we all met up down in olympia to camp for the night. my booiii eric didn't ride but came for the camping. sofie brought us to a tight lil korean spot to gorge the night before.
tommy hooked it up with an old riv bag, thanks dawggy!
eric bid us farewell, and we were off! i was anxious to get this ride started knowing it'd be an all day sort of deal for me.
within the first 5 miles we had 1200 ft to climb. we were awarded with some clear views of rainier and our first aid station with some melty m&ms. the course was super well marked with bright pink arrows, i didnt feel the need to turn on any maps which was sweet. sounds like this was a learning curve from last year. jaytee knew some other folks doin the ride and we joined their group!
hike a bikes, candy, steep climbs, and loose gravel galore. we were sharing the roads with plenty of atvs and dirt bikers. loud but kind folk. a few shootin pits too.
every hill we came upon, jaytee announced this was the biggest hill he's climbed. i think this one was truly it.
best bar in the capitol state forest. 15 miles left.
we were all so stoked for a descent, but god damn was this one was treacherous. loose and bumpy.
we came out of the gravel and hit some road shortly after this. i thought i was at the home stretch but those fkcrs couldn't let us go yet. two brtual hil climbs were thrown our way within the last couple miles.
still had my fenders on so you know i had to smash through all the puddles. you know these sadistic bastards set these ponds up. would've loved to see all the hundred milers crashin through these at the start.
sheeeesh we made it. the organizers supplied us with beer and pizza that was delivered every hour to keep it hot. a lot of folks seemed to finish, eat, and bolt. unfortunately wee did the same. i was hoping there would be more of a party vibe after.. i'll definitely be back next year. might have to camp both nights and bring some supplies next time to change that.