Well, today brother Ben and I decided to participate in our first Washington Endurance Series MTB event. Kudos to the event organizer, (Martin S), who did an outstanding job! The ride exceeded all expectations! First, the WA Endurance Series MTB events are designed specifically to get more MTB enthusiasts out to enjoy the diverse riding areas we have in this great state! Make no mistake about it though, these rides are not for the casual, novice MTB'er. Though absolutely beautiful, they are tough!! There were about 18 riders who began this great journey together. After about 10 minutes into the ride the group separated due to varied skill, fitness and course demands. Being from the east side of the state, (and quite likely true for the folks from the west), the Whiskey Dick route provided a completely different backdrop in terms of terrain, flora and fauna. The weather was perfect being warm with a slight breeze. (This is a good thing because there is no shade out here...) The variety of plant life is surprising as you will notice in the attached photos. The route itself was very challenging. These rides are non-supported and very much depend on your navigation skills to see you through, (i.e. - GPS and route file mandatory). There is a bit of single track but most of the route consists of jeep roads. Ben & I thought a pre-ride warm up was a good idea hence the first 5 mile out-and-back. Don't think that the 43 mile course and 6,540ft of climbing is all there is to completing it, these roads are steep, rocky and/or very loose. It's a great way to train within the multiple MTB disciplines...constant focus, climbing and associated weight distribution, downhill and even a bit of hike-a-bike! Brother Ben even managed to break a tooth off his large chain ring and completely crack the carbon sole on one of his MTB shoes. All said, a FANTASTIC day in the saddle with good friends and again kudo's to Martin for his work in putting these together. I plan to ride at least two more of the WA Endurance Series events this year. Ben and I are also hoping to organize and schedule an additional event over here on the east side of the state. Stay tuned all!
P.S. - This link is interactive to so please play a bit, (e.g. - multiple map overlays, photos, metrics, route time play, export multiple file types for GPS device etc.)