Get Up & Go - SPU to West Seattle

Join us at the West Ewing Mini-park (at the beginning of 3rd Ave. West, on the Seattle Pacific Univ. Campus, ) for a 28 mile basically flat ride (the biggest climb is the West Seattle Bridge) with a friendly coffee stop along the way. We will be riding at the moderate (14-16 mph) pace, but we'll limit our speed on the multi-use paths to the legal maximum (15 MPH)..

The Route:    The route goes along the Ship Canal trail then crosses under 15th street. We pass by the Fisherman's Terminal (a great place to get some really fresh fish for dinner on the way back) then along the Elliot Bay Trail where we will get our first views of the Sound and maybe Mt. Rainer. We continue past the Washington Ferry Terminal and along Marginal Way, where we head west and go past the West Seattle Fishing Bridge (where you can stop to try and catch your own if you want - we will not wait for you) and on to our " big" climb over the old West Seattle Bridge. From there we head further west to Alki Beach and on to the Alki Lighthouse and the Western most point of the route where we get a view of Vashon Island. At this point we head back to Alki Beach for a stop at Starbucks and then retrace our route home.

Start Time:   Let's meet at the West Ewing park 15 minutes before the published start time (i.e 10:15am) for our pre-ride safety briefing, with a departure at 10:30am. We will go over hand signals and what we say during the ride to keep ourselves safe.  

Restrooms and water are NOT available at the start (there is a gas station just down Nickerson) and the only planned stop does not come until mile 15 at Starbucks.

Registration:  Please pre-register by clicking the red "Register Now" button above (that way you will get emails of any ride cancellations). This also saves time at the start and makes sure I can read your emergency number, just in case. If you have not already done so, you do have to create an account with the bike club, but you don't have to become a member or pay. There is no need to unregister if you decide not to ride.

Fenders and tubes:  Bring a spare tube and tools to fix a flat, just in case. Please have full fenders. Even if it is not raining, when the roads are wet, rooster tails from bare tires are a safety issue for other riders.  Fenders with long mudflaps show that you care about others. Riders without friendly mudflaps may be asked to ride at the back of the group.

WEATHER:  This is intended to be a frequent Saturday ride during the winter to keep the legs in shape for the start of next season. However, since it will be posted in the winter, it is very weather dependent. This is NOT a ride that goes no matter what the weather is. If, between 8:00pm and 10:00 pm (depending when I can check it) Friday night, the Weather Underground forecast predicts that temperatures at 10:00 am on Saturday will be below 40-45 degrees (depending on sun), or predicts a greater than 30% chance of significant rain, the ride will not happen. In that situation, I will send everyone who has registered an email the Friday night before the ride, post a ride-cancellation notice in the Comments section on this club page; and I will NOT be at the start. 

Also, if there are unexpected showers the morning of the ride or if there are other unforeseen hazardous riding conditions, I will post a ride-canceled note in the Comments section below at least two hours prior to the start and I will not be at the start location. 

NOTE:  If it is a beautiful day and the group wants to bike an extra 30 minutes; we can add 5 miles and 400' of climbing on our return by taking a little loop along Thorndyke Ave. W., the Magnolia Bluffs, and through Discovery Park. This will be decided by the group although anyone is free to do it on their own.

We hope you can join me!