Redmond Cycling Club Blog

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.