Thursday, February 12, 2009

Hills of the West Coast Ride Reports

On Sunday, February 8th, we had our second HOWC of the year, and just like last week it was well attended, considering the weather. Last week we had 11 riders, and on the 8th we had 8 brave souls venture out into the cold but dry weather.

Jeff led both of the rides. On the 1st, he came up with somewhat different route than the norm, taking us through Bellevue, and then up through Microsoft in Redmond. We dropped down the 520 trail, and then immediately climbed back up via Old Redmond Road. We finished off with a few short, steep climbs in Medina before heading back downtown.

For a lot of the ride we seemed to be split into two separate groups. I was with the gang of four up front, and as I looked around, I was pleased to see that I was the only rider not in their 30’s. That felt pretty good!

On the 8th, we mostly stuck together as a group, taking turns on the front as we normally do. On both days we rode pretty hard for early in February, but it felt great to be out on the ride.

On the second HOWC of the year, Jeff took us on what I like to call the South Lake Washington Loop Expanded. Riding in a clockwise direction, we headed west on 89th in the Newcastle area instead of just dropping down Lake Washington Blvd. and the trail to Renton. After a brief stint on May Valley, we headed south on 148th, eventually finding ourselves at the Cedar River Trail where it provides access to Jones Road. We were back downtown in just over three hours after the usual quick blast up Rainier, and then Lake Washington Blvd. up to the I-90 overlook and tunnel.

I am looking forward to seeing a lot of you at the Team HPC “Meet the Team” ride on 2/28, and/or the HOWC on the following day.

Happy Chilly Hilly to all.

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