Stinky Spoke Mountain Bike Ride
THERE IS SPACE FOR ONLY 400 RIDERS!
Join us on Saturday, January 27, 2024, to ride this classic 20-mile mountain bike loop in Redmond, WA, on what we hope will be the "stinkiest" weather day of the year. You belong to this ride, no matter your experience or fitness level--it's a fun ride for novice and expert mountain bikers alike! Let's pedal to raise funds to support local and international causes!
.PNG)
.png)
Ride Day Details
Parking:
All but the first story of the four-story City Hall parking structure is available for Stinky Spoke parking. The address is 8711 160th Ave NE, Redmond, WA 98052. The first floor is earmarked for City vehicles. Overflow parking may be available at the King County Courthouse. There's a short-cut between the buildings from the parking garage to Redmond City Hall. It will be marked.
Packet Pickup:
Packet pickup will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. on Friday, January 26, at Postdoc Brewing Company, 17625 NE 65th St #100, Redmond, WA 98052. In terms of the ride, it’s always more convenient to pick up your packet the day before, if possible. Then, in the morning, you’ll park your car, ride your bike to City Hall, and be all ready to go! If it’s not convenient to pick up your packet the day before, be at City Hall starting at 7:30 a.m. on ride day to pick up your packet with your rider number. It’s possible to pick up your swag bag after the ride—all you’ll really need from the packet is your ride number.
Bike Parking:
This year again, we have bike racks available for the bikes that will be entered in the ride. After parking in the four-story parking garage, ride your bike to the surface lot at Redmond City Hall. There will be some volunteers available to keep an eye on the bikes parked there, however riders should bring their own locks. Ride organizers will not be responsible for bikes before or after the ride.
What’s Available on the Ride Course:
Water is available at Redmond Ridge, Farrel-McWhirter Park, and Sammamish River SAG stops along the route. At the Little Bit stop in Farrel-McWhirter Park, traditional hot potatoes and hot chocolate are also available. If you’re going to need more fuel, better carry your own snacks.
Volunteering on the Day of the Event:
This event takes a lot of volunteer support. Even if you're not riding, volunteering to help before and after the ride is important. Go to: https://www.volunteermatch.org/search/opp3634670.jsp
Timing of the Ride:
The ride starts promptly at 9 a.m. from Redmond City Hall. The starting line will be marked and announcements will be made. You may start the ride before 9 a.m., but there will be no guarantee that the SAG stops will be ready for you, particularly Heart Attack Hill and the stop at Redmond Ridge. If you take longer than five hours on the course, you may find that SAG stops have wrapped up for the day and most everyone will have left Redmond City Hall. Lunch with participating food trucks will be ready at 11:30 and will stop serving at 1:30 p.m. Prizes will be awarded between 1:00 and 1:30 p.m. At 2:00 p.m., volunteers will be cleaning up and heading home.
The After Party:
After you’re finished riding, your registration fee entitles you to one free beer or soft drink (more beer is available for purchase) and hot food. This year we have a food truck serving our riders: Cascadia Pizza! We are very excited to have Cascadia Pizza. Stick around for the results of the best poker hands and, even if you didn’t have a good hand, you’ll be eligible for drawings of wonderful gifts and prizes. There is a silent auction available, too, with some great items. Bring your favorite form of payment.
Food and Beverages Before and After the Ride:
There will be some sort of carbs before the ride and we're working on a coffee vendor. Cascadia Pizza is joining us this year and we'll provide vouchers for registered riders to have lunch as part of their registration fee. Thanks to Postdoc Brewing, all riders who are older than 21 will receive a ticket for a beer. (Soft drinks are also available.) Additional beers are available for purchase.
History of the Ride:
Stinky Spoke was started by avid mountain bike rider and organizer Todd Cowles to benefit Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center. After 13 years, the ride transitioned to the Rotary Club of Redmond, the ride’s current organizers. Despite a one-year hiatus during COVID, the ride continues on in its great tradition.
Course Description
The ride begins at Redmond City Hall. Riders will head north on the Sammamish River Trail before taking a right on the Tolt Pipeline Trail to ascend Heart Attack Hill—either walking or riding is acceptable. After getting your heart rate up and celebrating its crest, you’ll wind your way on the Tolt Pipeline Trail through Redmond Ridge, into the Watershed on the Power Line Trail, through Farrel-McWhirter Farm Park to the Sammamish River Trail and back to Redmond City Hall.
Ride Traditions
What keeps us coming back
Poker Ride
Heart Attack Hill
Redmond Ridge
Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center
Sammamish River
Finish Line
REGISTRATION IS LIVE!
This year Redmond Rotary is using GetMeRegistered! It should be an easier, more user-friendly experience for individuals, families, and teams. Registration includes one beer, lunch, SAG stop snacks, goody bags, and all the fun you can stand. Priceless!
Make Stinky Spoke even more challenging, fun, and meaningful by fundraising for the Redmond Rotary Foundation, which supports charities locally and internationally. Prizes will be awarded to the top three fundraisers! Plus, you'll earn bragging rights for a year! Click on the Register button, then Become a Fundraiser to create your personalized fundraising page to share with friends, family, and co-workers.
On-line registration ends at midnight on January 23. You'll still be able to register in person on the day of the event, but it's going to cost you!
Our Charities
All proceeds go towards helping these non profit organizations and others:
Tips from our Blog
Tips, tricks, and other good to know information from our blog, written by our sponsors:
Great Memories
Come make some with us!
Frequently Asked Questions
Redmond Rotary depends on many volunteers on the day of the event to make it a success You can sign up to help either before or after the ride. To register for this great volunteer event, go to: https://www.volunteermatch.org/search/opp3634670.jsp
Parking is available at the Redmond City Hall parking garage, 8711 160th Ave NE, Redmond, WA 98052 on the second through fourth floors. Overflow parking may be available at the King County District Courthouse, 8601 160th Ave NE, Redmond, WA 98052. Please DO NOT park in the Redmond Public Library parking area. There is bike parking near the big tent at Redmond City Hall.
Yes, you can register at packet pickup on Friday, January 26 at Postdoc Brewing from 3 to 6 p.m. You can also register the morning of the ride. HOWEVER, if you choose one of these options, the base cost of $70 will increase to $85.
Rider packets will be available starting at 7:30 a.m. on the day of the ride. Rider packets will also be available the evening before, Friday, January 26, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Postdoc Brewing Company, 17625 NE 65th St #100, Redmond, WA 98052. We encourage all riders to save time and pick up their packets the evening before the ride.
The part of the course that runs through the watershed is a single track. There are places you can ride side by side, but there might be other people on the trail. We’d say that more than 70 percent is not a single track. The ride through the watershed has many curves and only a few steep ups and downs. Most of the pipeline trail is wide. Heart Attack Hill is a challenge, with two steep downhill runs on the course.
Rain will make the ride even stinkier! We will hold the ride, even if it's raining. We have, however, postponed the ride when snowy and icy conditions made it too treacherous to ride. Sometimes the weather can be just too stinky.
Kids and families are welcome to ride. However, the course is challenging, and we recommend that riders be nine years of age or older.
We are not checking that each rider wears a helmet, but it is recommended for the safety of each rider.
Yes, electric bikes are allowed.
Redmond Rotary Club
Rotary International is a humanitarian service organization that brings together business and professional leaders in order to provide community service, promote integrity, and advance goodwill, peace, and understanding in the world. Redmond Rotary produces Stinky Spoke, our major fundraising event of the year, to raise needed funds for local charities and international priorities. Its education program recognizes students-of-the-month at Redmond High School, supports Redmond High’s Interact Club, and awards scholarships so that students can further their educations.
(Thanks to all the photographers that have captured Stinky Spoke images. Our lead photo is courtesy of Kimberly Lind Photography.)
Redmond Rotary meets on the first and third Thursdays of each month at noon at the Family Pancake House and the second and fourth Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. at Postdoc Brewing Company - Join us!
