Winter Eastside Hill Climbing Makeup Ride! (Route #6)

Please note: During COVID-19 restrictions, all Free Group Rides are limited in the number of allowed participants. Registration for the ride (using the red “Register Now” button above) is REQUIRED to participate. If you decide not to ride, please unregister for this ride so that an additional spot will be made available to another.

Face coverings (for mouth and nose) are required when the group makes extended stops. Face coverings are recommended for the duration of the ride. Please bring personal hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, and tissues for use at rest stops. 

We will observe current social distancing guidelines when off the bike, and strive to maintain at least 10-12ft separation between riders when on the bike.

This is a Makeup Ride for one that was rained out previously.  We have to actually ride the all the routes, am I right???

We will meet at the Tibbetts Valley Park parking lot in Issaquah at 8:45am for our pre-ride safety briefing, with a departure at 9:00am.  We will be at the northwest parking lot across from the Issaquah Transit Center.  Porta Potties are available at the start.  We will head out and start right away with a solid climb up to the Issaquah Highlands.  We will stay up on the Plateau for a brief tour and head back down to Lake Sammamish as we head for the Lakemont area and climb up 164th.  We will continue up and over to descend behind the Newcastle Golf Club through the China Creek neighborhood.   We will stop for a break at the Safeway in Newcastle @ Mile 32.1.  After our break, we will head north to Bellevue the hard way.  We will cross Bellevue and start heading back by moving up Lake Hills Blvd back over to Lake Sammamish with a quick finish down Newport Way.  This will be a 47 mile ride at Brisk Pace (16-18mph).

We will climb and descend hills at our own pace, and our goal will be to try to stay together and we will regroup at the tops of climbs if we get separated. We'll also limit our speed on any multi-use paths to the legal maximum (usually 15 MPH).

There is no water at the start.

Riders should bring tools & knowledge to repair flats or minor mechanicals and be prepared to complete the ride on your own should your bike require repair. Please have a backup plan (someone to call or an ORCA card) if your bike will not get you to the finish.

Fenders are requested if it is wet or expected to be wet.  Plan to ride at the back if you do not have fenders. 

Note: If weather conditions meet the weather cancellation criterion listed above or if there are unforeseen hazardous riding conditions, the Ride Leader will post a ride-canceled note in the Comments section below at least two hours prior to the start and Ride Leader(s) will not be at the start location.

We hope you can join us!

Ride With GPS route link is below. Please print a cue sheet if you want one.