Hundreds of cyclists took to the roads of Pierce County on Sunday for the annual Tour de Pierce bike ride, sponsored by the county parks and recreation department.
New for this year's ride was a section of the Foothills Trail, which meanders for about 17 or 18 miles from Meeker, near Puyallup, to South Prarie Creek and beyond to Buckley. Although the bike ride didn't follow the entire route, cyclists did get a taste of the 12-foot-wide trail that boasts stunning views of Mount Rainier, above.
When complete the Foothills Trail will stretch for 28 miles. As the trail didn't open until June 28, 2007, this was the first year that Tour de Pierce could use the trail.
Long-term plans call for the Foothills Trail to connect with the Interurban Trail in Sumner, allowing a traffic-free route all the way to Seattle. On the other end in the east, the trail would continue from Buckley through to Enumclaw in King County.
More information about the bike trail is available at the Foothills Trail website and Foothills Rails to Trails Coalition.
Tour
Many volunteers at the rest stops were surprised by this year's turnout, given the warm temperatures.
The mercury climbed to the 90s, which seemed like a major heat wave for cyclists used to riding in the 60s and low 70s just last weekend. Organizers made sure there was plenty of cold water at the two rest stops, and the guy driving a SAG vehicle the length of the route made sure he had cold water on hand too.
The ride features 12-, 25- and 50-mile options. While the 25-mile route has one hill, the 50-miler has a couple.
My son and I use to ride the shorter routes to begin his training for the Ride Around Washington later in August. We attacked the longer route this year as a training ride for the Seattle-to-Portland bike ride, which is coming up in two weeks.
The ride is fairly inexpensive, the folks are friendly, and the start at the fairgrounds in Puyallup is easy to get to from Seattle, Tacoma or Olympia.
Recent Comments