​A Bicycle Ride to Raise Awareness
Organ, Eye, & Tissue Donation
August 2013 Route
Route Overview: Spokane, WA to Sun Valley, ID 7 Days 580 Miles
From August 10th to the 16th, bicyclists will travel from Spokane, WA to Sun Valley, ID; traveling roughly 580 miles and climbing over 30,000 vertical feet! 7 days on a bike? The route will take riders through some of the most beautiful, scenic landscapes the Pacific Northwest has to offer including the fertile Palouse, across the Snake River, around Payette Lake, through the Boise National Forest, beside the Sawtooth Mountain Range, and wrapping up with an incredible descent from Galena Pass. CLICK HERE to see the detailed route in Google Maps.
Day 1: Spokane, WA to Pullman, WA Miles: 78 Elevation Gain: 2,936'
The official start line will be in front of Sunny's former high school: Lewis & Clark High School located in historic downtown Spokane. After only a few miles on the bike, rolling hills of the great Palouse will take us south towards the college town of Pullman, WA; home of the Washington State Cougars.
Day 2: Pullman, WA to Grangeville, ID Miles: 109 Elevation Gain: 5,354'
Starting in Pullman, WA, we will warm up the legs with relatively flat conditions before making a great descent towards Lewiston. After that, the road will bring a long, grueling climb up to beautiful countryside littered with rolling hills that will accompany us all the way to Graingeville.
Day 3: Grangeville, ID to McCall, ID Miles: 99 Elevation Gain: 6,747'
The morning part of our 3rd day on the bike will start with a small mountain pass followed by 2000+ foot descent. But what goes down... has to go up! The rest of the day will be spent navigating beautiful, twisting roads as we slowly climb over 3000 vertical feet up to McCall, ID. However, will all the up-and-down the day will over, we will gain almost 7,000 feet on the bike in one day.
Day 4: McCall, ID to Boise, ID Miles: 107 Elevation Gain: 3,146'
After 3 long days in the saddle, it's no surprise that the 4th will be over 100 miles! Thank goodness the vast majority of the day will be downhill! Over the 107 miles, we will only have one Cat 5 climb, one Cat 4 climb and one Cat 2 climb.... but the Cat 2 should be a quite taxing that late in the day.
Day 5: Boise, ID to Lowman, ID Miles: 72 Elevation Gain: 5,219'
On the fifth day of Sunny's Pedal, we'll head into the mountains Northeast of Boise. The elevation chart just doesn't do this part of our journey justice! Once the day is over, our legs will burn from the 5,000+ feet of total climbing. This area of Idaho has warmsprings hidden all over... hopefully we can find a warm pool to relax in after descending into Lowman.
Day 6: Lowman, ID to Stanley, ID Miles: 54 Elevation Gain: 4,832'
Day six will be our shortest day in the saddle, but it will be a beast! After 466 miles, our legs are going to hate the Hors Categorie climb - 4.81 miles of ascending at an 11% grade! But what goes up... gets to come down! The final 20 miles will be slightly downhill-to-flat and nothing but beautiful central Idaho to look at! The Sawtooth Mountains will be a welcome sight and the cool water of Redfish Lake will feel incredible on the body!
Day 7: Stanley, ID to Sun Valley, ID Miles: 68 Elevation Gain: 2,247'
It is a 58 mile ride to the finish line in Sun Valley, ID. The day will start with a beautiful ride south along the eastern flank of the Sawtooth Mountains. Galena Pass will be our last challenge: a wonderful 14-turn climb... followed by 20 amazing corners on the descent! From this point, the road will always be slightly downhill as we ride into Ketchum and finish at The Elephant's Perch.