Seattle ‘Cyclo-Croiss’ weblog discovers bakeries by bike

Jeff Powers rode his bike to croissants from 30 bakeries, tasted them, and rated them. # k5evening

SEATTLE – An avid cyclist from Seattle discovered a way to keep fit, support local businesses, and have some fun by inventing a competition he calls Cyclo-Croiss.

Jeff Powers volunteers at the Cascade Bicycle Club and enjoys having a cup of coffee or a bite on his rides.

“Sometimes it helps you find the places by bike that you wouldn’t find in a car,” he said you’ve never been before. “

When he discovered that there were more than 30 bakeries within five miles of his house, he devised a plan to discover and try as many croissants as possible.

He split up the bakeries, created bike paths, and rode them over the months. At each stop, he tried a croissant and classified it with a March Madness style bracket.

“I had seven groups of four and then an eighth group, a wildcard group that was like the best of second places,” he said.

It was an exercise that he took seriously – together with his assistant Schnupperin / Mrs. Karin.

“We looked at butter, saltiness, yeast, flakes, and overall texture, as well as the crumb – what it looked like on the inside,” Powers said.

You can find their takeaways on his Vini Vidi Bici (“I came, I saw, I rode a bike”) blog, which Powers hopes will inspire others to start their own cycling adventures.

“The miracles are around us,” he said. “Whether they’re in your back yard or in your neighborhood or across the state or across the country.”

Or across the ocean.

It turns out that Powers isn’t all good at tracking down pastries.

He is a retired submarine commander who served in the Navy for 30 years helping explore one of history’s great underwater discoveries.

“It seems like a long, long time ago,” Powers said. “I was on an expedition with Dr. Robert Ballard to explore the interior of the Titanic.”

In 1986 he was one of three naval officers who descended two and a half miles to the bottom of the ocean and used a small submarine to photograph the sunken ship.

“As far as I’m currently from you (6 feet) is as far as the side of the Titanic when we got there,” he said. “It was a pretty incredible experience.”

But Powers believes in the beauty of discoveries big and small … which leads us to its Cyclo-Croiss winner: Moonrise Bakery on Queen Anne.

He notes that the intense buttery flavor, luscious textures, and ultra-flaky crust helped put their croissants on top of the bracket.

The attitude helped too. There is space for bikes and plenty of outdoor seating.

“This was the most fantastic venue, the lovely covered porch, it’s a quiet street,” he said.

But the truth is that no bakeries have actually lost. Powers liked every croissant he tried.

“(Moonrise) is definitely the big winner of the Cyclo-Croiss competition that I did. But there are more bakeries, ”he said.

The Moonrise Bakery is located on Queen Anne Ave. North 1805 and is open daily from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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