300 km
Ride: 300 km
Organizers: Peter Beeson, 206-618-9410; Duane Wright, 206-523-7404
Date: Saturday, April 9, 2005
Time: Start Time: 06:00AM (Registration Time 05:15AM - 05:50AM)
Start Location: Tacoma, Tacoma Dome Station
Address: Puyallup Ave. & East "G" Street
Finish By: 02:00AM (Allotted Time 20 hours)
Entry Fee: $15 SIR members $25 non-members. Medal additional $8.00 (Available to RUSA and BC Randonneurs members only). Please make all entry and membership fees payable to SIR.
Please download and fill out this Entry Form in advance.
Driving Instructions: From the north, I-5 Exit # 135. From the south, I-5 Exit #133. Puyallup Ave. is about 3 blocks north of the freeway (I-5 is E-W at this location). One can park for free (up to 24 hours) in the parking structure at the Tacoma Dome Station.
Equipment needed: Remember riding gear for inclement weather, bike tools, spare tubes, and food/water for yourself. All riders should be familiar with the SIR Brevet Riders Expectations - see http://www.seattlerandonneur.org/member/SIR_rider_expectations.html
Headlights (white and clearly visible from 150 yards to oncoming traffic), tail lights, and red rear reflectors are required. Note that many taillights are also legal reflectors. These may be checked and riders disqualified if they do not function. Functional lights must be mounted on bike at all times. Lights must be operating at night on each bike in a group. Blinking taillights are permitted, but note that these may bother other riders.
Reflective vests and leg bands are required for riding at night or during poor visibility. This is for your safety and others in the group.
Hand held flashlights or helmet mounted lights are recommended for repairs made in the dark.
As a courtesy to other riders, fenders (with 1/4 coverage front wheel and 1/2 coverage rear wheel) are recommended. Additional rear splashguards are recommended for group riding.
Route Description: Tacoma, Steilacoom, Dupont, Lacey, Rainier, Tenino, Olympia, Shelton, Union, Bellfair, Purdy, Tacoma.
End of the ride: Tacoma Dome Station
Route Sheet
- Map: Approach to Chehalis & Western Trail (PDF)
- Map: Chehalis & Western Multi-use Trail (HTML)
- Map: Approach to the Tacoma Narrows Bridge (PDF)
Pre-ride Notes
Nine of us pre-rode the course on Saturday (April 2, 2005). We had dry weather for the first 100 miles. Then it rained, fairly steadily, until about the last 100 miles.
The Chehalis & Western Trail was practically empty (though the gates, at intersections, are a bit annoying). We discovered that the Yelm - Tenino Trail has recently been completed (from just west of Rainier, to Tenino), so we continue on trails from Rainier Market (the first control) to Tenino. The Y-T trail has no annoying gates, though a new bridge was still closed, so we did a short stretch on SR-507.
The second control is in Centralia. We stopped at a small store but for the actual ride the route will take riders to the familiar Starbucks, Safeway, Subway, etc. intersection.
Here the route leaves its southern most point and heads north to Olympia.
The Blue Heron Bakery, in Olympia, was a welcome break (although the dark clouds finally caught us and it started to rain). Highway 101 had a bit of traffic, until Shelton, but there's a wide shoulder. Just after leaving the bakery we spotted Dave Reid, on Madrona Beach Road, coming back from a ride. Good timing (vis-a-vis the rain) on Dave's part!
On US-101 we only had one flat (Bob Brudvik). Bob was still high on all of the culinary delights from his recent trip to Europe.
The old familiar Union 76, in Hoodsport, was the next control. The rain kept up along the south shore of Hood Canal (SR-106). Karen Burns treated riders to pizza at Twanoh State Park.
From the intersection with SR-103, to Gig Harbor, there were lots of hills. SR-302 was surprisingly quiet (until the intersection with the Key Penninsula Highway). The several miles on Highway 16 were plenty. It's a good shoulder (but watch those rumble strips!). The Cushman Trail was traffic free (and well striped for night time travel). Overall the bicycle detour, approaching the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, is fairly well marked, though it's a bit hard to find the start of the trail. It's a hard right, while descending, so keep those eyes open!
One is then back on roads, before the final, short stretch (across the newly constructed lanes, that will lead to the future bridge) to the sidewalk of the old bridge. It takes a bit of good night vision, but it's actually striped and marked with flags.
There was general agreement that the trip across the bridge was preferable to racing for the last ferry (referring to the Tahuja 300k). But that's about ALL that we could say *positive* about the bridge experience. The walkway is narrow, and one must dismount twice (at the towers). There was a bit of debris but we plan to sweep the afternoon of the actual ride. As we neared the end of our bridge experience a long train passed underneath us on the tracks along the shore of the Sound. I'm sure it was an omen (but for WHAT I am NOT sure).
The route through Tacoma was quite peaceful, and we soon forgot the trauma of the bridge. The route passes by the stadium at UPS. In homage to the finish of the Portland 200k, there's then a stretch along Ainsworth Street! Then there's a steep descent, on 21st Street, to Pacific Ave., near the end of the ride. David Huelsbeck suggests using both brakes. Duane "Wuss" Wright made his stoker, Peg Winczewski, walk several of the steep blocks.
The parking (Tacoma Dome Station), for the start/finish, is covered, and we enjoyed the luxury!
Cumulative elevation gain
at Blue Heron Bakery (97 miles) 3000'
at Hoodsport (128 miles) 4200'
at finish (189) 6900'
Last Updated: 04.07.05