# Tour de Blast?



## BenWA (Aug 11, 2004)

Has anyone done this ride before (to Mt. St. Helens)? I'm thinking about doing it tomorrow since I wasn't able to take time off work today for the Elkhorn Classic in OR.

The Tour de Blast website refers to it as a "race", but it's really just an organized ride, am I correct here? Also, they mention that the start time is 6:30 am to 9:30 am (or something thereabouts)...but it's not clear to me if there are different groups/categories that leave at specific times between 6:30 and 9:30 or if anyone can show up and start riding at any time they want between 6:30 and 9:30... anyone know details on this?


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## JP (Feb 8, 2005)

Hey, I'm going. It's just a ride and not a race. I'm going for the first time. I'm pretty sure that you can start any time in that window. I'll be wearing a Kopp's Cycle orange/black Princeton jersey; say hi if you see me. 

I have a feeling it's going to be a fantastic ride. The weather is going to be great.


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## BenWA (Aug 11, 2004)

I'll most likely be there. What time do you plan on starting? 

I'll be wearing Kona duds, riding (of course) a Kona.


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## Gizmo (Mar 27, 2005)

*How was Tour de Blast for you?*

I rode the 84 mile route today. It was quite hot and I'm not sure if I got a good workout or a good working over. I did RAMROD last year and I thought there were someplaces today that were just as tough.

Jerry


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## JP (Feb 8, 2005)

Hey, I had a tough time of it today. I'm thinking it must have been the heat or a combination of sleeping in a tent/ lousy food the night before, etc. But it was tougher than I expected. I felt great until the way back. I started cramping up coasting down from the top. Strange. I mean who cramps up on a downhill after a rest stop? I was on top of fluids and food, so not sure what happened. After I got "warmed up" again I was OK but sluggish the whole ride back. Just a fantastic ride though.


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## BenWA (Aug 11, 2004)

yeah, same here... i had gotten next to no sleep the night before and drove down from Tacoma the morning of, so I wasn't exactly the best rested. Plus, I just didn't eat enough the day before (skipped lunch and had a tiny dinner).

I think the heat definitely made it tougher than expected. That, and I was expecting to save more energy than I did by drafting in pacelines, etc which just didn't happen until the last 20 miles. I felt terrible at the top of the first climb (ran out of water and was dying of thirst), then when I got to the rest stop they had run out of water. I seriously thought I was gonna pass out while waiting. Then the water truck came, I loaded up, and continued on. Once rehydrated, I felt pretty good from that point on to the top of Johnston. 

On the way back, I was totally cramping up on the downhills too. Hooked up with a paceline on the last dowhnhill which helped, then the last 10 or so miles I was pretty much bonked. But overall, I had a tough time of the ride too. It was really hot out there.

Great ride, but I'm definitely feeling the after effects today.


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## Gizmo (Mar 27, 2005)

*Tour de Blast Graphs*

I don't know if these will work but I've tried to attach a couple of graphs from Tour de Balst
1.) Altittude profile from polar HRM
2.) Polar HRM with cumulative increase/decrease by mile

What do you think?


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## Gizmo (Mar 27, 2005)

*Tour De Blast take 2*

Altittude graph

Sorry -- I'm having problems loading the graph -- OK got it to work -- see next post.

Did someone say they had cramps? Driving home after the ride my right foot and lower leg fell asleep 3 times and I had to get off I-5 to try to walk it off. It is not a good feeling not to be able to determine the amount of pressure you are applying to the brake pedal -- asssuming you can find it. So if anyone saw an eurovan on the side of I-5 with Washington biker plates and a Colnago C-50 hanging on the bike rack that was me just trying to get feeling back in my leg.


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## Gizmo (Mar 27, 2005)

*altittude profile take 3*

take 3 (I'll quit if this doesn't work)


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## heliskyr (Feb 21, 2005)

Nice graphs of the ride. It's definitely a great course with some excellent climbing, sustained but not too steep, fun downhills, and excellent new asphalt for essentially the whole route.

This was my second year doing the ride, and it felt substantially harder to me this year due to the heat and sun. Last year it was easily 20 degrees cooler and overcast-- much more my preference! 

Also, last year there was a great deal more food available than this: last year, there were more Subway subs than riders at each stop, whereas this year I only saw subs at the first stop, none at any subsequent stop, and the Elk Rock and halfway up Johnston Ridge stops both were out of water. That's a bad spot to run out as there aren't any 7-11's or such on the route. At the top, I ended up buying several people "Crater Dogs" at the little trailer on Johnston Ridge since I was one of the few that packed a Visa card. Not my first choice for ride chow but I couldn't stomach another bongo bar!

The spaghetti feed at the end was delicious and felt well deserved.

This is a great ride, but I have to say I didn't see $50 worth of benefits, whereas last year it was much better supported. I know the poor volunteers got an earful from some of the more disgruntled (not myself!) so I think they'll stock things a little better again next year.


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## BenWA (Aug 11, 2004)

there were subs at one of the stops? I really didn't get much back for my $50 except for an orange and a few bottles of water (and of course the experience of the ride itself). I brought all my own food and skipped the spaghetti feed because I had to get back to T-town. I was a little miffed at the fact that they ran outta water at such critical parts of the ride, I don't really know how they could've let that happen on such a warm day in such a remote location. I was hurtin bad from dehydration. I'm sure I couldn't have been the only one.


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## JP (Feb 8, 2005)

BenWA said:


> there were subs at one of the stops?


There sure were. I think they were subway wraps...tons of them at all the stops I made. But I started early...6:45 or 7:00 ish. 

There was all sorts of other food too. The only place I hit that was running low was the last stop on the way back. I think they were down to just oranges and gatorade. 

That's too bad. I was just telling my friend that it was so well supported; but I guess that's true only if you go early.


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## ashum2004 (Oct 18, 2005)

*Awesome ride*

First time and great ride. Definitely do it again.

We didn't run into any shortages but we started out early around 7:30am.

Volunteers were great - could have used more honey buckets. 

Did anyone do the Barlow Trail ride today? Maybe next year will try both.


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## BenWA (Aug 11, 2004)

wow, was it really 8500' of climbing? Their website said 6250'!


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## ashum2004 (Oct 18, 2005)

Yes, its about 8400' of cumulative climbing.


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