This was my fifth century of this year. What made it different from all other rides was that this was longest in my life, at approximately 112 miles, with a cumulative ascent of over 7500ft. It was a killer.

HPC starts from Packwood (WA) on Highway 12. Then it goes along Highway 12 to Randle, then roads 131 and 25 all the way to the Windy Ridge, and back.

The first 20+ miles was a slight descent (less than 100ft). After turning left on 131, we got into the first steep climb of the day. This lasted for about 1.5 miles or so. The real climb started later at about mile 25 and went on on until mile 40 during which, we climbed about 3000ft. Vehicular traffic stops at this point as the road upto Windy Hill is badly damaged. We also had a cut off time of 11am to go past the gate at this point, and I managed to cross it just 10 min before the cut off.

From mile 40 to Windy Ridge (mile 52) and back was plain torture with lots of rollers. I took over two hours for this part. With over 50 miles to go, I did not think I was going to finish the ride before 5pm, which was the cut off time for the ride.

I managed to recover during the long descent afterwards. The route took some scenic backroads from the rest stop at the end of the descent. Although my upper body was ready to give up, I managed to keep a good cadence. There were some more rollers along these roads.

I finished the ride by about 4.30pm with 8 and half hours of ride time - the longest I ever stayed on the saddle. It was a pure test of endurance for me, and I am glad to say that I survived.