Seattle International Randonneurs (SIR) sponsored the first Cascade 1200 that started/finished in Monroe, Washington. Seventy-five riders from Canada and much of the U.S. began the ride at 6:00am on Saturday June 25 with hopes of finishing the ride before mid-night on Tuesday June 28 (that's 90 hours to complete the 767 mile course with approximately 40,000 vertical feet of climbing). I rode the course with Shane Balkovetz and over 500 miles with Jim Jensen, both of questionable sanity. Overall the course was divided into four segments with an "overnight" stay between segments.
Segment 1 (224 miles). From Monroe we headed generally south towards the first overnight stay in Carson near the Columbia River. The initial pace was blistering fast (plus 20 mph is fast for randonneuring) and we paid dearly later for not riding our own ride from the beginning. As we entered the RAMROD portion of the route we needed to detour past a parade in Buckley. Further down the road the riding took us over Elk Pass (elev. 4,080 feet) and Oldman Pass (elev. 3,100 feet). The day started out overcast and cool and transformed into partly cloudy with beautiful views of Mt. Rainier, Mt. Hood and St. Helens. We arrived at the Wind River Middle School just after mid-night, where food and showers were waiting. Luxurious sleeping accommodations were provided on the gym floor. Walking into the gym was rather like being in a science fiction flick with humanoid forms littering the floor in the dim light.
Segment 2 (213 miles). After an extended 3 hours of sleep, we ate breakfast and headed east up the Columbia River Gorge. Shane started (and ended) the day with an upset stomach but hung in there like a Montana boy should. Mists were hanging on the hilltops with a glorious tail wind and a paddle wheel boat heading up river. The early morning conditions hinted at a very warm day and we were not disappointed. The major climbs began early up to Goldendale via the Columbia River Breaks and then up to and over Satus Pass (elev. 3,100 feet). Around 3:00pm we arrived at the Toppenish control where we took advantage of air-conditioned comfort to grab a meal. From Toppenish we continued north to Mattawa over Rattlesnake Hills. The climb starts gradually and I blamed my slow progress on headwinds, but soon realized more uphill also contributed to my frustration. Near the top of the climb a cheerfully supportive Chris Thomas (with kids and a car) was braving the very windy conditions to provide water and other sustenance to those of us laboring up the climb. After the break it was only a short distance to the top and a marvelous descent to the Columbia River and Vernita Bridge. Rocket-ship Jim hit speeds higher than 50 mph. By this point the weather was changing and the wind was really howling. I was nearly blown off the bridge. After a very steep, but mercifully short climb (I think it should be named the Mark Thomas incline) we headed north to the Mattawa control and a seven mile stretch with head winds over 20 mph. This was true heartbreak and the Quincy overnight control was still a very dark 40 miles down the road from Mattawa. We finally arrived in Quincy around 1:30am to food, showers and the soft gym floor.
Segment 3 (168 miles). Another two and one half hours of sleep and breakfast put us in top form to tackle another day of climbing as only SIR can arrange. We headed to Farmer via Moses Coulee on U.S. 2. This would have been a great downhill, but we were headed in the "up" direction. From Farmer riding north was over rollers, similar to Redmond Cycling Club's (RCC's) Roller Coaster ride, only more of them, many more. After one of the steepest descents I have ever done, we crossed the Columbia river and headed to Brewster with, what else, more head winds. From Brewster the course headed generally west to Malott through some of the most beautiful orchard country I have seen in Washington. The only downside was that Malott was at the base of Loup Loup Pass (elev. 4,020 feet). Now this is a mountain pass that does not quit. We arrived at the top around 10:30pm and it was raining. The dark descent was long and frightening and seemed to drain what strength I had left in my shoulders and arms. The cars did not help much either, but Mazama was only 25 miles from the base of the pass, which does not seem long (yea right), now. We passed through Winthrop a little after mid-night, just after the convenience store closed, but only 13 miles from food and bed. Here is where all the stories of Randonneuring were validated for me. About EIGHT miles out from the control, I NEEDED to get off my bike and lie on the wet pavement for a short break. I was close to needing to do this again when I caught sight of what I though was a construction sign on the side of the road. But the 'sign' was Shane asleep, propped up by his bike. This was comic relief that got me to the control around 1:30am. Dinner, shower and bed, the wonderful same old, same old.
Segment 4 (162 miles). After riding a bit over 600 miles, the end was in sight, but there were bumps in the road (Washington Pass - Elev. 5,477 feet and Rainy Pass - Elev. 4,855 feet). After another several hours of sleep (3 hrs. - that many!), we headed out to the road with broken clouds and another long climb was our forcast. We arrived at Rainey Pass around 10:00am with some rain and bundled up for the long, long descent. Somewhere down the hill stout-hearted SIR volunteers manned the hot soup wagon and further down the hill we encountered RCC's, always cheerful, Don Boothy and his red pickup truck. After the Marblemount Control, we continued (always continuing) to Darrington (I recommend the Burger Barn) and the control in Granite Falls in the company of SIRs Paul Johnson. I curse the rollers on Jordan Road. The folks at the Chevron/McDonalds were really into helping the riders and after a chicken sand and fries we were ready for the final push to the finish. Only twenty and one half miles from the end with about 3 hours to midnight. At this point the four of us (me, Shane, Paul Johnson and Ken Krichman - what a group!) were in survival mode. Well, it got dark, the clock was ticking, and our navigation skills were in the toilet, but at least the signs were in English. We deliberately stopped at each turn and made sure we were on the right track for a wrong turn would be catastrophic. We arrived into the wasteland of US 2 Monroe but had a final Trails test in the form of speed bumps where I managed to crash, LITTERALLY JUST BEFORE THE FINISH in the parking lot. Bike still worked, I still worked (kind of) and limped to the finish to the cheers of those in attendance in 89 hours 27 minutes. Duane Wright (SIR rider and RCC's newsletter editor) would consider this a comfortable margin. (Ed. Note: Duane would be upset at not getting his money's worth, and would probably take a short 32 minute nap within sight of the finish!)
What an experience. In the past, I never, ever contemplated that I would be capable of doing something like this a few years after I hit 50. My goal for the year had been to do a Brevet series (200k, 300k, 400k, 600k). A little peer pressure (Shane and Jim Jensen) got me to sign up for the 1200k and at first I felt like a kid on the high road to adventure (I must have been high on something). After the SIR 600k reality set in and I looked in the minor and thought to myself, are you nuts? I think that Ron Himshoot (the brevet king) has it right, succeeding in this type of ride is physical but attitude also really counts; you gotta really want to get to the end.
Mark Thomas, Terry Zmrhal and Paul Johnson, who I understand were the primary organizers, deserve one hell of a lot of credit for putting this on. Their work reflects well on cycling in the Pacific Northwest, and while the course was tough, no one can complain about the variety of terrain. Equally impressive were all the volunteers who staffed the controls, overnights and fluid/calorie stops and they all deserve a massive amount of thanks. The smiling faces and how-can-I-help attitudes helped to push me on to a successful finish. Mark, Terry, Paul, if you ever set-up one of these insane rides again, sign me up AS A VOLUNTEER. On to PBP in 2007.
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