From one of Michael Rasmussen's roving field reports from the Cascade 1200:After Packwood came the climb to White Pass. Riders from Florida don’t have hills at all. Riders with New York riding exposure have hills of steep grades but short duration. White Pass is neither of those. It is a Mountain Pass, twelve miles of climbing. It doesn’t get really steep, maybe 7% says Terry Zmrhal, but it doesn’t quit either. Today’s adventure held a mix of challenges for riders. Start with having covered 160 miles already, add in the warmth of the day, then top off with a mild tailwind. The tailwind wasn’t enough to push you up the hill, it was just enough to not be a cooling breeze as you pedaled.
More than one rider ran low on water climbing up to White Pass. Michelle Dulieu ran completely out and was eying a road side stream. She’d never encountered a hill this long before. Dave Johnson and Charlie White took time off to wade in the pool at the base of a roadside waterfall - and soak their heads in the cool waters.
At the top most riders had white swirls embellishing their clothing - the salts of their sweat built up on sleeves and legs, jerseys and shorts.
More great stories and pictures can be found at the Cascade 1200 blog at:http://c1200blog.randonista.com/
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