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From a 50-mile route around Orcas Island or a family trip along Seattle's flat Burke-Gilman Trail, to a breathtaking climb up to Washington Pass from Winthrop--if you're seeking the best road biking The Evergreen State has to offer, you can bet your bottom bracket you'll find it in 75 Classic Rides: Washington.

75 Classic Rides is a new Mountaineers Books series authored by passionate local cyclists who've put thousands of miles on their bikes to bring you the very best road cycling routes across their given state. The focus is on one-day rides (a mix of loops and one-way courses), but you'll also find suggestions for link-ups and some inspiring, longer routes for touring, including at least one cross-state route. Terrain varies from flat paved trails to epic mountain challenges.

Each route description starts with the basic essentials to get you going: a brief overview, full-color map, elevation profile, difficulty level, round-trip distance, road conditions, and advice on the best season to ride. Full narrative descriptions tell what sights to expect, best towns for food or a cup of coffee, safety info on road shoulders and bike lanes, as well as turn-by-turn descriptions and mileage logs. Sample routes in 75 Classic Rides: Washington include:

* Packwood-Paradise-Stevens Canyon
* Skagit (Mostly) Flats
* Hurricane Ridge
* Yakima Canyon
* Walla Walla-Middle Waitsburg Loop

Click here for cue sheets for 75 Classic Rides Washington

MIKE McQUAIDE has written outdoor, travel, and lifestyle stories for Adventure Cyclist, Sunset, and Outside, and he is a frequent contributor to The Seattle Times "NW Weekend." The author of five other guidebooks on outdoor travel, McQuaide is an avid road cyclist and mountain biker, with a few Ironman triathlons under his bike chain, as well as a finish of the 200-mile "Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic" in a single day. Check out his adventures at www.mcqview.blogspot.com. McQuaide lives with his family in Bellingham, Washington.