Read the Welcome Letter, or 2009 Tour de Blast Information article. Great tips to prepare for the ride!
Date: Saturday, June 22nd, 2024
Fee: $115 per rider ($90 without a shirt, $125 late or day of ride without a shirt). Registration includes: Ride, food, drink, support, and post-ride pasta feed.
Tour de Blast is a fund raising event put on by the Longview Rotary Club. Our club is part of District 5020 of Rotary International. Rotary’s motto is “Service above Self.” We are strictly a charity; therefore, all funds raised by Tour de Blast are used to benefit community service projects.
Ride times
The ride starts and finishes at Toutle Lake High School, located 10 miles east of Interstate 5 on Spirit Lake Memorial Highway. The start line is open from 6:30 to 9:00 a.m. The finish line closes at 4 p.m. An end-of-the-ride pasta feed is from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
You decide what distance to ride!
Beginner Level:
63K (39-mile) round-trip fun ride to the Bridge View Rest Area/Viewpoint. Approximately only a 1500′ elevation gain.
Intermediate Level:
87K (54-mile) round trip to Elk Rock.
3,300′ elevation gain.
Advanced Intermediate Level:
106K (66-mile) round trip to Coldwater Ridge Visitors Center.
4,350′ elevation gain
Advanced Level:
132K (82-mile) round trip to Johnston Ridge viewpoint.
6,240′ elevation gain. According to Ride with GPS.
This is a serious ride. If you think you have the gumption bring all you have because this is a truly hardcore ride.
The Ride
Ride the new road into the Mount St. Helens blast zone! The Spirit Lake Memorial Highway winds its way up the Toutle Valley to the Johnston Ridge Viewpoint. This is an open highway ride. Most of the course is on new highway with wide shoulders and excellent visibility.
RIDE PROFILE:
Mile 0: 500 ft. (Toutle – Starting Line)
Mile 11: 1,000 feet (Sediment Dam)
Mile 18: 1,650 feet
Mile 19: 1,200 feet (Bridge View – Rest Stop)
Mile 24: 3,000 feet
Mile 27: 3,800 feet (Elk Rock – Rest Stop)
Mile 34: 3,159 feet (Science and Learning Center at Coldwater Ridge – Rest Stop)
Mile 41: 4,314 feet (Johnston Ridge – Rest Stop)
Elevation gain/difficulty
The elevation gain from the start line at Toutle to Elk Rock (27 miles into the ride, elevation 3,800 feet) is approximately 3,300 feet. From there, the highway descends 1,270 feet over five miles to Coldwater Lake (elevation 2,530 feet). Then riders will begin a nine-mile climb of approximately 1,780 feet to the Johnston Ridge viewpoint and turnaround. A rider going all the way to Johnston Ridge and back to Toutle will climb a total of 6,240 vertical feet over 82 miles (132K) including the climb back up the eastern side of Elk Rock.
Below is a Garmin GPS Ride Profile for the entire round trip (Thank you Rob!):
Support & Safety
We will do our best to ensure the following happens each year for the ride: Rotarians will monitor the course and alert riders to danger. First Aid stations will be located at the starting line, and all three pit stops. The shoulders will be swept prior to the ride to help eliminate any road debris that could cause possible mishaps. Frequent pit stops are stocked with food, fruit, beverages and facilities. Hot showers are available at the end of the ride. Bring your own towels.
Helmets Required
CPSC, SNELL, ASTM or ANSI approved helmets are required. Riders will not be allowed to ride without one.
Shirt & Ride Packet Notes
Riders who register by the pre-registration deadline will receive their shirts on ride day. Please note you will be asked to stick to the size requested on your registration form. There will be no shirts available for day of ride registration.
To keep this a quality event and eliminate mailing costs, all riders will receive a ride packet with their ride number on the day of the ride. These may be picked up at Toutle Lake High School on ride day. Day-of-ride registration is open from 6:30 to 9 a.m.
If we haven’t covered something here that you are looking for – Please visit the Frequently Asked Questions page for more information.