I took off early this morning, remembering that even with a 5AM start last time that it was dark and raining when I finished. The longer days of Summer will help in that regard but I'd rather have a dark start in the early morning (low traffic count) rather than a dark finish in the evening (busier roads, and a more congested portion of the route)
It was an uneventful ride for the most part. Small stores were scattered along the route often enough that self support wasn't too hard. I had ridden two other double centuries this summer, Reach the Beach (and back) in May, and STP in July, both rides with a lot of company. Today's ride was notable mostly for it's.... loneliness. I don't remember seeing a single cyclist all day.
The weather was nice though. I started from Tillamook and headed north along the coast almost to Seaside before I turned inland and pedaled down to Hwy 18 and overlapped the Reach the Beach route for a bit. Once I "reached the beach" at Pacific City I kept going however. I was now riding the Three Capes Scenic Loop again, this time in the opposite direction from yesterday's ride.
The sun was a little more prevalent today. The ride over Cape Lookout was still a rough trip, and the mottled shade made it even harder to pick up the potholes. I scrubbed off quite a bit of brake pads, but stayed safe.
There was a stiff wind blowing today, probably 15-20 mph ...directly in my face as I made my way northward. But I had to keep telling myself, "It's ONLY a 20 mph headwind, and at most it can only last for another 45 miles, I've done worse."
It was pretty though.
I made it down Cape Lookout and was now riding along Netarts Bay again. Netarts had the welcome mat out.
The construction still had the Cape Meares leg closed, no surprise.
When I rode this last fall Sandy made an executive decision for we riders to forgo the Cape Meares loop in an effort to get us through Tillamook and it's busy traffic before dark. This time darkness would not be a problem. It struck me just a bit funny that I've ridden the Tillamook Double route twice now, and neither time did I get to ride Cape Meares. Luckily there's enough bonus miles built into the course that even shaving off the last cape I still get 200 miles in.
...and I got the 200 miles in before dark! :-)
........road bike.......rollers.........mtb.....lifecycle.....total
Today.......203..............0.............0..........0.........203
Jan.........474..............0............21..........7.........502
Feb.........530..............0.............0..........0.........530
March.......502..............0.............0..........0.........502
April.......524..............0.............0..........0.........524
May........1003..............0.............0..........0........1003
June.......1016..............0............10..........0........1026
July.......1148..............0.............0..........0........1148
August......358..............0.............0..........0.........358
YTD........5559..............0............37..........7........5603
Friggin' amazing! And gorgeous pics! Well done!
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