Ride: Mountain 100 km Populaire
Organizer: Jan Heine
Date: Saturday, October 8, 2005
Start Time: 9:00 am sharp (be there to sign in at 8:45 at the latest)
Start Location: Issaquah Park and Ride Parking Lot
Address: Corner of SR-900 and Newport Way, Issaquah
Entry Fee: None, all are welcome (SIR members or not).

Entry Form:

• 100 km Entry Form

Notes: The rules requiring lights and fenders will be waived for this ride. Be prepared to navigate according to a route sheet in the 'burbs with many opportunities to get lost.

Time Limit: All riders should finish the ride within 6 hours 40 minutes.

Course Description (may be modified to make use of new roads built in recent months): Same as two years ago: Start with the challenging, long Zoo climb of Cougar Mountain. For newcomers, don't despair - this is the most difficult of all the climbs on the ride. After you almost reach the sky, you drop down again to Lake Sammamish, only to climb Cougar again, this time the gentler, less steep side. A well-earned rest on rolling roads along Coal Creek and in the Maple Valley lead to Tiger Mountain, which from this side is neither as steep nor as long as some say it is. An exhilarating descent and a few fast miles put you back into Issaquah, where the brutal, but short Black Nugget Road awaits. You will be glad to leave the traffic of the Sammamish Plateau and drop into the bucolic Snoqualmie Valley. A rest at the coffee shop in Carnation leaves you strengthened for the finale of the ride: Tolt Hill both is longer and steeper than you anticipate, probably the hardest mentally of all the hills. With not much time to rest, Duthie Hill follows, then a very fast descent into Issaquah, where the finale is on the devilishly steep Mount Olympus Drive. When you think you have reached the top - Mount Everest Drive - the road turns and climbs some more. But the finish is not far, and there always is a party at the top. Really, how bad can a ride of 110 km with just 7 little hills really be? In fact, the climbs make up only about 8 miles/13 km of this 110 km ride - the rest is flat or gently rolling. (110 km, 1650 m/5400 ft of elevation gain).

End of the ride: Issaquah Park and Ride Parking Lot

Route Sheet

• 2005 PDF The course will change somewhat to avoid downtown Issaquah. The final route sheet will be posted soon.

Last Updated: 10.07.05