The 2006 Ride Around Mount Rainier in One Day was my big cycling goal for the year. As in 2003, I traveled from Connecticut to do this ride that I have done a number of time in the past. I had been staying with my friend Gordon who was joining me on the ride.
We got up early and drove from his home in Renton to the start in Enumclaw. When we arrived there were not too many cars yet in the parking lot, so we found a good parking place, and beat the crowd to the packet pickup.
We got on the road before the sun came up. The local police were at main intersections to control traffic as we made our way out of town. As usual in this ride, I always tell myself I’m going to take it easy on the first part of the ride, but I usually find myself in a group and the competitive spirit takes over. Plus, the first part of the ride has narrow roads and you have to deal with some drivers an their way to work who are not excited about big groups on the road, so it just feels safer to me to string the group out single file than to constantly be passed by large groups of riders.
We were some of the first cyclists to reach the first water stop just past town of Eatonville. We stopped just fast enough to fill our water bottles before continuing on to the Mt. Rainier park entrance. For this next part of the ride the roads are much better for cycling, but it is a gradual uphill. Some of the interesting sights along this section of the ride are the old steam train in Elbe, and a yard full of large metal animal sculptures.
Just before the park entrance was the first food stop of the ride, and as usual the RAMROD had great food with a great assortment of bagels, fruit, and cookies. We stopped and refilled the tank before heading into the park.
The park entrance fee is included with your ride registration fee, so on the way into the park the riders are directed through a set of cones where the park ranger checks to make sure you have a number and are paid for the ride.
After you enter the park, you begin a gradual climb through the thick old growth forest, with an occasional view of the mountain when there is a break in the trees. The first really good view of Mount Rainier is at the Longmire Ranger Station where there is a lodge and some very scenic meadows.
Just after Longmire the climbing gets a little more steep as the road heads up toward the Paradise. Along the way there is a great view of the Nisqually River and Glacier from one of the bridges. This year there was a construction project going on at the Paradise parking lot, so the ride turned off before heading all the way up.
Along the climb to Paradise there were some more great views of the mountain. There is a nice little downhill after the Paradise climb, then one more climb before descending to Box Canyon. At this point the organizers had stopped all the cyclists at a turnout because a rider up ahead had crashed, and they blocking off the road so that a helicopter could come and land to pick up the injured cyclist and fly him a hospital.
This was a reminder that these beautifully scenic roads also could be dangerous if you are not using caution. There are some steep downhills, sharp corners, and long drop offs. If you take a corner a little to fast, it could really be seriously injured.
We sat there for a little while trying to find some shade, as it was really starting to warm up in the sun. After the road finally opened up again we got back in the saddle, but then it wasn’t far before we stopped at Reflection lake to take a photo, which is probably the most popular stop to take a photo of the mountain.
After Reflection Lake the descent to Box Canyon is one of the most fun parts of the ride with some sweeping switchback turns, and then a long winding descent to the next food stop. The Box Canyon food stop was again well stocked with food. I saw at least one rider there with some road rash who must have fallen on one of the tricky turns.
After the food stop there was just a little more downhill before the turn to Cayuse Pass. I had a rear blinking light on my bike that fell off on the downhill so I had to stop and turn around to get it, but it was pretty much broken into pieces from hitting the pavement.
The climb to Cayuse Pass is always a killer. It comes at the 100 mile mark in the ride, and it takes me about an hour and a half to climb. The last time I did RAMROD in 2003 it was really hot and I had to stop a few times to cool off. This year I felt much better on the climb. Not only was I in better condition this year, but it was cooler, and I think getting an earlier start helped us get to the climb while some of the road was still in the shade instead of in the full afternoon sun.
After a stop to recover at the top of Cayuse Pass there is another fun downhill to the park exit, and the Crystal Mountain turnoff, where the final food stop is located. This is where they have the RAMROD Deli. The great volunteers will make you a sandwich just the way you want it, and there was plenty of other food to help the riders top off their energy and make the final miles back to Enumclaw.
The final 30 miles or so back to finish are mostly gradual downhill, but there was a headwind. We settled into a good pace and finished up the ride feeling good. I’m glad I made the trip out to do this ride again because it had to be one of the best in the country.
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