On the last weekend of June, the Seattle International Randonneurs (SIR) hosted the inaugural Cascade 1200 - a giant loop through Washington State. At the start 73 riders tackled the 1200K and nine riders started the 1000K. Afterwards the riders and volunteers agreed almost unanimously that it was a great success!

The Cascade 1200 featured a group-oriented style of riding with common overnight stops each night. This allowed the riders to catch up each night and to start together in the morning and helped SIR to concentrate volunteers and resources at those overnights. Most riders enjoyed the common overnight stops and liked having a set endpoint for each day.

The route was chosen to highlight the diversity of Washington State. Riders experienced the intense sun and heat of the Rattlesnake Hills and the chilly rain in the descent off Rainy Pass; a rippin' tailwind along the Columbia River and bouncing headwinds that slowed riders to a crawl and threw them all over the road. Not to mention stunning views of Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Hood, and Mt. Adams as well as the desert-like feel of the Rattlesnake Hills and prehistoric look of the old riverbed of the Grand Coulee. If you didn't like the scenery or the weather, just ride a few more miles and it changed again.

Riders started under overcast skies and rode 50 miles through the edges of Seattle suburbia before finally heading into rural Washington. A bit of scattered rain assured the riders they were indeed in rainy Washington. By early afternoon the skies cleared with perfect timing as riders headed through the Gifford Pinchot Forest on the east side of Mt. St Helens. The randonneurs encountered few cars along the 80 miles of Forest Service roads and had magnificent views of St. Helens and Rainieróagain verifying that the riders were in Washington. In this stretch the riders enjoyed two big climbs of Elk Heights at over 4,000 feet and Oldman Pass at over 3,000 feet. The riders' first overnight was at the Wind River Middle School in Carson, the farthest point south on the route. All the amenities were there: indoor bike parking, lasagna for dinner, showers and wrestling mats for sleeping. Oh yeahóshowerheads mounted for 12-year olds!

While the first day was hard with 220 miles and 13,000 feet of climbing, the second day was expected to be harder. It began with a teaseówonderful tailwinds along the beautiful Columbia Gorge. Mt Hood rose magnificently on the Oregon side of the Columbia River. Finally turning north, the riders followed the Klickitat River through Klickitat and on to Goldendale. The stretch along the river was a mixture of Western Washington lushness and Eastern Washington dryness and scrub. Leaving the river behind the cyclists ascended onto a grassy prairie of the Klickitat Valley, a remarkable change of scenery in such a short span ñ the riders were clearly now in Eastern Washington! A little farther along they were rewarded with incredible views of Mt. Adams. The randonneurs covered a few more windy miles and rollers and reached the first control of the day at Goldendale. From there the rest of the day was hot, barren and windy. The deceptive climbing into the Rattlesnake hills had riders stopping to check their bikes for flat tires or rubbing brakes. Riders spent the second night at the Quincy High School where they again enjoyed hot showers, chili for dinner and wrestling mats for sleeping.

The third day appeared easier with only 170 miles but after two hard days, most ridersí legs were tired and they just slugged it out. Usually Eastern Washington has a bright sun overhead, but not today. The riders enjoyed cooler temperatures and intermittent sprinkles after the heat of day two. The route continued north along the Columbia River, finally turning west and over Loup Loup Pass at over 4,000 feet. Unfortunately many riders descended in the rain and couldn't let it loose on this fairly open descent. At the bottom the riders had just 20 miles to Mazama for the final night. Settled at the base of the North Cascades, Mazama is wonderfully quiet and peacefulóa perfect place for the third night. Riders were treated to regular rooms sharing beds and their own bathrooms!

The final day began with an incredible buffet breakfast complete with pancakes, eggs, cereal, yogurtóyou name it, it was there. Most riders left by 6 a.m. to start the 3,500-foot climb to Washington Pass at 5,400 feet followed a few miles later by Rainy Pass at 4,800 feet. Rainy Pass lived up to its name with 45 degrees and rain chilling riders along the 20-mile descent. A wonderful SIR stop halfway down served up popular hot chocolate and hot soup.

Everyone finished within about seven hours of each other at the gracious Holiday Inn Express in Monroe. Everyone finishing so close together meant lots of cheering and clapping for everyone from friends, family, and other riders. It was a marvelous finish!

Most riders remarked on the challenges of the course, many agreeing the Cascade 1200 is among the hardest 1200K rides. Most altimeters registered between 37,000 and 42,000 feet of climbing. Believe it or not, no one said it should be any easier! While the terrain was certainly a challenge, riders enjoyed more than 17 hours of daylight as the event was held during the longest days of the year.

Most randonneurs commented on the exceptional support provided by the volunteers along the course. Even the volunteers seemed to be having fun. Mark Thomas' wife, Chris, provided support out in the empty Rattlesnake Hills. She had a blast - what could be better than having tons of fit guys riding up to her and calling her an angel of mercy complete with ice, shade, and cold drinks!

In the end, 61 riders finished the 1200K and seven finished the 1000K. Among those who finished were 24 rookies who had never ridden a 1200k or 1000k before!

SIR would like to thank all the volunteers all along the course; family and friends along the course and at the finish; and the wonderful facilities and hosts at the overnights and various other stores and restaurants that greeted us.

Look for another edition in the near future!

Compete results, photos and rider accounts at: Cascade 1200 website

Preparing for brevets and 1200Ks
Qualifying for RAAM
John Marino Competition

1200Ks in 2005: [ Cascade   | Gold Rush  | Boston-Montreal  | Last Chance ]

First finishers

Rider	Age	Hometown	Time
Ken Bonner	62	Victoria, BC	74:21
Charles Breer	42	St. Paul, MN	82:35
Chris Ragsdale	27	Seattle, WA	82:35
Tim Dodge	44	Denver, CO	82:50
John Flanigan	47	Denver, CO	82:50
Lawrence Midura	50	East Syracuse, NY	83:10
Fred Mulder	21	Seattle, WA	83:50
Del Scharffenberg	59	Milwaukie, OR	83:50
Michael Bingle	49	Vancouver, WA	83:50
Tom Lawrence	38	Mountain View, CA	84:17