Bike Rental in Maui – anybody have any recommendations? Hoping to drag my bloated carcass up Haleakala but I can’t justify bringing #1 bike for an 8 day vacation. thanks in advance »

After some IPA fueled texts between myself, the Dutch Monkey and McSqueak, we decided that it was time to take this whole Cogal thing up a notch. More specifically, we’re aiming for this to be the standard for which all others will be judged by.

The date will be August 16th, 2013. We will roll out from Lower Lewis Falls Campground at 0730 on that day as V after VV will be too late a start. There’s a Cat II 14K in, you know, to warm up. Then we’ll get lulled by the speed of an endless decent some 65K long down to the Columbia River. Short trip up the river to White Salmon WA, then we get to go to “work”. A solid 30K of low angle climbing, except right at the end. Screaming fast decent, and of course, another Cat II. I thought it’d be nice to have a short bit of gravelling at the end. So this route is 210Km long with a solid 2700M of climbing. That’s 130 miles and 8800feet of climbing for us Americans that can’t visualize that distance in our head.
This Cogal is not for the faint of heart, and you REALLY need to assess your ability to finish this during daylight hours. This is truly going to be Rule V/VV stuff. There will be no sag wagon, and while there are small towns to refuel at, the last 60K there’s nothing except the occasional car and no cell service. Run out of gas, and you’ll be sleeping in alone, in lycra, in Sasquatch Country and/or poison oak, with just carbon to keep you warm.
Once we figure out the number of people giving this a go, we’ll co-ordinate getting cars/ camping supplies to the campsite at the end. The site is wonderful, but there’s no 5 star, marble showers to be had. A glacier fed river will wash away the day. There will be a keg of the PNW’s finest, and Mrs Scaler, Ms McSqueak, and any other tag-along’s that just want to camp, will have food waiting.
The route is tough, the views second to none, and the suffering: glorious.

After some IPA fueled texts between myself, the Dutch Monkey and McSqueak, we decided that it was time to take this whole Cogal thing up a notch. More specifically, we’re aiming for this to be the standard for which all others will be judged by.

The date will be August 16th, 2013. We will roll out from Lower Lewis Falls Campground at 0730 on that day as V after VV will be too late a start. There’s a Cat II 14K in, you know, to warm up. Then we’ll get lulled by the speed of an endless decent some 65K long down to the Columbia River. Short trip up the river to White Salmon WA, then we get to go to “work”. A solid 30K of low angle climbing, except right at the end. Screaming fast decent, and of course, another Cat II. I thought it’d be nice to have a short bit of gravelling at the end. So this route is 210Km long with a solid 2700M of climbing. That’s 130 miles and 8800feet of climbing for us Americans that can’t visualize that distance in our head.
This Cogal is not for the faint of heart, and you REALLY need to assess your ability to finish this during daylight hours. This is truly going to be Rule V/VV stuff. There will be no sag wagon, and while there are small towns to refuel at, the last 60K there’s nothing except the occasional car and no cell service. Run out of gas, and you’ll be sleeping in alone, in lycra, in Sasquatch Country and/or poison oak, with just carbon to keep you warm.
Once we figure out the number of people giving this a go, we’ll co-ordinate getting cars/ camping supplies to the campsite at the end. The site is wonderful, but there’s no 5 star, marble showers to be had. A glacier fed river will wash away the day. There will be a keg of the PNW’s finest, and Mrs Scaler, Ms McSqueak, and any other tag-along’s that just want to camp, will have food waiting.
The route is tough, the views second to none, and the suffering: glorious.

Derek H. Ulrich has offered up a killer Cogal in westernmost Canada. There is a lot of time to plan for this so no excuses.

Here’s the route:

http://app.strava.com/rides/19358842

It should be firmly stated that the ride will not be going up the Mountain Highway (Fromme) on the gravel road as I’ve ridden up there enough times in the MTB/FR days. That and a local shop rode up there on their bikes and had to sort out 5 flats.

It will happen on August 24^th, 2013. This is tentative, depending on any events that may fall on the same day. Start time is 8AM. It will be leaving from here:

Meet up for espresso here to fire it off.

Break time will occur here, after climbing Grouse, no grousing.

Apres Velo will happen here.

The ride can be described as ~130km of suffering. 3000m of climbing over six hours. It hurts. A lot

Dutch Keepers are welcome to come, as the Dutch are quite familiar with running to Canada.

On 10/13/12, we return to the scene of the crime – the site of the very first Seattle Cogal in 2011. The Anniversary ride starts at V-past 9am, so plan ahead to be sure to get on the correct Mukilteo/Clinton ferry so as to arrive at the starting point in Langley with ample time for the obligatory pre-ride espressi. The route is planned to be the same as last year’s, and Merckx Willing, I will make it around the entire course now that my Jan sized ass has gotten a few more miles in 2011 that it did in 2012. We plan (as usual) a Casually Deliberate pace, but this really only serves to mean we will be regrouping for the people that don’t bring maps or that decide to drop @eightzero, their Garmin 705 armed buddy (I’m looking at you, @frank.) Pre-ride revelry on Friday will be discussed in the comments, as well as post ride amenities to be researched by @eightzero and Mrs/Dr Eightzero.

We ride. VLVV.

VSP PICKS: 1. Ina TEUTENBERG 2. Clara HUGHES 3. Giorgia BRONZINI 4. Marianne VOS 5. Nicole COOKE »

VSP PICKS: 1. Goss 2. Cav 3. Sagan 4. Griepel 5. Boassen »

@eightzero +1 *ZING* »

@Frank @ 14 even @James @ 13:47 »

It’s 4am, it’s pouring with rain, I grab a bite to eat and load up the car. On the empty roads heading down to Seattle for my first ever cogal, there is a little tinge of nervousness but I’m not sure whether it’s the anticipation of the ride or how much I… »

@scaler911 I was off the front in the Phantom Aerobars, I was aware that my legs were turning, that there were others behind me, although at that point all I could think about was the sensation of the first beer washing over my tongue when WHOOOOSH @G’r… »

The ride starts and finishes at the Red Hook Brewery in Woodinville WA. This is an easy location for visitors to Seattle. Plan is a V past VV departure, giving ample time for a tour of the beautiful Snoqualmie river valley after the obligatory pre ride espressi. There are a few semi-urban areas to traverse, but the return to the brewery should provide a pleasant post-ride food and fresh malted beverage experience. The ride is mostly gentle country roads, but includes both the Tolt River Climb and the Ames Lake Climb after some flat touring to soften the guns. Be advised that experienced riders will mark the heads of state on 12% Tolt, then after the technical descent are sure to launch the selection attack at the base of the longer, yet less steep Ames Lake climb. A regroup is likely on the long descent back to a short section of bike path to the brewery –  a sprint finish is likely, but experienced riders of the route will know that presence of YJAs and Hairy Hippie Douchbags may require vigilance in the lead out (especially on a Saturday.)

Plan is for a Casually Deliberate pace – regroups as needed or desired, but as you can see from the profile, the peloton is likely to enjoy a quiet day of touring. Except of course we all expect the blistering initial attack from @cyclops at the drop of the gun after the neutral pull out from the brewery. There are nice locally owned places for refuel in both Duvall and Carnation.

As is the tradition, a Friday night pre ride revelry event will be planned and discussed in the comments.

VLVV

@frank That graphic is spot on, I’ll tell you on Saturday about my client who wanted a responsive website that works in IE6 »

I’m with Gianni on this one, I’m running the Vred’s on Velocity a23′s with latex tubes and I’ll pump mine up to 100psi at the max. So when you count discharge pressure loss they’re round about 90-95psi. Buttery. »

I’ve done these before, pretty good but they tend to get a little crumbly after being in pocket for a while.  http://www.outsideonline.com/fitness/nutrition/The-Best-Energy-Bar-Ever.html Peanut butter and speculoos on bread or bagel is champs, better … »

The ride starts and finishes at the Red Hook Brewery in Woodinville WA. This is an easy location for visitors to Seattle. Plan is a V past VV departure, giving ample time for a tour of the beautiful Snoqualmie river valley after the obligatory pre ride espressi. There are a few semi-urban areas to traverse, but the return to the brewery should provide a pleasant post-ride food and fresh malted beverage experience. The ride is mostly gentle country roads, but includes both the Tolt River Climb and the Ames Lake Climb after some flat touring to soften the guns. Be advised that experienced riders will mark the heads of state on 12% Tolt, then after the technical descent are sure to launch the selection attack at the base of the longer, yet less steep Ames Lake climb. A regroup is likely on the long descent back to a short section of bike path to the brewery –  a sprint finish is likely, but experienced riders of the route will know that presence of YJAs and Hairy Hippie Douchbags may require vigilance in the lead out (especially on a Saturday.)

Plan is for a Casually Deliberate pace – regroups as needed or desired, but as you can see from the profile, the peloton is likely to enjoy a quiet day of touring. Except of course we all expect the blistering initial attack from @cyclops at the drop of the gun after the neutral pull out from the brewery. There are nice locally owned places for refuel in both Duvall and Carnation.

As is the tradition, a Friday night pre ride revelry event will be planned and discussed in the comments.

VLVV

@mcsqueak When you’re in Seattle, go to Quinn’s Pub and try the Scotch Egg there, out of this world good. »

The ride starts and finishes at the Red Hook Brewery in Woodinville WA. This is an easy location for visitors to Seattle. Plan is a V past VV departure, giving ample time for a tour of the beautiful Snoqualmie river valley after the obligatory pre ride espressi. There are a few semi-urban areas to traverse, but the return to the brewery should provide a pleasant post-ride food and fresh malted beverage experience. The ride is mostly gentle country roads, but includes both the Tolt River Climb and the Ames Lake Climb after some flat touring to soften the guns. Be advised that experienced riders will mark the heads of state on 12% Tolt, then after the technical descent are sure to launch the selection attack at the base of the longer, yet less steep Ames Lake climb. A regroup is likely on the long descent back to a short section of bike path to the brewery –  a sprint finish is likely, but experienced riders of the route will know that presence of YJAs and Hairy Hippie Douchbags may require vigilance in the lead out (especially on a Saturday.)

Plan is for a Casually Deliberate pace – regroups as needed or desired, but as you can see from the profile, the peloton is likely to enjoy a quiet day of touring. Except of course we all expect the blistering initial attack from @cyclops at the drop of the gun after the neutral pull out from the brewery. There are nice locally owned places for refuel in both Duvall and Carnation.

As is the tradition, a Friday night pre ride revelry event will be planned and discussed in the comments.

VLVV

The ride starts and finishes at the Red Hook Brewery in Woodinville WA. This is an easy location for visitors to Seattle. Plan is a V past VV departure, giving ample time for a tour of the beautiful Snoqualmie river valley after the obligatory pre ride espressi. There are a few semi-urban areas to traverse, but the return to the brewery should provide a pleasant post-ride food and fresh malted beverage experience. The ride is mostly gentle country roads, but includes both the Tolt River Climb and the Ames Lake Climb after some flat touring to soften the guns. Be advised that experienced riders will mark the heads of state on 12% Tolt, then after the technical descent are sure to launch the selection attack at the base of the longer, yet less steep Ames Lake climb. A regroup is likely on the long descent back to a short section of bike path to the brewery –  a sprint finish is likely, but experienced riders of the route will know that presence of YJAs and Hairy Hippie Douchbags may require vigilance in the lead out (especially on a Saturday.)

Plan is for a Casually Deliberate pace – regroups as needed or desired, but as you can see from the profile, the peloton is likely to enjoy a quiet day of touring. Except of course we all expect the blistering initial attack from @cyclops at the drop of the gun after the neutral pull out from the brewery. There are nice locally owned places for refuel in both Duvall and Carnation.

As is the tradition, a Friday night pre ride revelry event will be planned and discussed in the comments.

VLVV

Did any of you catch this in the Giro twitter feed? Giro D’Italia – This is the show What an amazing photo »

The ride starts and finishes at the Red Hook Brewery in Woodinville WA. This is an easy location for visitors to Seattle. Plan is a V past VV departure, giving ample time for a tour of the beautiful Snoqualmie river valley after the obligatory pre ride espressi. There are a few semi-urban areas to traverse, but the return to the brewery should provide a pleasant post-ride food and fresh malted beverage experience. The ride is mostly gentle country roads, but includes both the Tolt River Climb and the Ames Lake Climb after some flat touring to soften the guns. Be advised that experienced riders will mark the heads of state on 12% Tolt, then after the technical descent are sure to launch the selection attack at the base of the longer, yet less steep Ames Lake climb. A regroup is likely on the long descent back to a short section of bike path to the brewery –  a sprint finish is likely, but experienced riders of the route will know that presence of YJAs and Hairy Hippie Douchbags may require vigilance in the lead out (especially on a Saturday.)

Plan is for a Casually Deliberate pace – regroups as needed or desired, but as you can see from the profile, the peloton is likely to enjoy a quiet day of touring. Except of course we all expect the blistering initial attack from @cyclops at the drop of the gun after the neutral pull out from the brewery. There are nice locally owned places for refuel in both Duvall and Carnation.

As is the tradition, a Friday night pre ride revelry event will be planned and discussed in the comments.

VLVV

The ride starts and finishes at the Red Hook Brewery in Woodinville WA. This is an easy location for visitors to Seattle. Plan is a V past VV departure, giving ample time for a tour of the beautiful Snoqualmie river valley after the obligatory pre ride espressi. There are a few semi-urban areas to traverse, but the return to the brewery should provide a pleasant post-ride food and fresh malted beverage experience. The ride is mostly gentle country roads, but includes both the Tolt River Climb and the Ames Lake Climb after some flat touring to soften the guns. Be advised that experienced riders will mark the heads of state on 12% Tolt, then after the technical descent are sure to launch the selection attack at the base of the longer, yet less steep Ames Lake climb. A regroup is likely on the long descent back to a short section of bike path to the brewery –  a sprint finish is likely, but experienced riders of the route will know that presence of YJAs and Hairy Hippie Douchbags may require vigilance in the lead out (especially on a Saturday.)

Plan is for a Casually Deliberate pace – regroups as needed or desired, but as you can see from the profile, the peloton is likely to enjoy a quiet day of touring. Except of course we all expect the blistering initial attack from @cyclops at the drop of the gun after the neutral pull out from the brewery. There are nice locally owned places for refuel in both Duvall and Carnation.

As is the tradition, a Friday night pre ride revelry event will be planned and discussed in the comments.

VLVV

The ride starts and finishes at the Red Hook Brewery in Woodinville WA. This is an easy location for visitors to Seattle. Plan is a V past VV departure, giving ample time for a tour of the beautiful Snoqualmie river valley after the obligatory pre ride espressi. There are a few semi-urban areas to traverse, but the return to the brewery should provide a pleasant post-ride food and fresh malted beverage experience. The ride is mostly gentle country roads, but includes both the Tolt River Climb and the Ames Lake Climb after some flat touring to soften the guns. Be advised that experienced riders will mark the heads of state on 12% Tolt, then after the technical descent are sure to launch the selection attack at the base of the longer, yet less steep Ames Lake climb. A regroup is likely on the long descent back to a short section of bike path to the brewery –  a sprint finish is likely, but experienced riders of the route will know that presence of YJAs and Hairy Hippie Douchbags may require vigilance in the lead out (especially on a Saturday.)

Plan is for a Casually Deliberate pace – regroups as needed or desired, but as you can see from the profile, the peloton is likely to enjoy a quiet day of touring. Except of course we all expect the blistering initial attack from @cyclops at the drop of the gun after the neutral pull out from the brewery. There are nice locally owned places for refuel in both Duvall and Carnation.

As is the tradition, a Friday night pre ride revelry event will be planned and discussed in the comments.

VLVV

The ride starts and finishes at the Red Hook Brewery in Woodinville WA. This is an easy location for visitors to Seattle. Plan is a V past VV departure, giving ample time for a tour of the beautiful Snoqualmie river valley after the obligatory pre ride espressi. There are a few semi-urban areas to traverse, but the return to the brewery should provide a pleasant post-ride food and fresh malted beverage experience. The ride is mostly gentle country roads, but includes both the Tolt River Climb and the Ames Lake Climb after some flat touring to soften the guns. Be advised that experienced riders will mark the heads of state on 12% Tolt, then after the technical descent are sure to launch the selection attack at the base of the longer, yet less steep Ames Lake climb. A regroup is likely on the long descent back to a short section of bike path to the brewery –  a sprint finish is likely, but experienced riders of the route will know that presence of YJAs and Hairy Hippie Douchbags may require vigilance in the lead out (especially on a Saturday.)

Plan is for a Casually Deliberate pace – regroups as needed or desired, but as you can see from the profile, the peloton is likely to enjoy a quiet day of touring. Except of course we all expect the blistering initial attack from @cyclops at the drop of the gun after the neutral pull out from the brewery. There are nice locally owned places for refuel in both Duvall and Carnation.

As is the tradition, a Friday night pre ride revelry event will be planned and discussed in the comments.

VLVV

The ride starts and finishes at the Red Hook Brewery in Woodinville WA. This is an easy location for visitors to Seattle. Plan is a V past VV departure, giving ample time for a tour of the beautiful Snoqualmie river valley after the obligatory pre ride espressi. There are a few semi-urban areas to traverse, but the return to the brewery should provide a pleasant post-ride food and fresh malted beverage experience. The ride is mostly gentle country roads, but includes both the Tolt River Climb and the Ames Lake Climb after some flat touring to soften the guns. Be advised that experienced riders will mark the heads of state on 12% Tolt, then after the technical descent are sure to launch the selection attack at the base of the longer, yet less steep Ames Lake climb. A regroup is likely on the long descent back to a short section of bike path to the brewery –  a sprint finish is likely, but experienced riders of the route will know that presence of YJAs and Hairy Hippie Douchbags may require vigilance in the lead out (especially on a Saturday.)

Plan is for a Casually Deliberate pace – regroups as needed or desired, but as you can see from the profile, the peloton is likely to enjoy a quiet day of touring. Except of course we all expect the blistering initial attack from @cyclops at the drop of the gun after the neutral pull out from the brewery. There are nice locally owned places for refuel in both Duvall and Carnation.

As is the tradition, a Friday night pre ride revelry event will be planned and discussed in the comments.

VLVV