New Years Day Ride from Tacoma to Olalla Bay Polar Plunge

From as far back as anyone can remember, people have descended upon Olalla Bay to jump off the bridge on New Year's day! There will be music and canon fire and many crazies jumping in. Let's go by bike!  We'll meet in the parking lot of the park and ride near the Tacoma Narrows Bridge,  ride over the bridge and out to what they like to call the "Center of The Universe".  

Be ready to ride at the start time. We'll do introductions and safety reminders before we ride.  All riders must attend the safety briefing to participate.

This is a hilly ride! We'll climb and descend at our own pace.  We will regroup after hills and before turns if we get spread out.  

There is plenty of free parking but no public washrooms at the start. We'll stop at the Skansie Brothers park on the water in Gig Harbor, at mile 6, for washroom use.  The polar plunge is more or less the midpoint of the ride. We'll hang out for 20 minutes or so to watch the fun. The store will probably be very busy, so best to bring your own snacks rather than planning to purchase. The ride leader will not be plunging and does not recommend it, but bring a change of clothes if you are considering it! Our return route will be a little more direct than the way there. We'll be climbing out of Olalla and then have a nice decent back into the harbor. There's a washroom at Crescent Creek Park in Gig Harbor, mile 24 or so, and we'll stop there if needed. 

Bring a spare tube and tools to fix a flat, just in case. Other things to bring: phone; ID; cash and/or credit card; ORCA card; water and a small snack. Please have full fenders if the roads are wet, or you may be asked to ride at the rear of the group.

Note: If weather conditions meet the weather cancellation criterion listed above or if there are unforeseen hazardous riding conditions or other unexpected events, the Ride Leader will cancel the ride and all registered riders will be sent a notification email. If the ride is cancelled at least two hours before the start, Ride Leader(s) will not be at the start location. Please check before leaving for the ride.

Happy New Year!