On the Eve of the Cross Washington

I’m out here in La Push, Washington about to embark on my second Cross Washington Bike Race. I did the first one last year with my friend and riding buddy Keri B. . I didn’t write a report last year but it took us 10 days and 7 hours to go the 714 miles from west to east across this ecologically diverse state. From the rain forest in La Push, up and over several mountains, through the rolling agricultural land of the Palouse to the tiny town of Tekoa, Washington on the Idaho border. Just a little brag here- of the 48 people who started last year only 2 were women, Keri and myself, both over the age of 55. And of the 48 that started only 18 finished, including the 2 women!! This year Keri and I are part of the founding members of a group called Washington Bikepacking Women. Our focus is to get more women out bikepacking and lining up at bikepacking races. This year there will be 7 women lining up at the Grand Depart tomorrow morning.

The Grand Depart is at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow, Sunday, May 21st, 2023. We will dip our tires into the Pacific Ocean and then start the long trek eastward. Troy Hopwood, the creator of the route and race has said there is a 3 hour time bonus for anyone who completely submerges themselves in the ocean at the start. If I can bargain for more time I might be tempted. You’ll have to follow along to see if that actually happens!

The rest of today will be spent trying to chill out and getting the bike ready. Actually I’ve been packed up for over a week and the other day unpacked Everything so I could take a picture of all that will be on my bike. That will be in the next blog post. The bike is all cleaned and lubed and I’ve been chomping at the bit all week. I just hope my legs feel the same way as my brain when we take off tomorrow. I don’t know how much blogging I’ll get to over the next couple of weeks but I’ll definitely write something up at the end. Here is the link to track my dot as I ride across the state: https://www.bandok.com/livetracker?id=27. My dot is the pink AB.