Off-Road: Quintuple Adventure Challenge (Brisk)

Let's meet at the trailhead on Ames Lake Road (see route start point) on the north side of Ames Lake. If you drive to the start, park on the street, considering any mailboxes and parking restriction signs. Be there, ready to go at the time listed above. We will start with the required safety briefing and roll out when that's done.  All riders must attend the safety briefing to participate.

This adventurous, challenging ride connects 5 riding areas with a great mix of terrain and challenge: Tolt Hill, Soaring Eagle, Mitchell Hill, Grand Ridge, and Duthie MTB Park. **Please read** this entire ride posting since off-road rides involve additional considerations compared to road rides....

• Recommended gear: Gravel bike with 38+ mm tires (40-45 mm might be ideal). Some may prefer a MTB.
• Skill level: Intermediate+ bike handling skills are **required**. We want this ride to be safe and fun for anyone who attends. You must be comfortable handling obstacles such as tree roots, rocks, loose gravel, sand, and water boards while ascending and descending. This route includes "MTB trails" with twisty turn, abrupt ups and downs, trees, etc. It's possible and okay to hike-a-bike if we encounter terrain you're not comfortable riding. There are some stairs and unrideable portions, so some hike-a-bike is inevitable.
• Pace: Gravel rides don't align with the typical Cascade paces defined for road rides. On the few flat sections, we'll ride Brisk (16-18 MPH), but given the climbing and terrain our overall average speed will likely be closer to 10 MPH on this route.
• Endurance: This route makes for a big day on the bike. We’ll need to fuel for it (nutrition and hydration before and during the ride) and pace ourselves to safely finish the route.

We’ll climb and descend hills at our own pace, and we’ll regroup occasionally. We'll also limit our speed on any multi-use paths to the legal maximum (usually 15 MPH, occasionally 10 MPH).

Restrooms are NOT available at the start. We will stop along the way for restrooms and water at mile 25. Please bring all the food you need for the day. If needed, we can also stop at QFC near mile 17 and/or mile 37.

A working white headlight and red rear taillight (steady mode preferred) are recommended.

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 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!