CHEW - South End Ride #5 (Moderate - Vigorous)

Climbing Hills Eastside Wintertime “CHEW” - South End Series

The CHEW South End Series is held Saturdays beginning, January 7th, and ending April 1st at three different locations in the South end of Seattle. CHEW is a progressive hill training series. These rides are climbing routes on local hills which progress from 30 miles and 2100 feet of elevation gain to 50 miles and 3800 feet of elevation gain over the thirteen weeks of the training series. Three paces are offered, moderate (14-16 mph on flats with no headwinds), brisk (16 - 18 mph on flats with no headwinds), and vigorous (18 - 20 mph on flats with no headwinds). All pace groups use a common route each week.

Registration: Please register for this ride in advance on the Cascade site, it helps ensure there is sufficient Ride Leader support on each pace. You can register now by selecting the Register Now  button at the top of this page, then follow the prompts. Online registrations are accepted until 6 AM of ride day, after that all riders must sign up at the ride start. In addition, all are encouraged to RSVP on Meetup, to go to Meetup see the links section at bottom left.

Ride Start Details: This week’s route will start promptly at 9:30 a.m. at Celebration Park in Federal Way.

Restrooms at start. Please arrive early enough to set up, check in and/or sign the ride waiver, hear the route details, and review Cascade riding S.M.A.R.T.

If you are new rider to Cascade Free Group Rides, we welcome you! Please click on the link and read important information for Cascade Bicycle newcomers.

CHEW South End Tip: Every week this section will contain a new, helpful tip for climbing hills that you will encounter during your rides in the CHEW Series. These are starting point basics, as each tip could be multiple paragraphs. As the series progresses, pick one or two tips to work on at a time, and practice them every time you ride. There is no magic bullet for hill climbing, you earn your way to the top.

Tip 5) Gear Selection and Shifting. 

I cringe when I hear someone abusing their chain and cassette with crunching noises by improperly shifting. Learning to shift at the proper time to keep and not lose momentum is an art and takes practice. You want to downshift as you approach a climb, but downshifting too early you’ll lose valuable speed and momentum. Shift too late and it will be very hard to downshift without dropping a chain on the hill.

Ride Requirements: Please print off and bring cue sheet. Please be knowledgeable and equipped with tubes, pump, etc to handle flats or minor mechanicals. The group may not always be able to stop for mechanicals. It is important to bring adequate food and water as there may be limited opportunities to purchase along the way.

If roads are wet, fenders are necessary. Long fenders and buddy flaps are absolutely required unless it is bone dry out, and zero percent chance of rain forecast. A good headlight and taillight are recommended. Helmets are required to ride.

Regroup: We regroup at the top of hills and at major turns for a reasonable amount of time. This is a training series so we will ride with the best interest of the group in mind. Stops will be brief, and slower riders may need to fall back to a slower pace group if they fall behind. If you are riding in the last pace group, and unable to continue or keep up, the Rider Leader will check with you to make sure you have a cue sheet and are able to manage riding independently.

Planned Stops: Mile 14.3, Tahoma Shell Station (restroom); and, mile 21.4, Jackpot Shell Station.

Cancellation: Ice, snow or otherwise unsafe riding conditions will cancel this ride. In the event of a cancellation, a notice will be posted in the comments section in both the Cascade and Meetup postings.