Rainier ride GETMAD officially canceled after WSDOT woes
Like a row of bikes in front of a cafe knocked over by the bumper of a wayward vehicle, the inaugural 2026 GETMAD gravel ride from Enumclaw to Mount Rainier National Park has been canceled.
The cancellation is the latest ride organized by Redmond Cycling Club (RCC), starting with the February cancellation of the iconic RAMROD, and now followed by Wednesday’s cancellation of the inaugural GETMAD.
Wednesday morning, The News Tribune published a story about Redmond Cycling Club needing to put the event on hold due to unknown conditions along the State Route 165 corridor south of Carbon River Bridge, a necessary section of the proposed GETMAD ride. WSDOT emailed a statement, which was published in the piece.
“They responded to you [The News Tribune], but the information they gave you is nothing they’ve given us,” president of Redmond Cycling Club and GETMAD organizer Rick Duong said over the phone on Wednesday. “The response that they gave you is that they don’t know what the conditions are. Well, we know what the conditions are. We were literally up there yesterday. And we are totally fine with the conditions.”
Duong told The News Tribune on Wednesday afternoon that time is up.
“What else can we do? It’s 22 days away. We’re faced with a tough decision. Our contacts at WSDOT told us it’s a no at this point. And there’s basically no way around it,” he said.
The cancellation of GETMAD joins more cancellations around the town of Wilkeson, which ex-Wilkeson mayor, Jayme Peloli said in a press release on Wednesday can be attributed to WSDOT.
“The Town of Wilkeson and the Wilkeson Historical District are calling attention to what they believe is a troubling pattern of decisions by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) that have disproportionately impacted the Town, its nonprofit partners, and the Fairfax community,” Peloli said in the statement.
In the release, Peloli mentions the denial of access for GETMAD, the removal of an access key to the Wilkeson Historical District’s Fairfax property, and the possibility of having to cancel the Wilkeson Days parade, a tradition of more than 50 years.
“Viewed individually, each decision may appear administrative. Viewed together, however, they present a pattern that is deeply concerning to our community,” the statement read.
Duong says he was blindsighted by the lack of cooperation from WSDOT.
“Everyone else was saying, ‘Hey, what can we do? How can we help,” Duong continued. “Let’s work together. It’s been WSDOT that has been uncooperative at this point. We tried to reach people earlier this month to get some answers, and they’ve taken up until now to respond to us.”
Organizing a ride is nothing new to Duong and the Redmond Cycling Club. After all, they’ve been organizing RAMROD for decades.
“We know about liability,” Duong told The News Tribune. “RCC carries insurance for its events and works through the appropriate permitting process to address liability requirements. And while it is true that a formal permit application had not yet been submitted, this was intentional. RCC routinely works with agencies before submitting permit applications so that questions and concerns can be addressed early in the planning process.”
Duong is frustrated. Not only has RCC spent countless hours organizing a ride they hoped to break even on (or, more likely, take a loss), but multiple outside groups have as well.
“Of all the entities, they are the only one that has been uncooperative,” Duong says. “It’s just ‘this is the way it is.’ There wasn’t anything in there about compromise.”
Duong admits that he really thought GETMAD would happen this year. “Were we maybe being a bit idealistic? This ride would have been awesome. We really thought it was going to happen.”
On Wednesday evening, Duong officially posted the cancellation news on Redmond Cycling Club’s website.
“At this point, we don’t know what the future holds for GETMAD,” Duong’s statement concluded. “We’ll take time to reflect on what we’ve learned and determine whether there is a path forward. We hope everyone enjoys another incredible Pacific Northwest summer. Thank you for your support, your patience, and your belief in this event.
We’ll see you out on the road and gravel. Until then, just keep pedaling.”
The News Tribune reached out to WSDOT for a response to the cancellation, but no reply was received by the time of publication.
This story was originally published July 2, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Rainier ride GETMAD officially canceled after WSDOT woes."
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