food, rounded eating recommendations. While the author's tastes were clearly more American to my west-coast-bohemian-veggie-laden preferences, my stomach growled like mad while I read through her recipes. I must have gone to bed a little bit hungry, as my growling stomach became pretty comical, even alarming the cat! I copied down a couple of ideas. One suggestion was to pour an egg inside a well of a potato when it is half through baking. This sounds like a delicious recovery idea! There were some Italian-themed casseroles that were lower on the cheese and dairy than traditional Italian foods. I also copied a garbanzo bean dish, because I can never get enough garbanzo beans!

Clark completely recovered from the FDA blow-job of a first chapter and revealed a sensible eater akin to my own yearnings. She quickly dispelled the appeal of fad diets and food-culture-phenomenons (as I call them) that have become the primary identity of so many Americans. Michael Pollan said it best when he pointed out that the cultural melting pot that is America misses out on the cultural identity that is food and all the comforts that identity brings. With today's "gluten-free", "Paleo", "low-carb", you name it food identity, I wither under the power in how food extremes have become religion. Even those who insist on eating carelessly do so with a religious fervor. I admire how Clark brings nutrition home, and focuses on eating pure, whole foods without complexity. I'd recommend Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook to any health enthusiast who is completely uneducated on nutrition (does anyone like this exist?) or as guidebook worthy of skimming for valuable gems of infomation.

BikeMS 2015 Monmouth, Oregon

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Flying Wheels Summer Century 2015

Flying Wheels 2015- that first hill

photo credit: http://www.woodinvillebicycle.com/pictures/

Saturday, May 30th began at 6AM with a begrudging half-asleep body suddenly transforming to the wide-awake excited body, the body that only wakes up when about to embark on a new and adventurous challenge.

Bryant picked me up right on time and off to Marymoor Park we fled. Disaster loomed when Bryant realized he didn't have his helmet, and already being at the start and the time being 7:30AM, there weren't many options to procure one. Luckily, Jessi, another in our group had a spare. I grabbed a packet of Wilcox organic hard-boiled eggs before peddling off at about 7:50AM.

Just ten miles into the Flying Wheels Summer Century, a long and steep hill out of nowhere kicked my butt. My heart surged and pounded out of my chest too early, and by mile eleven, even though these clear skies and mild temperatures beckoned a beautiful day, I felt like I had already ridden 80 or more miles. My limp little legs struggles to keep up. My new mantra propelled me forward: "tiny circles, tiny circles". By mile 40, I was certain I had been pedaling for at least 10 hours and we had already ridden over 100 miles. Well, I knew better, but my body was trying to tell me otherwise.

I filled up with too many snacks at Camp Korey, a rest stop hosted by Boy Scouts (it was actually boy scout moms, as I overheard one tired mom proclaim that her son was the only actual scout who showed up for the event). Hills seemed to crop up everywhere, and my little spindle legs didn't much try to get up them any faster than they wanted to. There was a nice long flat stretch where I was able to find a nice zen among the pedaling. We pedaled through tree filled forestland, thriving farmland and smooth, blessed smooth country roads.

It wasn't until after mile 60 that I started feeling good. I finished the ride at about 3:50 with about 6 and a half hours of ride time feeling far better than I did at mile 11. Overall, the ride felt more hilly than I expected, and certainly more hilly than the less-than-4000 feet elevation change. However, the pristine scenery, great roads, and challenging course make this a ride I look forward to finishing again and again in years ahead.

Flying Wheels