# Roll Call for Ellensburg Manashtash Metric Century



## borregokid (Jun 9, 2005)

Who's planning on heading over to Ellensburg for the Metric Century ride? Its Saturday Oct 6. It starts between 730 and 9am. The weather should be ok. It looks like a slight chance of rain. The wind I think is sometimes a bigger issue than rain. The wind doesnt look like it will be that much of an issue. You will pedal into it to Cle Elum and then have it at your back. I am planning on it at this time. Heres the link.

http://www.drier-ride.org/


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## borregokid (Jun 9, 2005)

*Ride Report*

This is the ride report. If Spinnerman did this ride by the way and added the 30-40 mile hill climb ride to it he's one strong rider. . I started from my house in Cle Elum at about 845 and with the wind at my back it was pedal-to the-metal all the way to Eburg. I was the last one to sign up for the ride in Eburg and pulled out around 10am. Now the wind was in my face. The ride headed to Thorp was challenging with the wind blowing a pretty consistent 15-20 mph and my speedometer stuck around 12-13 mph. I was the last rider to pull into Thorp. I passed a couple of riders after Thorp and if anything the ride became a little slower with a couple of hills. I finally got back to Cle Elum at around 1240 almost four hours after I started. I think my average speed in the saddle was about 16.5 miles per hour. I used my new Lance Armstrong altimeter which by the way seems to exaggerate the elevation gained and it showed 2030.  . I think I am going to like it for gi ving me some wild figures unlike a Garmin 305.


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## OldEndicottHiway (Jul 16, 2007)

Glad you did your ride! Sorry about the wind. Makes for a rough time, and hard to just settle in and enjoy. Did it have a good turnout at least?

But...wish ya had joined us up the hillclimb! We're planning on a "next year same climb", and hopefully more folks will join in with more advanced notice.


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## borregokid (Jun 9, 2005)

I liked this ride because it started and ended at my house-plus I saw about 20 other riders. I think there were maybe 150 riders total. We get used to the wind here although I usually try to limit riding into the wind to about 15 miles. Yes, there is always next year. The way the weather is going around here we could have some snow before halloween.


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## Spinnerman (Oct 21, 2004)

Yes, I completed the ride and the climb as well. There was snow at the top and a little patch on the road too. Too bad the climb doesn't continue all the way to Lions Rock. So far, I would have to say it is the most difficult mountain climb in Washington State I have ever completed. I didn't like the cattle guard much, but the climb is epic.


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## borregokid (Jun 9, 2005)

Spinnerman said:


> Yes, I completed the ride and the climb as well. There was snow at the top and a little patch on the road too. Too bad the climb doesn't continue all the way to Lions Rock. So far, I would have to say it is the most difficult mountain climb in Washington State I have ever completed. I didn't like the cattle guard much, but the climb is epic.


I am not sure about difficult except that after 50+ miles much of it in the wind and then going up the ridge that is difficult. The grade itself isnt all that great. Ramrod has two decent climbs the one to Paradise and the one up Cayuse. The Cayuse climb seems to get to a few riders. The Mount Baker Hill Climb from Glacier to the end of the road has 4300 feet of climbing.


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## Spinnerman (Oct 21, 2004)

borregokid said:


> I am not sure about difficult except that after 50+ miles much of it in the wind and then going up the ridge that is difficult. The grade itself isnt all that great. Ramrod has two decent climbs the one to Paradise and the one up Cayuse. The Cayuse climb seems to get to a few riders. The Mount Baker Hill Climb from Glacier to the end of the road has 4300 feet of climbing.


I've been up all those. Cayuse with Chinook from the south side (RAMROD direction) is a brute. Hurricane Ridge is a grind and Mt. Baker is steep in parts. Windy Ridge can be steep in sections. But nothing has the 9% to 11% gradients of the Lions Rock which only one time dipped below 6%. That is from the second cattle guard until the flat section at the top. Hey, but it was fun and just my experience of the climb and my actual gradient readings from the climb versus other climbs I have completed. I have yet to ride the climb on Orcas Island on a bike. That climb might be harder.


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## forrest_m (Jun 29, 2007)

Three of us did a similar ride yesterday (cle elum - lion's rock - cle elum) without realizing that there was an event going on until the return leg. Grinding up hwy. 10 into the headwind - after doing the LR climb - we definately felt we were going the wrong way as dozens of care-free people flew by us going the other direction. We were putting everything we had into 3-man paceline and barely breaking 15 mph. We did manage a pretty good 100 meter sprint to the ibuprofin bottle in the car as we pulled into town.

The climb definately had me wanting to give my triple a big kiss, but what a great road - cool views, consistant grade, virtually no traffic (we saw three cars above the forest service sign). I would definately put it on the top 5 hillclimbs in the state. If I did the math right, it's right on 4,000 vert. feet from i-90 to the end of the pavement, 3,000 from the first cattleguard at the base of the forest service road.


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## mbcracken (Sep 18, 2006)

Hey Forrest - It's me Mike. yup, I was one of the other three pulling. The part that Forrest left out was the rocking speeds we hit going down to Thorp. The final tally for vert on the day was ~4750 ft. 

Cheers,
Mike


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