Tripleshot takes Hurricane Ridge

[Andrew]

What a great day, everything was done so well. Thanks everybody!

[Stéphane Tran]

What a great day! Thank you to everyone who had a hand in organizing this event!

[FairweatherMike]

Ditto! It was fun from start to finish. Thanks once more to the organizers of this last event in Tripleshot's TripleCrown of Summer Cycling (Silly Summer Solstice Century and Cowichan Big Loop being the two others - or make up your own!). The only thing not fun was watching Barton zoom past me in total defiance of gravity on a borrowed bike that I understand was lighter than the UCI weight limit. I'd be mightily peeved were it not for the realization that I was carrying the equivalent of an extra bike up the mountain on my own, uh, frame .

Great scenery at the top and plenty of opportunity to refine bike handling skills on the way down! And no better way to have an extended pre- and post-ride coffee with the TS gang than on an international ocean cruise...

[myboys]

No matter how much I read or debriefed with Hurricane Ridge vets, those first 8k were an eye-opener in so many ways. After the Ranger Station, it's all pretty much a blur. I found the experience not unlike childbirth; cursing under my breath the whole way for getting sucked into this godforsaken thing. Then once it was over, and the pain a distant memory, I found myself planning for the next one. Almost.
Thanks John and Mike for staffing the van - pretty much a life-saver. Dave and Barton, thanks for talking me off the edge of the ledge. And Andrea --- you rock! The rest of you Triple Shot people are awesome!
Now if only my legs were not in, "Oh, do we bicycle? Since when?" mode I could make it out to the next workout that'll bring me closer to another epic event.

Mary

[Rolf]

Gold:

I found the experience not unlike childbirth; cursing under my breath the whole way for getting sucked into this godforsaken thing. Then once it was over, and the pain a distant memory, I found myself planning for the next one. Almost.

I can't fully relate to the metaphor, but it accords perfectly with my experiences on the Ridge. Sorry to have missed it this year—though there may yet be a sunny September Sunday when the Coho comes a-calling...

[sylvan]

Sorry to have missed it this year—though there may yet be a sunny September Sunday when the Coho comes a-calling...

Ooh. If it's Sept 1 or 15 I'm probably in.

[FairweatherMike]

Some more "behind the scenes" pix:

- Coho koffeeklatch among TS veterans (pre-race doping control samples in foreground)

- speed weapons await their riders as landing craft approaches the combat zone (cue quietly heroic music; cut to slow-mo shot of riders striding toward their steeds)

- Plumbing company magnate holds court for pre-climb briefing (with enforcer/bodyguards standing watch)

[John D]

Plumbing company magnate holds court for pre-climb briefing (with enforcer/bodyguards standing watch)

+1

[Pedro2.0]

Thank you everyone for organizing this event. Special thank you John and Greg for taking the truck for the extra support. What a great experience for a Hurricane Ridge Virgin.

Regards,
Jeff "you know ... the blonde guy"
Aka Peter L

[spearson]

Important customs tip: never line up behind someone with a much nicer bike than you....

The US Customs officer had just finished admitting Andrew and his R5 into the country. I walked up to the table and he asked for my passport. I handed it to him and he proceeded to lean over the counter to look at my knapsack and bike. "You're really going to ride Hurricane Ridge on a steel framed cross bike?", he inquired. I nodded dumbfounded; worried that I was about to be detained for further searching. "Well, good luck with that.", he said and handed me back my passport. I left not knowing whether to feel relieved or offended.

The steel framed cross bike made it up to the top just fine.

[John D]

The steel framed cross bike made it up to the top just fine.

And was almost certainly the first bike that, having made it to the top, was then driven back down in the back of a truck.