Mount Rainier cycling event rescheduled for September

RAMROD is back on: The 40th annual Ride Around Mount Rainier in One Day endurance cycling event will circle Mount Rainier National Park on Sept. 4.

The ride is typically in July, but a permitting impasse with the national park wedged a wrench in the spokes of this summer’s event. Mount Rainier National Park is debuting a timed entry system this summer designed to alleviate crowding in the park. MRNP leadership denied a request from RAMROD organizers Redmond Cycling Club to use busy Paradise and Stevens Canyon roads for the race.

Unable to agree on a route that would avoid those roads, the park and Redmond Cycling Club elected to avoid the timed entry window entirely. Instead, RAMROD will test out an amended version of the event in September, the Wednesday after Labor Day.  

“We are thrilled to revive this Northwest tradition and welcome cyclists back to Mount Rainier National Park,” Redmond Cycling Club Director Joe Matthews said in a news release this week. “RAMROD holds a special place in the hearts of cyclists, and we are excited to continue its legacy of pushing the boundaries of cycling achievement while fostering a deep appreciation for the natural beauty of our region.”

So what was the big holdup?

The cycling club said it wouldn’t orchestrate the ride without use of the southern roads, citing a depreciated experience and deflated ridership in years past when the route was amended to avoid Paradise and Stevens Canyon roads. The park, meanwhile, would not budge on approving use of the roads this summer, citing concerns about crowding and safety.

U.S. Rep. Kim Schrier’s office threw its weight behind the issue, facilitating conversations between the parties that led to a compromise. Organizers are labeling this year’s ride as “a pilot program due to necessary safety-related changes that come with less available daylight and the transition to late summer/early fall weather patterns.” 

This year’s event will have tweaks beyond the new date: Participants will cycle clockwise for the first time, starting and ending in Enumclaw as they circumnavigate Mount Rainier. Registration, scheduled to start next month, will feature first-come, first-serve priority, instead of the typical lottery system (2023 volunteers will be grandfathered into the total of 800 riders, per RAMROD tradition).

Over four decades, RAMROD has built a reputation as one of the country’s premier endurance cycling events. Cyclists travel some 150 miles around the mountain, conquering more than 10,000 feet of elevation gain.