Accuweather is still saying 45.. I've got my fingers crossed.

From what I read on the website, I can show up with a jacket, arm/knee warmers and ride whatever amount of the distance to top of said climb where I can toss the stuff into a bag and label it "property of bosticman" and pick it up somewhere at the end of the race?

"Clothing Drop-Off:
Drop-off of personal belongings will be available at the top of Monitor Pass and at the Topaz rest stop. Riders will receive a colored numbered label with their bib number to place on a provided plastic bag. Bags can be left with clothing drop off volunteers."

That's what I did last year, I arrived about midnight and parked on the road, which was real handy as I could easily access my car on the way back. I slept in my Honda Odyssey, which allowed privacy and I could stretch out. If I manage to snag a ticket, that is what I'll do again. Only it would be good to arrive earlier than what I did and to register up before the desk closes.

In your experience did you see anyone breaking out a tent on the road side, or small roadside campsite since most if not all of the actual campsites will be taken up?

From what I read on the website, I can show up with a jacket, arm/knee warmers and ride whatever amount of the distance to top of said climb where I can toss the stuff into a bag and label it "property of bosticman" and pick it up somewhere at the end of the race?

"Clothing Drop-Off:
Drop-off of personal belongings will be available at the top of Monitor Pass and at the Topaz rest stop. Riders will receive a colored numbered label with their bib number to place on a provided plastic bag. Bags can be left with clothing drop off volunteers."

I think it works ok, although I'm using some old, grubby stuff that I won't get real worked up about if they lose it. I think the "provided plastic bag" is actually provided by the riders - bring a large ziploc with you.

JB

The DR "camping" area at TRP (actually the parking lot) is closed for construction according to the DR web site. But they also said something about allowing people to camp on the side of the road and on Airport rd, which is normally closed to parking. I have seen people put up tents by the side of the road before.

I haven't ever used the clothing dropoff. I just figure I'll be cold on the first little descent into Markleeville. The last couple years I have carried just a thin vest and arm warmers. A light jacket might be good to carry; sometimes it rains.

Right now the forcast temps look perfect- not too cold in the morning. It'll be much cooler on the passes than in Markleeville. Might even get a tailwind up Carson instead of the usual headwind!

Monitor pass weather: http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/queryDaily?s=MNT
Ebbets pass weather: http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/queryDaily?s=EBB

In your experience did you see anyone breaking out a tent on the road side, or small roadside campsite since most if not all of the actual campsites will be taken up?

I might have seen a few tents, but not many. There is a grassy area to park your car in, which forms a ditch. Most of the places you'd put your tent people might also want to park in. Thus, while you were trying to sleep you'd be in constant fear of someone backing up over you. If your car isn't big enough to sleep in, you might consider renting one. You're likely to put a lot of miles on the rental, and get your money's worth out of it, if you can sleep in it you've saved money on a room.

If your car isn't big enough to sleep in, you might consider renting one. You're likely to put a lot of miles on the rental, and get your money's worth out of it, if you can sleep in it you've saved money on a room.

My car is nowhere near big enough to sleep in. It's in the body shop this week, though, so I've got a rental. I encouraged the body shop not to hurry fixing my car, but if they phone me on Friday and say it's done, I'll just foot the bill myself for the rental over the weekend, since I'm leaving friday AM.

I'm very excited about having a rental to pimp at the DR. I'll easily save $30-$40 in gas (which will more than cover 1 day of the rental if I have to pay for it out of pocket), plus very non-negligible wear on my car and tires, and this way I'll have my bike in the trunk instead of on the roof both ways. :thumb:

I wonder how bad the smoke will be from fires? At Climb to Kaiser, it was real bad in the Valley, but not so much of a problem once to 5000 feet.

Fire info is found here (http://ggweather.com/fire/).

I wonder how bad the smoke will be from fires? At Climb to Kaiser, it was real bad in the Valley, but not so much of a problem once to 5000 feet.

Fire info is found here (http://ggweather.com/fire/).

I'm in the Sacramento area and riding my second DR this year.

My riding partner and I barely got in a good training ride Saturday up in Auburn/Colfax/Iowa Hill before the smoke really started to pack in to Auburn and down towards Sacramento. I wanted to get in a couple hour ride in Monday, but the smoke here was terrible and I couldn't bear the thought of riding a trainer.

So, I packed up my bike and drove to Markleeville. The Tahoe Basin was pretty hazy, but 89 in Markleeville was clear. I road from Turtle Park up to Monitor Pass and didn't notice any smoke/haze on the way up. Some haziness looking out from the top of Monitor in different areas, but unless new fires flare up, I think it should be fine.

I'm in the Sacramento area and riding my second DR this year.

My riding partner and I barely got in a good training ride Saturday up in Auburn/Colfax/Iowa Hill before the smoke really started to pack in to Auburn and down towards Sacramento. I wanted to get in a couple hour ride in Monday, but the smoke here was terrible and I couldn't bear the thought of riding a trainer.

So, I packed up my bike and drove to Markleeville. The Tahoe Basin was pretty hazy, but 89 in Markleeville was clear. I road from Turtle Park up to Monitor Pass and didn't notice any smoke/haze on the way up. Some haziness looking out from the top of Monitor in different areas, but unless new fires flare up, I think it should be fine.

Great report. It looks fine on the Kirkwood Web cam (http://www.kirkwood.com/winter/webcam.php).

Accuweather is saying 96 saturday now. Well, I guess the heat won't be a factor till after lunch for the last pass... hopefully.

Accuweather is saying 96 saturday now. Well, I guess the heat won't be a factor till after lunch for the last pass... hopefully.

Don't underestimate that ride from Ebbits to Woodford - it's a pretty long haul (especially after doing 4 passes) and it's not exactly flat either. We will almost certainly have a headwind (just because), and if heat is a problem, this is where it will really start kicking in.

Hook up with anyone nearby riding similar speeds and share the work. From the lunch stop to Woodfords is something like 20 miles if memory serves. More than a few people tossed in the towel last year while riding by their car......

JB

Oh, yeah, I know, it sounds like the roughest part. I just like to think I have the mental toughness to do one last pass, especially if I start early and am at lunch at a reasonable hour. But if the day drags on longer than expected, and you're not headed towards Carson until the peak heat of the day, it could be a REAL killer. My goal is to try to kill those first 4 passes while it's still cool :)

We shall see.

In this pic (http://www.nrlmry.navy.mil/sat-bin/display10.cgi?SIZE=full&PHOT=yes&AREA=pacific/eastern/sierra&PROD=vis&TYPE=ssmi&NAV=epac_westcoast&DISPLAY=Latest&ARCHIVE=Latest&CGI=epac_westcoast.cgi&CURRENT=20080710.0130.goes11.vis.x.sierra.x.jpg&MOSAIC_SCALE=25)from today it seems that the smoke affecting the Tahoe Basin is to the North, and South of Tahoe we will not be much affected. Those appear to be clouds South of Tahoe, as the smoke drifts Easterly whereas the clouds do not.

http://www.nrlmry.navy.mil/archdat/pacific/eastern/sierra/vis/20080710.0130.goes11.vis.x.sierra.x.jpg

Now accuweather has followed the other forecasters and revised down from 96 to 87. I was expecting it; looking at the historical data, the record high for Markleeville on that day is 86. 96 seemed like a stretch.

Forecast for Sunday includes "smoky".. interesting.

Anyone have a good checklist of items? I have the standard "duh" items, bike, helmet, shoes, jersey, shorts, reg form, floor pump, energy bars, heed & nuun, sun block, windbreaker, spare tubes, co2, etc.

I changed the cleats on the shoes this morning. I always carry the keo cleat covers but the old cleats were worn down a lot.

Here's mine (I always seem to forget water bottles when I drive to a ride, so now I keep a couple of extras in the car):

Check lights for bike
check brakes
check tires
pack saddle bag
clothes:
2 pairs bibs
2 jerseys
base layer
vest
windbreaker
gloves
toe warmers
long gloves
leg warmers
arm warmers
helmet
shoes
2 pairs socks
towel

Food
bananas
apple, sliced
yogurt
milk
cereal
spoon
pbj
clif bars
clif shots
clif drink
bottled water
V8

cycling stuff:
pump
lights
saddlebag
spares -tire, tubes, tools
sunglasses
waterbottles
chamois butter
chain lube
rags (for wiping down the bike)
sunscreen

I know I'm missing something, but if I knew what it was....

JB

...I know I'm missing something, but if I knew what it was....

JB

You're missing a large gallon of water, soap, wash cloth, and towel to clean your self off after the ride.
Hint: leave the gallon out in the sun so it will be warm when you do your rinse.

BR

Ugggh - weather advisory in effect for Markleeville - hope they're right that this will clear out tomorrow!

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
212 AM PDT THU JUL 10 2008
CAZ071>073-NVZ002-003-102300-
/O.CON.KREV.AS.Y.0001.000000T0000Z-080711T1900Z/
LASSEN-EASTERN PLUMAS-EASTERN SIERRA COUNTIES-
GREATER LAKE TAHOE AREA-MONO-GREATER RENO-CARSON CITY-MINDEN AREA-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...PORTOLA...SUSANVILLE...WESTWOOD...
SIERRAVILLE...SOUTH LAKE TAHOE...TAHOE CITY...TRUCKEE...
MARKLEEVILLE...BRIDGEPORT...COLEVILLE...LEE VINING...
MAMMOTH LAKES...GLENBROOK...INCLINE VILLAGE...SPARKS...VERDI...
GARDNERVILLE
212 AM PDT THU JUL 10 2008
...AIR STAGNATION ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON FRIDAY FOR
MUCH OF THE SIERRA NEVADA AND FAR WESTERN NEVADA...

AN AIR STAGNATION ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON FRIDAY.

SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED SMOKE OUTPUT FROM FIRES OVER NORTHERN AND
CENTRAL CALIFORNIA COMBINED WITH LIGHT WESTERLY WIND FLOW WILL
KEEP DENSE SMOKE IN THE SIERRA NEVADA AND FAR WESTERN NEVADA
THROUGH FRIDAY.

THE TAHOE BASIN AND LASSEN COUNTY WILL EXPERIENCE DENSE SMOKE AND
PERIODS OF FALLING ASH...ESPECIALLY DURING THE AFTERNOON AND
EVENING HOURS. VISIBILITIES WILL DROP TO BELOW A MILE IN THE
SIERRA AT TIMES AND BELOW THREE MILES IN THE WESTERN VALLEYS.
LOCATIONS AFFECTED INCLUDE LAKE TAHOE...TRUCKEE...SUSANVILLE...
RENO...PYRAMID LAKE... CARSON CITY...BRIDGEPORT...AND MAMMOTH
LAKES.

IF SMOKE AND POLLUTION CONDITIONS BECOME SEVERE ENOUGH...THE
WASHOE COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT WILL ISSUE AIR QUALITY ALERTS FOR
THE RENO-SPARKS AREA.

AN AIR STAGNATION ADVISORY INDICATES THAT DUE TO LIMITED MIXING
OF AIR ACROSS THE ADVISORY AREA...POLLUTION AND SMOKE MAY
INCREASE TO DANGEROUS LEVELS. PERSONS WITH RESPIRATORY ILLNESS
SHOULD FOLLOW THEIR PHYSICIANS ADVICE FOR DEALING WITH HIGH
LEVELS OF AIR POLLUTION.

CHECK OUR WEBSITE AT WEATHER.GOV/RENO OR LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER
RADIO FOR UPDATES ON THIS SITUATION.

Nice list! I'm having a hard time organizing mine, because there's the stuff that goes into my duffel bag that will go in the car with me, and then of course a smaller bag of stuff to cram into my jersey and wear while I ride. And all of THAT stuff needs to get into my car tomorrow AM before I head up the hill. Then there are subgroups of tasks of things I need to do in town (get ice, fill cooler, prepare drinks, etc).

Trying to make sure that Saturday AM is as foolproof as possible, so I'll have everything done the night before and just be ready to hop in the car in the AM. Trying to figure out when I'll be where, too. I'm thinking maybe 3.5 hours to summit Monitor the second time, and another 3-3.5 to summit Ebbetts the second time, which would put me at around 1pm at my descent to lunch if I start at 5. But it's damn near impossible to figure out when I should be where or what my pace will be. I'm thinking 12h sounds like a good goal for the whole ride for me. Need to make sure I stay hydrated but don't spend too much time stopped.

Reid, check out Arnie Baker's "Just Made It" schedule.
http://www.arniebakercycling.com/handouts/ht_deathride_just_made_it.htm

Bring warm clothes for the morning (before riding). It can get cold.
Folding chairs are nice if you are camping. Extra TP in case the portapotties run out and a flashlight so you can see to use it.


There are showers at TRP. Cold.

Good packing list and great addition by benriding for the water. My riding partner brings a camping shower water bag. One year, he threw it on his car roof and the water was scalding at the end of the day1

One suggestion on the pack list. If you are worried about your fingers being cold the in the early am, use latex gloves under your half gloves instead of carrying two sets of gloves. I used the latex liners and jacket as my only extra layers last year and they both came off halfway up Monitor.

I really would like to skip the jacket this year, but my riding partner (13 yrs of 5 passes) is strongly recommending that I keep it with me in case a thunderstorm pops up.

Eric,

Thanks so much for this, I'm printing it now. It is a very big help. It'll either give me great confidence, or tell me to slow down and enjoy the ride.

What is this "before riding" time? :) It does look like it gets quite cold. Fortunately I'm staying in a friend's place in Stateline with a lake view and a hot tub, so the shower will run hot and the margaritas will run cold :) My light will be a headlamp; it's comfortable enough for a few hours and should help when unloading the car in the AM at TRP. I just bought a cateye taillight rather than using the crappy freebie one I got somewhere.

Looking over the climb charts can I go on the thinking that the last section of climbing from Woodfords to Carson Summit is comparable to a weekend Mt. Ham from Alum Rock 130 to Observatory?

Looking over the climb charts can I go on the thinking that the last section of climbing from Woodfords to Carson Summit is comparable to a weekend Mt. Ham from Alum Rock 130 to Observatory?

I haven't ridden out at Mt Ham, but here's the data from my polar from last year for Woodfords to the Summit:

Grade: 3.4%
Ascent: 2660
Miles: 14.2
Temp (mid way up) 94 F

The first 5 miles are a 4.3% grade, then you get a break, until the last 3 miles which are a little over 6% grade.

Ham is about 4300 feet of climbing and 18.5 miles from the turnoff at Alum Rock. Includes about 500 feet of descending along the way. The last 6.6 miles from the CDF station (bottom of the last descent on the way up) is 1900-2000 feet of climbing, while the north side from Isabel Creek is 1900-2000 feet of climbing in about 5 miles.

So this should be significantly less steep, especially given the lack of mile-eating descents.

Rolled into Markleeville at 11, picked up my packet just after 1, and now I'm chilling on my friend's deck in Stateline NV, enjoying the weather and a tall glass of ice water. I would have a beautiful lake view (1 mile up the hill from it) but it's too hazy to see quite that far.. or at least to make out any details.

Feeling good to go for tomorrow. I'll likely start between 5 and 5:15. It's pretty damn dark in the morning. Hopefully beat the traffic and park my car near TRP. Air quality is quite a bit worse than I expected, though it doesn't bother me. The guys were saying it was REALLY bad this morning, so it sounds like things are improving.

I think I saw Ramon walking towards the entrance to TRP at about 1:10 as I was driving off.

From what I've seen of the road from Picketts to TRP, and TRP to Markleeville, wow. Super smooth gentle curves. The descents are going to be an absolute joy.

Hope to see some of you guys out there.. if you see me, yellow jersey, #512, say hi!

Have fun and be safe everyone.

Motel 6, South Lake Tahoe, smoking room, rats. It has wifi though so I'll deal. Checked in, bought a jersey, socks and a 'technical tshirt'. I saw red spokes everywhere.

Is that "rats", as in "Rats, it's a smoking room" or "rats" as in "There are rodents in my room"?

Have fun guys. And remember, the toughest climb of the day is the 6th one - from Woodfords back to TRP. 500 feet of "Hey, I thought I was done". (And no cheating - you have to ride all the way back to the park :-))

-Glenn

No rodents so far. There is an Alto Velo rider staying at this Motel. He was fully decked out in green and hitting HW50 just a bit ago while I was heading for Starbucks.

Have a good ride m8s.

good luck, guys!

What a way to welcome me to the Death Ride. I saw Eric a few times early on and later on Reid and Jonathan. It took about two of the mountain passes to get used to the altitude then I didn't think about it the rest of the day. Crazy descents on Monitor. Ebbetts is grueling under the sun and trying to dodge cyclists of different speeds. Descent roast beef sandwich for lunch. On the way back at mile 70 something I scoped out my pulling crew and settled on two guys and a very tall lady who was out of control speed wise. Unfortunately they turned off at the parking lot so maybe they were not doing all five passes. The other guys can describe it better probably but there was a hail storm up on Carson Pass. On the lower sections thunder kept clapping and in the last 5 miles it started to hail. Then after the last little climb to turn into the parking lot it went skitzo and was pelting everything. Every cyclist soaking wet. I went into full hamster mode on the descent passing anything that moved to get back to my car asap. I'll have a better report later. The bike is covered in mud and debris.

144 av hr
179 max
6381 kcal burned
121.5 miles
12.7 mph av speed
48 mph max
71 av cadence
123 max cadence
9:33:15 ride time

Goodness! Congrats on finishing such a tough ride !

What a way to welcome me to the Death Ride. I saw Eric a few times early on and later on Reid and Jonathan. It took about two of the mountain passes to get used to the altitude then I didn't think about it the rest of the day. Crazy descents on Monitor. Ebbetts is grueling under the sun and trying to dodge cyclists of different speeds. Descent roast beef sandwich for lunch. On the way back at mile 70 something I scoped out my pulling crew and settled on two guys and a very tall lady who was out of control speed wise. Unfortunately they turned off at the parking lot so maybe they were not doing all five passes. The other guys can describe it better probably but there was a hail storm up on Carson Pass. On the lower sections thunder kept clapping and in the last 5 miles it started to hail. Then after the last little climb to turn into the parking lot it went skitzo and was pelting everything. Every cyclist soaking wet. I went into full hamster mode on the descent passing anything that moved to get back to my car asap. I'll have a better report later. The bike is covered in mud and debris.

144 av hr
179 max
6381 kcal burned
121.5 miles
12.7 mph av speed
48 mph max
71 av cadence
123 max cadence
9:33:15 ride time


That sounds like an epic ride for sure. 12.7mph avg with all those passes :eek::thumb:

yeah, the hail was... fun. We got under the tent at Pickett's just as it started to rain hard. We must have had 100+ cyclists crammed in there. Sacrificed the food table to the weather in order to fit more people in. Stood there from about 4pm to probably 4:40 at which point it let up and was just sprinkling so most of us made a break for it. A few headed down but most of us headed up. On the way up it was sunny, then hailing, then raining, then clear, then hailing.. etc. It was obvious the hail was localized, it always looked like just another mile and you'd be out of it. But only a few miles of road on the way up were dry, so I guess most of the area did get hit.

As we stood under the tent we couldn't believe the crazies (like Ramon) who cruised by uphill or bombed downhill. I was freezing standing elbow to elbow under the tent -- most of us had no jackets and it was 55 or colder (55 by the time i got back to my bike after the hail had let up). I don't know how you guys survived the hail while riding -- the stuff we saw later on the way up wasn't as bad.

The summit was about 2 miles further up than I expected -- it was at mile 108, but Woodford and Picketts were 2 miles earlier than i expected, so i thought my computer was off by 2 miles.

The last climb where you can see the unrelenting road for 2 miles just sucked. Got to the summit, ate my ice cream, and asked the radio peeps what the weather was like down below. By now the sun had come out at the summit but the ground was wet so you could tell they had also been subjected to the hail (as it was fairly localized we weren't sure). It sounded clear at Picketts and Woodfords so I made a break for it. Sure enough, the road was drying out, some sun.. a few miles of wet road and a bit of rain in spots, but not bad.

Don't have my computer on me, but I was somewhat slower :)

11 hours riding to complete, 52.5 max speed, somewhere around 11 or 11.5 average. Average HR was 151.

Congratulations to you guys! :thumb:


Anyone who can complete the Death Ride is a Gladiator in my book!

yeah, the hail was... fun. We got under the tent at Pickett's just as it started to rain hard. We must have had 100+ cyclists crammed in there. Sacrificed the food table to the weather in order to fit more people in. Stood there from about 4pm to probably 4:40 at which point it let up and was just sprinkling so most of us made a break for it. A few headed down but most of us headed up. On the way up it was sunny, then hailing, then raining, then clear, then hailing.. etc. It was obvious the hail was localized, it always looked like just another mile and you'd be out of it. But only a few miles of road on the way up were dry, so I guess most of the area did get hit.

As we stood under the tent we couldn't believe the crazies (like Ramon) who cruised by uphill or bombed downhill. I was freezing standing elbow to elbow under the tent -- most of us had no jackets and it was 55 or colder (55 by the time i got back to my bike after the hail had let up). I don't know how you guys survived the hail while riding -- the stuff we saw later on the way up wasn't as bad.

The summit was about 2 miles further up than I expected -- it was at mile 108, but Woodford and Picketts were 2 miles earlier than i expected, so i thought my computer was off by 2 miles.

The last climb where you can see the unrelenting road for 2 miles just sucked. Got to the summit, ate my ice cream, and asked the radio peeps what the weather was like down below. By now the sun had come out at the summit but the ground was wet so you could tell they had also been subjected to the hail (as it was fairly localized we weren't sure). It sounded clear at Picketts and Woodfords so I made a break for it. Sure enough, the road was drying out, some sun.. a few miles of wet road and a bit of rain in spots, but not bad.

Don't have my computer on me, but I was somewhat slower :)

11 hours riding to complete, 52.5 max speed, somewhere around 11 or 11.5 average. Average HR was 151.

We must have been at Picketts Junction rest stop about the same time. I got there sometime after 4:00PM just as it started to really come down hard and was on the outside perimeter of the tent getting wet so I just grabbed my bike and took off in the deluge. Less than a mile up the road it wasn't even raining. I got to the summit at 5:20.

Yahoo first time Death Rider, 5 pass finisher. No record breaker but completed it in 10:57 peddling time according to my Polar, with 14,281 ft ascent in 123.9 miles. I will definitely do that one again what a blast.
Here's a picture of me and my buds at the summit, I'm on the right,
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh48/jwill911/063008038.jpg
jw

I was signing the Death Ride poster at the top of Carson just as the hail started pounding us. Luckily I was under the tent - and I stayed there for about 30 minutes. After putting two layers of trash bag ponchos, I raced to the finish. It was scary but I was so cold I just wanted to be done. My bike had a bad case of speed wobble (due to my death grip and freezing arms) and my shoes were literally half full of water. I could feel the water swooshing back and forth as I pedaled. Thankfully, Turtle Rock Park was dry and WARM.

This is the most beautiful ride I have ever done. Descending the backside of Monitor was amazing and coming down the front side of Ebbett's was truly breathtaking. The support was great and all the riders were a cool bunch. I had some good conversations on the way up each pass.

This was also my first Death Ride. It will probably be a regular stop from now on. Congrats to everyone else that made it!

Total Time: 12:48
Moving Time: 9:18
Distance: 125.5 mi
Ave Speed: 13.5 mph
Ave. HR: 137

HOLY COW!!! Too much adventure! Congrats! everyone

Pete

Is it what they call an Epic ride? It was tough for sure.

I started the ride with a friend at 5:10, we almost finished at the same time, alternating the lead position yet only being together at rest stops. Temperature was cool going down to Markleeville but quickly warmed up climbing Monitor Pass, so much so that I left wind breaker vest and arm warmers in a bag at the top of Monitor only to see them again at the end of the ride, a mistake it turned out.

I think I saw BenRidin (Hammer jersey) pass me between Markleeville and the base of Monitor. The base of the front side of Monitor surprised me a bit. I didn't expect it to be that steep, unless it was the effect of altitude. So much so that my HR jumped above my target at 90% max. The rest of Monitor was really very scenic with open vistas and the nice hues of the rising sun. Reaching the top and getting the first sticker was very uplifting... 4 more to go and a nice descent ahead. Indeed the descent toward the Nevada line was fantastic, very nice pavement, wide turns. The bottom was unfortunately very dangerous as riders were everywhere, going up, going down, 3 side by side each way and all at various speeds. Some riders were like bullets zipping in between riders on the center line. Rest stop 2 at the bottom was extremely busy, a real zoo.

Yet we got sticker #2 there with pass #2 yet to climb. This one is a long, steady grind. At some points you can see the long line of riders going up the mountain for miles. I found it quite depressing when at the bottom of the line... still all that to go! At the middle of the climb a bunch of teens refill your bottles without having you stop. A kid grabs the bottle, sprints uphill to the tank, and hands it back to you in perfect synch... very fun. My problems started at the end of the climb when I started cramping, way earlier that I had expected. I had to stop a bit and managed to control the pain, yet it put doubts in my mind as to my abilities to complete the 5 passes. Indeed the cramps lasted to the end of the day with constant intake of Endurolytes, Zym tablets, and Accelerade to control them. They made the ride much tougher than it should have been.

Close to the top of the second Monitor climb I got called out by Ramon who was going as strong as ever as he passed me. I saw him again at Turtle Rock on the way to Carson when I was resting and getting some fresh liquids at my car (I skipped the lunch stop). Wearing the NorCal jersey made it easy to be spotted, I met RyDaddy (on Monitor) and Reid (on Ebbetts) for the first time. I also saw Jonathan a couple of times, we were on top of Carson at the same time.

Going down the front side of Monitor was a blast, I hit my new speed record at 50.2 mph. Ebbetts was to follow though. It starts on a mild side along the Carson river and then with a shallow grade to the Scossa rest stop. A bunch of girls were lined in front of an old cabin sending kisses at us, kisses of death??? Then it was a long, tough one, although very scenic. By the way, the published elevation map of the ride is a big lie, max grade shows at 10%, my Garmin said 14% which seemed more in line with the suffering I was experiencing. After a couple of cramp control stops I was happy to reach the top and get my third sticker, the hardest sticker to earn. 30 miles and 6000' of climbing separated sticker 2 and 3. Going down was the most dangerous descent with riders everywhere, very narrow road, and bad pavement. Hermit Valley is a nice spot for a rest stop, plenty of space and trees offering very appreciated shadow spots... and they had some chairs, V8, and Coke. And we got sticker #4 there (after only 4.5 miles of descent), I actually got two stickers ending the day with 6, does it qualify for a special recognition?

The climb back to Ebbetts was the shortest but probably the steepest one of all, yet the long descent back to Markleeville made it worth it. It's not as fast as Monitor but the road is nice and goes on for 16-17 miles. I skipped the lunch stop, hitched to a pace line (I stayed in the back the whole time) along the Carson river, and stopped at my car. The support throughout the ride was really excellent but no rest stop had cool water, I thankfully had plenty of that in an ice chest.

I then started the last hurdle, skipping the Woodfords rest stop and heading up to Picketts Junction and the Carson Pass. The ride to Picketts was, for me, the worst pass of the day. Traffic was non stop and it's boring except for the storm and thunder going up the mountain above the pass. Well... it was a sign of things to come, the rain started to drop when I arrived at the rest stop. So I headed to the tent canopy to wait for the Summer storm to pass. The rain became a drench, it was pouring and I started to get scared as my unique short sleeve jersey was a poor shell. Thankfully they had a bunch of plastic trash bags, a ride savior. The tent canopy quickly became a rat nest, it was packed, I was in the center of the crowd, well protected and warm under my bag. It was then announced that we had about 45 minutes to leave if we wanted to earn sticker #5. It was still pelting up there but some lighter skies could be seen to the West so I waited an additional 15 minutes, I must have stayed there 30 to 40 minutes. I left under very light rain then it stopped and then it was hail time (should I say hell). With hail hitting my bare arms, cars rushing by and ... splashing us, this was an interesting experience. The start of Carson is quite mild, then the grade picks up quickly and it's a long grind to the top especially after a century and more than 10,000' in the legs. Yet the skies cleared and the light was fantastic when I reached the last section above Red Lake. I had a take a break, not for cramp control this time but for a couple pictures. Light after storms is always dramatic and this one was. Then it was Nirvana, the last turn of the last climb, the 5 pass pin, the right to buy the 5 pass jersey, the right to sign the poster (which I missed), and... the icecream. I chatted a bit with Jonathan and found a chair and relaxed under a nice sun ray just to get warmer before the descent back to the barn.

Going down Carson with still 20 miles to go was just pure joy despite the rain and grime splashing from bikes before passing them, the rain had stopped and the road was safe. A last couple hills to reach Turtle Rock and it was 'Mission Accomplished'.

All in all it was a great ride, this was my first DR so I am thrilled about completing the 5 passes. I don't think Carson was fun (rain or no rain) because of the heavy traffic. The rest of the ride on closed roads was really awesome and the support was excellent.

Luckily my tent (mesh top, no rainfly) was all dry when we arrived at the campground so I slept like a baby and feel great today. I guess the rain was very sporadic.

Stats:
123.75 miles, 14,725' of climbing.
Ride time: 10h 42', total time: 13h 51'.
Average speed: 11.5 mph, max: 50.2 mph.

http://gpelpel.startlogic.com//photos/biking/dr1.jpg

Carson Pass profile is screwed as the hail storm prevented the Garmin Edge to properly record the elevation.

http://gpelpel.startlogic.com//photos/biking/dr2.jpg

Holy cow indeed.

It was a great ride. I started early (0 dark 30, as a friend said), and am glad I did. We rolled at 4, summitted Monitor the first time at 6 and the 2nd at 8:00. I saw BenRidin going up the backside of Monitor - I was still feeling pretty good, but he just rolled by effortlessly.....

We then cruised over to Ebbets, where I first started to get the feeling that maybe not everything was going to be perfect. My back was tight, my heart rate was seriously elevated considering we weren't really climbing at that point and my legs just felt dead. We stopped for water at the rest stop just before the cattle guard, then headed up. Sure enough, both sides of Ebbets were a struggle. Mostly with my back - I eventually found a nice rhythm that was a good compromise between a high heart rate and over-working my legs, but no matter how much I stretched I couldn't keep my back from acting up.

After the 2nd summit of Ebbets, I stayed and waited for a friend who was struggling even worse than me. We were actually still making decent time - at that point it was about 1. What was nice was the vast majority of the climbers were already through their first summit of Ebbets, making the descent much less hairy than the earlier people faced. I also hooked up with a few other friends who were riding, and we all headed down together. There is one real nasty hairpin that catches people out - I knew it was coming and slowed down, but the person behind me blew by and over-cooked it. He hit the dirt, but not bad - he got back on his bike and continued - very lucky.

I was starting to feel better, even though it was getting warmer. We by-passed the lunch stop, and rolled right on through to Turtle Rock. It became very obvious very quickly that my friend was in no condition to help out, so I ended up doing most of the work to get back - there was a bit of headwind, but nothing to serious at that point. At our cars, we relaxed, emptied our pockets of arm warmers, knee warmers, jackets (oops) and relaxed for a bit. We were rolling again by about 3:40. Our strategy was to by-pass Pickets, since we had just re-filled our water bottles and stuff, but the sight of someone with a hose wetting down riders was too much for me - I ducked in and got sprayed down - kind of ironic, considering what we were about to get hit with. I then spotted Bostic getting ready to roll up the hill. I knew he was much faster than me (not even considering how tough my day was turning out to be), so I let him go and followed much more slowly.

I hooked up with my ride buddies again, but one quickly got a flat. We fixed that as the rain started. We continued up to Pickett's, getting soaked in the process, and tried to squeeze in under the tent. I was the one in the TnT jersey helping to move that table out of the way. I was soaked through, and desperately wishing I hadn't stashed my jacket in my car. I was starting to get cold, so despite the fact that it was still pouring and hailing, I headed on up the hill.

The stop did nothing for my back - I was fighting spasms all the way up, and had to stop twice. However, it was a good choice. I warmed up as I pedalled, and hooked up with a few teammates along the way. I also saw someone in a NorCal jersey, but didn't stop to figure out who it was. At the summit, I found out - Gpelpel (and his gorgeous Time bike). I was cold and miserable, but I had done it - and I wanted that icecream, damnit! We stayed up there and dried out for a good long time (probably 45 minutes), and watched a bunch of friends and teammates roll through who had stayed at Pickett's longer. I stuffed some plastic bags down my jersey and we headed down. By this time the road was dry, and not many cyclists, so we could fly. My computer did not like the rain, so I can't tell you how fast, or give you overall ride stats, but we were out there for a good 15 hours in total. And we climbed some hills.

JB

PS - I'll post some pics later, after I unpack and find my camera

Edit: I almost forgot, but I think in some ways we got seriously lucky with the weather. The air quality on Friday was lousy, real hazy and smoky, but Saturday was nowhere near as bad. It was also quite a bit warmer at the start than last year, but never got brutally hot like last year (last year was over 95 degrees - some said over 100 - in the early afternoon - just when most people do the exposed climb of the backside of Ebbets, and then the long stretch to Turtle Rock/Woodfords). We also never got the nasty headwinds that are almost always there in the afternoon. The air was much hazier again today, with more thunderstorms in the forecast.

Some photos:

Pure luck, I had no idea who I was photographing; Jonathan on the last climb:

http://gpelpel.startlogic.com//photos/biking/dr3.jpg



The last part of Carson Pass:

http://gpelpel.startlogic.com//photos/biking/dr4.jpg

Wow, great job everyone! :beer:

The last part of Carson Pass:

http://gpelpel.startlogic.com//photos/biking/dr4.jpg

It was right here - as I was going up, I hear a guy coming down yelling "Ice Cream! Ice Cream! GET YOUR ICE CREAM!!"

I'm pretty sure that was you BenRidin :p. I wish I coulda seen you earlier!

Awesome accomplishment, everyone. I'm kneeling down ... I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy. Congrats everyone that rode (even if you didn't complete all passes). :beer:

OK, here's some photos:

Sunrise on Monitor
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0676.jpg

Sun's up a little higher - close to the 1st summit
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0684.jpg

Sunrise at the summit
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0686.jpg

Reststop at the base of Monitor, close to the Nevada border
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0688.jpg

Climbing the backside of Monitor
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0693.jpg

Not a great pic, but on the road far below were hundreds of cyclists
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0694.jpg

The back of BenRidin on Monitor
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0696.jpg

2nd Summit of Monitor, still only 8:00 am - great start
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0697.jpg

Another lousy photo, but these women came out in costume (and Bad Girls Gone Wild sign) to cheer us on
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0701.jpg


Somehow photos don't capture the full range of what went on during a ride like this!

JB

And here's the rest of the photos:


Climbing Ebbets - once again, a photo doesn't do justice to how steep it is
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0702.jpg

Someone towed the mascot (with beer and a bra) through the entire ride!
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0705.jpg

One of my ride buddies soaking her feet at our lunch stop
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0706.jpg

The top of Carson - a very welcome sight!
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0708.jpg

Showing off shaved legs and TnT tattos - notice the snow on the mountains behind
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0711.jpg

JB

PS - all my photos can be seen here: http://s235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/
If you take enough photos, some come out

And here's the rest of the photos:


Climbing Ebbets - once again, a photo doesn't do justice to how steep it is
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0702.jpg

Someone towed the mascot (with beer and a bra) through the entire ride!
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/jonathanb715/Death%20Ride%2008/IMG_0705.jpg


JB

I came up on the "Rolling Bones" riders pulling the trailer with the skeleton in a coffin, they also had a stereo with music blasting and everyone singing. Really having fun with it.
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh48/jwill911/063008025.jpg

jw

I came up on the "Rolling Bones" riders pulling the trailer with the skeleton in a coffin, they also had a stereo with music blasting and everyone singing. Really having fun with it.
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh48/jwill911/063008025.jpg

jw

Cool photo - somehow I missed them on the road. I was kind of happy when their stereo drowned out the bagpiper, though (and I'm Irish - let's just say he gets an "A" for effort).

JB