John’s Ramblings

Sunday was my first ride-leader gig for Cascade Bicycle Club at a pace other than leisurely. On tap was a 52 mile ride from Kent out to Black Diamond, on to the Green River Gorge, then home via Green Valley. The advertised pace was 16 mph, quite a jump from the 12 mph flat rides that I have been leading. We are required to list these rides over a month in advance, so I was still high on the endorphins from my STP in One Day extravaganza when I created this ride.

The route is one of my favorites in this area: beautiful scenic stretches through the woods, historical landmarks like the Black Diamond Bakery and the Green River Gorge Bridge, and the charming farmscapes of Green Valley.

I had been led to believe that we would actually have two speed classifications for this ride, the second being a 14 mph contingent. Against such a contingency, Terri agreed to ride “sweeper” for the ride in order to lead the less-zippy group. As it turned out, the second slower speed group did not materialize. Consequently, Terri dropped off the ride at mile 7.5, not needing to knock herself out trying to keep up with what proved to be a very strong group of 10 riders.

I, however, was on the hook for the duration. At about mile 12 the road pitches up for the long climb up Auburn-Black Diamond Road, also known as the “Hatchery Hill”. I’ve climbed this hill dozens of times, and the 400′ of climbing over a few miles is not a problem. I did, however, have a hungry pack of very fit riders right on my ass for the entire climb with visions of baked goods dancing in their heads. This changed the complexion of the ride for me, as I felt a constant pressure from behind to keep the pace.

We all made it to the Black Diamond Bakery, and we stopped for a 15 minute break and snack. We then left at the appointed time (that would be after 15 minutes had passed), but I apparently overlooked the absence of one person from my group, who had chosen to make a last second dash to the bathroom. My cell phone rang at the top of the next climb, and I was treated to a succinct dissertation on the benefits of counting heads before leaving a rest stop.

The rest of the ride went well. I was getting passed on the climbs, but the group would slow down at the top and wait for me and whoever else was at the back. We had one other rider slip off the back at some point, but she was able to catch up to the group when we made a stop at Green Valley Meats.

The ride was really well received, so I will likely schedule it again. Maybe I’ll do it as a quarterly or semi-annual thing. The next time, however, I think I will put it down as a 14 mph pace. As it was, I was working hard enough that I never even pulled out my camera, despite it being picture-perfect weather.

53 miles for the day, 3,219 ytd.

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