2008.06.05 Sunset Elementary-Maltby Bakery-Snohomish

Saturday turned out to be a fantastic day to ride. Seven of us gathered at Sunset Elementary School at 8:00 am.  We were supposed to meet up with Dan and Brad along the way, but we were too slow in starting out so they hooked up with us before we left the elementary school.

Starting Out Fresh from Sunset Elementary

Unfortunately, Kurt forgot his helmet and had to drive back home (waaaaaay back home) to get it.

William set a good pace going around the south end of Lake Sammamish and then up the east side.  The Issaquah Triathlon was in progress so we were able to take advantage of police support while going up East Lake Sammamish Parkway. What a treat! We took William’s shortcut into Marymoor Park at about 9:00 am and found Kary at the Velodrome.  We found Kurt and Steve a little farther on.  Our group of eleven was complete!

Ready to Head Out from Marymoor Park

From Marymoor Park we headed north onto the Sammamish River Trail. At 9:45 am there was a steady stream of walkers, joggers, and cyclists on the trail. With pedestrian safety in mind, we rode a responsible 15 mph.

And then it happened! The event that rocked my cycling world.  I can still hear the words emanating from William’s lips and hanging heavy on the morning air, “Does my rear tire look flat?” Yikes! Who ever thought that a Litespeed could sustain a flat?  That seems so…so…common!  It’s like Princess Grace eating at Dick’s or Ghandi going to watch the roller derby.  There were others whose worlds were rocked by this event.  Dan asked, “Don’t Litespeeds come with a roadside assistance plan?”  I don’t know about everyone else, but I can never look at William’s and Kary’s bikes with the same reverence I once had.  I should have known better when I heard of the Litespeed that got taken down by a hum bao. But that’s another story.

It didn’t take long for the pit crew to change the tube and get William back on the trail.

We continued up to Wilmot Gateway Park in Woodinville where we hopped off the trail and onto 131st Avenue NE, which turns into NE 171st Street. We turned left onto 140th Avenue NE and right onto NE 175th Street.  By the way, we smelled what seemed to be a really good burger joint somewhere on 140th Avenue NE – and it wasn’t McDonald’s. Mental note: gotta go back there to check it out.  NE 175th Street turns into NE Woodinville Duvall Road.  It also turns into a hill – the most significant hill on our ride route.  So we rode up NE Woodinville Duvall Road to a traffic light and took a right onto, guess what, NE Woodinville Duvall Road!  What’s up with that?  Who names the roads up there?  Maybe they name them for the cyclists.  So you can say, “Yeah, that NE Woodinville Duvall Road is a pretty long hill.”  ’Cause when we took the right, it was still NE Woodinville Duvall Road and it was still a hill.

We took a left onto 156th Avenue NE, re-grouped and continued on a combination of rollers and flats.  156th Avenue NE becomes 75th Avenue SE, Bostian Road, and 224th Street SE, which could all be very confusing except for the fact that we just kept going straight until we hit Paradise Lake Road.  Then we took a left, crossed Highway 522, took a right onto Yew Way, left onto 212th Street SE (a.k.a. Maltby Road) and we were there!

I don’t know how many of you have been to Maltby, but after seeing it, I’ll tell you that you might have been there and not known it.  It’s a very small town.  However, for a small town, it has huge cinnamon rolls!

We Were on a Roll

After gorging on the cinnamon rolls, seven of us decided to head back, leaving four to head up to the Snohomish Bakery 10 more miles up the road.  I was in the group that turned back.  The return trip was fairly uneventful – except for one fall, two screamin’ speed demons bombing by the NE Woodinville Duvall Road turnoff, and some leg cramps (guess who).  We got back to Sunset Elementary just after 1:00 pm a little tired, but no worse for wear.

Tired Guys Listening to Dan's Tales of Leg Cramps

I’ll let Heather record the part of the ride I missed.

It was another fun outing. Thanks for organizing it, Heather!

Click here for ride stats.

Part 2:  To Snohomish and Back…

The ride to Snohomish was beautiful, with rolling hills and views of Mt. Baker nestled in the clouds.  It’s a popular bike route, and we saw lots of team jerseys and pace lines on the way into town.  We stopped in Snohomish to get more water (take note Mr. Ko) and snap a photo at the Java Inn Coffee Roasters.  I was ready for lunch, but that seems to happen more when I’m riding with women

As we headed back, my legs were starting to feel it.  I was very thankful for my new triple as we had to “pay” for the downhills we enjoyed on the way to Snohomish.   I told the guys I needed another fuel stop, then Kurt got a flat tire.  The pit crew went to work, and changed it in no time… very impressive! 

We made it back to Woodinville (after missing the same turn at NW Woodinville Duvall road) and entered rush hour traffic on the Sammamish trail.  There was a serious bike collision, along with a police car and medics, beneath one of the overpasses.  It was a good reminder that those enforced speed limits are there for a reason.

Once we got to Marymoor, Steve and Kary headed home.  I convinced Kurt to hang out, get a Subway sandwich, and enjoy the sunshine.  He had to wait in a long line of cyclists, baseball players, and parents (what a nice guy!)  and finally returned with a foot long sub!  I could only manage 1/4, so he finished the rest.   I guess it was a bit too much to stomach, since he was definitely dragging up the hills back to Sunset.

We finally returned to the parking lot, probably as most of you were starting dinner   It was a great day filled with my favorite things… friends, fun, fitness, food and fellowship.  It doesn’t get much better than that   Thanks guys!

Heather