The Not A Nutritional Role Model Ride

May 1st, 2005


Pictures by Max Maxon and Mark Vande Kamp
Text by Kent Peterson


Riders at the start

Robin and Amy Pieper were the main instigators of this ride. The plan was simple: a ride of about 100 kilometers from North Bend up to Snoqualmie Pass and back. The route would mostly be on gravel rail-trails, some gravel roads and a bit of pavement. Snacks would be served up at the pass would be patterned after the kinds of foods favored by Kent Peterson: Payday candy bars, Peanut M&Ms, Chocolate Milk, Cheetos and other such things. Kent is not a nutritional role model. Rather than have a set entry fee, Robin and Amy set up a donation jar. All the donations would go towards Kent's Great Divide Mountain Bike Race fund which will help keep a roof over Kent's family and food on the table while he is off racing the length of the Great Divide.

Sunday May 1st turned out to have just about perfect weather and as the above photo shows, we had quite a handsome group show up for the ride.


Ready to roll out

Getting ready to head out.

Peter McKay

Peter McKay is almost always smiling.

Faye and Wes Pieper

Faye and Wes Pieper

Nathan Kiger

Nathan Kiger

Check out those Speedblend tires

Check out those Speedblend tires!

The Dough Nation Jar

Robin's fund raising jar really did the job. Folks put over $500 in this classy little container and a few people who couldn't make it to the ride mailed and emailed in several hundred more dollars. I really do get by with a lot of help from my friends! Thanks to everyone.


Rolling Out

Rolling out on a perfect day.

A great day for riding

Riders in the sun.

Breakdown by the roadside

Almost all of the ride was on quiet forest roads and trails. Why then would all these riders stop here, along the brief section where we rode along the shoulder of I-90? The answer is that a stray hunk of wire flipped up into Robin's rear derailler and fender, stopping him really abruptly.


This looks bad

Uh oh, this doesn't look good.

This doesn't go there

Robin works to untangle the mess.

This fender is very folded

Check out how the fender folded into the rear brake. Robin's rear tire left about a 6 foot long skid mark on the roadside.

A folded fender really stops you fast

I had no idea a fender could fold up like that. Robin managed to remove links from the chain, strip away most of the broken rear derailler and remove the fender from the rear brake. Although his bike has vertical dropouts and we could get the chain length quite right, he was able to make the bike ridable as a crude single speed.


Pleasant climbing

It was a lovely climb up Denny Creek Road. On some of the bumpier gravel on Tinkham Road, Robin was moving fairly slowly because his chain would tend to jump off. Some of the rest of us were just moving slowly because of the climbing!

Denny Creek

Denny Creek

Dave Read

Dave Reed rolls into the summit rest stop at Hyak. Dave's single speed Fisher sports a set of really nifty Jones titanium handlebars.


 


Feeding time

The snack area

This man is not a nutritional role model

Kent Peterson is not a nutritional role model.

Max isn't a nutritional role model

Neither is Max.

Georgia and Paul

Georgia and Paul relax in the sun.

Nature's own carbon fiber

Wood is nature's original carbon fiber.

Setting up the Tarptent

At the snack break, I decided to give a demo of the Tarptent.

Kent didn't freeze

I'm explaining to Max about my latest trip up to Keechelus Ridge. What I'm holding in my right hand is the little $30 sleeping bag that I got from Sportsman's Guide. When asked if I slept comfortably in the snow in such a little sleeping bag, I replied that the bag is rated at 50 degrees, but 50 degrees for wimps! I wore all my clothes inside the bag and woke up every hour or so to flap my arms to get warm. But if I'd been really comfortable, then I'd figure that I'd over packed.


Robin and the folded fender

Robin shows off his fender. Note the slackness in the chain.


Plotting out the repair

Here we are brainstorming about how to make a chain tensioner.

The chain tensioner

Randonneurs are a resourceful lot. One rider dismantled part of his light mount to donate a section of PVC pipe and a hose clamp. Add a bit of work with a swiss army knife and a couple of zip-ties and you have a workable chain tensioner.


Robin shows off his new single speed

Robin shows off the repair.


Elegant field engineering

Elegant field engineering.


Robin rode the 30 some miles from the summit to North Bend without incident. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for Mark Thomas. We don't have any pictures of this, but Mark had a front tire blowout and he pretty much endoed his Marinoni. He landed the bike on the front Campy Record brifters and banged himself up in the process. The left lever was basically destroyed but we were able to get the right lever semi-functional as a brake. Mark rode in very slowly and carefully and finished the ride. As I said before, randonneurs are a resourceful bunch of folks. It's a good thing Mark owns a bike shop.