After not getting a lot of riding in over the weekend (Tour de Tummy was great, but not what I would consider a training ride), and having decided I needed to do the 400K this coming weekend, a sense of needing to get more miles in was growing. What to do? While I was pondering my choices, I received an e-mail from Narayan about a SIR rider who had recently finished the 341 Permanent but had not answered the question at the first information control with the expected answer. Could it be that it was a reasonable answer? - only way to tell would be to head out to the site and look around to see how they could have come up with that answer. So, there's my decision ... I'll ride the 341 Permanent. I'll work the AM, then ride in the afternoon & evening. Glad that's settled.
Wait. Now we're going to Sarah & Tanner's for Cinco de mayo dinner ... I'll have to cancel the ride or leave early. Guess it's time to rearrange my work schedule.
So it's off to Leschi for a 7:00 AM start. Leschi is only five miles or so from home, so I decide to ride to/from the start point. After all, what's ten more miles on top of 130? I'm training to ride 250 this weekend right? An uneventful start gets me to the UW campus in time to be almost run over by ten or so Army runners looking quite impressive. After that, there were another ten or so that straggled over the next 1/2 mile or so ... they looked quite different than the first ten and more like I would have.
On to the first control and lo and behold, the answer that the rider had put down was actually quite reasonable. Not the right one, but reasonable enough that we could give him credit for the ride. That's a relief! The rest of the morning ride was uneventful, ending at the half-way point - North Bend - and what must be the high point of the ride elevation point ... it's mostly downhill from here, right?
Wrong. Definately wrong. There were several points ... on Issaquah-Fall City Road and on Lake Francis Road ... that were higher ... and several others that were close ... Newport Road and May Valley Road. Who created this Permanent anyway? Oh, never mind. Well, it is good training. I guess I understand why Narayan was commeenting on all the climbing. I'm almost to Lake Francis Road when I see Mark Thomas along with Robin & Amy Pieper headed the other way. It's a nice day to be out!
It is a blessing that most of the last 22 miles is downhill or flat, with only one relatively small hill.
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