Seattle with Adrien Liechti
“I’ll ride Salida to the Sea in September. After that event, I won’t be far from Seattle. Perhaps we can go for a ride together?” A message from Adrien Liechti, the Swiss bikepacker, ultra-racer and adventurer. Adrien is famous for his monumental mustache, his fun-loving attitude, and sense of humor. His presence will brighten even the cloudiest Seattle day.
When he arrived in Seattle earlier this week, the rainy season had just started. We met at Café Zeitgeist near the train station as a few sprinkles fell from the sky. Seattle is famous for rain and coffee. My goal was to show Adrien that cycling here is as note-worthy as weather and lattes.
But first Adrien wanted to show me his tires. “More than 5,000 km on these Fleecers, no flats and not even aired them up during the race,” he said proudly. “In fact, in all those years on your tires, I’ve only ever had one flat!” The knobs on his rear tire were about half-worn, so there’s still a lot of life left in them. He promised to send us his tires once they are worn out, so we can inspect them as part of our R&D.
Then we rode through downtown and along the waterfront as dark clouds gathered. We climbed to the top of Queen Anne hill, first on a little hiking path in the forest, then on steep cobblestone streets. Overlooking the city from the famous viewpoint at Kerry Park, Tahoma (Mount Rainier) was obscured by clouds. We could see squalls blowing in across the Sound. We rushed to Macrina Bakery for an early lunch (above), while the heavens opened.
At the café, we chatted about bikepacking adventures, and Adrien told me his impressions from the nearly 2000 miles he’d ridden from Colorado to the Oregon Coast: “There was nobody out there!” From a European perspective, it’s often surprising how few people live in the mountains of the western United States. And yet, the people he met left a lasting impression, like the old man in a small town who turned out to be a bikepacker, too. He invited Adrien to his house to clean and lube his bike. Or the woman who had been on the Olympic team—Adrien didn’t remember which sports—and now worked in a little bar in an even-smaller town.
The rain stopped, and we continued our exploration. The sun peeked through clouds, and Adrien remarked: “On rides with me, it’s always sunny.” I think he was talking both about the weather and the mood. He liked the drawbridges (above) and especially Gasworks Park with its old pipes and machinery. We climbed the steep hill there for another great view of the town (top photo).
We headed through the many Olmstead ‘pocket parks’ that line the hillsides toward Lake Washington. It felt like riding on a small road in the mountains, when in fact the city was all around us. The huge tress really impressed Adrien.
Then we traversed Lake Washington on the floating bridge to Mercer Island. Adrien had heard about this loop, and he was curious to experience it. And it is really a spectacular road. The backside of Mercer Island is dissected by ravines. The road twists and turns as it follows the contours of the land, diving in and out of the hollows (above). You can enjoy it at a casual pace, chatting while riding side-by-side. Or you can push yourself and your bike to their limits. On this day, Adrien and I did the latter.
The road was still wet from the shower—and very slippery because it hadn’t rained in several months before this week’s rain.
Knowing this road intimately from hundreds of rides over the years, I had the home advantage. I made the most of this—on a spirited ride with one of the world’s fastest ultra-cyclists, I needed it!
We raced around the turns, our tires at the limit of grip. When we felt that they were about to relinquish their hold on the slippery surface, we opened the radius a bit, almost touching the yellow centerline at the exit of the corner. It was intense, and it was fun. Adrien’s grin said it all. “Magnifique!” he exclaimed.
Now he’s back in Switzerland, preparing his next big adventure in the Taurus Mountains of Turkey. But I think he’ll remember that day in Seattle, leaning his mountain bike on Fleecer Ridges into the corners as if it was a road bike on slicks—with a huge smile.
More information:
- Mercer Island Loop and other routes in and around Seattle
- This ride on Strava
- Adrien’s tires after the Atlas Mountain Race
