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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Bike riders gearing up for RAMROD

Bradley Bleck Special to Outdoors

While this winter has been the worst for snow lovers, it has been among the best for cyclists who would rather ride outside than on an indoor trainer. The dry weather has enabled riders to prepare for the many organized rides that test a cyclist’s mettle.

This year cyclists has not excuse but to be in shape, even for the long spring rides such as the annual May Tour of the Swan River Valley sponsored by the Missoula Bicycle Club.

Plenty of challenging rides are scheduled within a day’s drive of Spokane—Tour des Lacs out of Spokane, Wenatchee Century, Tour de Blast near Mount St. Helens (maybe, depending on the volcano’s mood), Seattle to Portland (STP) and the Scenic Tour of the Kootenais Ride (STOKR) out of Libby, Mont., to name just a few.

But the Ride Around Mount Rainier in One Day, otherwise known as RAMROD, is among the toughest of these rides. Sponsored by Redmond Cycling Club and entering its 22nd year, the 154-mile ride around Rainier is a 150 miles — a “century-and-half” — where the mountain provides 10,000 feet of vertical over three climbs.

If this sounds like the ride for you, there are two things to do: register and train!

Training step No. 1: Lay down base miles.

Devoted cyclists have already begun. Procrastinators need to start now.

Generally cyclists should work up to at least one ride of 65-75 miles by a week or two in advance of attempting a century. The rigors of RAMROD behoove riders to take their training a step further. Consider an organized century as part of the training.

Cyclists who generally poke along and enjoy the scenery can likely make it to the Nisqually entrance of Mount Rainier National Park at mile 58. It is after this where training pays dividends.

The Nisqually entrance is 2,000 feet above sea level. Over the next 19 miles, the road rises to 5,400 feet. The best-prepared riders adopt the mantra “hills are my friend” and ride hills.

The Spokane area has plenty of climbs for training, including Valley Chapel Road off the Palouse Highway to the south, Mount Spokane to the east and the Rutter Parkway and Tumtum area to the north and west.

Nothing prepares for riding hills like riding hills.

Don’t just slog up those hills or on those long rides. Get the most out of your training time. Intervals are set periods of riding, on flats or climbs, at a pre-determined level of exertion alternating with periods of riding at a more restful pace.

Many riders, racers and trainers suggest intervals at about 80 to 85 percent of maximum exertion. For riders without heart monitors, this occurs when you have difficulty talking. If you can carry on a not-too labored conversation with yourself or fellow riders, crank it up a notch.

Two or more sets of five times 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off makes a good start.

Work up to four or five sets, then up to a minute on and a minute off, five minutes on or whatever level you want to take your training.

Making intervals a consistent training tool will make the climbing manageable.

From Paradise, RAMROD plunges into an 11-mile descent to Box Canyon and lunch where the volunteers who fed riders before the climb will feed them again.

On a ride such as RAMROD, eating right is as important as training right. Riders who start early and don’t dawdle will find chocolate croissants on the tables at Box Canyon.

After that, the menu features regular croissants, bagels, fruit, cookies, peanut butter, Gatorade and water.

The key is to forget everything Atkins says and load up on the carbs, but don’t skimp on the protein. After lunch comes the second significant climb of the day, to the summit of Backbone Ridge. Once over Backbone, riders descend five miles to the Ohanapecosh River.

Riders find out how fit they are in the third RAMROD climb, which heads up to nearly 4,700 feet at Cayuse Pass. RAMROD veterans tend to agree that this is crux of the ride.

While it’s only nine miles compared to nearly 20 of climbing to Paradise, and it’s 2,400 feet of elevation gain compared to 5,000 climbed in the first 77 miles, it’s also tackled with more than 100 miles and nearly 7,500 feet of climbing spun out of your legs.

The icing on this particular cake, assuming the weather is clear, is the sun beating down on your back. Riders are thankful for a water stop halfway up the hill. After summiting Cayuse, it’s downhill to the RAMROD Deli at the Crystal Mountain Sno-Park.

Riders who make it that far are all but done. From Crystal Mountain, it’s an anti-climatic 36 miles of flat and gently sloping descent to Enumclaw High School. With the mountain and its climbs vanquished, it’s a couple hours in the saddle before arriving to a finisher’s patch, cold drinks and exhausted discussions.

Riders can get a rub-down from massage therapists brought in to treat aching muscles that have earned some pampering, a fit reward for a job well done, in not only riding, but training as well.