2015_07_18 Sunrise Double/Triple Ride

Author:  Mike Hassur

Whoa, it’s pretty good when you have a 6:00 AM start time for a ride that requires a 1.5 hour drive into the mountains – AND 13 GUYS SHOW UP!!  That’s what happened for yesterday’s Puyallup Cyclopath “Sunrise Double/Triple Ride”.  Our group consisted of Rex, James, Jim, Chris, Conor, Les, Dwaine, Scott W., Scott L., John, Lanny, Jayson, and me.

Ready to start...

 When Conor and I arrived (unfortunately, we were a little late), there were 11 guys at the base of the Sunrise Climb (the White River Gate) on their bikes and ready to go.  The temperature was in the high 50’s, the sky was cloudless, and we were excited.  Conor and I got ready as quickly as we could, hopped on our bikes, and took off with the group.  I later discovered that – in my haste – I had left my water bottle in the van.  Initially, the pace was slow as people warmed up and visited.  Scott L. started out a little ahead of the main group as he was uncertain about his fitness level (due to being a good father to his young son) and wanted a slight cushion (he was about 100 yards ahead of the main group).  After a couple minutes of visiting, I went ahead of the group and joined Scott.  Soon, we were joined by John, Les, and Dwaine.  I don’t believe that there was a conscious decision to speed up by any one person; but it wasn’t long before our heart rates were higher, and we were breathing harder – AND THIS WAS BEFORE WE REACHED THE FIRST OF THE FOUR HAIRPIN TURNS ON THE CLIMB!!

I can’t tell you what was going on with the group behind us, as I was focused on staying with this group of six.  Somewhere between the second and third hairpins, John and Les dropped back (not quite sure where – just know that we were all together at the second hairpin and not at the third hairpin). 

View from Sunrise Point...

By the fourth hairpin (Sunrise Point); Conor, Dwaine, Scott, and I were still together.  At that point, the grade becomes decidedly less steep.  The pace picked up accordingly.  Conor and Dwaine pulled away with about 1.5 miles to go, and Scott and I rode to the finish (the Sunrise Visitor Center Parking Lot) together.  I can’t speak for the others, but I was pretty tired by the time we arrived – and this was just the first of two or three planned trips up this climb.  It wasn’t long before the rest of our group joined us.  A few people visited the restroom, power bars were consumed, and water/Power Aid/etc. was quaffed.  Before long we were headed back down.

The descent back down from the Sunrise Visitor Center is long, steep (upper speeds into the low 40’s), and curvy.  I had my GoPro video camera and was hoping to get footage of the group sweeping through some of the turns in single file.  I left first and stopped a few hundred yards down the road to be prepared to get some photos of our group with Mt. Rainier in the background.  

Views near Sunrise Visitor Center...

I got my photos, jumped on my bike, and – everyone except Jim and Chris were gone!!  I totally enjoyed the ride down with Chris and Jim, but no group photos on this descent.  As I often tell the guys “being the photographer/videographer for the group often means working extra hard to catch up or (as in this case) not seeing the group until the bottom of the descent”.

Video: Sunrise Double/Triple Ride - Descent #1

(This video courtesy of Chris Fox)

Back at the bottom; we shed clothing, refilled water bottles, and re-stocked our supply of power bars.  Before long, we were headed back up with Les, Dwaine, and I starting after the main group.  The pace (for us at least) was decidedly slower than the first time.  We stayed at a steady pace and talked.  Even though I felt like we were riding at a decent pace and would catch some members of our group, we never did.  Everyone ahead of us was also riding pretty well.

View of our group just beginning the descent from Sunrise... I soon discovered that my video camera settings were "off" and lost the group trying to rectify the problem...

At the top, we stayed only briefly before beginning our descent.  Once again, I was hoping to get some good video of the group.  This time, my video camera settings were off.  By the time, I got it figured out – you guessed it – everyone but Dwaine (who was kind enough to wait for me) was gone – DRAT!!  Eventually, we caught up with James, Les, and Scott W.; and I finally got my group video going through the lower, curvy sections of this wonderful descent.

Video: Sunrise Double/Triple Ride - Descent #2

By this time, it was beginning to get pretty warm.  The six of us (Conor, Les, Dwaine, John, Scott L., and me) who were going to ride up a third time said goodbye to our compatriots, got rid of all of the extra clothing that we could, and headed up.  Conor, Dwaine, and John were stronger and headed up the road leaving Les, Scott, and me to ride up together.  It worked out fine.  We were tired, and that last time up was difficult; but we made it.  I believe that it was the first time that any of us had done Sunrise three times in one day, so that gave us a sense of accomplishment – not to mention the fact that I got a good “group” video on the way down.

Video: Sunrise Double/Triple Ride - Descent #3

Mission accomplished:

1.       Three times up the Sunrise Climb.

2.       Got good results on a descent that I had long wanted to capture on video.

3.       Everyone had a blast – at least, I think that they did.

Can’t wait until our next ride!!