Cycle The Gap 2024 #4: Bellevue- Cumberland (Brisk)

The CYCLE THE GAP TRAINING SERIES (CTG)  is a five-week series of rides to help folks get in shape for Cascade's Ride from Seattle to Vancouver and Party (RSVP) -  Aug. 24-25 and other late summer events. CTG will run for five Saturdays, from July 20 to August 17.  CTG is designed to build endurance and strength. The rides will incrementally increase in distance and elevation gain starting at 41 miles with 1,800’ of elevation gain and concluding with a 79 mile 3,200’ route.

Today’s ride: A 74 mile, 3,057’ route from the Newport Park and Ride at the Brisk Pace (16-18 mph when flat with no head or tail winds.) The ride begins with gentle climbs through country roads in May Valley, Cedar Grove, Ravensdale, and Cumberland. There are spectacular views of Green River Gorge (a great photo op) on the way to the Black Diamond Bakery, our lunch stop. After lunch the rest of the ride is largely downhill, going through Maple Valley and onto the Cedar River Trail in Renton (NOTE the speed limit in Renton is 10 MPH.)  Our ride concludes on the southeast side of Lake Washington, riding along the Eastrail Trail (passing the Seahawks training camp – GO Hawks!) and a gentle climb back to the Newport Hills P&R. 

**NOTE** There are no bathrooms at the start, but our first rest stop is at mile 2.5    

Check In: Please be sure to arrive early enough to check in with your Pace Leader and be ready to ride at 8:00am when we will do the SMART talk. Riders must be present for the talk to participate in the ride.

Rest Stops: The rest stops will be at Lake Boren Park, mile point 3.5;  Ravensdale Park, MP 28.5; Black Diamond Bakery, our lunch stop, MP 47; and Gene Coulon Park, MP 69. Please be sure to bring snacks and a sandwich. Service at Black Diamond Bakery can be slow and our stop shouldn't last more than 20-25 minutes. 

The Basics:  These rides are not supported. Riders should be able to sustain the pace, carry nutrition/water, a cell phone to call for assistance, and have the know-how and equipment to fix a flat tire.  We will pause briefly to assess any mechanical problem, but will not delay the group for an extended time. Everyone may climb the hills at their own pace and we will regroup at the top. We will observe posted speed limits on multi-use trails (usually 15mph, but sometimes 10mph).

Be considerate and have full fenders including mud flaps if roads are wet or a prediction of rain is in the forecast. If you don't have fenders, you will be asked to ride at the rear of the group.  

The Route: A link for the route is above. Frequently there are small changes made to the route as we preride the route a few days in advance. So it is best to check back for the most current version of the route or, if you are using Ride With GPS. simply chose to PIN the route. By Pinning the route, you should automatically have a link to the most current route in your Pinned ride folder.

New Riders:  We are very happy to have you with us.  Please read the New Rider link (“Read our newcomer information”), above, and keep in mind that a helmet is required for all Cascade rides. 

Weather - If on the evening before the ride Weather Underground predicts more than a 50% chance of more than .2" of rain or showers between 10:30 am and 1:30 pm, the Ride Leader will cancel the ride. Additionally if weather conditions meet the weather cancellation criterion listed above, or if there is poor Air Quality Index (above 125 on the Airnow.gov website), 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 canceled at least two hours before the start, Ride Leader(s) will not be at the start location. Please check before leaving for the ride.