For this route, I'm going to do two "SMILES" - starting with Mercer Island, followed by the lower Lake Washington loop - PLUS some extra on the Cedar River Trail for the faster folks. This is a minimum ride distance of 33 miles, but can go up to about 45 miles, depending on how much distance you put in on the Cedar River Trail.

Timing, pace and regrouping: Given the heat, I'm moving the timing a bit earlier: meet at 8:30am, wheels rolling by 8:40am. I expect I'll maintain an average pace of about 16mph, with two planned regroupings: 1. Enatai Beach Park 2. Be'er Shiva Park

Route: I plan to ride the “Double Smile”, meaning I’ll start at the parking lot at the Lid Park on Mercer Island, ride south along W Mercer Way all the way to the south end of the island and back up E Mercer Way until reaching I-90, then cross I-90 eastbound and continue with the clockwise Lake Washington loop around the Renton Airport.

Dial-a-Distance: Just before the airport I plan to hop on the Cedar River Trail (CRT) and go south about 4 miles before turning around and heading back, returning to Mercer Island via I-90 eastbound. IMPORTANT: This means the faster riders will arrive to regroup later at Be'er Shiva. I've made a spreadsheet showing how far on the Cedar River Trail you can go so we all meet up at Be'er Shiva at roughly the same time.

Total distance is 33-45 miles, 1250 ft of elevation. There is a restroom and water fountain nearby the start/finish, multiple parks along the way with restrooms and water bottle filling options.

You can see the map here.

Equipment and Safety: Helmets are required to ride. A good headlight and taillight are recommended. Rain (however unlikely) will cancel this ride. Bring your own nutrition you expect to need during the ride. Riders should be able to sustain the appropriate pace, know how to read a cue sheet, change a flat tire (and have the requisite equipment to do so) and have a positive attitude. Ride Leaders and Sweeps will not stop long for flats or mechanical issues due to group safety.

In order to participate in any Seattle Triathlon Group event, you must sign our waiver. Waivers only need to be signed once per year or if your contact info has changed. Please use the same email address for the waiver as the email address you use here on Meetup so we can match them up. New this year is that I will only be accepting electronic waivers - please complete the waiver ahead of time!

Thanks and Tri On!