First 200k since the crash: Success!

Today 9/13/14 is 13 weeks since my collar-bone breaking crash on my R-4 200k ride in Wenatchee.  I wanted to get the R-12 series started again, and this was the only free weekend, plus the weather report was fantastic, so ready or not, I signed up for Route 2214 Mercer Island - Carbon river 200k route.  I had ridden many if not all the segments of the route before at various times, including a personal Bellevue-Gig Harbor ride in 2011, Phil's May Day Classic that ends at the same spot in 2013, and a just-riding-around Bellevue-Enumclaw and back ride.  All that is to say, I kind of knew what to expect.

I got a good fast start on Mercer Island. Parked at the Park-N-Ride, got on the bike, rode a few blocks to the QFC for a start control receipt, and I was on my way at 7:05, just 5 minutes after the "official" start time.

It was chilly this morning and although I had arm warmers and a nylon vest, my fingers and arms were still cold on the descents, and would stay that way for a couple of hours.

The route goes across to Bellevue and then up Coal Creek Parkway - as in elevation "UP". There was a lot of UP on the first 60 miles of the ride, and not too much down or flat.  It then winds through the eastern highlands of Renton, and Maple Valley before zooming down to the Cedar River Trail.  Of course, the trail is a gentle UP also -- and after a while, it becomes gravel.  Not the worst thing but I'd rather have road with my 32c tires.  And then the route jogs off to the right, up a steep little hill, to the Cedar River to Green River trail, also gravel.  And stays on it for 5 miles until it finally exits to a real road again.  Fortunately, the route passes one of my favorite bakeries, CJ's Bakery just outside Black Diamond.

I stopped at the Cenex in Black Diamond too, the "official" stop on the ride, to get a bottle of water to refill my empty bottle with.

On the way through Enumclaw, I feel the tell tale rumble of the back tire. It's going flat.  I pull off and sure enough, it IS flatted.  So I find a shady spot next to a fence and change it out. I picked up a tiny 2mm x 3mm thin white shard of something --I suspect a broken Botts Dott,.  Those road markers are very hard and if one was to break, it would be hard AND sharp, they break like glass.  I have one new tube, along with a patch kit,so I hope I don't get any more flats.  Repair time: 25 minutes. Hands are filthy now; I need to bring some wet wipes and a shop rag next time.

Once past Enumclaw, the route heads toward Wilkeson and tips up.  And it keeps going up for 12 miles, including a 8% one mile climb just outside of Wilkeson.  A few miles later, it goes over an impressively high one lane bridge "Carbon River Bridge" by Jet Lowe - US National Park Service, [1]Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by User:Jay8g using CommonsHelper.. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

After another 5 miles of sunny flats and climbs I reached the high point on the trip, 1875 feet high.

 And then immediately scrubbed off 150 feet of that (arrgh) to continue the last stretch to the Carbon River entrance to Mount Rainier Park.  At this point we are just a few feet higher than the river, which is just off to the left.  People are camping on the narrow strip of land between the road and the river.  Although it was far below us when we crossed the bridge, the river bed has been rising and rising as we go upstream, and eventually we meet up.

I got to the turnaround, sat down and ate the banana I had bought at the QFC for my start control receipt, a little water, bathroom break, and then back on the road to return to Mercer Island.  I wasn't quite half way, yet, but it had been a long climb and I figured it should be easier going back.

Well, it WAS easier, for a little while.  There are a few short climbs mixed in with the downhills back to Wilkeson, but the downhills rule.  Arriving in Wilkeson, I realized I was not going to get to hit the gas station I had stopped at on the way up, where I had purchased a Maple Bar and gotten some free water refills at the pop machine, so I stopped at a gas station and bought a small Starbucks Mocha in a bottle, along with water.  I downed the Mocha and filled my bottle.  The proprietor had a coffee can for donations to "The Skate Park" which I had seen going in about a half mile back.  I gladly tossed in my change, who doesn't want to see kids having fun at a skate park?

OK, recharged, sort of, I'm on my way. Although I'm going downhill, there are some uphills and flats that begin to test me, and I start to feel the effects of the 13 week layoff from riding,  Legs just don't want to move like they used to , feel a little achy and lethargic.  Whatever, I have to finish.

After another screaming downhill, I arrive at the Foothills Trail.  This is a wonderful paved multi-use trail, and it was in full use today with joggers, families on bikes, kids on bikes, and walkers.  I rode this about 10 miles to Orting where I needed another control receipt. Fortunately the Orting Bakery was open and was glad to refill both water bottles with cold, fresh, filtered water while I bought a large chocolate chip cookie for just $1.00. I will buy water if I have to but I prefer to buy food and get the water for free.  From here I have about 50 miles to go and am optimistic.  It will get easier and also harder.

If Mount Rainier, a domant volcano, erupted, the glaciers would melt and send rivers of water, mud and rocks speeding downhill toward the towns in the flatlands including Orting.  And that's why they have Lahar warning sirens and signs directing you to higher ground:

The foothills trail has a gentle downhill slope and I was sorry to see it end.  I follow the route through the industrial area of Sumner, first on horrible torn up roads, and then on the new Industrial Park roads.  The route north on the Industrial park road is fine, except that I'm getting really tired now, and need to rest.  I find a grassy spot and lay down for a few minutes in the shade.  The road itself is smooth but wide and fully exposed to the sun and to the headwind that has started up.  Really more like a head-breeze, but I can see flags almost straight out, so it's not something I'm enjoying.  I slog along at a blistering 11-12 miles per hour on the flats, calculating what time I can expect to get back.  I was hoping for 12 hrs by7:00 PM, or 12:30  or 13;00 at the latest.  That puts me in at 8:00 and it's practically DARK by then.  I have lights but no confidence in the batteries (remind self to carry spares!)

Eventually I find myself at the far end of the Interurban trail that heads due north.  I have about 12 miles on this trail. It's similar to the Industrial Park in Sumner.  Straight north, with the headwind but at least the sun is at my back left quarter and not baking my quite as much.  I plug along and finally stop for a short rest in the shadow of one of the large concrete bases for the powerline towers that the route follows.

When I get to Renton at long last, I am once again on familiar ground, this was my commute to Tukwila for a year.  However, because the route follows the west side of the lake, not the east side like I'd normally take, rather than follow busy Renton Avenue, it goes UP again (!!!!) and I am really not happy about this.  After climbing for a couple of blocks I'm feeling tired and hungry, so I pull over and grab a Gel out of my bag and suck it down along with some water.  The road parallels Renton Ave and eventually heads down a steep hill that requires braking off some of my precious kinetic energy before turning left and joining Renton Ave.

From here it's just the Lake Washington Loop, with a cut-off over I-90.  I follow the route and once I get onto Lake Washington Blvd, I'm under 10 miles to go. It's just after 7:00 and I know I'm not going to make 7:30.  As I ride along the lake, I see a man flying what appears to be a paper airplane -and it's flying really well.  I just was making paper airplanes for my sunday school class last week, and mine don't fly at all so I'm very interested.  I asked him if he'd show me how to make it, and he did.  I even shot a video of it so I can replicate it this Sunday.  Watch the video here.

And so with just two more climbs we will be back. One up through the park to get to the top of I-90 and then one on the east side of the I-90 trail. Picture below shows the glow of the headlights on I-90 floating bridge and city of Bellevue off to the left.

  I just put it in low gear and slug it out.  I'm not in any hurry at this point, my front light is nearly dead but so am I,   All I can do is find a pace I can hold, even if it's just 5 mph uphill, or 10 mph on the flats.  The time limit is 13.5 hrs, and if I finish in 13 hrs I'll still be good.  That's the great thing about Randonneuring, it's not about finishing fast, it's about finishing at all and in the time limit.  And as we can see, the limits are pretty generous -- even a guy with no riding in the last 13 weeks can do a 200k!  And it turns out this was the same time I had on the Wenatchee 200k back in June with my buddy Zach, although at the end of that ride, (broken bone notwithstanding) I had a lot more in the tank than I had today.

Time to celebrate!  My R-12 is back started again, I didn't die, I finished on time, I didn't crash, and aside from asking myself a few times "Why am I doing this?" I had fun.

PS: This route relied on a number of regional multi-use trails including: I-90 trail, Cedar river trail, Cedar to Green River Trail, Foothills trail, and the Interurban trail.