Northern California - Wild Sierra Rumors

Nothing like a rumor to get your attention. I am not the designer, developer, or director of this ride, just someone in Alta Alpina who decided to work a bit toward the success of the ride even though there are aspects of it I want to see changed in the future.

So the rumors that have been spread that this ride was to be canceled are incorrect. It is a go for June 13. It will be smaller in terms of participants than expected which is what most of us wanted in the first place but we have a good lot of volunteers, sponsors such as Hammer and Clif, jerseys, and the rest stops will be fully loaded. By staying small we are avoiding some very expensive CalTrans and CHP permits as many small rides do.

For next year, I believe there will have to be changes in the date and some changes to the nature of the of the ride for it to survive and prosper and I am hopeful we can do that. We are a small club that did great things with the DR in the past and with a little patience and time can do something fun for a lot of riders in the future.

At age 60, I have never done a double century but after almost 5000 miles and over 300,000 feet of climbing since January....what the heck, I'll give it a go. The double is the part of the ride that has the most sign-ups and I think I can do it and if I can do it they can just drop this "Worlds Toughest" moniker....I hate that!

So if you might like to come over and ride Zero to Eight passes in the Tahoe Sierra its not too late and if you see someone who looks like they should be riding a couch instead of a bike coming over pass #7....it will probably be me. :)

I am going to attach below three emails that Wild Sierra riders have received lately......hardly seems like a ride that has been canceled.

Also, I have been riding the course relentlessly and have a bunch of fun stories and pics on my blog below. Hope you will take a look.

Below is the email that Wild Sierra Riders received about safety on the ride from Alta Alpina


Dear Wild Sierra Rider,

Have you been riding? I hope so, especially if youʼre planning on riding the full 198 miles.

For our first year of the Alta Alpina Challenge: Riding the Wild Sierra, CalTrans and other agencies are making us jump through a lot of hoops. I think itʼs very important we keep everyone happy - CalTrans, the Alpine County Sheriffʼs Department, California Highway Patrol, and motorists. All roads will be open to traffic, so itʼs very important that all cyclists obey the laws.

Letʼs start at the beginning: please start at your designated start time. This will help avoid too much congestion on the road (and CalTrans made us promise that weʼd assign start times). If youʼd like to start at a different time just let us know, at rideconsultant@AltaAlpinaChallenge.com .

Are you starting before 5:02AM and/or finishing after 8:58PM? You will be required to have lights on your bike (bright white in front and solid red in back) AND reflectors as specified in the California Vehicle Code. You might want to check out:
www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc21201.htm
As noted above, CHP is brushing up on these laws so you should too. And then make a trip to your local bike store... For those starting before 5:02 there will be drop bag service for your lights and warm clothing from the top of Kingsbury to the top of Monitor. For those starting without lights we will have drop bag service from the start at Turtle Rock Park to the top of Monitor. Riders without lights on their bikes or lights waiting at the top of Monitor should not start climbing Monitor pass after 7:30pm. (The normal warnings apply: If you don't pick up your drop bag, your stuff may not make it back to the start until very late at night. We can't take responsibility for missing items.)

Ride single file (I find it helpful to ride behind a person whoʼs 6 inches taller and 50 pounds heavier than me). The Alpine County Planning Commission was particularly concerned about this. If there are reports of cyclists not riding single file they may not renew our permit.

Please don't ride in large groups (we don't want to be fined for holding a parade without a permit).

If an emergency vehicle approaches with its siren wailing, pull over and stop, just like you would in your car. As you may have heard, this has been a problem on other organized rides and has lead to delays in emergency vehicles reaching fallen riders.

Come to a complete stop (one foot on the pavement) at all stop signs. This one is easy--there are less than a dozen over the whole course!

Make sure you wear your helmet: protecting your head is very important.

Donʼt wear headphones.

Be sure to have warm clothing (i.e. ear warmer, leg warmer, warm jacket, toe warmer/booties) for the evening. When the sun gets low in the sky Monitor pass gets cold even in June. This caught some riders unprepared last year. You can send these clothes to the top of Monitor with your lights in the drop bag so you'll have them for the descent to Topaz. We recommend that you keep arm warmers and/or a jacket with you all day because storms can appear quickly in the mountains and cold rain or hail could be really dangerous if you can't stay warm.

For the complete list of event rules, please visit our website: www.altaalpina.org/challenge/8pass/8safety.html

The rules are pretty basic. If everyone follows them then hopefully we can make this an annual event. A few years ago I rode a fun century in California. I guess the local police had a slow year: they were at all stop signs waiting for cyclists not to stop so they could ticket them. I donʼt anticipate this will happen, but be aware they can ticket you for not obeying the laws.
Be safe; be prepared (isnʼt that what the boy scouts say?). Now get out there and ride.

Tammy DeGiovanni
Rider Communications

P.S. Stay tuned for more information on ride check-in, parking, road conditions, route maps, and more over the next few days.

--
Alta Alpina Challenge: Riding the Wild Sierra
June 13, 2009

Bellow is an email wild Sierra rider received about nutrition during the ride and provisions at rest stops during the ride. Hardly seems like a ride that is rumored to be canceled.

Hope you will come over and join us.


Dear Wild Sierra Rider,

Kingsbury, Luther, Carson, Blue Lakes, Ebbetts and Monitor--eight passes that are no doubt consuming your thoughts. You have thought about what this day would be like for months. Will my body perform like I want and will the hours and hours of training pay off? The answer to these questions may not only result from the training that you stuck to, but will heavily rely on the nutrition that you feed your body.

To create a nutrition plan that will work for you, youʼll need to determine your total caloric and fluid needs. Once you determine these needs, carbohydrate, protein and fat calculations can be made. To estimate total caloric expenditure (TEE), multiply your energy expenditure value (calorie/minute/pound) by your weight in pounds by the number of minutes you are expecting to ride.

ACTIVITY ENERGY EXPENDITURE VALUE
(cal/min.lb)
Cycling 10mph 0.06
Cycling 15mph 0.08
Cycling 17.5mph 0.09
Cycling > 20mph 0.12

Example: A 150 pound person who averages 17.5mph and expects to ride 9 hours would expend how many calories?

TEE= .09(cal/min/lb) x 150 x 540 min
(60 min x 9 hrs)=540 min
TEE=7290 total calories

Remember, the faster you ride, the more calories you burn. Also, everyone burns calories at a different rate. Adjust accordingly to fit your needs.

You need only to replace 25-35% of total calories burned during your ride. Too many calories can lead to stomach discomfort, cramps, diarrhea etc.
Total calories to replace: 7290 x .25 = 1823 calories
7290 x .35 = 2552 calories

Remember this is only an estimate; if you know your body requires more calories, feed it what it needs.

The intensity of your ride will determine the type of fuel you burn. The more intensely you ride, the more carbohydrates used; the percentage of energy from carbohydrates is roughly equal to the percent of VO2 Max that you're at. As intensity decreases, the utilization of protein and fat increases.

Whether you choose a liquid or solid meal replacement is up to you. Both are equally effective. Do what works best for you!

Protein intake should be limited to 5-15% of total calories while fat intake can be as high as 30% of total calories.

Adequate fluid intake is critical for peak performance. Because you are exercising for more than 90 minutes, a sports drink with no more than 100 calories for every 8 oz should be consumed every 15-30 minutes. It is now believed that your body can only adsorb 24 oz of fluid per hour. Therefore, more is not always better when it comes to fluid intake. Try to estimate your fluid needs before the big day by weighing yourself before and after a ride. For every pound you lose you need to drink 13-16oz of fluid.

PUTTING THIS ALL TO USE
For the example above, we need to replace 1823-2552 calories. Say you will be riding an average of 70% Vo2 max (70% of the maximum speed that you can ride), and you choose to make 10% of your calories from protein. How many grams of carbohydrates, protein and fat do you need?
Because you are riding 70% Vo2 max, your carbohydrate intake should be about 70% of your total calories:
Carb calories = .70 x 1823= 1276 calories
.70 x 2552= 1786 calories
Grams of carbs = 1276/4(calories/gram of carb) = 319 grams carbs min
1787/4(calories/gram of carb) = 447 grams carbs max
Protein calories = 0.10 x 1823 = 182 calories
0.10 x 2552 = 255 calories
Grams of protein = 182/4(calories/gram of protein) = 45 grams protein min
255/4(calories/gram of protein) = 64 grams protein max
That leaves 20% of calories from fat:
Fat calories: 0.20 x 1823 = 364 calories
0.20 x 2552 = 510 calories
Grams of fat: 364/4(calories/gram of protein) = 90 grams fat min
510/4(calories/gram of protein) = 128 grams fat max

Rest stops will have HammerGel, Endurolytes, Heed, and Perpeteum. We'll also have a wide assortment of foods including bagels and cream cheese, PB&Js, salty snacks, energy bars, cookies, bananas, oranges, melons, and a few other treats. We'll have Coke, Mountain Dew, and V-8 juice too. So you'll be able to fuel your ride with a mixture of liquid and solid foods that you can use to give yourself the right balance of carbs, protein, and fat.

There you have it: your formula for nutritional success! Good Luck!!!!

Holly Peck MS RD.

P.S. Stay tuned for more information on ride check-in, parking, road conditions, route maps, and more over the next few days.

--
Alta Alpina Challenge: Riding the Wild Sierra
June 13, 2009

I am looking forward to doing the event. At first, I had written it off because I knew I had no hope of doing 20k ft. But then I realized it would be a fun way to do a supported ride on a number of passes that I might never do on my own. So I picked Kingsbury, Luther, Carson, & Blue Lakes which are passes that are distinct from the Deathride passes (except for Carson which I might or might not make on the DR) It should be a challenge and a fun experience.

Hope it is a great ride for you Alamere. I did Kings, Carson, Luther and Blue Lakes last Th. It's on my blog below. I got rained and hailed on 3 times but was prepared and had great ride anyway. Better weather coming I hope!

Jerseys came in yesterday. The one on the left if the 8 Pass Finisher jersey by Designer Daniel Dunn of Tehachipi, CA

Dan Dunn

(661) 272-6222


The one on the right is by local Markleeville artist Sandy Baenan.

artwerks@got.net
> 520 839 9943 iPhone
> 520 838 8748 fax

http://www.sagebum.com/BikeJ09/Jun/Wild%20Sierra%20Jerseys.JPG

Wild Sierra riders received this email a couple days ago on the course. The 8 Pass ride is definitely the most popular section so far with a lot of late entries.

Congrats to the Eastern Sierra Double riders, wow what a rugged day it was over here too. This Saturday is looking pretty good so far. Hope I can do this at age 60!



Dear Wild Sierra Rider,

Here are a few notes on how to have an enjoyable day riding the Alta Alpina Challenge:

First of all, please familiarize yourself with the maps of the route. While we will set up directional signs on the county roads (Diamond Valley, Foothill, Emigrant Trail, and Blue Lakes) and in Nevada, we can't put signs out on California state highways. So it's important you follow your cue sheet on ride day, and pay attention to state highway signs.

In particular:
Luther - follow highway signs for Lake Tahoe
Carson Pass - follow highway signs to Jackson or Kirkwood
Returning to Turtle Rock Park from Luther/Carson Blue Lakes, follow the sign to Markleeville (the same sign says Highway 89 and Highway 4).
Ebbetts - is Highway 4.
Other than that, it's well signed, but do refer to your cue sheet for every turn.

Weather and Clothing (or, Summer in the Mountains)
- The start will be very chilly, most likely temperatures will be in the mid-30's overnight. And the majority of the first 8 miles or so is at least slightly downhill - dress accordingly.

- In the last 2 weeks we've had a lot of thunderstorms and rain. It looks like that weather system has finally passed through and everything is looking beautiful right now, but there are no solid predictions for Saturday yet and thunderstorms are possible, so you should probably be prepared for some rain during the day.

- Last year our test ride was on a typical June day, and the temperatures at the top of Monitor plummeted as the sun set, and the wind picked up - some riders were VERY cold. We've moved everything up by a couple of hours which should improve things but plan on having warm clothes (e.g. jacket, leg warmers, glove liners, etc.) to maintain body temp. This applies to both the climb UP to the top of Monitor from the Topaz side (Monitor East) as well as the descent when returning to the start from the top of Monitor.

Drop Bags
You can fill drop bags with lights and warm clothing at the start or at the top of Kingsbury, but be warned you won't see them again until the top of Monitor, and drop bags won't come back to Turtle Rock Park until pretty late at night after the ride is over. Keep as much warm clothing as possible with you for changeable weather conditions.

Cut-off Times
See <http://www.altaalpina.org/challenge/webimages/CourseTimes.png> for all cut off times, which will be strictly enforced.

THE ROUTE

If you haven't already reviewed all the map, profile, detailed route description, and all the videos that review the route we urge you to do that now: wwww.altaalpina.org/challenge/8pass/index.html

Kingsbury
The Kingsbury rest stop will not open before 5:30, and the Nevada Highway Patrol does not want to see any riders there before 5:30 , so if you think you might get to the top before 5:30, slow down a bit. Bag drop is for lights, leg warmers, long-fingered gloves, booties, etc, but please keep your arm warmers and jacket in the case of inclement weather, possibly rain, later in the day.

Woodfords Canyon
There's a short stretch of climbing in Woodfords Canyon (on your way to Luther Pass) where there's no shoulder - please stay as far to the right as possible, ride single file, and think twice before passing another rider.

Carson Pass
For the most part, we have great pavement throughout the route. But spring in the mountains bring rocks on the roadway, and the section near the top of Carson Pass is one of those areas. Watch for rocks and cracks in the pavement as you climb and descend around Red Lake.

Ebbetts
As you pass by the bottom of Monitor on your way to Ebbetts, please hold up your wrist band so the course marshals can see (non 8-Passers on our ride will not be riding Ebbetts). Those volunteers will be enforcing the cutoff times. After a mild, gradual climb, you'll come to a cattle grate which is where the real climbing starts on Ebbetts, it's the steepest you'll see all day. Gear down, pace yourself accordingly, and you'll be thankful for saving your legs for the rest of the day. (And remember where that Cattle grate is when you're coming back down.)

Descending Ebbetts West (a.k.a. Hermit Valley)
This descent is very sweet, but there are a few hard-to-see divots in the pavement, which are especially hidden in the shade of the trees, and can really jar you. Have fun but maintain a safe speed and be cautious.

Climbing Monitor West
Depending on how long you've been on your bike when you hit the west side of Monitor, this could seem like the hardest climb of the day. If it's a warm day, the climb may feel downright hot. At the top, if you have a drop bag, gather your warm clothes for the next leg.

Monitor East (a.k.a. Topaz)
The grade on Monitor East is pretty even and never terribly steep. But it will be getting to be late in the day as you climb back to the top, and can get very cold. Have enough clothing with you to avoid exposed skin - you don't want to be pre-chilled for the ride down the west side.

Descending Monitor West
Did I mention that this descent will be cold? Dress WARM. You can really pick up some speed on this hill in the daylight - ride cautiously, look for rocks in the road, and be careful. Some recent construction near the bottom left four badly filled trenches that could throw you if you're going too fast.

FIRST AID
There will be 2 first aid stations out on the , for most of the time that riders will be in the vicinity. Each one is downhill from the tops of the passes, to make them as easy to get to as possible. Volunteers on the can help you locate them, and if you see a parked emergency vehicle, it's probably at our first aid station.
The first one will be on the way from Luther pass to Carson pass near Pickett's Junction (where CA89 meets CA88).
The second will be at the intersection of Highways 89 and 4 - the bottom of Monitor West.
There will also be first aid at Turtle Rock Park.

THE FINISH
PLEASE check in at TRP at the end of your ride, regardless of how much of the you completed so we know that you're off the course. This is a tough ride completing six or seven passes is tougher than other double centuries. We'll be listing the number of passes completed (stickers you finish with) for everyone. For Finisher's Jersey and Triple Crown credit, show your bib with all 8 stickers. And keep your wrist strap on to show you've paid for dinner.

Jennie Hamiter

P.S. Stay tuned for more information on last minute preparations, route maps, and more over the next few days.

--
Alta Alpina Challenge: Riding the Wild Sierra
June 13, 2009

I hope the ride goes well for you and your club, Sagebum! :)

Okie Pokey jobob. HA! Always wanted to say that. :D We are working hard....much has been learned, many things to change and improve.

Thanks for encouragement.

Twain

Gotta go pick up my wheel and then it's up to Turtle Rock Park, get a campsite help set up for the ride, sort jerseys then I am going to stop working at 4, have some early dinner and go to sleep early. Up at 3 AM! Leave before 4 and see how my first double attempt goes....yikes....it will be chilly and could be wet....not another ESD day I hope. :)

I'll be thinking of you, Twain!!

And I look forward to perhaps seeing you and your lovely area later this year. When I'm riding again. :thumb:

Well, thanks for all the encouragement jobob....you are the best.

As you know by now I didn't get'er done. Not sure why but I felt crumbly all day. Instead of repeating it here, this is a link to my cycling blog on BikeJournal. i think i have had 2 bad days of cycling in the last three years...yesterday was one.

http://www.bikejournal.com/blog.asp?rname=Sagebum

Please take a look.

Despite my failure, I thought we had a great event and we are getting a lot of positive feedback. We will go through quite a process to get rider, volunteer and club member feedback. We will work hard on the problem areas, change, tweak, likely a differnt date and move forward.

Twain

PS....I saw the TNT group heading over to Woodfords and .......? this morning. Looking good!

Everyone I talked to who was on the Wild Sierra is raving about it - despite the snow on Ebbets! Sounds like it was a great event. I was in that TnT group heading over to Woodfords this a.m. - we were just cruising up Carson (although a few did some extra-curricular miles out to Blue Lake, too).

JB

Thanks for the kind words jonathon.... looks like you guys had great weather today. Blue Lakes is the best. Hope to see you all at the DR.

It was a wonderful event. I marvel at the cyclists who did (or even attempted) 8 passes but that wasn't me. I was very happy to do 4 - Luther, Carson, Blue Lakes, & Monitor West. This amounted to 107 miles and 10kft and was a real workout. Everything about the event went well. There were plenty of rest stops that were very well stocked. The views were marvelous, the creeks flowing, the wildlife abundant. The weather was cool and a couple of thunderstorms passed over me so the rain jacket went on and off several times. They did an excellent job of putting this on. I will be back next year.

Wow...good day for you Alamere....seems like with Monitor in the mix it would have been more than 10K....just guessing or did you have an altimeter? Way to go. We probably passed each other a couple times. The wildflowers on Blue Lakes were great.

Thanks for the event comments. Next year!