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We've always been squarely of the opinion that bicyclists are all insane and have a deathwish. Really: there they are zooming in and out of Seattle traffic (dangerous enough to be in inside of a car) in the middle of a rain storm on a dark day wearing a pair of tight pant-thingies that leaves about as much to the imagination as a film starring Jenna Jameson. But even we weren't prepared for the degree to which bicyclists--the seriously crazy ones--will go out of their way to seek out pain and punishment on a over-sized kids toy.
Our friend, the local nut who exposed us to this seedy world of scantily clad loonies, is still prepping for the Seattle to Portland, and in anticipation of that, he's just today signed up for another "century" (100-mile) ride: the Flying Wheels Century. Starting at Marymoor Park out in Redmond, riders have the option of taking 25, 45, 65 or 100-mile loops. At the finish line, there's a day long party featuring an espresso booth, sausages and a beer garden sponsored by New Belgium Brewing, none of which seems entirely simpatico with people in good enough shape to handle 100 miles of bicycling in one day, but what do we know? Visit here to sign up; $30 online, $40 day-of. You have until June 7 to mail in the registration, or until June 11 to sign up online. The ride is on June 14.
But let's say you're...well...just plain bat-shit crazy. You read, "One hundred miles? Pshah! That's for wussies and girls." Well, apparently this state's big enough to have a bike ride just suitable for over-achieving steroid users like yourself: the RAMROD. The RAMROD ("Ride Around Mount Rainier in One Day") is 154 miles long and requires you to climb 10,000 feet in the process. Price is $80, plus the $6.20 fee to Active.com. But wait, there's more: you have until March 31 to register; on April 2, the organizers hold a lottery to determine which of those who've signed up get to go. Winners are informed by email, and "my spam filter ate it" isn't an excuse for not replying. (People not selected receive a refund.) The 800 riders take to the hills on July 31.
julyff13 by kjten22, a beloved member of the Seattlest Flickr pool contributor. Thanks for contributing!
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Surprisingly, 100 miles per day by bicycle isn't as hard as I thought it would be.
When I was between 60 and 80 pounds overweight, it took me a few months to train up to riding that type of distance and most of it was just getting my butt acustomed to being in the saddle for 8-12 hours.
Now I commute in blue jeans and a button-up shirt and a century (100 mile) ride is just something I do on the occasional weekend. Think of it more like a 10-15 mile run. If you roll out of bed one morning saying "I'm going to go do that" then it might hurt, but spend the time to prepare yourself for it and even a week straight of 100 mile days isn't so bad.
Since I don't have a windshield on my bike, I can see better on rainy days than my steel-caged counterparts who are burning oil while being stuck in gridlock. Bike to Work Week is coming up soon, followed by the month-long Commute Challenge, give it a try, it isn't as bad as you might think.
Have to back up Synd above. It's not too tough to commute by bike, even in darkest, wettest winter. It's not easy, it's not for everyone, but honestly, it's not that tough.