A few days ago I put the bike on the car and headed down to Ellensburg to check out the course for the Washington State Time Trial Championships, which will be held July 12th on a course that winds through the Yakima River Canyon. Since the race announcement describes the course as mostly flat with one short climb in both directions, I thought it would be useful to ride those climbs for myself on my TT bike so that I would know what I'd be in for on race day.
I found my way to the start area and parked at Helen McCabe State Park at the mouth of the canyon. The "park" consists of some undeveloped land owned by the state and a large pond which is a local fishing hole. Having gone to school in Ellensburg for a couple of years, I was not surprised to have very windy conditions for my reconnaissance ride. I changed into my riding clothes, got the bike off the car, and headed out on the course. The course is on a fairly busy, two-lane highway through the Yakima River Canyon. On the weekday afternoon I rode, there was a fair amount of traffic and I can't imagine it will be any quieter on race weekend since the canyon is a very popular recreation area.
The course has a small roller within the first (and last) half mile or so and then flattens out. The pavement is so-so for the first few miles. The roadway was originally sectioned concrete and has been paved and chipsealed over throughout its history. This has left the surface uneven and cracked in spots and there are occasional small potholes as well. It's not really bad, but it will require attention on the part of the rider, especially on the return trip when fatigue is at its greatest. The next several miles are flat with better pavement and unremarkable.....until the climb at mile ten.
The "short climb" is about a kilometer long and on the outbound leg appears to be about 4% or 5%, it is immediately followed by a descent of about the same length. The return leg side of climb is slightly steeper, maybe 6% or so. Both descents are straight forward without any turns to worry about. Since the climb is about two miles from the turnaround, there is effectively about four miles between the two significant sections of climbing in the ride. This should provide some chance to recover.
The wind will likely be the biggest factor on this course. The canyon twists around quite a bit so the wind direction the rider feels will change a lot. In addition, the wind swirls a lot in the canyon. Some places are quite sheltered and others are pretty exposed to the wind. If it is very windy, light riders and those who don't like gusty crosswinds may want to consider their wheel choices carefully.
After previewing the course, I got back to the car and noticed that the parking lot was empty. I started to put my stuff in the trunk and noticed a mosquito on my arm and dispatched him with a swat. She was not alone. I was immediately swarmed by mosquitoes and frantically threw my bike on the car and got out of there as quickly as possible. It appeared there had been a large hatch of mosquitoes at the pond while I was on my ride. I must have had fifteen or twenty bites on each leg in the few minutes it took to get the bike loaded up. I don't envy the race officials who will have to hang out in this area if there is another hatch on race day.
Overall, it will be a challenging course. Personally, I'd prefer it without the hills, but that's just me whining. In a couple weeks we'll see how it rides at race pace.
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