This loop is a staple of my lunch time riding routine. It’s a 22 mile route through some farmland, lake shore, and subdivisions. The vertical is a very moderate 800 feet. The climbing is primarily limited to the six or seven (mostly) short hills along the route. Here’s the gmap-pedometer map and a linky to the interactive route.
So let’s ride …
- Head out of work via the back gate and start out on a long flat stretch that’s great for warming up the legs.
- That’s Green Mountain Golf Course on the right at mile 5.5. I hear they are selling out to developers. Another sub-D coming to a location near you. To me a golf course is an under utilized cyclocross course.
- The first hill is at mile 6. It’s about the steepest hill but fairly short. Power up this thing and coast down the other side.
- Along 68th street (mile 8.5 to 10.5) are a bunch of llama and alpaca ranches. This stretch was chip sealed last year and the gentle downhill at mile 9 is deceptively hard pedaling.
- Between mile 10 and 11 are two short hills. The first is quick and tasty. The second seems a little more taxing.
- Mile 13 is the high point and now there’s a nice downhill section to Lacamas Lake.
- The ride along the lake is nice since there’s no development on this side. There will be guys fishing at a turnout around 15.5 regardless of the weather.
- A short climb punctuates the end of the lake (mile 16).
- The mile long climb up Lake St. starts just after mile 17. This would be a great hill for repeats except for the traffic. The explosion in new home construction means regular rock trucks rumbling by.
- The last climb starts at mile 19.5. The top is the steepest grade of the ride — maybe 8 percent.
- It’s mostly downhill back to work. In the summer, the afternoon wind will come out of the west and make this a bit more challenging in a few months.
- There is a light at mile 21.5 that always catches me. It’s in the middle of a nice descent.
And that’s it. Back to the old grindstone.
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