Climb into the New Year! (Brisk)

Join us for a 61-mile ride at a Brisk pace (16-18 mph on the flats) from the South Kirkland Park & Ride.

This is going to be a fun route with a challenging climb up Zoo Hill via China Creek. This ride will test your perseverance and give you a report card on your climbing legs.  After a short spin around Medina, we will cruise south along the west side of Lake Washington.  Once through Renton, we will head up to Fairwood and down to Maplewood for a break at the Maplewood Starbucks.  After our break, we will climb up to the East Renton Highlands in preparation of our real challenge for the day.  Our signature climb is going up Zoo Hill from the back side!  After our big climb, we will weave our way back to the start through Bellevue.  This ride will leave you feeling accomplished and maybe a cramp or two!!!

Let's meet at the South Kirkland Park & Ride. Be there, ready to go by 10:00am. We will start with a required safety briefing, and roll out when that's done.  All riders must attend the safety briefing to participate.

Restrooms and Water are NOT available at the start. We will stop for a Coffee/Snack Break at Mile 31.8 at the Maplewood Starbucks.  We will also stop briefly at the tops of the climbs to acknowledge our accomplishments.

The plan is to stay together on this ride, you can ride the hills at your own pace and we'll regroup at the tops, strong riders can zoom up and others won't be left behind. We will absolutely regroup at the tops of climbs.  Ride leaders will do their best to accommodate riders with a range of abilities, but riders who fall substantially behind the group pace may have to continue the ride on their own.  We'll also limit our speed on any multi-use paths to the legal maximum (usually 15 MPH, occasionally 10 MPH).

Bring a spare tube (or two) and tools to fix a flat, just in case. Riders should know how to change a flat, or deal with other minor mechanical issues and carry appropriate tools. In the event of separation due to flats or other issues, riders should download the route file into a GPS device or have a cue sheet. Cue sheets are not available at the start. Riders must have a backup plan if roadside repairs are not sufficient. Riders should have a charged cell phone to call for a pick-up or other means to find their way home. Please have long 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 in the Weather Status 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.

We hope you can join us!