Southern California - The Death Ride(serious)

I'm pretty confident anyone who really wants to finish it, as long as their knees don't blow up, can finish it. :)

You clearly haven't met me. :p

No, really, I could do it, but I'm not motivated. My hardest ride this year that I'll attempt will be Sea to Summit followed by the Eastern Sierra Double. That's all the torture I can handle cause my...um...knees can't take it. Yeah, that's it...my knees. :D

A double century sounds harder and more tedious to me. But I like long climbs.

Besides the danger of getting clobbered by an errant rider (not that bad really except on Ebbets where some riders going up will go over to the wrong side of the road to find a shady spot to rest, and not look up the road first to check for descending riders), the problems that you are more likely to encounter are extreme heat and headwinds on the last pass.

A lot of people really want to finish but can't. It's not that easy. Could it be harder? Well sure, and I'd be all over that. But the only ride I know that was harder, the "Son of Death Ride" was held just once. If the ride's so hard that very few can finish, not many will want to start, and you can't put on a ride if only a few people sign up.

A double century sounds harder and more tedious to me. But I like long climbs.
If the ride's so hard that very few can finish, not many will want to start, and you can't put on a ride if only a few people sign up.

Double centuries are hard, but if you have the climbing spread out, completely doable. I personally find rides that are just all about the climbing far more difficult. Climbing isn't my forte (to say the least), so that may be part of it. ;)

As for a harder and harder ride, that makes no sense to me as after a point, it stops being fun (to me). But some of them billy goats love it to be so hard, they aren't sure they can finish. There's a joy in that kind of ride that, although I don't get it, I can see why they'd crave it.

i didnt sign up, i gotta save some cash...

next time.

i didnt sign up, i gotta save some cash...

next time.

http://colleenscorner.com/blogimages/pansy.jpg ;)

I wish I'd known about this ride, I'd come down from Oregon for something like that. Sounds like a roadie version of our Cream Puff.

As for the OP... it's in July, you have all kinds of time to get ready for it. Go ride.

I did Cream Puff last summer. Frickin' awesome race.

I'd have signed up again this year, but he sign-ups were in February, for a race in July. My schedule this coming summer is chaotic enough, that I just couldn't commit that far out. The $200+ entry fee is non-transferable, so I wouldn't have even be able to sell my spot, in the event that I couldn't go. :(

I can't quite imagine a road-ride that would compare to Cream Puff. In fun that is. Probably plenty of road rides that can compare in difficulty.

The stats (distance/elevation gain) of the Death Ride look pretty close to day one of Everest Challenge, which is probably about the hardest ride I've done on the road.

Can anyone who's done both, offer a comparison?

i didnt sign up, i gotta save some cash...

next time.

dude, you shoot more blanks than a guy getting over a vasectomy.


just sayin' ;)

The stats (distance/elevation gain) of the Death Ride look pretty close to day one of Everest Challenge, which is probably about the hardest ride I've done on the road.

Can anyone who's done both, offer a comparison?


Sure! If you compare the courses- EC day 1 vs. the Death Ride up to the top of Carson (to make a fair comparison since the timing ends at the top of the last climb on the EC), they're very close but EC is slightly harder. The ascents' nearly the same (per my Polar) but the climbs on the EC are a little tougher, being fewer but much longer, higher, and with more steep sections. The last steep part at the end of the last climb to South Lake will wring out whatever you had left. The last part of Carson is just a grind and although the usual headwind does raise the cruelty factor some its not in the same league. The temperature during the Death Ride is usually much hotter. That's normally not a problem for me but I like the heat; for someone who doesn't it could make a huge difference and reverse the ranking.

However the DR not being a race makes it much easier. Even if you go "for time" you still get (or need) to stop for food and water. Since I'm paying for the amenities and can't get someone to feed me on the course, I go to try to better my on the bike time and stop at the rest stops when I need to. Getting off the bike for a moment to grab some food, and sitting down and eating a sandwich at lunch, makes a huge difference.

dude, you shoot more blanks than a guy getting over a vasectomy.


just sayin' ;)

good then she wont get pregz

I honestly don't see why this ride is supposed to be such a big deal?
According to my uncle who has done it, it's no single factor but the combination of extreme heat (often 120+) at the bottom, colder temps at the peaks, the lack of shade, the distance, and the climbing. As you would expect, it's not dangerous or crazy for anyone who knows how to plan. You just have to know your pace and prepare for the elements.

edit: Of course, it's only called the Death Ride because of where it starts, right?

I am also signed up for this. I am a recreational rider. 49 yo. Weigh 185. Can I do this with a compact crank or do I need some lower gears, maybe a triple?

I am also signed up for this. I am a recreational rider. 49 yo. Weigh 185. Can I do this with a compact crank or do I need some lower gears, maybe a triple?

you're too old and too fat sorry to break it to ya

you're too old and too fat sorry to break it to yaand you can't even do it when you're young... ...i can't wait 'til you get old

and you can't even do it when you're young... ...i can't wait 'til you get old

arent you that old guy on a SFVBC ride that gets all uppity and butthurt when I pass you??

I am also signed up for this. I am a recreational rider. 49 yo. Weigh 185. Can I do this with a compact crank or do I need some lower gears, maybe a triple?
My 50 year old uncle prefers a triple for these kinds of rides, but if you don't mind a slightly lower cadence while climbing or pushing it a little on the steeper sections, a compact should be fine. Do you have a wide cassette as well (12-27 or something)?

I am also signed up for this. I am a recreational rider. 49 yo. Weigh 185. Can I do this with a compact crank or do I need some lower gears, maybe a triple?

If you haven't done it before I strongly recommend the triple. Not only will you have lower gears, it'll give you a better selection of gears. And make sure that you have at least one gear lower than you think you'll need in case you have a bad day. On my first Death Ride I had a triple with a 30t granny and I made a custom 12-28 cassette. The 30x28 was overkill- for the first four passes I was in the 30x21 or 23. But on the last one I was suffering from hyponatremia (not knowing what it was at the time) and the heart rate I could maintain I could barely turn over the 30x28.

arent you that old guy on a SFVBC ride that gets all uppity and butthurt when I pass you??incorrect. sometimes i come out on the tandem but lately i've been racing

incorrect. sometimes i come out on the tandem but lately i've been racing

u got 2 ppl on a tandem and u still get dropped

wow ur bad

if i had another person helping me pedal i would be promoted from jesus to God.

u got 2 ppl on a tandem and u still get dropped

wow ur bad

if i had another person helping me pedal i would be promoted from jesus to God.

And on EAster Sunday to boot.