When Chris and I took on the 200K for the fall series, Mark Thomas suckered us in to doing the 600K as well. Most of my planning went into the many details needed to cover the 600K’s setup. I had no idea that putting together a 200K that ends in the same spot would be such a hassle. The route got moved, changed and reversed no less than 5 times since I first got the general idea down. The final reversal was made literally a few days before we did the pre-ride on Saturday.

I am shocked to say that the course is perfect and beautiful. If you can’t make it to the 600K on the 11th of September, please do your best to attend the 200K on the 12th. Chris and I had a wonderful time riding it.

We left on Saturday morning around 6 to drive up to the 7am start at the Arlington Motor Inn off of Highway 530. The parking at the start is plentiful… if you are staying at the hotel. There seem to be towing signs everywhere, so you might have to get creative if you are just up for the day. I parked across the street near an abandoned building (that still had towing signs) and didn’t have any issues with the locals. Next weekend we are doing the 600K pre-ride and I plan on driving a little further down to Smokey Point Blvd for some legal street parking. It might add 2-3K to your ride if that means anything to you.

WA-530 was a breeze as usual. There is always plenty to look at and almost no real climbing. It throws in some gentle rollers just to keep you awake until you get to Darrington (50K).

I was on the lookout for some warm food once we got into town. The Shell station had some questionable looking breakfast sandwiches still. I ate and enjoyed mine, for what that is worth. Make sure you stock up in Darrington though. There is a 70K stretch after that with no services at all. You might get lucky to find a camper that has some extra water if you are desperate, but it is best to just be prepared.

The Mountain Loop Highway starts with pristine road following a great little river and almost no traffic. It is one of those moments that makes you realize why it is you even do this stuff. Eventually, the great road gives away to hard packed dirt and the occasional loose gravel section. If you stay loose, the gravel sections shouldn’t give you any problems. Still, there is 14 miles of this, so it is best to keep alert. We purposely routed this section so you will be going uphill on the gravel instead of downhill at speed. 28+ tires are recommended, but probably not required if you are a decent bike handler. Despite the direction, there are still a few downhill gravel sections; just use caution. It is actually a lot of fun to get a little dirty. I hope you all enjoy it as much as we did.

Our stop at the Green Gables General Store was welcome after the long run without services. The selection isn’t amazing, but you should be able to find something to fill your belly. There is only 30K left until the next control in Lake Roesiger.

We ran into a detour in Granite Falls that should be cleared by the time the actual ride starts. If not, it was pretty easy to navigate with just the detour signs. The rollers start to kick back in around here just to keep you honest.

After Lake Roesiger, there is a surprising amount of descending until you get to the Centennial Trail. You will follow the trail all the way back to Arlington for celebratory high fives (and maybe a beer or two) all around.

Please take a chance to pre-register for either the 600 or the 200K if you plan on riding either. We would really like to get an idea on what kind of head count we will need to buy beer…er… snacks for. No, I meant beer.

More pictures can be found here.