We started in a bit of rain, temps in the mid '30s. About a 1/4 of a mile in was the dreaded Heart Attack Hill. You got a "medallion" (really a Redhook beer coaster) if you made it all the way up without stopping.
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| The dreaded Heart Attack Hill. Lots of people walked. |
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| Chaddie got a medallion! |
The ride was an 18-odd mile loop, mostly off road which meant that we were muddy almost immediately. The first half of the ride had three good climbs, then we coasted along the pipeline trail for quite a few miles before hitting the forest trails in the Redmond Watershed Preserve.
Once we got out of the forest, this happened:
Yup. It started absolutely dumping. We were already pretty soaked from the rain, so it wasn't long before we were freezing. I had big regrets about leaving my winter gloves/ booties at home, as my hands and feet turned into blocks of ice.
It kept dumping, while getting colder and colder, for the rest of the ride.We were so cold that we forewent the free beers afterwards in favor of getting back to our warm truck as soon as possible. By the time we got back to the truck, I was so cold I couldn't properly talk, and I had a hard time changing out of my cycling clothes. This was the first time I'd ever been borderline hypothermic, and I was very glad to finally sit down in that truck, heat blasting for the entire ride home.
Despite the crazy weather and borderline hypothermia, though, we had a great time and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again (although next time I'll definitely be more prepared for snow!).
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