After last year’s cycling/hitchhiking adventure on the infamous “Three Volcanoes 300k”, I decided to focus on developing more experience on longer distance rides within supported and group rides. My primary goal was to complete RAMROD within the allocated time. If I couldn’t make it, I knew there would be a support van to scoop me up and I wouldn’t have to fabricate a cardboard sign with my destination or practice my pathetic/forlorn/desperate facial expressions. I had no intention of doing any randonneur rides longer than 200k.

I did complete RAMROD and, in fact, felt very good and strong at the end. Hmm….I could probably ride another few hours. So, the cycling goals and ambitions creep. Maybe I should try to do a 300k, now that I’m in shape, and the weather is so good, and the hours of daylight are still long. But, I was not going to do that godforsaken “Three Volcanoes 300k.” So, I found a reasonable looking 300k in B.C. and two willing companions, Peg Winczewski and Steve Otten, to help me enjoy the ride.

Well, it felt good to complete a 300k, but I definitely wasn’t going to do a 400k – I would save that goal for next year. (I had already exceeded my goals for the year – no need to get cocky.) Except, Peg had planted a seed. Before the 300k, she asked me if I would be interested in the SIR 400k if this ride went well. I said no, I had already signed up for the two-day RAPsody ride on the same date. (That was a convenient excuse). But, the goals continued to creep. Once again, I reasoned, I’m in shape right now, the weather is good, I’ve done significant portions of the route, there’s still quite a bit of daylight, and I’ve got a very experienced companion to ride with me. The logic was irrefutable, although I’m not sure that much of randonneuring is based on logic and reason.

So, somehow, I found myself in Enumclaw’s King’s Motel at around 4:30 A.M. on Saturday, August 27 signing in for the 400k. It was humbling to sign in while Chris Ragsdale, a very fast rider, talked to Don Harkleroad about when he expected to arrive at Chinook Pass. It made me realize that, since I expected to be the outer bound on the other end, the SIR volunteer at the pass would have to be there a very long time! Don asked Peg and me if we were going to stick together. I joked to Peg that maybe the SIR folks were afraid that I would write some sort of nasty letter if I DNF-ed on this ride and had to hitchhike home again. I noticed that folks were not too chatty and no one really said hello. I mentioned this later to Peg and she said that people are often nervous and tense before these rides. That completely shocked me – all these SIR veterans nervous about a “little” 400k ride? Well, nice to know I wasn’t the only one.

The departure is always exciting – the whir of all those bicycles. This was my first start in the dark. I think I’ve read this in many ride reports, but it truly is neat to see all the dots of lights and reflectivity going down the road. Soon I was at the tail end watching the lights receding with Peg and a couple others behind me. On one section of a curvy downhill, there was a car behind me that wouldn’t go past. So, I kept moving a little further to the right and slowing down a little to let it go. Finally the “car” went past….it was actually the four cyclists who had been riding behind me – the noise was the air whooshing past my ears and the “headlights” were two cyclists riding side-by-side. Our group consisted of Peg, Dan Fender, Brian List, and Paul Whitney – a very enjoyable and sociable group to ride with. The five of us rode together to Skate Creek Road, and then it was just Peg and I.

At Packwood, I was surprised to see a few other cyclists. I always assume that I’m so much slower than others that I won’t see another cyclist after the start. I guess this is a good mind game (keeping the expectations low) because then I’m pleasantly surprised when I do run into other randonneurs. The climb to White Pass was slow and steady but did not seem particularly difficult. At one point we passed someone on the climb who asked Peg if he was the “lanterne rouge”. I didn’t know what that was – I asked her if it meant your face was red from exertion – if so, I was a “lanterne rouge” too! She informed me that it is the term for the last person in the group.

At White Pass, I found some unusual food items, including wasabi almonds. I think it’s part of the fun and challenge of randonneuring, to find special food “treats” amongst the questionable food items available at your average convenience store. Peg commented on what a good eater I was – both my ability to consume and to keep it down. I said that that was always my “problem”, but it turns out that it is an enviable trait in a randonneur. When it comes to eating on a ride, I figured, “If I could, I should.”

After the downhill towards Yakima Valley flattened out, I had a bit of a low point. My feet were on fire and I felt sluggish. I met Peg at the intersection of Route 410 and grumbled about how nice it would be if I were on the RAPsody ride – I would have had a nice massage and dinner at some friend’s house right about now. Peg asked if I was really regretting my choice, and I said no, it was just idle complaining to release my negative mental energy.

I was again surprised to see some friendly rando faces, both coming back along the road towards us and at the control in Yakima. Most patrons of the Yakima store said it was too hot to be biking and we agreed. We were glad to see our friend, the lanterne rouge, arriving at the control – he said he was going to take a little nap. The trip back up the valley towards Chinook Pass was probably the toughest for me – it was hot and there was a headwind. Thankfully, I had Peg, the seasoned veteran to suggest that we each pull for a mile. After we swapped a few times, I mentioned that it really made the time go faster, and she said that was the point! (Ahh…the mind games again.)

I was relieved for the darkness as we started climbing. The next control was longer coming than I hoped. For each little lighted area on the horizon, I would get my hopes up that this was it. I even made Peg pull over and double check our computers to make sure we didn’t go past it by accident – she humored me.

The Clifdell store was a welcome sight. I was craving chicken strips and JoJos, but was dismayed to see the warmer rack completely empty! The folks in the store were extremely nice and heated us up some hot dogs. After devouring the delicious processed meat treat, it was back out into the night.

This next portion of the ride is a bit hazy in my memory, perhaps because it was a bit hazy during the event. Peg asked if I was feeling sleepy, and I said I wasn’t sure if I knew the difference between sleepy and exhausted! I was feeling very uncoordinated on the bike. It was difficult to ride a straight line and Peg commented on the fact that I was lurching. I’m not sure if I responded appropriately to this constructive criticism – the word “lurch” struck me as incredibly amusing and caused me to launch into a very poor rendition of the theme song from the Addams Family. I really enjoyed the night riding. Of course, the fact that it was a beautiful summer night with tons of stars and silhouettes of mountains probably helped. The rustling sounds in the woods were a little creepy, but I was too tired to get very worked up about them, even though it sounded like someone hacking through bushes with a machete.

We finally arrived at Ron Himshoot’s secret control at Chinook Pass after midnight. Peg had promised me that cup-a-soup was an SIR staple at passes. Alas, another food-related disappointment, no cup-a-soup. I settled for lukewarm coffee. Ron asked if we were the last ones and we said John Campbell was behind us. Ron said, “What’s he doing back there? He’s fast.” Ron explained that John had been a track racer and a randonneur, but hadn’t done much recently. John arrived soon after us, and we all descended together.

I was fortunate to have these two companions because my battery-powered LED lights seem to be losing their juice. The trip to Enumclaw was familiar and as long as I remembered from my RAMROD experience. Fortunately, the time went quickly with the company of Peg and John. It was particularly fun to ride three abreast with the road to ourselves. Except for that darn truck that kept passing us and pulling over and then passing again. It was Ron. Peg suggested that I was getting special treatment – she had never had the benefit of an escort on previous rides. We laughed again that they wanted to make sure I actually made it to the finish, for fear that I would write a nasty letter (or worse) if I didn’t make it.

We finally made it to King’s Motel at 4:30 A.M. I was expecting it to take 24 hours, so we were ½ hour ahead of my target. Fortunately, the “special treatment” continued. In order to let Peg and I have a room to ourselves, Ron was ousted from the room he was in. I didn’t really think we needed this special treatment, but I saw no compelling reason to argue. I wolfed down the chili served up by Mr. Don. I noticed that it had an unusual smoky flavor. Once again, Peg, the veteran, clarified things for me – that was not “smoky flavor,” it was burned chili that had been on the burner too long. That’s what happens when you’re the lanternes rouge.

I consider myself lucky to have had such a smooth, positive experience on my first 400k. I really appreciated Peg’s company – it really helped to keep my spirits up and the mental self-flagellation (i.e., “what the h___ am I doing out here?”) to a minimum. I know I probably won’t be so lucky on all my future rides, but this was a fine introduction to the challenge of riding continuously for nearly 24 hours.

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Just five to ten years ago, wool was still thought of as quite itchy and indeed much of the clothing available lived up to that name. Fifteen to twenty years ago, most cycling clothing was wool – jerseys and shorts. If you hunt around you can find some wonderful old team jerseys. Some of these lived up to the reputation of being itchy, some didn’t. None of it matches what you can get today. A couple years ago you didn’t have many options. Today as you read on there are more and more options. There isn’t a lot of cycling specific clothing though there is a lot of high quality performance wool underwear available in various thicknesses. In some cases I hesitate to call it underwear because it’s nice enough to wear around town.

Here’s a primer below to help with your search for wool. Before you go hunting, there are a few things you should know. Most of it isn’t cheap; a typical jersey is around $90, tights are $100+, leg warmers are $45, a typical midweight long-sleeve underwear is $60. Most of it is really hard to find, in fact you’ll probably have to order most of it to feel it and try it on. Most of it is even harder to find on sale. Most of it is fairly bland – a couple solid colors though still quite nice looking and definitely will last a long time. So what’s the good news about wool. All of it will last a long time when well cared for. Almost all of it is worth it! You can wear it from the coldest temperatures on up to 80+ degrees and be comfortable with appropriate layering. You can stay warm even when it’s wet. One of the best characteristics is it almost never smells – no more polypro stink!

Now that you know what you’re in for, here’s what I know about what’s available and where to get it.

Ibex (www.ibexwear.com)

Summary: An American company out of Vermont. They have some really nice stuff though usually pretty pricey, probably some of the most expensive stuff out there.
Price: Probably the most expensive stuff out there. Some of it is close to being inline with other cycling clothes, some of it is way out there.
Where to Buy: You can buy Ibex at their website. Occasionally www.rei-outlet.com and www.sierratradingpost.com have some. Locally, Ti Cycles, Sammamish Valley Cycle, Feathered Friends and Second Ascent carry various pieces. I’ve occasionally seen a couple pieces at REI, but you really have to be looking.
What do they sell: They sell almost everything cycling related and outdoor related - arm warmers, leg warmers, knee warmers, ¾ tights, tights, lots of wool jerseys (ls and ss), vests, jackets/windjackets, underwear.
Quality: Top Notch!
Softness: The clothing is pretty soft while the jackets and vests are a little rougher, but they aren’t next to your body either.
Tips: The best tip I have is get their stuff on sale during their twice-yearly end-of-season clearance sale. Many items are 40-50% off.
Cons: The sizing can be weird at times as well. Their lineup tends to change from year to year as well so it’s hard to recommend something from a year ago or to get it again. Also the jerseys can have weird pocket angles, or no pockets so check it out first.
What do I have: I have an equal mix of cycling clothes and general wear clothes.

Smartwool (www.smartwool.com)

Summary: Mostly known for their socks though they have some underclothes as well.
Price: Not as pricey as Ibex, but still a minimum of $60 for anything.
Where to buy: Locally, REI has a few items though not too much. You’ll have to search various websites to find exactly what you’re looking for. Most places don’t carry the full line.
What do they sell: Socks, gloves, underwear, outdoor clothes.
Quality: Top Notch.
Softness: Their stuff is really soft!
Tips: Rarely seen on sale except socks at STP. Most of the underwear looks good enough to wear around town.
Cons: Their stuff used to be more than 80% wool, but some of it is now closer to 60-68% wool, so check each item.
What do I have: Socks, gloves, a few pieces of underwear.

Craft (www.craft-usa.com)

Summary: They make popular lines of cycling and athletic underwear and have recently started adding a few wool items.
Price: Unknown
Where to buy: Any local shop that gets stuff through QBP should be able to get it. Otherwise, search the web. I believe SVC and Ti Cycles have a few items.
What do they sell: underwear
Quality: I’m not sure.
Softness: Unknown.
Tips: None
Cons: Wool seems to be a niche, and not their regular thing.
What do I have: None

DeVold (www.devold.com)

Summary: a Norwegian company than makes clothes and underwear, seems to be just starting to make in-roads in the US.
Price: Seems to be about average from what I’ve seen.
Where to buy: Locally Sammamish Valley Cycle carries a few items. Also a few items at Rivendell (www.rivbike.com).
What do they sell: Underwear at least. Their website is in Norwegian so I can’t really tell what else they have.
Quality: The items I’ve seen at top notch.
Softness: Awesome. I have one short-sleeve item that is top notch.
Tips: Could be a hidden gem in the world of wool.
Cons: Not much to say.
What do I have: One short-sleeve base layer that’s awesome.

Rivendell (www.rivbike.com)

Summary: The retro-grouches of the world. They have really helped to bring wool back into style.
Price: Some of the best priced stuff available.
Where to buy: At their website.
What do they sell: They have some stuff under their own brand name of Wooly-Warm (which seems to be dying) and a few random items they get here and there. They have jerseys (l/s and s/s), arm/leg warmers, tights, head bands. They also sell some DeVold stuff.
Quality: It varies depending on the items, but usually above average. The Wooly-Warm stuff isn’t as heavy as some others.
Softness: Again, it varies, but usually above average.
Tips: Get it while they have it because it’s very inconsistent.
Cons: Get it while they have it because it’s very inconsistent and once it’s gone, it’s usually gone. The one jersey I have tends to stretch a bit.
What do I have: Arm warmers, jerseys, headband

Kucharik (www.kucharik.com)

Summary: The original wool in the US – they go back a long way.
Price: Fairly reasonable
Where to buy: At their website.
What do they sell: Everything bike related – jerseys, tights, shorts, arm/leg warmers.
Quality: Not too sure – I have one pair of leg warmers and I’d call them medium.
Softness: Again, not too sure – the one pair of leg warmers I have are not soft, but not itchy either.
Tips: None
Cons: My leg warmers have shrunk a bit.
What do I have: Just the leg warmers.

Icebreaker (www.icebreaker.co.nz)

Summary: A New Zealand company that makes some really nice stuff.
Price: Pretty well up there, especially considering the exchange rate.
Where to buy: Nowhere in the US that I know of sells it. Here’s one NZ dealer (http://www.run79.co.nz/).
What do they sell: Nothing bike specific – general outdoor clothing and underwear.
Quality: Awesome!
Softness: Some of the best out there!
Tips: The website has great descriptions of different thickness and layering. Lots of great colors.
Cons: Other than price and trying to find it, none. You’ll just have to order it and hope it works.
What do I have: Quite a bit – I was paid for cat-sitting for 8 months with Icebreaker clothing.

Pearlizumi (www.pearlizumi)

Summary: Every once in awhile, Pearlizumi makes wool tights. If you ever see them, get ‘em – they are the best wool tights I’ve ever had. About 10 years ago, they made a wool jacket – haven’t seen it since though.

Sportwool

Summary: A 50/50 blend of wool/polyester used by Bellweather and now used by Zoic I think. Ok stuff. Keeps you warm though mine is starting to get their polypro stink a little. Lots of Zoic stuff on Ebay.

Salsa (www.salsacycles.com/)

Summary: Salsa is one of the brands of QBP.
Price: Average
Where to buy: Any shop that orders from QBP.
What do they sell: jersey, arm warmers, leg warmers
Quality: I saw these at REI once and the quality was above average.
Softness: The item I saw at REI was not soft, but not itchy either.
Tips: None
Cons: You have to order it to see it.

Surly (www.surlybikes.com)

Summary: Surly is one of the brands of QBP.
Price: Average
Where to buy: Any shop that orders from QBP.
What do they sell: black wool jerseys
Quality: Unknown
Softness: Unknown
Tips: None
Cons: You have to order it to see it.

Spot Cycles (www.vintagevelos.com)

Summary: A really, really nice brand from Italy, aka Alessandro.
Price: On the upper end.
Where to buy: Vintage Velos. You’ll see some custom jerseys (e.g. SIR, Palo Alto Cycles, River City Cycles)
What do they sell: L/S and S/S jerseys, trainers, underwear, socks, headcap.
Quality: Awesome – some of the nicest and heavier stuff available.
Softness: Great!
Tips: None
Cons: Takes awhile to get them custom SIR jerseys!
What do I have: Couple SIR jerseys.

Santini

Summary: I’ve seen them at the Bike Expo, but don’t know where to get their stuff and don’t know much about their stuff. I think it’s only 80% wool, but I’m not sure. They also have heavier cycling sweaters which are really nice. I have their business card somewhere. You can also order custom jerseys.

Ebay

Summary: Search for wool under cycling stuff. A big mixture, but some cool old designs.

Second Ascent

Summary: A shop in Ballard that sells new and used outdoor gear. They have really classic, old wool stuff. They have a few Ibex pieces as well.

REI

Summary: REI has a few wool pieces under the REI brand name. Hard to find and I don’t know much about them.

DeFeet

Summary: They sell some nice wool socks. Check them out at SVC.

Swobo (www.swobostore.com)

Summary: Ah – one of the originals. A small company in SF that made some of the best wool stuff in the US. They went under awhile ago, but you can occasionally find some stuff on ebay. They are supposedly making a comeback as their website is active again.

Other

Summary: I also know people who get cheap wool sweaters from Target or such and just use those.

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What an amazing club!

In case you didn’t already know it, this is an incredible club! It’s because of you! How incredible is it? Read on to learn what makes the club so unique and a little of the history.

SIR was started back in 1994 by John Wagner with the help of a number of others. It stayed relatively small for awhile until the last couple years when the membership has really grown. Back in 1994, membership was a couple dozen, by 2000 it had grown to 60, now it stands at 160! That means we are one of the largest local randonneuring clubs in the world – bigger than some national memberships. Our 160 members make up almost 10% of RUSA members. We’ve had an amazing 10-20% growth every year for the past 5 years or so. That’s faster than RUSA or the UMCA has grown.

Perhaps in a few years we’ll reach the level of Randonneurs BC though they do have 15 years on us!

We also lose 10% of our members each year. I’ve been involved with ultra-cycling for 14 years and that’s better than average. There are some who come out for a lifetime, others stick around for a decade, though many give is a try, meet the challenge and their goals, and then move on to something new. That’s part of life, including the life of the club. After all randonneuring is always going to a niche - and that’s part of its appeal as well.

Going from 60 members to 160 members in 5 years means most may not realize that the club hasn’t always had as much going on as we do now. For many years the brevet season basically ended at the end of June! The winter training series didn’t start until 1999; the fall 200k didn’t exist until 2000; the summer series didn’t start until 2002 – the same with the spring populaire; the mountain un-populaire didn’t start until 2003. The fall social is only a couple years old as well. SIR is well on its way to establishing some great traditions and great events. SIR has grown in events and members hand in hand and it’s worked great.

Since its inception SIR has always been ahead of the game. We’re still one of the very few randonneuring only clubs in the US. Many randonneuring groups are simply an RBA or are affiliated with a local club. That very first year, SIR held what I believe was the first sanctioned 1000km brevet in the US! In 1997, SIR held the first ever US Fleche – it was another 5 years before another group hosted one in the US. I believe we’re still the only randonneuring club in the US with custom wool jerseys! We’ve had a website and newsletter since 1994. We are one of a handful of clubs that have successfully hosted a 1200k with more than 50 people (the only others are RM1200, BMB, Gold Rush, LEL, and PBP - and maybe the Scandanavian one)! Our guests at the Cascade 1200 were impressed: “The quality of the SIR club was really revealed in a great way,” effused one rider. There are only a handful of regions in the country that have more history and experience with randonneuring than right here in Seattle.

One of the most unique aspects of SIR is how it’s run. Many areas have a single RBA who does most of the work. For most of its existence, SIR has spread the work around through the amazing efforts of its volunteers. This not only includes organizing brevets, but also the officers, the executive board, wool jerseys, populaires, off-road events, fall social and more. Each year SIR hosts 10-17 events including brevets, populaires, socials, etc. If you include pre-rides, the training series, jerseys, those opportunities are well beyond 25. SIR could not offer as many opportunities as it does without the volunteers. In many cases, volunteers initiate the new activity on their own and just get it done. I’d say on average about 20%-25% of SIR members help out in some way each year. That number is even higher this year with the Cascade 1200 where so many people kicked in including many non-members.

I continue to be pleasantly surprised every time I think about these numbers and where the club is.

So what’s next? Well that depends on you. Paul has put together an online survey which we’d like you to complete. We want to know how the club is doing in your eyes and what else you’d like to see.

Do you want to see the club expand? The club has plenty of possibilities for expansion, if just 5% of RAMROD entrants joined SIR, that would be another 35 members!

Wouldn’t it be great to see more women riders out there? It’s possible, but we need to provide for the safety of those riders and then we need to recruit them. Who wants to lead the charge here?

Do you want to see more support? That means more volunteers – can we do it?

Do you want a 200k every month for the R12 award? Cool! How do we do that?

We understand not everyone can volunteer or has the time and not every year. Still this is your club and it will become what you make of it. Pick your passion with the club and volunteer and help us continue to be one of the most amazing and unique randonneuring clubs in the world!

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Membership Address:
c/o Terry Zmrhal
9531 112th Ave NE
Kirkland, WA 98033
425-828-7818