RAMROD updates?

[MM_QFC!]

Hey Mimi, Salsabike and any others who either are riding or supporting a RAMROD rider today: could you keep us posted as to their experience(s) please?
Best wishes to all for a safe, fun (??) ride...

[salsabike]

Will do. Haven't heard anything yet.

[MM_QFC!]

Yeah, and I know that the route not only physically challenging but also for communicating from fringe coverage areas too.

[ttaylor508]

Yes, please do post ride reports. I was thinking about all of you as I got up for work at 4:30am and it was already 73 degrees. Hope the mountains provided you a little shelter from the heat!

[LilBolt]

I heard from my DH about an hour ago. He said it was hot (duh) but he had a good ride...one flat (rear, of course) just outside of Enumclaw. The heat wasn't as bad as they thought it would be. That's probably because he was mentally prepared for it to be bad. The plan was to get as many miles in as they could before it really got hot, and then just take it easy & pace themselves. They did skip the ride up to Crystal. Apparently several people were having the same discussion. As expected, Cayuse was the toughest part, but isn't it always?

Hope to read some first-hand accounts here from those who did it themselves.

[Biciclista]

Raleighdon finished around 6pm he said it was really hard on a tandem, harder than death ride on a single. YA THINK?

[salsabike]

Chris just called. He probably finished around 6:30. He DID do the last pass at the end but only because, he said, he was still feeling pretty good. He said they had a fair amount of shade, even on Cayuse Pass (till the last four miles), which made it more bearable than direct sun would have been. He took his time, drank a lot, stopped and sat in the shade for a few minutes when he needed to. They did a smart thing---handed out tube socks with ice that you could put around your neck, and he said he refilled his sock with ice at every stop and kept it on his neck. Sounds like he handled it intelligently and I was relieved to hear from him. It was both longer and harder than last year.

[LilBolt]

Ice filled tube socks...that's brilliant.

[MM_QFC!]

Great job and congrats to all RAMROD riders - am sure it WAS tougher - whew!
Yes, the tube sock is a great idea and my PT/coach who rode RAAM some years back, gave me what she used in the desert before I did an AIDS ride across Montana. It's a modified pillow case, (you can make 3-4 out of 1 case) cut and sewn into a tube leaving the opening intact, putting velcro fastener there, so you can open it, fill it up, close it around your neck and keep going. It doesn't stretch as much or flop around like the tube sock did and those cold drips on my quads as the ice melted while I rode was a godsend!

[salsabike]

[malaholic]

I think this was the first ride where I've ever been sweating before even getting on the bike.

DH and I were riding with "Team Boeing" - 3 other guys who he knows from work with whom we've done several training rides. This was the first RAMROD for each of us and we planned to try & pace ourselves, as we didn't quite know what to expect later on. We started riding around 5:10 am. Once we got moving and got the evaporation effect, the first 55ish miles up to the Ashford/Wildwood rest stop were downright pleasant.

I was disappointed this year that the route had to be altered to eliminate the climb to Paradise due to damage coming down Stevens Canyon (and even more so to learn that they were reopening the road THAT DAY, just not til evening.) The rider intro packet described the alternate route and had a statement something to the effect of "We think you will find Skate Creek Road a very pleasant place to ride..." NOT! The first 11 miles were fine, but the road for the last 9ish miles (all descending) was in terrible condition. Lots of holes, very uneven surface, and several places where there was no longer any asphalt - just stripes from maybe about 3 ft. wide to the largest of maybe 25 ft. wide across the road where the gap between the asphalt was filled with large gravel. Luckily there was good signage in those areas, and a volunteer parked before the first pit to tell us what to expect so that we could slow down in time. Too bad, because if the road had been smooth, that would have been a really fun descent.

By this time it had really started heating up. We did the little "warmup climb" to the food stop at mile 85-or-so, where we were given the ice-filled tube socks. Those are a terrific invention, and we are so grateful to the support team for providing them - they *really* helped keep us going for the climbs.

A few more miles, and then Cayuse Pass, which I'd always heard is an oven. As salsabike posted there was a little shade, but really only small spots to stop & rest - there was no part of the climb that had constant shade to ride in. According to my Garmin, it's a constant 6% grade over 8 or 9 miles, with one water stop a little past the halfway point. I have done climbs of objectively greater difficulty before, but subjectively, it felt like the hardest climb I've ever done. It was probably just a combination of the heat, not getting much sleep the night before, and having already put in a lot of miles. (Oh, and of having to ride on my heavier wheelset because one of my climbing wheels was damaged a few weeks ago.) DH was feeling strong though, and he actually beat me up Cayuse Pass and later Crystal too - that *never* happens! It's the first time this season that he's outclimbed me. I'm super-proud of him but I told him he better not get used to it.

The descent from Cayuse was a blast and we were down to the deli stop in no time. We filled up our now melted-out socks with new ice for the climb to Crystal. There was more shade on that climb. 3 miles of so of constant 6% grade, then it flattened out a bit, then went back to 5 or 6 % to the top. But the best part was knowing that it's all downhill from there!

The Crystal descent was in pretty good shape and you could feel the temperature rising as you went back down. Another deli stop, then off to battle the headwind and finish the ride. Although I was slower than usual climbing, I still felt pretty strong and I spent most of my time in front of the draft line on the way back. We were treated to one last super-smooth descent on Mud Mountain Dam road, then the finish line! And ice cream, which really hit the spot.

The scenery was nice, especially those "window" spots along the route where you catch a glimpse of Rainier. If I ever do this ride again (which I said yesterday I wouldn't, but today here I am already planning it out...) I hope it will be the standard route that climbs to Paradise. I think that route would be gorgeous.

Finally, we all really appreciated the efforts of the onsite volunteers and the crossing-guard policemen - it can't have been fun for any of them to be out in the heat all day, but they did, and they were quick to offer words of encouragement along with the food & water. We also appreciate the pre-ride volunteer work that went into coordinating the ride, especially given the extra supplies and new water stops. And the ice socks which saved the day! So, for those of you whose husbands or friends volunteered, please pass our thanks along to them!

[malaholic]

Hey! Salsabike, I just noticed, in the photo you posted, that is one of my group in the blue & white jersey in the background! cool. I like the sock on the head -it pretty much sums up how everyone felt.

[Biciclista]

wow, what a ride report!

[MM_QFC!]

way to go, Chris - and he even looks happy?? whattaguy!

[LilBolt]

Malaholic...great report, and congratulations. Sure leaves me glad & disappointed at the same time that I didn't get in this year (first time I've tried).

My DH was riding in his Boeing Australia jersey). Those jersey's the Everett folks ordered looks a bit cooler with the lighter colors...I saw several on STP, too.

DH did share some more detail rides this morning. He did ride w/ (& behind ) Raleighdon for a while. Really enjoyed talking to him. Skate Creek Road also wasn't a highlight, but overall, he thought this year's alternate route was better than the alternate a couple of years ago. Hopefully we'll be spared any nasty weather & damage to the park this winter so the traditional route can be ridden next year.