Ring of Fire Detailed Forecast

Couldn't ask for much better weather conditions:

Ring of Fire, Weather and Goals

The weather forecast for my race this Saturday looks ideal for cycling:

Weatherbug

Maupin: Partly cloudy. Highs 64 to 74. Lows 44 to 51.
Government Camp: Partly sunny. High 55. Low 45.

The Weather Channel

Maupin: Partly cloudy. Highs in the upper 60s and lows in the upper 40s.
Government Camp: Mix of sun and clouds. Highs in the mid 50s and lows in the mid 40s.

AccuWeather

Maupin: Partly sunny. High 76. Low 46.
Government Camp: Partly sunny. High 63. Low 44.

So it looks like it will be a chilly morning, which means warming up will be important. Last year I hardly warmed up at all as I was concerned about being on the bike for 12 hours and didn't want to add more time-on-the-bike before the clock even started. This year is different. I want to be able to hit the first hill (which is right out of Maupin at the very beginning of the race) while fully warmed up so I can climb at full speed. Warming up on a climb is a bad idea. It is hard on the body (joints, muscles, everything) and overdoing it too early can throw you off for the rest of the ride. So I will definitely get in a solid 20 or 30 minutes of riding before I start racing.

The high temperature for the day is quite cool, basically the complete opposite from last year, which for me, is very, very good news. Of course it is good news for all the racers, but I'm sure some deal with the heat much better than I do, so all the better for me.

No real forecast yet as far as how windy it will be. I figure I can deal with wind as well as anyone else so I'm not concerned about it from a tactical standpoint.

Goals from last year edited for this year:

Ring of Fire, Weather and Goals

The weather looks to be quite nice, maybe even a little too nice.  Most of the climbing will happen in the cool of the morning.  The afternoon/evening heat just means I will need to stay ahead of my water needs.  Thankfully the wind doesn't look too bad.

Hourly Forecast
By Approximate Location During Race
(source: weather.com)

Time

Condition

Feels Like

Chance Precip

Humidity

Wind

Saturday, September 12

7 am (Maupin)

53°F
Sunny

53°F

0%

66%

From NNW
3 mph

8 am
(Tygh Valley)

55°F
Sunny

55°F

0%

64%

From NNW
2 mph

9 am
(Tygh Valley)

59°F
Sunny

59°F

0%

57%

From N
3 mph

10 am
(Govt. Camp)

60°F
Sunny

60°F

0%

55%

From NW
2 mph

11 am
(Govt. Camp)

64°F
Sunny

64°F

0%

48%

From NW
3 mph

12 pm
(Govt. Camp)

67°F
Sunny

67°F

0%

48%

From NW
3 mph

1 pm
(Dufur)

82°F
Sunny

79°F

0%

25%

From N
5 mph

2 pm
(Dufur)

86°F
Sunny

82°F

0%

21%

From N
6 mph

3 pm
(Tygh Valley)

89°F
Sunny

85°F

0%

19%

From N
7 mph

4 pm
(Tygh Valley)

90°F
Sunny

86°F

0%

18%

From N
8 mph

5 pm
(Maupin)

89°F
Sunny

85°F

0%

19%

From NNW
9 mph

6 pm
(Maupin)

85°F
Sunny

82°F

0%

23%

From NNW
9 mph

7 pm
(Maupin)

80°F
Sunny

78°F

0%

29%

From NNW
8 mph

The Ring of Fire Results page has start times, and possibly updated data during the race, and of course post-race results.

Goals

1. Have Fun!

2. Finish the big loop of 114 miles and over 9,500 feet of elevation gain.

3. Ride as many of the 12 hours as possible, including up until the clock stops.

4. Finish as many small loops (26 miles, 2000 feet elevation gain) as possible.  One lap is reasonable.  Two laps is possible.  More than two? That would be awesome!

5. Don't be last!!!

RAPSody Forecast still looks great!

Looks like a slight tail wind first half of the day and a bit of a headwind on the home stretch.

Time

Condition

Feels Like

Chance Precip

Humidity

Wind

Tacoma:

6 am

(Sunrise at 6:16 a.m.)

54°F
Partly Cloudy

54°F

10%

77%

From NNE
3 mph

Bremerton:

9 am

57°F
Partly Cloudy

57°F

10%

57%

From NNE
4 mph

Shelton:

12 pm

64°F
Mostly Sunny

64°F

0%

65%

From NNW
5 mph

Olympia:

3 pm

68°F
Sunny

68°F

0%

52%

From NNW
7 mph

Tacoma:

7 pm

66°F
Sunny

66°F

0%

54%

From N
7 mph

8 pm

(Sunset at 8:08 p.m.)

64°F
Sunny

64°F

0%

58%

From N
7 mph