Apple Century

[MM_QFC!]

I need some more information from those of you who have ridden this century. I've got a couple of women from my riding group who are signed up and going and a couple more who are on the fence about it. So, it was said it's a good first century. Why? I need to do some fast talking to the fence sitters. For my information, so I can decide which bike to bring, is that first fifty miles of uphill a steady, < 5% grade type climb? Or are we talking steep mountain pass? Or maybe some of both?

I am looking foward to going. I have a camping spot at Lincoln Rock SP, I think I got the last two night spot. My sister is coming and this will be her first century. She wants to have one under her belt before we do STP.

Any information you have will be greatly appreciated. bikerHen

Yes, it'd be good for a first century; I had done a few before this one, but had several friends who used this as their 1st century before riding the STP. As ttaylor said, it's a mild grade for the 1st 50 or so - and you'll get to the Fish Hatchery rest stop, which is the turnaround point for the 50 mile route. Then it's a pretty steady grade up to the century turnaround near Silver Falls but, no, it's not a steep mountain pass at all. The return is grand as others have noted, many lovely downhill glides, then back out on hwy 97 and you'll more than likely meet the renowned wind - hopefully a tailwind, but I've experienced more head and crosswinds on that afternoon return.
There are a lot of pacelines early on, so you'll have a bit of a pre-STP experience in the early hours of the ride, so you can practice keeping your line, talking to each other and riding safely together. Also, I think I mentioned it before, but this is 'goat head' country, so don't ride all the way to the right, as a friend of mine did and had 2 flats from them in the first 25 miles of the ride (on Entiat River Rd). It may be a nice cool morning to start, but it'll probably warm up quickly. There are plenty of trees for cover on Entiat up to Silver Falls, but it's pretty exposed on hwy 97, in the heat of the afternoon, so slather on the sunscreen and load up on your liquids too. They have usually parked vehicle for a water stop on the early part of Entiat River rd, between hwy 97 and the fish hatchery stop, so I'd recommend looking for it, to mark it on your outbound ride, assuming that you won't need it then, but it'll be good to keep in mind - and use - later on.
Have a great time!
Mary

[lauraelmore1033]

I just looked at the course map and it looks like the same course we did. It's mostly flat for the first 25 miles, and since it's an out and back, the last 25 (when you're getting good and pooped). the climbing starts just before the 25 mile rest stop and it's about 1700 feet in 28 miles or so. then you're done with climbing; really not too bad.

[bikerHen]

Thanks everyone for the information. I'll start working on the fence sitters. I know about that wind. We've been having more than our fair share of it lately. I must say wind sucks! Or blows! Or both, at the same time! My nimble road bike likes the wind even less than I do. My Surly however, will plod along through just about anything. Oh decisions, decisions! bikerHen

[ttaylor508]

Heads up for those participating this weekend, I just spoke to our neighbor who lives across the street from out cabin and he said there is an abundance of deer dashing across the road (like 6 or more at a time). He thinks this is due to the river being especially high for this time of year and they can't cross. So keep eyes open as you get further up into the forest.

[bikerHen]

WOW, was that an interesting ride! Four of us made a camping weekend of it and really had a good time. Two gals did the 50 and my sister and I did the 100. Took me four hours to do the 50 miles out and 2.75 hours to come back. We of course had a headwind going most of the way UP the canyon and part of the way back down. Didn't see any deer. But I must say those last few miles up to the turn around were brutal. It's just beautiful up there and I was going slow enough to enjoy the views.

I was very lucky on my return. When I got back to the highway there was a VERY strong tailwind that pushed me back into town. I don't think my speed dropped below 20MPH. This was by far my strongest finish. My friends who did the 50 weren't so lucky. They had a headwind along that stretch and had to fight their way back into town.

I must say the wind is very interesting in Wenatchee! It blows hard and every which way in those canyons. One minute the wind is howling and next it's perfectly calm. It definitely added a little spice to the weekend

One Sunday we did a couple of lap around their river loop trail. It is a super nice trail to ride. Another great weekend of riding. Now I'm staying home and riding lots of miles to get ready for my next adventure, STP! bikerHen

[ttaylor508]

Boy, you aren't kidding about the weird winds! We started at about 7:45am and had a nice tail wind out of town on Hwy 97. Wind died down once we turned onto the Entiat river road which I really enjoyed since you miss so much when you are driving it. We stopped at our cabin on the way up to let the dog out and grab a bite to eat and then got back on course. We made excellent time on the way back down the river as we had an awesome tail wind and hooked up with a couple of pretty strong riders for the entire way down river. By the time we turned onto Hwy 97 back towards Wenatchee, the wind was brutally in our face. That last 18 miles was tough with the wind. We finished at about 1:20pm so total ride time was 5:11 with about a 15 minute stop at the cabin. Beer tasted really good in beer garden, but the band was a bit loud for me, guess I am showing my age. I am very proud to say that my buddy finished her first century, YAH! She road with her husband and finished around 3:45p. I was so proud of her and she even had a smile on her face at the end.

Sunday we took a hike up to the waterfall behind our property. I have never been up that far before, pretty cool views. Here is some photos from our hike.

[bikerHen]

I kept hearing those waterfalls, but could only spot one up in the cliffs. Such a pretty canyon! Quite the contrast to the stark Columbia River Valley.

Great ride time! You must have been one of those smiling, happy rider blowing down the road as we were struggling uphill into the headwind. Sounds like you caught the same headwind my friends did on the hwy. For what it's worth, they said the band was a bit loud too and not that good. Maybe we're all showing our age. The band was packing up when I got back so I was able to eat in peace. bikerHen