Pre-ride notes for the upcoming Tri-Cities-based 200km, on March 5, 2011
Courtesy of the intrepid pre-rider, Norm Carr.
The Tri-Cities 200Km pre-ride was completed with temperatures below freezing for much of the day, which created its own challenges, primarily frozen bottles and Camelbak tubes. Wind was generally light, although, as usual, just enough to be annoying along WA-22 from Mabton to Toppenish. Although very cold, it was mostly a beautiful sunny day. Fortunately the current forecast for the weekend of the brevet is milder, but with a chance of some precipitation.
This is a good choice for an early-season 200Km, as the route follows the Yakima valley and there are a few lumps, but no large climbs. The most challenging is probably the climb back over from Benton City to Richland with tired legs at the end of the day, and, for some, in the dark.
Paul has made some improvements to the course this year. There's a pleasanter route through Benton city, avoiding the busy main street. The same control is used both out and back in Prosser (well-appointed with plenty of provisioning choices), and there is a new route from Prosser to Mabton on the out-bound leg. This replaces a portion of the exposed and, frankly, somewhat bleak section of WA-22 with a much more interesting trip through some typical Eastern Washington farmland. The return trip from Toppenish through Zillah, Granger, Grandview, remains as before.
Things to look out for:
Roadworks along Keene Road in Richland, near the ride start, cause lanes to narrow. Most of the route is through working agricultural landscapes and communities. Roads are all surfaced and generally well-maintained, but expect occasional mud and gravel spillage from farm traffic. Especially if conditions are wet, surfaces may be unexpectedly slippery. You will meet plenty of dogs, sometimes, annoyingly, unsecured. I've never felt especially threatened by any of them on the roads hereabouts, but caution is, of course, advised.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Tri-Cities 300km - April 2, 2011
Ride: Desert River 300km
Organizer: Paul Whitney - post questions to this blog
Ride Date: Saturday April 2, 2011.
Start time: 6:00am, Registration - 5:30-5:55am. Sunrise/set 6:35/7:27
Start/End Location: Intersection of Leslie and Gage, in the Parking lot between Albertsons and Albertsons Express, in Richland, WA. Here.
Finish by: 2:00am April 3
Registration: Pre-registration will be here.
Entry fee: $10 (+ $5 for non-RUSA members). Cash preferred. Checks should be payable to "Paul Whitney"
Medals: Available directly from the RUSA online store.
Route Sheet: The route information is here. The bike route toaster data for the route is here. Note - the bike route toaster information does not show the bike path over the Columbia River, which is correctly shown in the route sheet. There may be other minor deviations.
Ride Finish: The finish, at the same location as the ride start, will be staffed. Bring a pencil or pen - for completing you card and for the information control.
This is the same route as the previous two years. It was a great ride. See earlier in this blog for some pictures from last year's pre-drive.
This route heads toward the Blue Mountains - getting close (Waitsburg) but not quite. We then head south, and get a chance to admire the excellent Pioneer Park in Walla Walla. Further south is Pendleton, and then we head through the Umatilla river canyon from Reith to Echo. From there, it's a nearly straight North ride back to the start - heading through Hermiston, Umatilla, Plymouth, over the ridge and back down to the city lights of Richland.
The ride is mostly unsupported, except for some drinks and snacks at the beginning and perhaps a person in the park at Walla Walla near the information control. There are plenty of services, great scenery and some lightly trafficked roads. The approximate elevation gain (and loss) for this route is ~2500meters.
It's likely that the ride will finish in the dark - bring lights and reflective gear accordingly. Headlight, taillight, reflective vest or sash and reflective ankle bands are Randonnear USA requirements, not to mention extremely useful, for night riding.
The approximate route is shown in the map below:
View Larger Map
Organizer: Paul Whitney - post questions to this blog
Ride Date: Saturday April 2, 2011.
Start time: 6:00am, Registration - 5:30-5:55am. Sunrise/set 6:35/7:27
Start/End Location: Intersection of Leslie and Gage, in the Parking lot between Albertsons and Albertsons Express, in Richland, WA. Here.
Finish by: 2:00am April 3
Registration: Pre-registration will be here.
Entry fee: $10 (+ $5 for non-RUSA members). Cash preferred. Checks should be payable to "Paul Whitney"
Medals: Available directly from the RUSA online store.
Route Sheet: The route information is here. The bike route toaster data for the route is here. Note - the bike route toaster information does not show the bike path over the Columbia River, which is correctly shown in the route sheet. There may be other minor deviations.
Ride Finish: The finish, at the same location as the ride start, will be staffed. Bring a pencil or pen - for completing you card and for the information control.
This is the same route as the previous two years. It was a great ride. See earlier in this blog for some pictures from last year's pre-drive.
This route heads toward the Blue Mountains - getting close (Waitsburg) but not quite. We then head south, and get a chance to admire the excellent Pioneer Park in Walla Walla. Further south is Pendleton, and then we head through the Umatilla river canyon from Reith to Echo. From there, it's a nearly straight North ride back to the start - heading through Hermiston, Umatilla, Plymouth, over the ridge and back down to the city lights of Richland.
The ride is mostly unsupported, except for some drinks and snacks at the beginning and perhaps a person in the park at Walla Walla near the information control. There are plenty of services, great scenery and some lightly trafficked roads. The approximate elevation gain (and loss) for this route is ~2500meters.
It's likely that the ride will finish in the dark - bring lights and reflective gear accordingly. Headlight, taillight, reflective vest or sash and reflective ankle bands are Randonnear USA requirements, not to mention extremely useful, for night riding.
The approximate route is shown in the map below:
View Larger Map
Monday, February 7, 2011
Tri-Cities 200km - March 5, 2011
View Larger Map
Ride: Desert River 200km
Organizer: Paul Whitney - post questions to this blog post. Register here: http://www.orrandonneurs.org/bin/brevet_register.
Ride Date: Saturday March 5, 2011.
Start time: 7:00am, Registration - 6:30-6:55am. Note: Sunrise/set 6:28/5:49
Start/End Location: Intersection of Leslie and Gage, in the Parking lot between Albertsons and Albertsons Express, in Richland, WA.
Finish by: 8:30pm March 5, 2011
Entry fee: $10 (+ 5$ for non-RUSA members). Checks should be payable to "Paul Whitney". Cash is simpler.
Medals: Available directly from the RUSA online store.
Route Sheet: This route sheet is final - pdf and excel versions. Bike-route toaster renditions of the route are separated for out and back.
The course is similar to last year's edition - with some adjustments to increase the food-diversity at the 3 major food/water controls, and to get us a little more out of the wind.
The pre-drive and our pre-rides of the segments shows some very nice and scenic stretches through the rural/agricultural parts of Eastern Washington. Norm's pre-ride notes are here.
It's likely that some of the riders will finish in the dark - please bring lights and reflective gear accordingly. Headlight, taillight, reflective vest or sash and reflective ankle bands are Randonneur USA requirements for dusk/night, not to mention extremely useful for seeing and being seen while on the road.
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