Turns out I can’t just stop whenever I see a sign for espresso and be competitive regardless of how much espresso I consume, at least with the level of riding that was going on at the NCW 250. I knew they were out there, but where and who was catching who?īikepacking in general took a pretty steep learning curve at the beginning for me, and I quickly realised that this would be the case on the racing side too.
The thing that struck me as most odd was being in a race but barely seeing another racer after the first climb, which happened in the first hour of the race. It adds a bunch of unique elements that push you even further/higher in both riding and introspection. I needn’t outline the draw to racing: I reckon a racer exists in us all and we regulate how that mentality flows into our pursuits, but what I must say is this format of racing (self-supported, multi-day) is certainly the wildest racing format. I’ve ridden bikes basically my whole life, but I’d never raced on one, so I was as much excited for the race element as I was in trying to conquer those behemoth climbs.
As it appeared to be relatively low-key, I figured it’d be a good event to cut my racing teeth.
I first read about the NCW 250 on this very website, seeing it as a fitting end to a glorious summer of riding. If you manage to traverse them in daylight, that is. With three of the seven major climbs standing over 5,000 feet, the views along the way are almost beautiful enough to distract you from the immense task at hand. The simplest description of the route devised by Cyrus Desmarais is gargantuan gravel climbs with rugged descents linked by relatively flat backroads in a manner that showcases the beauty of the Columbia Plateau’s western edge and the seemingly unending peaks of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. Although, before this recent weekend, I didn’t see the reasons for doing the same thing but in a race format so clearly, a notion that I shed at the start line.įive in the morning on September 24th, 2022, saw 17 riders march into the short-lived darkness of Wenatchee for the North Central Washington 250, a 250-mile route with 28,000 feet of climbing that tracks what feels like a plus-symbol-shaped counter-clockwise loop passing through Waterville, Chelan, Leavenworth, and Cashmere, with the finish back in Wenatchee. Words and photos by Jacob Lambert ( you’re reading, this we’re probably not too dissimilar in that riding our bikes for days on end is mighty appealing for what I feel are mostly obvious reasons. Our friend Jacob Lambert put together a report and selection of photos from his ride that you can check out here…
The second annual North Central Washington 250 challenged a determined group of riders with big climbs, stunning backcountry gravel roads, and expansive views.
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