Skate Creek Loop with the Cyclopaths

On Saturday last we rode what is a bread and butter route on the Puyallup Cyclopaths calender. Skate Creek Loop. It had all the ingredients of a typical Cyclopath ride. Multiple climbs. Views. Lots of time and space to chat with friends. For these reasons this route has become a favorite among the regulars.

The route is pretty basic. Start somewhere near Ashford. Climb to Paradise. Backtrack a bit to find Stevens Canyon road to Ohanapacosh. Turn right and work down to Packwood. Then the follow the route's namesake, Skate Creek Road, back to the start. Simple. Perfect.

Mike was caught with a look of surprise as we prepared to a 7 a.m. start.

Just seven Cyclopaths were present at the start. Dwaine, Les, Martin, Mike, Rob, and two Scotts. There was a rumor in the wind that Adam might already be up the road completing an early ascent to Paradise.

The ride started easy. My pace stayed zone two or easier. I was feeling the joy of riding for fun without the pressure of racing the clock. The air was cool but not uncomfortably so. The traffic was light enough to encourage side by side riding and lots of chit chat. We had a Ford F350 sighting that led us to believe Adam was already up the road making his first attack on Paradise . While we pedaled easy Adam was way up the road working hard. We later learned he set a PR on the climb to Paradise.

Martin posed for the camera at Longmire.

Scott also posed for my camera at Longmire.

While we took a quick stop at Longmire Adam appeared from above. Adam appeared cold. Adam was cold. He was wearing every stitch of clothing and reported that the descent was as chilly as he could tolerate. Fortunately for us the the air was warming and the roads were drying. When we restarted our climb Adam joined us which grew our group to eight.

Adam hides his face (from the cold) behind the Cyclopath colors.

 
We still had plenty of miles to pedal to get to Paradise. During this period I reflected internally on the joy of riding with the Cyclopaths. Outdoor group rides are mostly back to normal and I was enjoying the social aspects of the day.

Climbing between the bridge over the Nisqually River and the Ricksacker Point viewpoint.

 

Les and Scott setting pace.

We took the Ricksacker Point lookout detour. The roads were still damp at this time of the day and the top of Mount Rainier remained shrouded in clouds.

Not long after Ricksacker Point Road the pace picked up a little. Adam and I gravitated towards the front. Most in the group were saving their matches as it was a long day with multiple climbs.

We made a quick turnaround at Paradise. Adam informed us he was done as he had a late morning commitment. Scott J. informed us his legs were beginning to send some signals. Signals that didn't give him enough confidence to continue on our 80 mile route. Scott had worked pretty hard to hang with the group and probably made a wise decision. As we waved goodbye Scott was enjoying the fruits of his labor by taking in the views and snapping photos.

I took note that one lost rider, Scott, probably had little clue how hard the Cyclopaths have pushed on the last climb up Skate Creek Road. The other lost rider, Adam, was certainly the strongest rider on the day and most capable of setting a hot pace when it fancied him. Their departures meant the six remaining riders were more evenly matched.

I stood deep in a snow filled ditch to shoot from a low perspective as Martin sped past.

We descended towards Reflection Lake but stopped only briefly. The sun was peaking through more often and the air warmed as we wound our way down Steven's Canyon. The top half of the descent was beautiful and I took the opportunity to catch a couple frames of descending riders. At the midway point the the road turned rough as is typical for this secter. One bit was reduced to one lane and controlled with a stop light. We saw only green and continued our descent without slowing.

My camera caught Scott descending the first switchback on Steven's Canyon.

Martin followed close behind.

I pedaled at zone two intensity once the descent tapered away at Box Canyon. Mike was with me and we were greeted by more sunshine and warmth as we crested Backbone Ridge. The day was too beautiful to ignore. The group chose to snap photos and chat and linger for many extra minutes as we took in the views and sunshine.

Mike and I both waited to capture the remaining riders as they summited. Mike and I both snapped shots of the other photographer.

My Ibis Hakka MX framed this trio of riders as they crested Backbone Ridge.

Mike is our leader. Mike organizes the rides. Mike communicates to the group. Mike helps us out in whatever way we need. Including jammed zippers.

When I sensed the group was nearly ready I scooted off early as I needed water at Ohanapacosh. After filling my bottles I stood near the road and was approached by a stranger. We struck up a conversation that lasted many minutes. I learned he was from Saint Petersburg Florida, was two months into a solo road trip, and was visiting as many National Parks as he could. I suspected he was happy to find someone to chat with. I was more than happy to oblige.

After we were back on the road I thought to myself what a pleasant random encounter. My cycling path just happened to cross his vacationing path and we were able to share a story or two. This reinforced my joy that the day was about riding for fun and not racing for time.

As we descended Highway 123 the group formed into a pace line but we kept the pace easy. I knew the pace would change at Highway 12. It had every year before.

I chose to peel off a layer as we transitioned off Highway 123 and a gap opened in the process. The group was immediately pulling down the hill and I had to put some extra pressure into the pedals to re-attach.

The six of us were well matched and the pace line rotation was smooth. The shoulder of Highway 12 was not. Our pace line formation was solid and I made a few efforts to capture this Skate Creek Loop tradition with my camera.

Cyclopath pace line coming at you.

Cyclopath pace line going away.

At Packwood we turned off Highway 12. This was the final milestone of the route and marked another transition. We changed from descending to climbing. The temperature went up. I expected the pace would warm up as well.

We refueled and unlayered at the Packwood Shell station. I felt warm enough to go with a short sleeved jersey without arm warmers. I also felt gratitude that I had brought a handlebar bag big enough to hold my now surplus warm layers.

As we re-entered the roadway thoughts of previous rides up Skate Creek Road flooded my consciousness. The suffer of this climb after 60 miles up and down Mount Rainier has etched a permanent place in my mind. Those memories always included a scene where I was working at my limit and a colorful Cyclopath jersey slipped up the road.

I was hopeful this year would be different. With Adam out of the group I liked my chances of holding the leader's wheel.

As usual, we rode easy for the two miles that led into the climb. As we rounded the corner where the gradient begins to creep up Rob was slightly off the front. I picked up my pace and passed Mike and Les. Neither responded. Les voiced his disinterest in my pace. Just seconds later Rob let me go by in a way that communicated my situation clearly. If I wanted to push the pace up Skate Creek I would be pushing it alone.

The climbing section out of Packwood is about 10 miles in length and about 1000 feet of vertical gain. It is never steep. I never let it be easy. With no friends around I owned the struggle against the light headwind. I kept my head down physically and metaphorically.

As pacemaker I chose a time trial strategy. More effort was given when it was steeper. Rest was taken when it wasn't.

The road follows the turns of Skate Creek. I discovered a pattern that I could use to gauge my next level of effort. When the river and road bent to the right the gradient went up. When they bent to the left the gradient tapered. For 25 minutes I concentrated on timing my above threshold efforts on right hand bends and anticipating my sub threshold rests on left hand bends.

At about two thirds distance this pattern no longer held. My mental calculator was working slow and my pacing suffered. All of me suffered. I was riding Skate Creek Road properly.

Every check over my shoulder remained clear of approaching riders. I counted down the minutes. Around every corner I wished mile marker '11', where the climbing ends, would be revealed.

After about 40 minutes I had earned a Strava PR and tired legs.

I turned around to regroup and found that Les and Mike were not far behind. I thought I would tuck in behind to join their conversation but quickly discovered they were climbing with vigor. When the climbing ended we took a few moments of recovery before we got back to work. We took turns pulling with the heaviest rider, me, going to the front when the road angle tipped down. The final eleven miles back to the start area went by quickly.

My reward for the work on the front of the group was a change into street clothes and an early start on my recovery food. The remaining riders trickled in over the next ten minutes. Mike, Les, and myself congratulated ourselves on a near perfect iteration of the Skate Creek Loop route. We also gave thanks for our good window of weather.

The Skate Creek Loop route is my favorite. It ticks all the boxes. The spectacular climb to Paradise. The group photo perfection of Reflection Lake. A riveting descent down Steven's Canyon. A perfect picnic stop at Backbone Ridge. The beauty of Ohanapacosh. A fast highway that motivates strong teamwork. And a final climb where each Cyclopath is offered the option to dial up or dial down the suffer-meter.