Biking

There was an interesting discussion on the Cascade Bulletin Board speculating whether a ticket received for a bicycling infraction would cause your auto insurance rates go up? Short answer… no. A close personal friend with my good looks and rapier-like wit received a citation from motorycle Officer Tomlinson of the City of Bellevue PD last May for a violation falling under the very generic RCW 46.61.755. Said friend, happy that the officer toned it down a bit, was concerned more about the blemish on his respectable Permanent Record than the $58 contribution to the city general fund, called both the DMV and his insurance company. ...

Why the hell am I doing this? I kept asking myself this question throughout most of the first day of Rain-Soaked Venture Pedaling R.S.V.P.. (For a more optimistic take, view Claire Petersky’s summary.) Day 1: 106.9 miles Seattle to Bellingham Day 2a: 21.8 miles (Bellingham to the border) Day 2b: 56.9 miles (Border to Vancouver) The forecast for Friday was “92% chance of rain, with a possibility of late afternoon thunderstorms.” The percentage is interesting because it conveys both precision and, in this case, accuracy: The rain rain rain came down down down. ...

(Continued from Part 1, (Map, annotated altitude Profile, Preride Guide) Twelve Monkeys beware! The early morning ride through the university district wasn’t as harrowing as I’ve come to expect. It would have been shorter, too, except when I crossed the Eastgate bridge, my mirror fell off. The distraction was enough that I missed a left turn towards Lake Washington Blvd. I didn’t go too far before clueing in, though. ...

I finished the two-day version of STP (Map, annotated altitude Profile, Preride Guide) and lived to tell about it. Woot! **Saturday** Left Seattle at 4:05 a.m. Arrived in Castle Rock, WA, at 4:30 p.m. 139.8 miles, 2,559′ ascent Average speed 13.0 mph. **Sunday** Left Castle Rock at 5:15 a.m. Arrived in Portland, OR, at 10:47 a.m. 67.3 miles, 1,339′ ascent Average speed 12.0 mph **Overall:** **207.1 miles, 3,898′ ascent** 12,166 calories burned*. ...