About a week before my ride my in-laws and wife and kids were heading out to Whidbey Island. Since I was planning on taking Friday off to spend with them out there, I figured I would bike out there Thursday evening.
It was about 60 miles starting in downtown Seattle, norht through Seattle, Shoreline, Lynnwood, until I got to Mukelteo, a short ride on the ferry over to Whidbey Island, and then over to Coupeville. I had never ridden north of Seattle so it was nice to see that part of the area. I had also never been on ferry before.
Having put that behind me, I figured if I could get a couple more 30 mile rides in before my long ride on Saturday I would be good to go. I didn't fit a ride in until Thursday and figured that would be enough.
I headed out around 8 on Saturday and just took my normal route up to Seattle. From there I got on to the Burke-Gilman trail and rode that until it ended. This was only about 49 miles, I figured I would ride a little extra on the way home. I stopped for a bout 20 minutes for lunch. I took it pretty easy on the way up (about 15-17 mph), not knowing how my body would react to 100 miles. On the way back, I was feeling good and rode a little harder (18-20). I slowed down the last few miles as I started to get tired. It took me a little over 7 hours, with about 5 stops included. I could definitely make time on my next ride. It was a great experience and got to see a lot of beautiful sights around Seattle and the surrounding areas. Check out the slide show below for some pictures I took along the way.
Next year, I'll be taking on the STP's (Seattle to Portland) 200 mile one day ride! I'll have to get a few more centuries in before then