Thursday: Annual Ultra-marathon Cycling Event Kicks Off in Enumclaw

The Redmond Cycling Club's "Ride Around Mount Rainier in One Day" (RAMROD), returns to Enumclaw as hundreds of cyclists embark on a 150-mile bike ride around Mount Rainier this Thursday, July 25.

The course, which begins and ends at Enumclaw High School, features 10,000 feet of climbing over 152 miles around Mount Rainier National Park, according to the Redmond Cycling Club Blog.

Are you participating in the RAMROD this year? Tell us how you're preparing for the big event!

In this annual ultra-marathon cycling event, the riders will be challenged by three climbs: a 12-mile ascent to Inspiration Point (4,850 ft), the 3-mile Backbone Ridge climb and the challenging 9-mile Cayuse Pass ascent (4,694 ft). 

If that weren't enough, the riders must also keep their bike speed under control and be prepared for any dangerous road conditions throughout the way.

The event kicks off between 5 to 7 a.m. and must finish by 8 p.m. that evening. Due to the National Park rules, the event can only accept 800 riders to participate each year.

The Redmond Cycling Club hosted its inaugural event in 1984, which had 45 finishers. Twenty-nine years later, the event has become so popular in the Pacific Northwest that the event organizers introduced a weighted lottery system this year to select the riders. (A tip for anyone who prefers to bypass the lottery process: A rider can guarantee a spot in next year's ride by volunteering in this year's ride.)

Enumclaw High School is located at 226 Semanski St. South.

For more information on the rally, visit the Redmond Cycling Club Blog.