Team Carver once again found itself peddling into beautiful country to meet a goal of reaching the viewpoint of Mt. St. Helens. The scenery was spectacular and the weather was perfect! We started our morning ride at Toutle High School and rode 40 miles (according to our odometer but 41 according to the maps and signs). Right from the start, the grade was uphill although it was slight the first ten miles. The second stretch after the water stop was in no uncertain terms "brutal". Fifteen straight miles of grueling climbing to the second rest stop. Many stretching breaks were taken to meet our destination. After refueling there was a little bit of a decent before climbing the last consecutive mile climb to the top.
We were one of five tandem teams to ride this tour. More than a handful of single riders commented on how it must be hard to peddle a tandem to the top. We would have to agree that this was a tough ride. It felt more difficult than the day rides of Cycle Oregon. In retrospect, that might not be a fair comparison as this ride was earlier in the cycling season and we have not had as much opportunity to train for it as we did Cycle Oregon. However, with Randy cycling in RAMROD (Ride Around Mt. Raineer in One Day) we are hoping this ride better prepares him for that event. Several of the riders from Tour de Blast indicated they were using the ride as a training opportunity for RAMROD.
All I know is that we reached about 4000 feet in elevation and spectacular rugged mountain scenery which made the pain in the saddle endurable. Randy and I were amongst the last 30 riders to reach camp which was great as it gave us quiet times on the path and time to talk as we rode.
The return back to the high school parking lot was a blast as it was the reverse...all those miles flying down the mountains!
Joke for the day: Back at the high school Randy stated he need to stretch... I declared I needed a stretcher! :-)
