RedSpoke Day Four

Coulee City to Davenport

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This was the toughest ride of the day. Another 5 a.m. breakfast followed by a Century ride (100 miles). Vertical gain was close to 5600 feet and the last 15 miles were into a 30 mph sidewind. There were four of us that made this ride together. Brett, myself, Scott and Juan. Only 10 riders completed the 100 miles.The route was fairly flat at the start as we headed out along the Columbia River with a few small inclines placed in front of us to keep the ride interesting. It was a hot day and we drank plenty of water. We passed by Grand Coulee Dam but didn't take the tour. The trip down to the visitor center would have meant a four mile detour and that wasn't in the plan. The ride out of Electric City was up but not too steep and we kept a good pace through the rolling hills into Wilbur. We caught up with a Tandem along the last few miles and the others drafted it into town at a good clip. I got dropped near the top of the last hill and struggled the last few miles. The hill was only 4% but it was just too long for me to keep up. From Wilbur to Davenport we encountered a downhill grade on the way to Fort Spokane where Brett hit 48.7 mph. For me, it was one scary downhill ride with lots of turns. I hit 45.9mph with my breaks on part of the way. The downhill turned into an uphill at the bottom with a mile or so of 5% to 7% grade. From Fort Spokane we headed up again at 6%-7% for at least 5 miles. The SAG stop was in a small church at the top of the hill. Scott and Brett arrived 30 minutes before myself and Juan. They settled in the basement of the church and chilled out at 68 degrees waiting for us. The last 15 miles were brutal with a sidewind of at least 30 mph. I was toast when we finished.