My second big ride of summer 2024 was the Ride Around Clark County. This reprised another ride I did many years ago. I’m pretty sure the course had changed, even in the last few years, and all I remembered was that the original was a solid effort back in the day. The elevation map confirmed that hadn’t changed.
Elevation map of RACC with two big hills in the middle
Those two big humps in the middle scared me a bit. I’m nowhere near the condition I was in a decade ago when I was first riding centuries, so something had to be done. I left my alarm at school-time hour to rise, and used the hour and change before work to start training.
I found a route out my front door that tallied about 10 miles with over 1000 feet climbing. This gave me the sort of routine elevation I needed in a pretty concise amount of time.
Day of the ride was a long drive from Sherwood up to Vancouver where things started. There wasn’t a big crowd at the start when I set off. The course was really nice, with lots of countryside and wooded areas to loop through. In the middle of those gnarly hills was a rest-stop at an old mill beside a creek which was very picturesque.
Old mill at the midway point
Peaceful creek by the old mill
Along the way I met an old guy who was walking his bike up a steady hill. I slowed down to chat a little with him, ask if he needed help. He said that he didn’t, but his hip just couldn’t take the climb anymore. “Thought my knees were gonna go out before my hips, but here we are.” New life goal: be that old grizzled guy on the course toughing it out.
The last rest stop was at a park near Camas. A long climb led away from the park, but the bike lane was generous and comfortable. After that it hooked back west through miles and miles of suburbs, the ground almost perfectly flat. I could tell I was pretty worn out because even this smooth way without more climbing it was a struggle to keep my speed up.
I crawled back into the parking lot where we’d started. After the Pioneer Century ending with everything shut down I was quite glad to find the sandwich line still in action, if a little slim on the pickings. Still ham on white bread has rarely tasted so good.