RCC Blog

RAMROD 2011 food and rest stops

July 8th, 2011 posted by George Thornton in RAMROD

Here is a full description of the food and rest stops for RAMROD 2011.

Start line

Waffle feed with COFFEE, eggs, sausage, oatmeal, and OJ, sponsored by Enumclaw Rotary and Lions clubs—separate $10 donation, all of which goes directly to these two community organizations. Pre-register online at the RCC site; very limited walk-ins will be available. Breakfast will be served from 4 – 7 am in the Enumclaw High School Commons. NO NO NO bike shoes! Yes, this includes recessed cleats! There will be a shoe cop at the door!

Eatonville, approx. mile 33—open 6:00 – 10 am

Mini scones and mini muffins
Coffee (the regular brewed stuff)
Water
Port-O-Johns
For purchase: the small stuff you might have forgotten, such as tubes, water bottles, gloves, sunglasses, etc. Also—a floor pump will be available, courtesy of Eatonville Outdoor.

Wildwood, approx. mile 58—open 7:30 – 11 am

Bagels with cream cheese, peanut butter, jam, and/or honey
RR cookies—choco chip/oatmeal with nuts and craisin/oatmeal no nuts
Crackers—Cheez It and Wheat Thin
Fruit: bananas, grapes, nectarines, watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew
Gatorade Glacier Freeze. YES! We found another flavor available in powdered! (NOTE: Gatorade will be made half-strength at all stops; there will be powder available if you want to spike yours but you may need to ask)
Water
Port-O-Johns

Inspiration Point, approx. mile 75—open 9 am – 2 pm

Water
Port-O-Johns

Upper Box Canyon, approx. mile 88—open 9:30 am – 3 pm

Steamed new potatoes with salt bar
Chocolate croissants
Bagels with spreads
RR cookies
Fruit
Gatorade Glacier Freeze and water
Port-O-Johns

Deer Creek, approx. mile 104—open 10:30 am– 5 pm

Water and Gatorade Glacier Freeze
Port-O-Johns

Cayuse Pass, approx. mile 110—open 11 am – 6 pm

Water and Gatorade Glacier Freeze
Port-O-Johns
Note: there are NO other services at Cayuse—keep rolling downhill to the Deli.

Deli, approx. mile 118—open 11 am – 7 pm

Made-to-order sandwiches
Chips
RR cookies
Fruit
Soft drinks, Gatorade Glacier Freeze (if you can still stand it by this point) and water
Port-O-Johns

Finish Line—open from when the first rider finishes until 8 pm

Ice cream truck (included in your event fee)
Soft drinks
Chips
Showers—bring your own towel

RAMROD STATUS UPDATE

July 5th, 2011 posted by George Thornton in RAMROD

We will be ready to present RAMROD 2011 on July 28. Will you be ready to ride?

We recently completed a road inspection and for the most part the roads look in good shape for our traditional course.

As usual, we will be turning at Inspiration Point and will not go all the way to Paradise.

We have possible construction in Eatonville and on Hwy 410 towards the end of the ride. We won’t know the status of construction until the day of the ride. We will have people in position to help direct you through the disruption. Make sure you follow the directions of our on-scene HAM safety team and course marshals.

We are always striving to improve the quality of our event. A couple of years ago we added free ice cream for riders who finish. I am pleased to say the ice cream truck will be back. We have added something else as well to make the finish line fun, we will just let you be surprised.

As in the past few years, a hot breakfast will be served at the school cafeteria near the start line. There is an added charge for breakfast, please buy your ticket in advance so we can plan properly. All proceeds go to charity. We will also have bakery items available for purchase at the Eatonville food stop.

We even have nice weather in the Pacific Northwest. PLEASE don’t do anything in the next couple of weeks that might anger the Weather Gods!!!

See you on the 28th!

RAMROD 2010 Food and Rest Stops

July 24th, 2010 posted by Mike Norman in General, RAMROD

Start line
Waffle feed with COFFEE, eggs, sausage, oatmeal, and OJ, sponsored by Enumclaw Rotary and Lions clubs—separate $10 donation, all of which goes directly to these two community organizations. Pre-register online at the RCC site; very limited walk-ins will be available. Breakfast will be served from 4 – 7 am in the Enumclaw High School Commons. NO NO NO bike shoes! Yes, this includes recessed cleats!

Eatonville, approx. mile 33—open 6:00 – 10 am
Mini scones and mini muffins
Coffee (the regular brewed stuff)
Water
Port-O-Johns
For purchase: the small stuff you might have forgotten, such as tubes, water bottles, gloves, sunglasses, etc.

Wildwood, approx. mile 58—open 7:30 – 11 am
Bagels with cream cheese, peanut butter, and/or jam
RR cookies—choco chip/oatmeal with nuts and craisin/oatmeal no nuts
Crackers—Cheez It and Wheat Thin
Fruit: bananas, grapes, nectarines, watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew
Gatorade lemon/lime (NOTE: Gatorade will be made half-strength at all food stops; there will be powder available if you want to spike yours but you may need to ask)
Water
Port-O-Johns

Inspiration Point, approx. mile 75—open 9 am – 2 pm
Water
Port-O-Johns

Upper Box Canyon, approx. mile 88—open 9:30 am – 3 pm
Steamed potatoes with salt bar
Chocolate croissants
Bagels with spreads
RR cookies
Fruit
Gatorade lemon/lime and water
Port-O-Johns

Deer Creek, approx. mile 104—open 10:30 am– 5 pm
Water
Port-O-Johns

Cayuse Pass, approx. mile 110—open 11 am – 6 pm
Water
Port-O-Johns
Note: there are NO other services at Cayuse—keep rolling downhill to the Deli.

Deli, approx. mile 118—open 11 am – 7 pm
Made-to-order sandwiches
RR cookies
Fruit
Soft drinks, Gatorade lemon/lime, and water
Port-O-Johns

Finish Line—open from when the first rider finishes until 8 pm
Ice cream truck (included in your event fee)
Soft drinks
Chips
Showers—bring your own towel

RAMROD Packet Pickup & BBQ on Sunday, July 25

July 15th, 2010 posted by Shane Balkovetz in General, RAMROD

On Sunday, July 25 from Noon to 4pm we are holding a RAMROD Packet Pickup and BBQ at Sammamish Valley Cycle. This will be an opportunity for RAMROD participants to pick up their packet and t-shirt, and meet some of the RAMROD staff. RAMROD jerseys will also be available for pickup if ordered before June 1. The Director will be present to give an update on the course and to present a check to the Washington National Park Fund for all of the donations collected this year. We will also have a fundraising BBQ as we continue to raise money for Mt. Rainier National Park, so bring your family or riding buddy and come hungry.

This will also be your last opportunity to buy a ticket for the RAMROD Breakfast (Thursday morning of event). Tickets will be available online until Friday, July 23. If you are a participant or a spectator watching the send-off, this will be the easiest way to get in a yummy meal to start your day. Don’t miss out.

We also have one last RAMROD ticket to auction off. This year we will hold a live auction at the BBQ for this last RAMROD entry, bidding will begin at 2pm.

A couple final notes:

Be sure to bring your picture ID as it will be required for packet, t-shirt, and jersey
You cannot pick up packets or jerseys for someone else
You cannot give your bib number to someone else; if you cannot ride, please contact the Registrar
If you cannot make this event, your packet and jersey will be available for pickup at the Start/Finish Line in Enumclaw on Wednesday evening/Thursday morning
This will be a fun event and a chance to meet other riders and event staff - hope to see you there and thank you for your continued support!

Event Details:

When: Sunday, July 25, 2010; Noon to 4pm

Where: Sammamish Valley Cycle, 8451 164th Ave NE, Redmond, WA 98052 425-881-8442

Getting to SVC:

Bike! - Consider riding to Sammamish Valley Cycle to work out any last minute issues

Drive - If you would rather drive, parking is very limited near the store, we recommend the Park-n-Ride located a few blocks away:

Redmond P&R
8178 161st Ave NE
161st Ave NE & NE 83rd St

RAMROD Tickets now live on eBay

June 3rd, 2010 posted by Shane Balkovetz in General, RAMROD

This year RCC is continuing the tradition of conducting an eBay auction of a limited number of RAMROD tickets, with proceeds going to Washington’s National Park Fund (http://www.wnpf.org) and on to Mount Rainier National Park. Auctions will be for pairs of tickets and single tickets. Bidders winning an auction for a pair of tickets that reaches $600 will receive two RAMROD jerseys, single ticket winners reaching $300 will receive one jersey.

Prospective riders who are currently wait-listed for a RAMROD registration are eligible to bid in this auction. If a wait-listed rider wins the auction, they will naturally lose their position on the list but without penalty. This is also the only opportunity to transfer a ticket to someone else. Use it for a birthday, anniversary, or just a “Thank you” gift.

RCC is the only legitimate seller of RAMROD tickets. Any RAMROD tickets offered by other sellers are not authentic tickets and will not be honored at the time of the event.

Clicking on the link at the bottom will take you to the eBay auction. Good luck and thank you for your support!

Shane Balkovetz
President
Redmond Cycling Club

RCC eBay Auction for RAMROD Tickets

BEWARE OF PRIVATE SALES OF RAMROD TICKETS

May 7th, 2010 posted by George Thornton in General, RAMROD

RAMROD does not allow the transfer of ride tickets. REPEAT: RAMROD DOES NOT ALLOW THE TRANSFER OF RIDE TICKETS.

We have received reports that some riders are violating this rule and some have even sold their ride tickets at a profit. We warn you that any private transfer is not authorized and may result in sanctions.

YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO SHOW IDENTIFICATION in order to get your rider packet. For those picking up packets in advance of the ride, YOU MAY BE REQUIRED TO SHOW IDENTIFICATION AGAIN AT THE START LINE.

IF you buy your ticket from someone else, you will not get into the ride. Your ticket will be worthless, and you may find yourself permanently banned from all future RAMROD events.
If you got in and find you can’t ride, please give the next person on the waiting list a chance to ride. Return your ticket, get a refund and know you did the right thing.

REGISTRATION FOR RAMROD 2010 IS A SUCCESS

April 6th, 2010 posted by George Thornton in General, RAMROD

RAMROD continue to be very popular. We had nearly 200 more applicants than last year. Thirty five states and Canadian provinces are represented, and we had applicants from as far away as Australia and Great Britain. The ride is sold out and the lottery process is in the works.
Remember that if you don’t get in through the lottery, you can go on the waiting list. Many riders get in that way. You can also purchase tickets through our regular charity auction on Ebay. Details will be announced soon.

We have been approved to return to the traditional course, which includes access to Paradise and Stevens Canyon as well as Cayuse Pass. The Park continues to exclude riders from the Paradise parking lot area. We will be turning onto Stevens Canyon Road at Inspiration Point. This is the same course we followed in 2008.

BIKE BANDS ARE BACK

March 2nd, 2010 posted by George Thornton in General, RAMROD

The RAMROD bike band was originally an afterthought that has become a proud symbol of accomplishment.

The bike band is a reflective lime green band that can be looped around the rear seat stays. The band is simple and is printed with the word “RAMROD” in highly visible black.

Many years ago RAMROD organizers bought the bike band to comply with a National Park safety rule. The rule required all riders to wear something highly reflective.

Since then the RAMROD bike band has become a symbol of accomplishment. Those of us who have successfully completed RAMROD are proud to bear the RAMROD symbol on our bikes.

This year the RAMROD bike band is coming back. We have just placed an order for a new stock of bike bands and they will be available in time for RAMROD 2010. Every rider will get one in their rider packet.

RAMROD 2010 Lottery

February 12th, 2010 posted by Bill Hibler in RAMROD

The RAMROD lottery will open on March 1 and will end on March 31.

The registration process changed in 2009. Prior to that, registrants paid the full registration fee and waited to see if they were selected in the lottery. If they were not selected, they could request an immediate refund or be put on the wait list and get a refund if they were not selected or later chose not to ride. Now, everyone pays a non-refundable registration fee of $5 for singles or $10 for tandems and pays the balance only when they are selected to ride–either through the lottery or from the wait list.

The question that seems to come up most often is “What is my chance of being selected?”. The last couple of years, total registrants has been around 1,300 which meant that statistically, your chances werea little better than 50% even considering that about 100 spots go to the previous year’s volunteers. I participated in the lottery only once, in 2005, and was selected. A friend of mine has ridden twice and both times got in from the wait list. Last year, six friends of mine rode. Three were selected in the initial lottery and three got in from the wait list (one got in in mid-June).

The second most frequent question is why some people seem to get selected more than once while others have entered for years without getting in. I can only tell you it is the luck of the draw. The lottery is conducted by a computer at active.com and uses only the current year’s lottery entrants. There is no record in their system of previous year’s entrants. If you want to guarantee yourself a spot in RAMROD, work as a volunteer and earn a lottery bypass for the next year.

Once the lottery has been completed on April 2nd, all registrants will be notified of their selection status. If you are not selected, you will be able to visit the active.com site to see your position on the wait list. If you are willing to train as though you will be selected, your odds of getting in from the wait list are fairly good. In 2007, most got in, 2008 nearly half did and in 2009, of the nearly 1,600 entrants over 1,200 received an invitation to complete their registration. Many, however, were given the opportunity at the very last minute.

One of the most important things I can tell people is to be sure they use an email address that will receive lottery results information. In 2009, every gmail, msn, hotmail, yahoo and boeing address apparently filtered out our initial emails. Whether they did not like the word RAMROD, did not like embedded links, or did not like messages going to several accounts simultaneously I could not tell you. I only know that I heard from hundreds of people who did not receive the initial message with their lottery status. No messages bounced back and we had no way of knowing who did not receive them until we began getting emails from people questioning why they had not heard anything.

The lottery opens just after midnight on March 1st. Good luck and keep the rubber side down.

RAMROD 2010

January 29th, 2010 posted by George Thornton in General, RAMROD

We have begun preparations for RAMROD 2010. It is also time for you to begin training for the event.
The date is Thurday, July 29, 2010.
Early indications from the National Park are that roads will be open and we will be able to return to the traditional course. We do not expect any other changes to the usual Permit restrictions.
For those not already familiar with the course, RAMROD is conducted over mountainous narrow National Park roads, with limited access and almost no services. The terrain is difficult and weather unpredictable. In prior RAMROD events we have seen snow, rainstorms and 100 degree plus heat. This is a fully supported event, and the Redmond Cycling Club provides food, water, sanitation, bike mechanics and full safety and sag support. It is your responsibilitiy to train properly and bring a well maintained bicycle. Since part of the course may be in darkness or fog, you should also bring appropriate lights and reflectors. You will also need to be prepared with suitable clothing for any weather conditions you may encounter on the ride.
As usual, we expect many more ride applicants than there are available slots. For safety and impact reasons the Park allows us to run the event once a year, and limits us to a maximum of 800 riders.
You must register for the event during March, and slots will be assigned by lottery.
WE DO NOT ALLOW TRANSFER OR SALE OF ADMISSION TICKETS. We maintain a waiting list and will transfer your ticket to the next rider if you are unable to ride. You will get a refund, see registration information for specifics.
If you do not get in through the lottery, you can volunteer and gain enough credits to earn a bypass for next year. The bypass admits you to the ride without having to go through the lottery.
We also will auction a number of tickets through Ebay, usually in late April or early May. This is a charitble auctions, one hundred percent of the proceeds from the Ebay sales are donated to a charity.

Please be aware that we do not do last minute bib transfers. For safety reasons we must have reliable and complete rider lists by a week before the event. This means we close down registration for transfers by approximately July 15. If you are not already admitted to the ride, do not go to the start line hoping for a last minute transfer. There will be none available.

Redmond Cycling Club Blog