MOUNT ERIE LEG SHREDDING BIKE RIDE

Our hero, Glenn Gervais, suggested we do Ride 6 from my "75 Classic Rides" book.

Sounds great, said I. Which one's that?

Page 42, Fidalgo Island--Mount Erie Leg Shredder, said he.

Ah yes, I remember that one well. Lots of fun, up and down island-esque rollers, spectacular water and island views, not to mention the route's centerpiece, Mount Erie: 878 feet of pointy-stick-in-the-eye climbing in just 1.5 miles. Youch! 

Thus, joined by Pat Skaggs, we found ourselves early Sunday a.m. at March Point Park'n'Ride ready to rock, as it were. We began by crossing the Tommy Thompson Trestle Trail (above), headed into Anacortes and then out toward the ferry and Washington Park. From there we rolled south and thusly began the rollers. Eventually, we pedaled inland (see my book for the exact route) and made our way south where Mount Erie awaited.

Here's Glenn, nearing the top of Mount Erie, climbing so fast up its 18- and 20-percent evilness that he's little more than a blurry smudge.

Here's what he usually looks like.

Here's the three of us, happy as heck that we've made it to the top of Mount Erie. As you can see, weather-wise we seemed to be stuck in a giant damp cloud. Never actually rained but somehow we got sorta wet and it never really brightened enough that I could safely wear my glasses without riding somewhat blind.

Re: Mount Erie, it's just killer steep. Even though I ride it probably once every two or three years and I know what I'm in for, I'm still stunned and surprised when I round a bend and see the road slanting seemingly straight up in front of me. Strava says it's average grade is 10.8 percent but given that there're a couple flat stretches, it's much harder than that. But we came, we saw, we kicked its ...  

(Above is a photo from about four years ago of Titanium Cancellara and I after a Mount Erie ascent. Here's a post on that ride.)

Here, Glenn fixes a flat while I watch.

The route ends with a fun, flat waterside 6-mile loop around March Point.

MORE 2011 MONTHLY BIKE PHOTS

Here's July through December. 

July. A lovely summer afternoon climbing the upward-tilted Burnout Road with terrific views overlooking Samish Bay. Samish Island is the foreground (ish) strip of dark forest with super-steep Mount Erie in the distance.

July (part 2). Mount Shuksan as seen through the spokes on one of my repeat rides up the ski area on the Mount Baker Highway. Because of 2011's mega-snowfall, this year the road never opened all the way to Artist Point.

  

August. Mount Shasta Summit Century. Ultra hard, ultra long ("That's what she said" joke goes here.)--130 miles with 14,750 feet or so of climbing, 10-plus hours on a bike. Glad I did it but it was the day I realized that anything longer than about 6 hours begins to enter the This-isn't-a-whole-lot-of-fun-anymore zone. Also in August, I turned 50.

September. Riding across the Skagit Flats on the way to La Conner and back with the Cowboys Titanium. Seventy-three miles, a stop for coffee in L-town, some hellatious town sign sprints thoughout--certainly one of the year's most enjoyable rides.

October. Crazy Jacob Stewart holds onto his bike for dear life after dropping down into a hole atop Anderson Mountain. This was on a cool MTB ride with Jacob, Ryan Rickerts and Scott Young. 

October (part 2). I just really like the colors on this helmet cam photo of Titanium Cancellara pedaling down the Interurban Trail. 

November. Another helmet cam shot, this one during a warm-up lap of the Cross-Border Clash CX race outside Ferndale. That's Glenn Gervais in blue; he won the men's master C race that day.. 

December. I've not taken many bike photos this month. (We've been running too damn much.) Here's a snapshot taken from a helmet cam video I shot of our Samish Loop ride 'n' bushwack. The reason I'm not wearing a helmet is that I'm pointing the camera at myself whilst riding.

Happy New Year, y'all!   

RIDIN' HIGH: WASHINGTON'S BEST CLIMBS

Click here for my story in today's Seattle Times about Washington's five best upward-tilted road rides.

Here're some other pics of Bellinghamsters riding to Artist Point a couple weeks ago.

Along with the five mentioned in the story, here are four honorable Mention climbs: Cayuse/Chinook Pass, McNeil Canyon, Mount Constitution, Mount Erie. 

FIDALGO ISLAND BUTTKICKER

Yesterday, I headed out on a 50-miler suggested by cycling friend Corrina Marote. A true leg-shredder if there ever was one. Basically, the perimeters of Fidalgo Island (where Anacortes is), the Swinomish Reservation, March  Point, as well as a crazy evil thing called Mount Erie thrown in for fun. Started out on the Tommy Thompson Trail, the cool trestle trail (fun to say "twessle twail") that crosses Fidalgo Bay into Anacortes. (See photo at the bottom.) Out toward the ferry terminal then south where Marine Drive (does every town in Washington State have a Marine Drive?) makes like a roller coaster, yanking you up, then down, then up and down again.  

Then a foray to the middle of the island where Mount Erie awaits. I've ridden this hill maybe three or four times--never fails to shock and annoy. Incredibly steep. Climbs 900 feet in the longest 1.5 miles you'll ever ride in your life. Steepest thing around. The Power House Hill that causes all sorts of bother in the Mount Baker Hill Climb is 600 feet in 1.8 miles; in other words, pancake flat compared to Mount Erie.

From there more fun heading south and east toward the Swinomish Reservation (across from La Conner) where a terrific, low-traffic, mostly flat loop awaited. Then north to March Point where there was essentially another one, albeit this one with tidewater--Padilla and Fidalgo bays--on the right the whole way. Super fun 50-miler with 3,400 feet of climbing.

Top photo is Mount Baker above a really low tide on Padilla Bay mit curious eagle checking out the buffet offerings. Middle photo is nominee for the best-named road I've come across so far; it's on Swinomish Reservation.

AREA BOY SURVIVES BACON-MAPLE BAR

Nothing quite says Breakfast of Champions like strips of bacon atop a maple bar, wouldn't you say? Bake's been eyeing this thing for weeks at Rocket Donuts but yesterday took the plunge. Today in school, he shared his experience with the class. Would he recommend it? someone asked. No, not really, he said. But at least he took a risk.

Today was a climb up Cleator Road via the 24-pound Fantom CX. Killer climb--1,700 feet (from Chuckanut and Hiline) in 3.8 miles. Subtract about a mile from that for a mostly flat stretch in the middle--1,700 in about 3 miles. Evil.
From the top, I rode (the brakes) down Fragrance Lake Road to an old forest road that lots of folks refer to as the Burnout Road. I've run down it a couple times before from the Lost Lake/Dictionary end of the world and have been meaning to CX-plore up it. Not too far up is probably the best Samish Bay-San Juan Island viewpoint around. See below. It's about a 180-degree view extending far down into Skagit and north to the San Juans and lower BC.
That prominent bump there above is Mount Erie which we rode two weeks ago and I wrote about a couple entries below.

Finally, I'll leave you with some more bacon maple goodness:

MOUNT ERIE RIDE

Ah yes, Mount Erie ...
... let me just say that this is probably the hardest frickin' hill I've ever ridden. (Perhaps contributing to that impression is that Scott Young, this other person, and I had already ridden 40 miles to get there, much of it into those Skagit headwinds.) Mount Erie Road climbs 900 feet in 1.7 miles, 600 of that in the last mile. And the leadup from the south climbs about 400 in probably 1-1/2 miles. Above, see Pinkboy Young doubled over the handlebars in exhaustion and me wearing an expression of a mouth-breathing goober whilst I try to catch my breath.
Afterward, Scott, the other person, and I stopped at the charming Lake Erie Grocery for refreshment. The retired gas pumps were stuck $1.45 per gallon. Below is Mount Erie, also renowned as rock climbing hotspot.


On the way back, we added a loop around Lake Samish and a mini-Donut ride out Marine Drive to total 100 miles. With 4,600 feet climbing. RAMROD, here we come!