Cascade Bicycle Club is hosting a set of memorial rides 9 a.m. Saturday (September 7) “to celebrate the life of Steve Hulsman,” a longtime Cascade ride leader who was killed while biking on Marine View Drive in West Seattle in December.
Hulsman loved riding difficult hills and measured his biking in feet of elevation rather than miles, and as a ride leader he specialized in teaching people the art of climbing on a bike. At the time of his death, he had registered 787,641 feet of climbing to his Strava account.
That’s why Cascade is offering three route options beginning and ending at Lincoln Park Saturday morning. One is on relatively flat roads and trails (though it is still 14 miles), the intermediate/difficult route is 25 miles with 2,473 feet of elevation gain, and the full Hulsman route is 43 miles with more than 4,500 feet of elevation gain (you probably want to be trained up for that one). The intermediate and very difficult routes will both pass through the intersection where he was killed, which is about a mile south of the starting point of the rides (Marine View Drive SW/46th Ave SW).
Everyone is invited whether they knew Steve personally or not. Friends and family will share some words at the start.
Please join us on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 9:00 am for a memorial ride to celebrate the life of Steve Hulsman, the long-time Cascade member and volunteer Ride Leader who was tragically hit and killed while biking in West Seattle in December.
We will gather at 9 a.m. in the main parking lot at Lincoln Park in West Seattle, where Steve’s family and close friends will speak about his life and love of bicycling. We will also hear from elected officials about the need for continued investment in protected bike lanes and active transportation infrastructure to improve safety for people biking and walking. Before departing by bike, we will raise a toast to Steve (coffee, Nuun, and orange juice will be provided). The ride is expected to start at about 10 a.m. following a safety briefing from Cascade Ride Leaders. All riders must wear a helmet and attend the safety briefing to participate.
*Note: We are offering three separate routes for this ride: an “easy” route out to the West Seattle Passenger Ferry Terminal and back along relatively flat roads and trails (14.1 miles/ 423 ft of elevation gain), and hillier option that is an “intermediate to difficult” route (25 miles/ 2,473 ft of elevation gain) and a “very difficult” route that should only be attempted by experienced cyclists (42.7 miles/ 4,518 ft elevation gain).
These routes are self paced in nature, meaning that you can ride them at your own pace, by yourself, or with friends. We will have organized group rides led by ride leader volunteers offered at most paces for those that prefer to ride in a group. You are welcome to choose if you would prefer to ride by yourself or join one of the organized rides. Regardless of which route you choose to ride, we will all be starting from the same starting point.
