[OrRando] Re: NW Crank

Del Scharffenberg dels at intersoftsystems.com
Wed Mar 14 18:17:56 PDT 2007


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <cecilanne at comcast.net>
Sent: Sunday, March 11, 2007 7:32 PM

> Sounds like fun!  Did anyone do this last year
> and have comments or concerns?

Last year I used two vacation days (Friday and Monday) for
a great training weekend with NW Crank in Wenatchee.
Mike Bingle and I drove up together on Friday.  Traffic was
awful and it took us 6 hours, so we arrived too late for the rides
of the day, but picked up a cue sheet and rode out a few miles
hoping to meet the last returning riders.  John Kramer was there.
We logged over 300 hard miles in the next three days and
enjoyed the training and camaraderie.  Terry Z really does
a good job mapping the rides and organizing social stuff.

Only about a dozen riders did the Saturday century option,
with Mike and I, Fred and big Mark becoming Ragsdale's
sparring partners.  Chris would easily ride ahead, then wait,
give us four a head start and chase us down.  Effortlessly.
The day was warm and windy and there was MONSTER
Badger Mtn 4100 feet up straight east of town.  Its gotta be
one of the toughest climbs I've met.  Those guys killed me.
Then dropped me again coming down.  I clocked 44 max,
with big Mark topping out at 54!  

Sunday there was a 200k Lake Chelan brevet that was quite
nice.  Four of us again foolishly hung with Chris when he put
the hammer down.  Even with four stops we clocked 5:46 for
the century, then finished in 7:09.  Fred Mulder's quip after the
200k was "You've heard of the 'house of pain' right?  Well,
this was more like a baroque castle!"

Several riders had to leave Monday, but the rest of us drove
to Cashmere for a cold, windy 100k populaire.  We finished
early in the afternoon and made the drive home by dark.
It was an excellent weekend, the next best thing to Brevet
Week.  Unfortunately I don't think my schedule will allow
me to go this year.

-- Del



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