{"id":710601,"date":"2026-06-02T19:13:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T19:13:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/710601\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T19:13:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T19:13:10","slug":"redmond-cycling-club-launches-new-ride-through-mount-rainier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/710601\/","title":{"rendered":"Redmond cycling club launches new ride through Mount Rainier"},"content":{"rendered":"

The famous RAMROD (Ride Around Mount Rainier In a Day) might have been called off<\/a>, but that\u2019s not stopping the Redmond Cycling Club from organizing a ride through Mount Rainier National Park this summer.<\/p>\n

On May 18, the Redmond Cycling Club<\/a>, organizers of RAMROD, announced<\/a> a new group gravel bike ride called Gravel Enumclaw To Mowich in A Day (GETMAD).<\/p>\n

Organizer Rick Duong says the pivot from road cycling to gravel biking is, in part, due to the massive popularity of the sport.<\/p>\n

\u201cGravel is kind of the biggest thing in cycling these days,\u201d Duong told The News Tribune over the phone last week.<\/p>\n

Gravel biking differs from road cycling because of the terrain. While road cycling focuses on speed and agility on asphalt, gravel biking is engineered for versatility on rougher roads and trails.<\/p>\n

GETMAD will be an 81- or 82-mile out-and-back ride that starts in Enumclaw and crawls up to Mowich Lake and back. Duong estimates that over 50 miles will be on gravel and dirt.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re still building the bike as we ride,\u201d Duong says. \u201cWe haven\u2019t finalized the exact route yet, or logistical matters like exactly where the aid stations will be and how to get water up to some of the areas, but we\u2019re close.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"An An aid station at the 2024 RAMROD. The Redmond Cycling Club Courtesy <\/p>\n

The date is finalized. It will be July 23, and registration<\/a> is open on the Redmond Cycling Club website. The rider cap will be lower than the RAMROD, and Duong says it will be on a first come, first served basis, unlike the RAMROD which was a lottery.<\/p>\n

The proposed route will depart Enumclaw High School and follow the Foothills Trail into Buckley. From there, cyclists will ride through Crocker, turn onto Patterson Road, and bypass the Fairfax Bridge<\/a> by crossing through private land before heading back to State Route 165.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the closure of Fairfax Bridge,\u201d Duong said. \u201cNot a lot of folks have been able to get to Mowich Lake because it\u2019s closed to cars. But bicycles can get up there.\u201d<\/p>\n

After Mowich Lake, the proposed route retraces its steps through Mount Rainier National Park before heading back to Enumclaw. The Redmond Cycling Club has been working with Mount Rainier National Park to obtain permits to access Mowich Lake and ensure the area is ready for visitors.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo for the park has been very supportive,\u201d Duong continued. \u201cThey want to get folks up to Mowich.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Mowich Mowich Lake as seen by Mayor Peloli on a recent scouting mission. Jayme Peloli Courtesy <\/p>\n

As for the name, Duong says \u201cGETMAD\u201d has nothing to do with the club\u2019s cancellation of the RAMROD this year, which was in part due to a disagreement with Mount Rainier National Park about an appropriate event date.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s coincidental,\u201d Duong says. \u201cGETMAD describes what the ride is. It\u2019s all in a day, so it\u2019s keeping the same theme as RAMROD. But you\u2019re climbing gravel. You have to get mad to get over the mountain.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not mad at the park. They\u2019ve been great partners. Obviously, we have a difference of opinion on access for RAMROD. But we want to keep that relationship friendly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Duong emphasizes that GETMAD is not a replacement for RAMROD.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not our consolation prize,\u201d Duong continued. \u201cWe\u2019d love for these two rides to run in parallel next year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Organizations like Pierce County Explorer Search and Rescue<\/a> and the Foothills Coalition<\/a> are volunteering their time and services to help make the event happen.<\/p>\n

Wilkeson Mayor Jayme Peloli was instrumental in helping it all come together.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was the person who reached out to me originally about the idea,\u201d Duong says. \u201cShe saw the press about what was happening with RAMROD and wanted to make things right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Duong also credits the communities along the Foothills Trail and the residents who have largely been cut off from the Fairfax Bridge closure for their support.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s great to promote and talk a bit about what\u2019s happening with the Fairfax Bridge closure and how it\u2019s affecting people. This event should be great for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Gavin Feek<\/a><\/p>\n

The News Tribune<\/p>\n

Gavin Feek is the outdoors reporter for The News Tribune. He is a Seattle-born writer who covers the intersection of public lands, climate-related issues and outdoor recreation. After working for many years in Yosemite National Park, Gavin pivoted to journalism in 2020. You can find his bylines in The Seattle Times, The Stranger, Outside, Climbing, The Intercept, Vox Media, Vertical Times, McSweeney\u2019s, and various other publications. He spends his free time outdoors with his family.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The famous RAMROD (Ride Around Mount Rainier In a Day) might have been called off, but that\u2019s not…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":710602,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[445],"tags":[49,48,635,82],"class_list":["post-710601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-cycling","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/710601","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=710601"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/710601\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/710602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=710601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=710601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=710601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}