Rsvp 2014

[salsabike]

Marie, that is a great ride report. And I have met your husband! He's a riding buddy of mine---Chris Heg. Chris likes Auðunn a lot.

I know a lot of people who love RSVP. Maybe we'll do it some day.

[MarieV]

Thanks, Salsabike! When you mentioned doing the SIR Maltby 100K, I had a feeling you and/or your DH would probably know Auðunn. Is Chris doing the 600K this weekend? Auðunn left the house just after 3am to get to the start in Kent.

If you're used to doing SIR 100Ks, then RSVP is only a little longer, mostly flat, and very scenic. You and Chris should definitely plan to do it. Among Auðunn's rando buddies, we only ever see Steve DeGroot on the RSVP, but then most of the randos don't like the big crowded Cascade rides.

[lauraelmore1033]

Oh yeah, RSVP ride report! We're getting ready to do TRIRI next weekend, so I had mentally moved to the next thing.
We did it on the tandem again and one of the amusing highlights of the ride came at the beginning when a certain Seattle weatherman (who trained in yellow group on CTS rides)
passed us and intoned, "loookin' good ladies!" Brian was not thrilled to be mistaken for a lady. We couldn't decide if it was Brian's long-ish grey hair or if the huge rainbow on the back of our matching Pink Floyd jerseys identified us as a same sex couple if you weren't looking too closely. Oh well, there are worse things than being mistaken for a couple in a committed relationship (like being mistaken for his mother!) Brian did get a really short haircut the next week, though...
We were immensely annoyed that our rear tire went flat in the first 10 miles. Dh had just put a new tire on which was supposedly bombproof, and it certainly appeared so when the two of us couldn't get it off the rim to change the tube. A support person stopped and then it was three people struggling to get the bombproof tire off. Ooof, but we lost a lot of time getting that !@#$%! tube changed! We started having shifting difficulties just before the Woodinville-Duvall rd climb. Pop, pop, pop went the derailleur as we climbed, and I was all for turning around and just driving up to Vancouver. I'd already had it. At the top of the hill there was a mechanic who adjusted the derailleur and it didn't give us any more guff after that. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful after that, all the usual landmarks; speedy trail ride, nasty, never ending climb up to lake cavanaugh, headwinds in Skagit Co and beautiful views and blessedly cold lemonade on Chuckanut dr. We rolled into Bellingham around 4:00 singing "We are the Champions".
We were feeling pretty good the next morning and really pushed the pace on the flats. We were roaring along at 20 mph until we realized that we were going to have to do "the wall" We ditched about half way and walked the rest of it, and I was doing more than a little grumbling about it. What a dirty trick! After that, my usual saddle complaints surfaced and we slowed considerably in an effort to keep my sitter happy. The rest of the ride was a blur of pain until the Seaside Trail. I thought the trail was beautiful, but I gotta say, as a route to finish a big ride like RSVP, it wasn't the best choice. We found navagating that tandem on the extremely crowded, narrow path to be one of the most exhausting sections of the ride. We were happy to get off the trail and onto the quieter residential streets near the finish. We felt pretty smoked as we crossed the finish and descended into the parking garage of the Coast Plaza. Nothing that a beer and burger couldn't fix, though.

[salsabike]

Thanks, Salsabike! When you mentioned doing the SIR Maltby 100K, I had a feeling you and/or your DH would probably know Auðunn. Is Chris doing the 600K this weekend? Auðunn left the house just after 3am to get to the start in Kent.

If you're used to doing SIR 100Ks, then RSVP is only a little longer, mostly flat, and very scenic. You and Chris should definitely plan to do it. Among Auðunn's rando buddies, we only ever see Steve DeGroot on the RSVP, but then most of the randos don't like the big crowded Cascade rides.

Hey, Marie! Chris REALLY wanted to do the 600 this weekend and signed up for it before he realized we had his Aunt Jean's 80th birthday party today and decided it was just not okay to miss that. It sounds hard--I mean, even harder than the usual SIR hard.

We've done some longer tandem rides, like one-day STPs, so I'm sure we would love RSVP, and people keep saying it's beautiful! We just can't seem to get the timing right--that is, we're always committed to other stuff. And next year, it'll be PBP for Chris again...

I think I met Auðunn on the incredibly wet spring populaire this year. We're in the middle of our third tandem P-12. I look forward to meeting you sometime as well.

lauraelmore1003, you are intrepid.

[MarieV]

Wow, lauraelmore1003, that's hilarious! I hope you gave that Seattle weatherman a hard time about the 0% chance of rain forecast once it started sprinkling at the RSVP start. I hate that Woodinville-Duvall Rd. climb so much, and if I'd had mechanical problems trying to climb it after standing out in the rain to change a flat, I would have thrown a temper tantrum and called a friend to come get me, so I could drive up to Vancouver. Considering how hard it was for me to maneuver the tight turns around all the posts, riders, kids, pedestrians, etc., on that Seaside bike path, I can't even imagine how much harder it must have been on a tandem. Yes, intrepid indeed!

Salsabike, that's too bad Chris wasn't able to do the 600K, but there will be other 600Ks and only one 80th birthday. I heard from Auðunn over two hours ago, and they still had to climb to White Pass and descend to the staffed control at Silver Beach Resort. Didn't sound like they'd be getting much sleep before starting again tomorrow. We may have to skip RSVP next year if Auðunn decides to do PBP. He's still on the fence since he hasn't completed a 1200K. He DNFed halfway through day 2 of the Cascade 1200K due to mechanical problems (rear disc brakes broke). I definitely want him to do PBP, so we can spend two weeks in France!

Wait, did you two do the Spring Populaire in early March that started in Green Lake went to Maple Valley then ended at Zeek's Pizza in Phinney? If so, then I've probably met you since I volunteered with Auðunn and Jan to stamp cards at Cowen Park and staff the food stop in Maple Valley. I remember a few tandems, but there were so many riders, and I was so cold and miserable in Maple Valley, I barely remember anyone. If it was that bad for us at the control, I can't even imagine how much worse it was for the riders. I vowed the next time we staff an SIR control/food stop when it's not summer we need to have one of those canopies, so we don't have to stand out in the pouring rain, and the riders can get a short break from the rain.

[salsabike]

YES!!!! I remember that control and I remember you and Jan and Audun there looking freezing and soaked. I also remember that you guys had all these great boxes of food--chocolate chip cookies, other good stuff--and that we were so drenched and chilly that we stopped for two seconds and then just kept rolling. That is the wettest ride I've ever done, and around here that's saying something! I felt for all the volunteers at the controls, since at least we could keep moving--although I have to say even though we were moving, that was a really cold ride. By the time we came around the end of Lake Washington Blvd., there were huge lakes of water right in the road and I just started to laugh--got drenched right up to the knees. I still remember the secret control in the Arboretum, too--those guys had no cover either. Definitely a canopy is needed for the volunteers?

How's Auðunn doing now?

You know...there's a 1000k in a couple of weeks he could do, if he really wants to get into PBP....would be fun to have you guys there. PBP is a huge pageant and hearing the riders talk about being cheered on by the cycle-loving French is just amazing. And we are actually planning to go back to Iceland for a week, after PBP, and want some of his advice about his most loved places there.

I don't do the longer rides. But I like the rando community a lot. Good folks.

I know this is WAY off the RSVP topic now. Sorry, guys!

[AppleTree]

I finally had a chance to read your ride reports in detail...reading on my iPhone wasn't cutting it, what great stories you have. Knowing that there is an alternate route that is doable on the hilly section near Lake Cavanaugh is priceless, I'll have to remember that if/when we do RSVP again. Marie, what fantastic pictures! And you really captured the essence of "The WALL" too. I didn't feel too bad walking it, when I saw much younger and fitter guys also walking up that monster.

Lauraelmore, I hope your sitter recovers in time for your next cycling adventure, so sorry you had trouble again... still hoping to catch up with you some day at a Cascade Event...

Thanks for sharing your stories everyone!

[shootingstar]

It would be tough to find 1 particular longish street that would take a large string/peloton of RVSP group riders into downtown Vancouver, in particular to the Coast Hotel without any traffic congestion from local cyclists, cars, etc. during the day. The only other option would be to choose a hotel about 2-3 km. away from downtown Vancouver. Downtown is downtown in any major city.

The longest separated bike lanes run through the heart of downtown but not straight to/by the Coast.

Great photos, good the weather was better on latter ride day.