Northern California - Davis Double Report

Top of Resurrection - Thank you thank you thank you for the ice sock. Best invention since God made Eve.:thumb:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2350/3543135480_b0031e501f_o.jpg

Top of Resurrection - Thank you thank you thank you for the Ice Sock. Best invention since God made Eve.:thumb:

I totally agree. I should have picked up an Ice Sock at lunch, but used one from the Resurection Stop, then picked up another one at the first Fire Station Stop. I still had the thing around my neck at the finish and one of the nice ladies who checked me in asked, "Can we have our sock back now?"

I didn't get it at first, I was totally cooked, but eventually the communication made it through my toasted skull and I pulled the warm dry thing from around my neck and handed it to her.

Actually, Chuck Bramwell had told us about using Ice Socks on PAC Tours several years ago, but I had kinda forgotten about them until I saw them on Davis. Great idea and great follow-through by the Davis Bike Club!

Rick / OCRR

I totally agree. I should have picked up an Ice Sock at lunch, but used one from the Resurection Stop, then picked up another one at the first Fire Station Stop. I still had the thing around my neck at the finish and one of the nice ladies who checked me in asked, "Can we have our sock back now?"

I didn't get it at first, I was totally cooked, but eventually the communication made it through my toasted skull and I pulled the warm dry thing from around my neck and handed it to her.

Actually, Chuck Bramwell had told us about using Ice Socks on PAC Tours several years ago, but I had kinda forgotten about them until I saw them on Davis. Great idea and great follow-through by the Davis Bike Club!

Rick / OCRR

I have to agree, the ice socks are a totally great idea, which I hadn't heard of until this event. As a trainer, we used to keep towels in an ice chest with cold, slushy water, and if someone was overheated we would use the towel to wipe down and wrap around a persons neck, so the socks are a great idea and you folks can also put a towel in your ice chest to have for when you are done with high temp day rides.

Lanceoldstrong - great job on your first double! It's a great feeling when you're leading the charge down the home stretch with a bunch of folks in your wake. That's awesome. :thumb:

Britpower - great job pulling it off. Starting the morning off with keys locked in the car is a tremendously stressful. I think I spoke with you briefly at the Cobb rest stop (were you in a pink jersey?)

Pete - When I first saw you on the way up Resurrection, you weren't look very good :o. However, I noticed you were looking much better at the following stops. Way to hang in there!

ccorlew - Great job of motivating Pete to finish. Sounds like you rode strong all day. Sticking to your own routine is essential. Congrats!

Spingineer - you did good despite the SAG. It's really tough if you have not acclimated to the heat. Don't let this change your mind about Eastern Sierra.

Redspoke - Glad you joined up with us. Sorry I didn't see you after the ride. That's great that your family was waiting to cheer you on!

All BF'ers that completed this ride... :beer:

My ride went very well. Resurrection was the only part that dried me out. I was on the verge of dehydration and that rest stop came just in time. I stayed very well hydrated by drinking lots of water at the stops then topping off my bottles before heading out (also drank tons of water the 2 days prior). The hose down halfway up the Cobb climb was priceless! I pushed a pretty good pace but ended up with lots of wait time at the stops. The plan was to pull my buddies (3 first time doublers) into the finish once the flat work began. It worked out great, and we finished together. We had a huge paceline from Guinda to the next stop. It took us nearly 15 hours to finish. I spent over 3.5 hours total at all the rest stops :eek:. After doing a couple stage race doubles, I was fine with kicking back and not rushing through the stops (aside from Resurrection, which had virtually no shade).

This is truly an epic ride with awesome scenery and great people. I'm happy so many people come from far away to experience what the Davis Double has to offer. Thanks to all the volunteers (huytheskigod, rumbutter, etc, etc) for making it the best supported double out there!

BTW, I'm a Triple Crown "Winner" now! :D


A few stats, as recorded by my Forerunner 305... http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/8242397

All BF'ers that completed this ride... :beer:



+ 1000 - for everyone who attempted it, too. It was brutally hot around here, must have been 10x worse out where you guys were riding.

JB

Nice photos. I'm thinking you caught my emotional states pretty darn well.

http://home.comcast.net/%7Ecccorlew/hosting/reality.jpg

After Santa Rosa and 100 miles in the rain, my buddy said "we seem to have bad luck with centuries... rain, wind, heat." I told him "Nope, we've done dozens of uneventful centuries, it's the difficult ones that you remember."

Congratulations to all on one you'll never forget.

BTW, everyone please post their ridiculous-looking bikie tan lines; you earned 'em.

Lanceoldstrong - great job on your first double! It's a great feeling when you're leading the charge down the home stretch with a bunch of folks in your wake. That's awesome. :thumb:

Britpower - great job pulling it off. Starting the morning off with keys locked in the car is a tremendously stressful. I think I spoke with you briefly at the Cobb rest stop (were you in a pink jersey?)

Pete - When I first saw you on the way up Resurrection, you weren't look very good :o. However, I noticed you were looking much better at the following stops. Way to hang in there!

ccorlew - Great job of motivating Pete to finish. Sounds like you rode strong all day. Sticking to your own routine is essential. Congrats!

Spingineer - you did good despite the SAG. It's really tough if you have not acclimated to the heat. Don't let this change your mind about Eastern Sierra.

Redspoke - Glad you joined up with us. Sorry I didn't see you after the ride. That's great that your family was waiting to cheer you on!

All BF'ers that completed this ride... :beer:

My ride went very well. Resurrection was the only part that dried me out. I was on the verge of dehydration and that rest stop came just in time. I stayed very well hydrated by drinking lots of water at the stops then topping off my bottles before heading out (also drank tons of water the 2 days prior). The hose down halfway up the Cobb climb was priceless! I pushed a pretty good pace but ended up with lots of wait time at the stops. The plan was to pull my buddies (3 first time doublers) into the finish once the flat work began. It worked out great, and we finished together. We had a huge paceline from Guinda to the next stop. It took us nearly 15 hours to finish. I spent over 3.5 hours total at all the rest stops :eek:. After doing a couple stage race doubles, I was fine with kicking back and not rushing through the stops (aside from Resurrection, which had virtually no shade).

This is truly an epic ride with awesome scenery and great people. I'm happy so many people come from far away to experience what the Davis Double has to offer. Thanks to all the volunteers (huytheskigod, rumbutter, etc, etc) for making it the best supported double out there!

BTW, I'm a Triple Crown "Winner" now! :D


A few stats, as recorded by my Forerunner 305... http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/8242397

Yes I was wearing a pink argyle slipstream jersey. Congratulations on your Triple Crown:thumb: I have one more to ride to get mine.

Thanks Hipchip and rydaddy for your comments regarding my bouts with the conditions. Reading your comments did cheer me up a bit. I knew the conditions were rough, but I needed to hear it from someone other than myself. It's like my friend Lynn says ... this was a 136 mile training ride for me. Some training ride, eh?

many of you started at 4am, before the course was supposed to be open! Good call.


Did we catch you by surprise? We actually missed the last left turn before the 1st rest stop. The group blamed it all on my time trialing pose so I'll take the blame for that. I could have sworn I didn't see the flashing yellow lights ... :p

I will be doing my first double (and if all goes well, perhaps last) and I unwittingly picked a doozy, the Terrible Two. So thanks for all the reports everyone. I enjoyed reading them and there are definitely lessons therein.

I unwittingly picked a doozy, the Terrible Two.

Double eyepoppers!

:eek: :eek:

Good luck.

Thanks Hipchip and rydaddy for your comments regarding my bouts with the conditions. Reading your comments did cheer me up a bit. I knew the conditions were rough, but I needed to hear it from someone other than myself. It's like my friend Lynn says ... this was a 136 mile training ride for me. Some training ride, eh?

You're welcome.....and we won't even mention how you wimped out the other 70 miles:lol:
Man I couldn't have even done the 70 miles for you!

Yes I was wearing a pink argyle slipstream jersey. Congratulations on your Triple Crown:thumb: I have one more to ride to get mine.

Nice jersey! At the Cobb stop we were waiting in the porta line and I mentioned that the hard part was over. I was wrong... Resurrection was the hard part :o, for me at least. Good luck on your 3rd double. Which one?


I will be doing my first double (and if all goes well, perhaps last) and I unwittingly picked a doozy, the Terrible Two. So thanks for all the reports everyone. I enjoyed reading them and there are definitely lessons therein.

Nice! Devil Mountain was my first. Nothing like taking on the big dogs right of the bat :lol: Good luck!

I will be doing my first double (and if all goes well, perhaps last) and I unwittingly picked a doozy, the Terrible Two. So thanks for all the reports everyone. I enjoyed reading them and there are definitely lessons therein.

Chris,
Did you actually read the web site before signing up?

"*Am I ready for this ride?

All of the successful (and most of the unsuccessful) TT participants are experienced, fit riders. The Terrible Two should not be your first double century. Before you attempt the TT, you should complete such rides as the Markleeville Death Ride (all passes), Climb to Kaiser, or the Davis Double. Most riders who have done both Davis and the TT find that the latter takes three to four hours longer, depending on one's climbing ability. So please don't attempt the Terrible Two if Davis took you much over 13 hours. On the other hand, don't be intimidated. If you've completed other doubles comfortably, you ought to try this. All the climbing may be a big challenge, but you do get to rest on all the descents, and it's certainly more scenic and entertaining than 200 miles of flat lands!"

Needless to say, I am not doing TT. I was chatting with a couple other riders who suffered the same fate that I did on Resurrection, and they were going to do TT ... after this weekend, they changed their mind about TT ... too bad.

Chris,
Did you actually read the web site before signing up?

"*Am I ready for this ride?

All of the successful (and most of the unsuccessful) TT participants are experienced, fit riders. The Terrible Two should not be your first double century. Before you attempt the TT, you should complete such rides as the Markleeville Death Ride (all passes), Climb to Kaiser, or the Davis Double. Most riders who have done both Davis and the TT find that the latter takes three to four hours longer, depending on one's climbing ability. So please don't attempt the Terrible Two if Davis took you much over 13 hours. On the other hand, don't be intimidated. If you've completed other doubles comfortably, you ought to try this. All the climbing may be a big challenge, but you do get to rest on all the descents, and it's certainly more scenic and entertaining than 200 miles of flat lands!"

No unfortunately I read that afterwards, and even now, I must take that as a "kids don't try this at home" warning. In other words, that language is for other people, not me.

Did we catch you by surprise? We actually missed the last left turn before the 1st rest stop. The group blamed it all on my time trialing pose so I'll take the blame for that. I could have sworn I didn't see the flashing yellow lights ... :p

No, I followed the ride guidelines and got to my corner 10 minutes early. Not my problem if someone is on course before I get out of bed... :thumb:

Only two guys went the wrong way at my corner this year. I didn't see them but the CHP officer with me did so I jumped in the car and tracked them down-they picked up two bonus miles. I can completely understand how you'd get off course in the dark if you aren't intimately familiar with those roads...

No unfortunately I read that afterwards, and even now, I must take that as a "kids don't try this at home" warning. In other words, that language is for other people, not me.

For people who do not understand the language, they did put the Grim Reaper in their logo. :)
Have fun with the Terrible Two! (... what a name for a sissy ride?) :)

Chris,
Did you actually read the web site before signing up?

"*Am I ready for this ride?

All of the successful (and most of the unsuccessful) TT participants are experienced, fit riders. The Terrible Two should not be your first double century. Before you attempt the TT, you should complete such rides as the Markleeville Death Ride (all passes), Climb to Kaiser, or the Davis Double. Most riders who have done both Davis and the TT find that the latter takes three to four hours longer, depending on one's climbing ability. So please don't attempt the Terrible Two if Davis took you much over 13 hours. On the other hand, don't be intimidated. If you've completed other doubles comfortably, you ought to try this. All the climbing may be a big challenge, but you do get to rest on all the descents, and it's certainly more scenic and entertaining than 200 miles of flat lands!"

Needless to say, I am not doing TT. I was chatting with a couple other riders who suffered the same fate that I did on Resurrection, and they were going to do TT ... after this weekend, they changed their mind about TT ... too bad.

:lol:

From Quackcylists, on Devil Mountain...

"THIS SHOULD NOT BE YOUR FIRST DOUBLE! This is a VERY TOUGH RIDE. On average, riders who have done the Terrible Two say the DMD takes two hours longer. The staff will do all they can to pamper you at the rest stops but THE COURSE WILL SHOW NO MERCY! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!"

:lol:

... I can completely understand how you'd get off course in the dark if you aren't intimately familiar with those roads...

Joe, maybe the ride planning committee/route marking team can get some of those chemical flourescent sticks and just make sure they're pointed in the right direction for the early birds.

On average, riders who have done the Terrible Two say the DMD takes two hours longer.

So, let's see, that's 5-6 hrs longer than the Davis DC, which means, if the weather is hot like this past weekend, slow guys had better plan on starting at 12AM so they can stay ahead of all the rest stop closures. :lol:

so if I Davis Double in 16 hours, that pretty much means stay away from all other doubles.
I think I might be OK with that.

Are all doubles this run at 100+ degrees?

so if I Davis Double in 16 hours, that pretty much means stay away from all other doubles.
I think I might be OK with that.

Are all doubles this run at 100+ degrees?

There's always the Death Ride :innocent:

There's always the Death Ride :innocent:

Death Ride! Sounds so inviting.....especially for a first ride!:lol:

:lol:

From Quackcylists, on Devil Mountain...

"THIS SHOULD NOT BE YOUR FIRST DOUBLE! This is a VERY TOUGH RIDE. On average, riders who have done the Terrible Two say the DMD takes two hours longer. The staff will do all they can to pamper you at the rest stops but THE COURSE WILL SHOW NO MERCY! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!"

:lol:

Good point rydaddy. Maybe Chrisoco should have done DMD as his first double. :lol:

Nice jersey! At the Cobb stop we were waiting in the porta line and I mentioned that the hard part was over. I was wrong... Resurrection was the hard part :o, for me at least. Good luck on your 3rd double. Which one?

Nice! Devil Mountain was my first. Nothing like taking on the big dogs right of the bat :lol: Good luck!

I'm thinking the Knoxville double or maybe the solvang double in October, haven't decided yet. I had a bad time on Resurrection, I never stop on a climb but on this one the heat was too much, I must have stopped about four times.

Hopefully the temperatures won't be so high next time, although I have heard the Knoxville double has extreme weather in the past.

Just in case you haven't burned out on DD news yet, I got all philosophical on my blog for a bunch of paragraphs, as in "why do we do this stuff, and what does it all mean?" The last half of my post is pretty much my report here, but the opening is Church of the Bicycle stuff. I scare myself.

http://ccorlew.blogspot.com/

Ever notice that every year after the SuperBowl a bunch of really great players announce they are retiring, then some time a few weeks or months later they show up on some roster? Like they just can't walk away?

Taxi777 announced this was his last DD. I know he did. I was there. But I just got email from him. Unlike football players he doesn't need weeks or months. He asked me:

Next year?


I think I need weeks or months to figure that out.

I was awoken at about 3:15am by Britpower telling me that she had locked the keys in the inbed trunk of our car. Annoyingly the trunk autolocks if you havent opened a passenger door for a couple of minutes. She was a bit upset and had no idea how to get from the hotel in Dixon to the Start in Davis. We figured out that there was no way I could get there in time with a spare set of keys so it was very fortunate another rider gave her a lift. Unfortunately several essentials including her phone were also locked in the trunk. I found it pretty difficult to get back to sleep and was somewhat worried.
By 3pm on Saturday afternoon I had heard nothing from Britpower so I started to get even more worried. I set off for Dixon to pick up the truck with a view to driving backwards round the course to a rest stop to give her a phone and keys so she could ring me when she finished . Unfortunately the sat NAV was missing so finding the headquarters was a struggle for me. I also had to leave my jeep parked in Dixon (Getting to be a logistical nightmare).

At the headquarters at around 5pm to pick up a route map then trace back the course. I got all the way to the Guinda reststop and there was still no sign of her so I decided to wait till 7pm to see where she was. 7pm passed and there was still no sign and I couldnt figure out what had happened to her so I decided I would drive up the course for another 10 minutes then head back to the finish. Fortunately I saw her and lanceoldstrong just after setting off. Britpower was not looking well but was very determined to finish. I gave her her phone and other missing gubbins then set off back.

On the way back I was shocked how vunerable the riders seemed and how dangerous the section by the Casino was. There was almost no shoulder here and the traffic was very busy. It would have been lethal in the dark. As I watched all the poor demented soles bravely riding on I decided that I needed to help out. At Famham ranch Rest Stop I stopped and decided I would ask if they could use a volunteer. Fortunately they were a friendly bunch and they soon put me to work fetching stuff, helping riders, pulling down awnings and other necessary tasks. I really enjoyed it and it was great fun. I even did a few bike repairs. I stayed at the restop till I figured Britpower would be finished and was awarded a volunteer shirt for my efforts. Great bunch those DBC members.

Memorable moments for me were how good natured the riders were despite looking like they just came out of a Zombie movie and how many riders didnt have lights (or barely adequate lights).

Great Job to all you finishers and to those that bravely tried.

That stretch is pretty narrow. I was glad I rode it alone. Last year I was with knuckleheads who seemed to have no idea how little space there was. Even this time i could see a pack of fools in front of me hanging way to far into the lane. I have good lights and tail lights, but wa sstill glad I was through there way before dark.

I was a might concerned about Britpower when she didn't blow past me at some point during the ride. I'm happy to hear she made it to the end.

Hey Mark! Great story! You're a dedicated loyal guy, she caught a good one!:thumb:

Mary, the first aid support, who I rode in with on SAG, warned everybody at Resurrection about the skittish section near Cache Creek. When I saw the construction on hwy 16, and how confusing that stretch was, I'm glad I didn't ride that stretch, considering the shape I was in. This makes me more in awe of everyone that did finish.

BTW, this is NOT, and I repeat, NOT my last DC. Who knows ... my next one may be in 3 weeks. I'm signed up for it. :)

BTW, this is NOT, and I repeat, NOT my last DC. Who knows ... my next one may be in 3 weeks. I'm signed up for it. :)

Ron, why don't you check w/ Rushfan, overthere, or DBCSteve to see if the DDC workers' ride is coming up anytime soon (ala Marco and Ruth & the DMD). Don't let that training ride go to waste. ;)

Ron, why don't you check w/ Rushfan, overthere, or DBCSteve to see if the DDC workers' ride is coming up anytime soon (ala Marco and Ruth & the DMD). Don't let that training ride go to waste. ;)

My schedule for the next 3 weeks are pretty tight, and probably won't be available for the ride. Otherwise, I'd consider it. I'll be in LA this weekend.

Joe, maybe the ride planning committee/route marking team can get some of those chemical flourescent sticks and just make sure they're pointed in the right direction for the early birds.

I was thinking that or to use reflective paint for the early/late portions of the ride. Good idea.

Mary, the first aid support, who I rode in with on SAG, warned everybody at Resurrection about the skittish section near Cache Creek. When I saw the construction on hwy 16, and how confusing that stretch was, I'm glad I didn't ride that stretch, considering the shape I was in. This makes me more in awe of everyone that did finish.

BTW, this is NOT, and I repeat, NOT my last DC. Who knows ... my next one may be in 3 weeks. I'm signed up for it. :)

No backing out of the Eastern Sierra Double. You will enjoy this one.

I have a serious callous on my right butt cheek...but not my left...wonder why? I really want to do Eastern Sierra...

http://www.slowtwitch.com/articles/images/6/2766-medium_chamois2.jpg

Maybe it's from all the water dousing on the ride. Someone mentioned that it may cause more chaffing? I'm such a novice at these things ...

A tip I got from the road forum.

http://www.evitaminstore.com/images/detailed_images/65387-3.jpg

Less than $4 at Walmart for a couple year's supply. Works great.

A tip I got from the road forum.

http://www.evitaminstore.com/images/detailed_images/65387-3.jpg

Less than $4 at Walmart for a couple year's supply. Works great.

Hmm. I bought a 2oz tub of the new Hammer product and have burned through about half of it this season already... And it was $12.50. :eek:

However, I don't shop at Wal-Mart so that same tub is probably $12.50 everywhere else. :p

so that same tub is probably $12.50 everywhere else. :p

If so, you'll still get 7.5x more product. It's a 15 oz jug. ;)

A quick search online shows that it's all over the place in the $4-$6 range. Drug stores carry this product too.

A tip I got from the road forum.

http://www.evitaminstore.com/images/detailed_images/65387-3.jpg

Less than $4 at Walmart for a couple year's supply. Works great.

I saw this listed also, and it's the only stuff I've tried, and I've had absolutely no problems since I started using it.
:**

Does it make your nutz tingle?

Does it make your nutz tingle?

No, but the original post I saw said it made them smell like the girls at the beach:lol:

No, but the original post I saw said it made them smell like the girls at the beach:lol:

I sense that nude sunbathing would be the hot ticket after a ride using this product. :eek:

I have a serious callous on my right butt cheek...but not my left...wonder why? I really want to do Eastern Sierra...

If you are using a typical road saddle with a plastic base it could be your sit bones aren't symmetrical. It is not unusual for people who ride a Brooks leather saddle to break the saddle in and find that one sit bone makes a lot deeper dimple than the other one does.

I sense that nude sunbathing would be the hot ticket after a ride using this product. :eek:

And don't forget, the folks that are laying face down can be used as a bike rack!:twitchy:

Hey HIPCHIP,

better start preparing for Foxy's fall century ! After these kind of comments we are going to watch out for you.

:lol:

Hey HIPCHIP,

better start preparing for Foxy's fall century ! After these kind of comments we are going to watch out for you.

:lol:

Well, you stud muffins better look out! I did 30 miles yesterday in a little over 2 hours!:thumb:

That's the longest I've ever ridden, and only the 7th ride on this bike, 10th ride total since I started back riding a little over a month ago!!! Now if I can just drop another 20 pounds or so!!!:rolleyes::innocent: