Stephanie enjoys her climb

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Everybody has a story but me.

Stephanie completed her first ever century today. The Winchester Century is probably not the one I’d recommend as someone’s first century but then neither is the return from Joseph. Many of our members have recorded a first century on that route. Stephanie is a young mother of four boys 8,6,4,2. No she’s not obsessive/compulsive though you might think so to see her take ‘em all on an ice-cream ride. She doesn’t have much time for long rides, so trains hard on the hills. Two-kids in a trailer seems to be a pretty good training plan for Winchester. She and Linda scooted away from Jim and me on the grade. They didn’t even wait for us at the usual spot near the power line. Probably lost in chatter.

It should be noted that Stephanie is acquiring the accoutrements of a cyclist one at a time. Her bike is a hybrid. We made her get tubes before we’d let her join us on the Wawawai extension to a Sage Bakery Ride this summer. Next she go cycling shoes with cleats and pedals to replace those old soft-soled tennis she’d been using. Now she needs sunglasses and a mirror.

Linda’s Dahmen Barn Easy Does Ride cancelled but she got to ride up Winchester, down CuldeSac Road, and met “A Tandem, a Triple, and a TransAmerica Tour.” With rain and road construction on everyone’s mind and the fact that a climb up the Spiral Highway is not everyone’s idea of Easy Does It, meant Linda had no takers at 8. We’d left at 7:30 and were nearly to Barr Road. Linda thought she could catch us by going up Lindsay Creek when she called me.

I talked her into going home for the pickup and meeting us at the Thunderbird Inn at CuldeSac. That turned out to be perfect. Just as I began to call her, she pulled in.

Linda and Stephanie promptly rode off together chatting away. Probably didn’t even realize they were climbing one of the toughest hills around here. Linda said she hadn’t even used granny on her new bike.

But Linda hasn’t broken that running habit which has kept her from logging enough miles for this ride. Jim suggested CuldeSac Road. He’d actually ridden it and Stephanie had driven it. It’s about 10-13 miles long starting near Reubens and running into downtown CuldeSac. Linda’s awash in pictures and ecstatic about that road. You can read about her adventures on Linda’s Blog. You’ll want to hear about the couple on a cross country tour with 9 year old triplets.

Jim’s been mountaineering the last couple of months and more notable for not riding than for riding. He figured a climb up the old Winchester Grade would be good cross training for his assault on Mt. Rainier next weekend.

Jim’s cross-training is working better for mountain climbing than for cycling. He was plagued by cramping all morning. We stuffed him with French fries at Miss Lily’s in Winchester and he stopped complaining about cramps.

He graduated from the Spokane Mountaineering School last weekend with a climb near Jasper in Canada. Next weekend he’ll attempt to climb Mt. Rainier. He’s hiked all the way around it, ridden around it twice, and how wants to climb it. Yes, ropes, pitons, crampons. Just call him Mountain McCracken. Of course, he has one more session on Saturday at Mt. Rainier, crevasse rescue. They’ll be lowered into a crevasse and, one hopes, be rescued promptly.

I think I’d rather be on my bike . . .Well, maybe I do have a story. Next weekend is CHAFE which will be my 16th century of the year and first ride over 125 miles this year—maybe my only ride over 125 this year. Oh, and there’s that flat I had at the Casino. No punctures, no snake bite, just a tiny hole that didn’t make itself known until the bike had sat in the sun and warmed up nicely pushing all the air out of my front tire.

Did we get wet? No. Did the wind blow? Well, some out of the north on top and up Magpie, but in the valley, sunny and 73 degrees and nearly windless. And why do I love the Winchester Century? Take a look at Jim, making a bend on the climb in a tree lined section and tell me you wouldn’t want to be riding there.

Don’t forget, you’ll get your chance on the Bite the Bullet Day Tour on June 27th. Just a few weeks away. I hope the fields are still as green as they were today.