I rode down to the hometown of the Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad on Alder Lake, using Link Light Rail to avoid downtown Seattle. In the end, I rode nearly 160 miles, but didn't feel too weak at the end as I got my saddle position dialed in almost perfectly.
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More after the break…
Part 1: To Train
Looks like the hair conditioner, manual stretching, and drying flat didn't help the #wool sweaters. I'll have to find better advice.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 16, 2016
I don't need advice on what to do for washing #wool 'next time' because I've already received more than I'll ever need.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 16, 2016
Since the first Link train left at a 04:45 from UW, I left at 04:00 to make better use of daylight hours. The ride to the station was pretty uneventful, though I did appreciate the lack of car traffic.
Left home at 04:00 to take the first Link train, so I can avoid riding through much of Seattle. Urban cycling isn't worth it.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 16, 2016
When I got on the train, I had a bit of trouble putting my bike in the proper spot.
I couldn't get my bike on the provided hook due to my headlight, but I was able to use the steel front lowrider rack.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 16, 2016
The Link announcements are different from when I last rode it.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 16, 2016
Part 2: Outbound
I got off at Rainier Beach, then headed south through Renton and Tukwila via a route new to me.
Taking the train to skip Seattle was definitely worth it!
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 16, 2016
The Lind Avenue overpass is a cool way to get to the Interurban Trail. #seabikes
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 16, 2016
From there, I stuck to the Interuban Trail all the way to Auburn.
People who aim their blinking headlights right into the eyes of oncoming traffic are not my comrades.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 16, 2016
@j_putnam Most cyclists seem to think flashing is better and don't even know the law.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 16, 2016
Making better time than usual with the saddle not too low.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 16, 2016
And then took the C Street Trail and East Valley Highway to Sumner.
In Sumner, I got a soda as I was having a little bit of a hard time.
There's a Starbucks in this store, and one across the parking lot from it. (@ Fred Meyer in Sumner, WA) https://t.co/H00r9YOzdm
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 16, 2016
Since employees of coffee shops inside stores typically can't accept tips, they get a guaranteed wage that makes up the difference.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 16, 2016
With all the work tweaking my saddle position—mainly raising it and adjusting fore-aft to where my legs wanted me to be—I got some pretty good results. I started noticing some different pedaling technique occurring, with less of a "driving down to the bottom" occurring. This sped up my cadence.
I was maintaining a pace of 12-14 MPH before, but am doing 14-17 MPH now. With the all the stuff I'm needlessly carrying!
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 16, 2016
Ended up in a roadie paceline for a while, but I'm not continuing along the trail with the group.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 16, 2016
When I got to Orting, I left the Foothills Trail for Oroville Road toward Eatonville. A group of roadies all in matching kit passed by before I started the first climbing portion of he road, and they remained in my view for quite a while.
I'm using a larger Ortlieb handlebar bag that I got from my former (now gone) LBS.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 16, 2016
When I stopped to take care of business on the long, barely-uphill section, I saw a couple of middle-aged guys who were spinning at a very low cadence up the gradual grade.
A couple other groups of cyclists up here: a bunch of roadies, and a couple of guys who were grinding up a hill very slowly.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 16, 2016
And when I got to the climb into Kapowsin, I was finally kicked into my granny ring, which I hadn't yet touched!
Finally had the chance to break out my 26t granny ring, which shows how much more efficient I am with this setup!
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 16, 2016
After Kapowsin, I took the rolling hills all the way to Eatonville, and was taking a bit of punishment on my rear due to the chipseal.
Roads like Oroville Road are why I like tires wider than 32mm.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 16, 2016
With this saddle height, I can't push my stroke the way I used to, so I am forced to be smarter about my gear choices.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 16, 2016
The climb up to here us always tough! There's a little more to my destination, though.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 16, 2016
I stopped at an espresso stand (one with a deck) to pick up water, and while I waited in line I chatted with someone who was a resident of nearby Alder (which I'd see later). I learned about the area, both about people and the land itself. Apparently, Wilcox Farms has some operations in the area, too.
I then stopped at a nearby grocery store for a cool beverage before heading up Alder Cutoff Road.
This is where the cool stuff begins!
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 16, 2016
That road was something else, and reminded me of mountain passes!
Alder Cutoff Road just kept finding more hill to climb!
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 16, 2016
After all that work was a short descent to Alder Lake, which is a reservoir on the Nisqually River.
From there, I headed east on SR-7 along the lake toward Elbe.
My entry into the town was first indicated by old tracks of the Tacoma Eastern Railroad.
Followed by the strong presence of the Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad, which I rode with my father when I was a child. There were a lot of restaurants and hotels in the old rolling stock.
The town itself was rather cute.
At one of the railroad's restaurants, I ate an elk burger to get me on my way back home.
I ate an elk burger in Elbe since it seemed like the thing to do.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 16, 2016
And then I stopped by an old locomotive for a good photo op.
Part 3: Inbound
Heading back, I took SR-7 west along the lake, past where I first joined it.
The highway quickly began to ascend away from the lake.
Along the way, I saw a rockface covered with tons of graffiti.
And a clearcut hillside.
While Alder was barely a settlement with only a large general store, La Grande had some stuff related to its dam in town.
Eventually, I left SR-7 in favor of SR-161 back to Eatonville. I had no idea the latter ended this far out in the middle of nowhere!
SR-161 was almost all downhill, with one last short climb into town.
Next up was unwinding my way back along Oroville Road, which was very uneventful. I passed through Orting, which was very lively!
Definitely getting home late tonight, but that was kind of expected. Lots of miles and a good deal of time in the foothills.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 17, 2016
My legs actually feel pretty good, though!
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 17, 2016
The Foothills Trail was pretty busy, but I zipped along without paying much attention beyond my desire to go home.
At Sumner, I drank another soda, which ended up being a terrible idea, as I was already pretty dehydrated. I made one last tweak to my saddle's height, which gave me a super boost despite the dehydration!
Been seeing a lot of kids on 'Wally World' fatbikes out here.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 17, 2016
I now have my hamstrings in on the act and am able to maintain 15-18 MPH toward the end of a long day with all my unnecessary stuff!
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 17, 2016
I think I've cracked the code!
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 17, 2016
Darkness fell as I headed north along the Interurban Trail through the valley, and I ended up feeling very sick after a while. Eventually, I had to stop to carefully drink water. At one point, a group of teenagers tried to harass me, but I paid them absolutely zero mind and they lost interest.
The only real thing of note I noticed was this sign for the Green River Cyclery in Auburn, which I'd never heard of before. I ought to check it out sometime!
Now that my legs are having an easy time, the rest of my body is dealing with dehydration. Nuun only makes me sick now.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 17, 2016
Just filled my bottles with straight water at a 7 Eleven here, and picked up a bottle of water to drink now.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 17, 2016
GPS says 144 miles so far today and I'm not home yet. Not sure what happened, as the route plan was much shorter.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 17, 2016
A drunk woman approached me, started asking nonsensical questions, then shouting at me as I rode away in Kent.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 17, 2016
Saw a group of teenagers doing unkind things to each other in Auburn.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 17, 2016
My legs feel better after this hard ride than they've felt after many easier past rides.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 17, 2016
Hydrating myself carefully, but not overdoing it.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 17, 2016
Rather than taking the Lind Avenue overpass as before, I took my usual route along Oakesdale Avenue, SW 7th Street, and Rainier Avenue to the Lake Washington Loop, then made my way up the last minor hill to the light rail station..
I'm at Rainier Beach LINK Station - @soundtransit in Seattle, WA https://t.co/io40j1ik5u
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 17, 2016
Part 4: Return Home
From the light rail station at UW, I simply took the quiet route along the Burke-Gilman Trail all the way home.
I didn't intend to do a 159-mile ride today, but that's what my GPS says I ended up doing. I have no idea how that happened. #cycling
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 17, 2016
I will be spending tomorrow in bed, as I made myself very sick on caffeine today.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 17, 2016
I need to put a seat post with less setback my Saga Disc, as the saddle was too far back even when all the way forward.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 17, 2016
My watch band broke in the same place as last time due to vibration from yesterday's ride, meaning the repair failed.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 17, 2016
I might want to get a heavy-duty watch band instead, since this keeps happening.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 17, 2016
This song's tune kept popping into my head on my ride yesterday. https://t.co/evqUbssJn3 #listening
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 17, 2016
I had to search Google using the lyrics I remembered.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) April 17, 2016
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