Pedals

My buddy and I were out trying to get some more pre-STP miles in last Saturday. We rode into Maple Valley, into Ravensdale, around Covington, and quite frankly, places I have no clue where we were.

When we were in the middle of nowhere, on a two lane poorly-maintained rural roadway without any houses nearby, a kitten, black and white with blue eyes, maybe no more than 6 weeks old, comes darting out at my friend as we pedaled along. He shouts, I didn't know what happened, as I hadn't seen the kitten, I just turn to see my friend's bike on the highway and him sitting in a slump on the shoulder.

Turns out, he hadn't hit the cat or anything, he just plopped down to cradle the scared kitten. I played traffic control waving off the two or three subsequent cars or heavy trucks blasting on by. That kitten surely wouldn't last long there if it was left where it ran out onto the road. We speculated it might have been dumped there by someone.

Still, we were into the ride about halfway of about 75 miles total. And we didn't have a practical way of carrying a live animal with us. So after five attempts, we successfully placed the cat far away from the roadway and were able to pedal away down the road.

The subsequent remainder of the ride was somewhat somber, my friend kept lamenting his GFs house wasn't far away and that coyotes would make a meal out of that little guy if an eagle didn't first. I tried to say that it might have a chance, but not really believing that to be true either.

We finished our ride and went back to our houses.

I get a text message (with photo attached) about 40 minutes later that read:
MEOW! I WENT BACK FOR THE CAT.
I HAVE IT NOW.

And a follow-up text:
NAME IS PEDALS.

Here's Pedals...

another STP preparation update

Two of us (I was one of them) put in 75-ish miles on Saturday.
A different two of us (I was one of them) put in about mid-30s Sunday.
In addition, I did a major couple hills yesterday in a short-ish ride of maybe 10-12 miles.

It feels good.

I think the worst part so far was dumping $250 + about $100 store credit at REI for two new pairs of fingerless Pearl Izumi gloves, two PI elite series bib shorts, a new short sleeve jersey, and two headsweats type beanies.

Though I think I'd rather be comfortable at 120 miles into the ride than miserable and still facing 80+ miles on day #2.

about 6 weeks until the STP ride!

I gotta focus and get some more hours and miles in the saddle!

200+ miles in two days??? We can do it!

And then at the end of July, I'm in the track class at Marymoor.

I'm happy to see summer almost here. :)

If you are seeking a Seattle area event, this Saturday, June 12th, there's there Flying Wheels in Redmond, WA.



Like hills? There's the High Pass Challenge in September.

Sunday's ride

35-ish miles in about 2:40.

Burnt about 1633 kCals.

my Saturday (rainy) ride

Here's my route from last Saturday.

40 miles in 2:50.

facility review: Cedar River Trail

Saturday morning, I rode a portion of the Cedar River Trail (connects Renton, WA and Maple Valley, WA) with a friend for about 28 miles total ride. We were on the trail at 7:00 am and back to our starting point within about 2 hours.

The Cedar River Trail is largely an asphalt paved trail and fairly level grade, though it is a mild uphill climb heading east-bound towards the city of Maple Valley.

A typical view of the Cedar River Trail...


Hazards include: stop signs forcing trail users to stop for a number of driveways along the route, a few signalized intersections, occasional (seasonal) mossy slime or frost in shady spots, other cyclists (some group rides come through here), walkers with iPods, and dog walkers. Note: near where the trail goes under interstate 405, there is a fenced off-leash dog park, so it is an intense area for dog walkers through here. The trail has a posted 15mph speed limit.

I should note a number of those "hazards" are present at any number of regional trails or at shared facilities throughout the country and not necessarily unique to the Cedar River Trail.

Amenities: there are bathrooms near the end of the trail near the Renton Boeing Plant and the mouth of the Cedar River where it meets Lake Washington. There are also bathrooms at the Renton library or Renton Community Center (near the portion which travels under interstate 405). There are bathrooms (port-a-potties) near the dog park and a bit further down the trail in Riverbend(unsure if this is what it is called...?) park.

More info posted to Trails.com.

A map is available from King County.

More maps of trails in the Renton, WA area.

Chilly Hilly photos

Links to photos galleries online I found of the weekend ride from various sources...

From the Kitsap Sun newspaper

Picasa user "skeptic53"

flickr user papahazama

flickr user wildcelticrose

flikr user Michael Snyder

I'll add more links as I find them.

A story in the Seattle Times published in advance of the event.

I survived my first Chilly Hilly!!! (and first group fun ride!!!)

33 miles, 2 hours and 30 minutes, over 3,000 kCals burnt.

My friend, Rob, uploaded ride data from his Garmin here.

starting to get geared up for 2010 events

I've registered for the 33 mile Chilly Hilly now, in addition to registering for the STP this year.

Also, in the past few weeks, I've gone on rides of 20-26 miles on varied terrain elevation with my friend, Bill, who is also planning to do the rides with me. We've also got a team coming together of mixed ability riders, but most of us are late 30s-mid 40s, not in prime shape but determined. There might be as many as 7 or 8 of us already... misery loves company.

It's about time to start looking for sponsorship (joking... sorta).