Boasting a secret-for-now route that “involves a state route bike riders have never been able to use,” Cascade Bicycle Club announced an all-new major ride for 2016: The Emerald City Bike Ride.
Scheduled for April 3, a Sunday, the new addition to the club’s major rides line-up aims to be “an amazing urban ride that this city deserves” with “relatively flat” routes and “views that can’t be beat.” There will be 22-mile and 8-mile options.
Like the club’s other major rides, there is an entry fee: $30 for members or $50 for the general public. It falls on the club’s schedule between the February 28 Chilly Hilly and the April 16 Ride for Major Taylor.
There are only a couple state routes in Seattle where bikes are legally not allowed: SR 520, I-5, a section of SR 99 (including the Battery Street Tunnel and the Viaduct) and I-90 (though most parts of I-90 have an adjacent trail). Below is a map we made back in 2010. Note that city-owned bike-free roads — such as the West Seattle Bridge — are not included:
So which state routes will the new Cascade ride use? Any of them would be pretty awesome. Let the speculation begin!
Comments
13 responses to “Cascade announces new April ‘Emerald City Bike Ride’”
520…? http://ridewithgps.com/routes/10819351
No! The Emerald City Ride urban ride should be in the Emerald City, not crossing Lake Washington.
If that’s really the route, it looks like it does indeed go over the new 520, and then northbound on the (closed) I-5 Express lanes. This would be SUPER EXCITING, as I’ve always wanted an excuse to ride the express lanes at night when they’re closed, but just haven’t done it.
Capitol Hill Seattle had a scoop on this back in October- it does look as if we’ll be riding the new 520 as part of their Grand Opening party: http://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2015/10/capitol-hill-station-launch-planned-for-march-indeed/
Hint: the Cascade site says “520 experience”:
http://www.cascade.org/node/23921
So awesome!
That’s a funny way to spell “Access denied, You are not authorized to access this page. ” On the other hand the ride with GPS route is available and Google would have found it even without the above link.
Wouldn’t 520 be riding out of the “Emerald City”?
Still, while WSDOT’s calendar does not show a closure on that particular day (either 520 or I-5 express lanes), they will be closing a lane on 520 at times in that general time frame. Also, with the ride starting at the UW, 520 seems pretty plausible. But, it’s parallel to and not so far from I-90, the views can’t be all that different, and one can ride across the I-90 bridge (on the trail) any day for free.
Also, Tom said “all new” but the map “speculator” linked to was created last October, though if the route has not been ridden before I suppose it is still “new”. And there is the fact that the map exists and the creator is “Cascade”. But if that is the route, it is odd that WSDOTs calendar does not show a closure that someone was considering back in October. The view from the I-5 bridge would be relatively unique.
There is talk of WSDOT closing the viaduct for a couple weeks when (if) Bertha goes under it, but it is probably premature to be setting specific dates. Also, the closure is presumably for fear the viaduct may fall down, but while the commenters at the Times would be happy if it fell down with a few hundred bicycles, I’m not so sure WSDOT would want to risk that.
A few thousand bicycles. But still a lot less stressful than the load of trucks, buses, cars on a busy traffic day. Best views in the city, too, weather permitting. http://www.initiative123.org/
According to the above comments it seems that 520 is the route—but which 520? The new bridge is scheduled to open in “spring 2016” and it’s plausible that this ride will let bikes ride the new bridge before it’s opened to cars. That would be awesome!
Not likely the new floating bridge as it is connected only to the eastside. That would be challenging. Plus it is still an active construction site and still will be in April. However, when I had a tour of the bridge, they told me that there will likely be an open house on the new floating bridge before the traffic switches to it.
So what do I know?! http://www.520golong.com/
Add in this ride in April and the three free once-per-month Seattle Summer Parkways neighborhood rides that will be in the Central District, Ballard and at/around Lake Union and it’s a great win for recreational cycling here in Seattle. I love this city!
[…] the Emerald City: Cascade Bicycle Club is launching a new annual bike ride in April. This one will celebrate the great bicycle network of Seattle and the suburban cities […]
Yes, it looks like it will definitely be across 520: http://www.520golong.com/
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