Northern California - So who's doing Death Ride?

My husband and I had a great time hanging out on the grassy knoll at the southern end of Markleeville, cheering on the riders coming through after the first four passes. Yep there was even a small band there for a while, they were great fun.

We had our cowbell and bike horn and made good use of them, and I was mighty hoarse by early afternoon. We cheered for pretty much everyone, but of course our loudest cheers were reserved for my friends from TNT. :)

We then hung out at the TNT tent just north of the official finish at Turtle Rock park to cheer in the TNT folks as they finished.

I hope to be back next year, riding it this time. This standing on the sidelines thing is for the birds. :D

Donald, I think I saw you coming up Monitor pass on the first pass, but I lost you through a huge group about half way up. How far did you get before you needed to stop?

Ramon said he saw you but you disappeared.


As camp was full I guess he went back to the air strip to put his tent there and Donald was probably with him.

yeah, I camped at the air strip. Only thing was no restrooms so I just used bottled water to clean up. I was going to use the showers at the campsite after the ride but I ended driving home after the ride.



Donald, how did you know you were deyhdrated? Or did the aid station staff diagnose it? You looked fine when I saw you on Monitor.


I felt good on the first two passes but on the way over to the base of Ebbetts near the lunch stop was when I started to feel it. Maybe I had a chance if I rested and reloaded before climbing Ebbetts but just keeped going. I couldn't drink or eat anything after climbing up Ebbetts. And my lungs were burning just breathing. Micheal got the staff to look at me and basically said I was dehydrated and took my down.

Tough day for me - after finishing last year, but waiting out part of the hail storm under the tent at Picketts I thought for sure I would get a better time this year. Instead, I woke up feeling not quite right and it was all downhill from there - stomach issues all the way. I managed 65 miles/7000 feet, but couldn't keep any fluids down at the end and turned around partway up Ebbets and rolled back to Markleeville. I was pretty out of it by then, but Jo, Lee and a bunch of others dragged me off my bike and made me sit in the back of an SUV for an hour and a half with ice on the back of my neck until I cooled off and was able to start drinking again.

I do remember seeing a bunch of friends and BF folks out there - Ramon and Donald at the top of Monitor around 8:30, Georges somewhere riding towards Ebbets (I think?) and a bunch of others that said they talked to me on Ebbets that I honestly don't remember talking to:eek:

I'm bummed that I didn't finish, but I did it last year so I know I can do this ride. The TnT folks did great, from a team of more than 40 I was one of only 4 that didn't finish. Even though the ride wasn't so good, the training season was awesome and now I have to come back next year, just to get my average # of passes per attempt back up to something respectable!

JB

My husband and I had a great time hanging out on the grassy knoll at the southern end of Markleeville, cheering on the riders coming through after the first four passes. Yep there was even a small band there for a while, they were great fun.

We had our cowbell and bike horn and made good use of them, and I was mighty hoarse by early afternoon. We cheered for pretty much everyone, but of course our loudest cheers were reserved for my friends from TNT. :)

We then hung out at the TNT tent just north of the official finish at Turtle Rock park to cheer in the TNT folks as they finished.

I hope to be back next year, riding it this time. This standing on the sidelines thing is for the birds. :D

Hey, Jo - you know you really don't have a choice - you have to do this next year!

JB

Many "Turning Wheels for Kids" jerseys could be seen on the road Saturday. Leah Toeniskoetter's report from the 2007 ride available on the DR site was a big help and inspiration to get prepared for my first one. Her fundraising for providing bikes to low income family kids at Christmas time is getting very big. She was interviewed by KRON channel 4 last week, the video is on her website. The way a journalist presents things make it even bigger than it is.

http://www.turningwheelsforkids.org/

My husband and I had a great time hanging out on the grassy knoll at the southern end of Markleeville, cheering on the riders coming through after the first four passes. Yep there was even a small band there for a while, they were great fun.

We had our cowbell and bike horn and made good use of them, and I was mighty hoarse by early afternoon. We cheered for pretty much everyone, but of course our loudest cheers were reserved for my friends from TNT. :)

We then hung out at the TNT tent just north of the official finish at Turtle Rock park to cheer in the TNT folks as they finished.

I hope to be back next year, riding it this time. This standing on the sidelines thing is for the birds. :D

Thanks for being there cheering all of us. You cannot believe how good it felt passing through the village. I remembered the cheering from last year, this year seemed to have four times the number of supporters. Amazing power booster!

Hope you are coming back strong from your accident.

Many "Turning Wheels for Kids" jersey could be seen on the road Saturday. Leah Toeniskoetter's report from the 2007 ride and available on the DR site was a big help and inspiration to get prepared for my first one. Her fundraising for providing bikes to low income family kids at Christmas time is getting very big. She was interviewed by KRON channel 4 last week, the video is on her website. The way a journalist presents things make it even bigger than it is.

http://www.turningwheelsforkids.org/

I am part of Team Turning Wheels. We had about 20 riders on the course and a stellar support team @ Hermit's Valley. I had to abandon with a knee injury (post above) just before the cattle guard on the approach to Ebbets. Another TWFK rider also had to call it a day after two passes. We rode back to Markleeville together and then went back on course to find other TWFK riders and deliver water/fuel. Did my first bottle handoff to a rider from a car that day.

We all had extra motivation to push for five passes as a generous donor was donating $200 per pass to TWFK per rider. This kicker made it even harder to abandon but in the end, I had to stop. I am trying to make up for the $800 shortfall as I wasn't able to finish. If you can afford to donate a few bucks, please consider supporting Turning Wheels for Kids. Here is a link to my donation page (http://www.turningwheelsforkids.org/blog/?page_id=254)

I am part of Team Turning Wheels. We had about 20 riders on the course and a stellar support team @ Hermit's Valley. I had to abandon with a knee injury (post above) just before the cattle guard on the approach to Ebbets. Another TWFK rider also had to call it a day after two passes. We rode back to Markleeville together and then went back on course to find other TWFK riders and deliver water/fuel. Did my first bottle handoff to a rider from a car that day.

We all had extra motivation to push for five passes as a generous donor was donating $200 per pass to TWFK per rider. This kicker made it even harder to abandon but in the end, I had to stop. I am trying to make up for the $800 shortfall as I wasn't able to finish. If you can afford to donate a few bucks, please consider supporting Turning Wheels for Kids. Here is a link to my donation page (http://www.turningwheelsforkids.org/blog/?page_id=254)

Great cause! I helped build a few of those bikes for kids a couple of years ago.

JB

Some cool videos of the complete descent of Monitor backside. I found myself climbing at 0:46 on Part 2.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hPLLgc9LiQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7GgpBTri7g&NR=1


And a photo collection. A NorCal jersey spotted on photo #36 and Markleeville cheering crowd (jobob?) on photo #74.

http://sports.webshots.com/album/573514486bHLejo

Some cool videos of the complete descent of Monitor backside.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hPLLgc9LiQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7GgpBTri7g&NR=1

Either the video is distorting the speeds, or this guy is CRAWLING down the Mountain.

Either the video is distorting the speeds, or this guy is CRAWLING down the Mountain.

I thought the same thing and figured maybe he was holding the camera in one hand?

Either the video is distorting the speeds, or this guy is CRAWLING down the Mountain.

There's no way we were going that slow on Sat. I hit 50 mph going down that hill. The video shows guys sitting on-top of their brake hoods - not even in the drops. (!)

I saw a guy with a helmet video camera. The camera was kind of tall, 3" high.

There's no way we were going that slow on Sat. I hit 50 mph going down that hill. The video shows guys sitting on-top of their brake hoods - not even in the drops. (!)

We were stuck behind someone descending on the hoods on east 84 the other day...behind him was a driver who didn't know how to pass slow bikes. :rolleyes:

And a photo collection. A NorCal jersey spotted on photo #36 and Markleeville cheering crowd (jobob?) on photo #74.

http://sports.webshots.com/album/573514486bHLejo

Those photos were taken by my friend Don (Raleighdon) from Seattle. Aren't those great photos?!? :thumb: This was his first DR and he finished all five passes in fine form.

Yep, I'm in that Markleevile grassy knoll cheering section photo, but it's really hard to pick me out.

Who's that in the NorCal jersey in the earlier photo?

Here is my ride:
http://www.mudncrud.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=33413 (http://www.mxi2000.net/mudworm/2009/07/2009-death-ride/)
(click on image to read my ride report)

Finally tallied up my readings:

Total time: 12:47
Moving time: 10:23
Max speed: 48.8 mph

Here's my write-up:

We, Jack, Michael and I, started on time. Exactly at 5:30, according to my Garmin. The weather was perfect, I was feeling good. So good that I apparently rode away from Jack, never to see him (except on 2 descents) again until dinner. He did a great job of holding back and pacing himself. I kept my HR under 150 through the first section of Monitor, but I guess I burnt off a little nervous energy getting to start of that climb. Getting from Turtle Rock to Monitor was where I realized that lots of people seemed like they were on their first descent in months. Not pedaling, coasting on the hoods and losing tons of speed at every roller.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_6DQj7sK5vY8/Sl3_GpJL0RI/AAAAAAAAB5A/L3z6xGd29mw/s800/P1010398.JPG

Climbing up Monitor with Michael, we passed lots of people. Hundreds maybe, in groups of 6, 10, 12. There weren't any descenders to worry about yet, so we rode the center line and broke into the left lane to go around. It was fun, and my confidence was growing like the number of Rock Racing kits we were passing. The weather was good, the 10% section gave us a change to get around a lot of people. I kept my HR between 145-155 for most of the grade.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_6DQj7sK5vY8/Sl3_LKtonWI/AAAAAAAAB5k/hhIvU_Jrs8M/s800/P1010414.JPG

The descent of Monitor was good. No pics as I wasn't digging for the camera near 50mph. I hit 48.6 for a new personal speed record, but that was with my holding the rear brake the whole way down. We were passing people sitting upright on their hoods, and while the road was easy to descend, my nerves about passing people with a 20mph speed differential were electric. Next year, I'm definitely starting earlier to get ahead of the masses. At the bottom of Monitor, I had my first taste of how big this ride was. It was a ZOO. Luckily, Michael agreed with me and we didn't stop for anything other than the sticker down here. Got the sticker, turned around and headed up.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_6DQj7sK5vY8/Sl3_TFawohI/AAAAAAAAB6k/vEJfbkZYK8w/s144/P1010432.JPG

Ascending Monitor on the backside was fun. The whoosh-whoosh-whoosh noise of descending riders was endless. Again we worked our way past long trains of people who had started before us. For me, it was fun to see how many people were out there. It made time really fly, as instead of focusing on climbing, I was thinking about how to get around the next group safely. That, and looking over at the valley we'd just departed.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_6DQj7sK5vY8/Sl3_X6KaCxI/AAAAAAAAB70/CSjdPFiz_L4/s800/P1010458.JPG

Michael was letting me set the pace. I thought he was being nice by not leaving me behind, but looking at this picture makes me think I was right where I wanted to be!

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_6DQj7sK5vY8/Sl3_YGKqWnI/AAAAAAAAB74/a1mTf9XLlCY/s800/P1010459.JPG

We made the summit in good time, again skipped the water/food and tore down the West-side descent towards Ebbet's. This time we seemed to be ahead of more people and were able to let it go a little more. My average speed on that side of the hill was 38mph, and I could have kept it above 40 if not for the few times I did have to get around someone. I was feeling great at this point. Knew we were nearly 50% through the climbing and I wasn't tired at all. Because we rolled through a number of stops, I did run empty on my water for about 2 miles. It wasn't a big deal though, as we refilled at the lunch stop location before heading up. I never got too thirsty.

Ebbet's pass was a good climb for me. I enjoyed the respite of the shallow grade to start, and the steep rollers at the top reminded me more of the local climbs we're always on. I thought it was also nice and scenic. And the shaded bits were good as the sun was starting to warm everything up quite a bit. I rode for a few minutes with Glenn in the middle of this climb.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_6DQj7sK5vY8/Sl3_ZvrENSI/AAAAAAAAB8U/wDnmicDWQsY/s800/P1010469.JPG

I think I got about 50-100 yards ahead of Michael as I paced Glenn, and unfortunately that was the last riding I got to do with Michael as he was knocked down on the ascent and wasn't able to safely continue. The right decision, but it sucked for both of us. Not knowing what had happened, I waited at the top of Ebbets for 25 minutes, scanning the sticker-line. This gave me a chance to get my shoes off to alleviate this hot-foot issue I've having in my left toes, but really I could have continued after 5 minutes, but I didn't want to ride alone as we'd discussed sticking together for the duration. Eventually I caved and continued down to Hermit Valley. There I waited for another 30 minutes before deciding that Michael had either fallen or suffered major mechanical issues. I chatted with Ramon for a bit here as well before I watched him leave as I continued to wait.

Here's me climbing out of Hermit Valley. I saw Jack descending now, and Michael was nowhere to be seen. I knew the plan to stick together for the day was dead:
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_6DQj7sK5vY8/Sl3_dNCy65I/AAAAAAAAB9I/q0Rz52GY9hI/s800/P1010489.JPG

I was saddened but not surprised when he met me at the top of Ebbet's again and let me know what happened. At least no one was really hurt. I worried about Donald, but I figured the IVs would have him back in no time.

I descended Ebbet's and was feeling good. I refilled bottles and stuffed my pockets at the lunch stop, but because I'd waited around so much I was feeling behind. I also didn't want to repeat my after-lunch malaise that I experienced on the Eastern Sierra Double, so I stuck with the bars/cookies/shot bloks and ate a small lunch on the bike as I headed north. I tried to latch on with a pace-line, but while I hung for a few minutes, I eventually fell off the back after probably spending too much energy. I really paid for that effort on the top of Carson.

I stopped at Woodfords for 10 mintues. I sat on that stone wall and rubbed my feet. I don't know what the problem is, but I've been getting hot-foot issues in my left toes for a few weeks now. It was after 7 hours riding, but it's down to like 4 hours riding and then every 90-120 minutes after that. It's something I need to get sorted out before Knoxville. Anyway, I probably needed the rest. I was feeling tired and took a caffeine pill to stay alert for the last push. That turned out to be a huge mistake as I spent 3/4 of Carson trying not to vomit and feeling weird skin chills. Yay for poor decisions.

The climb to Carson was terrible. I wasn't feeling great, but I was still having to pass just to keep my rhythm. The traffic and 3-4% grades for miles were getting to me. I was going up these 3% grades at the same pace I usually take OLH, which is 7%. So frustrating.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_6DQj7sK5vY8/Sl3_gmYYIeI/AAAAAAAAB-I/RjT1IdaKA0g/s800/P1010512.JPG

But, I knew that this was the final push so I kept going, despite how nice it looked to be all the people OTB on the side of the road. I knew Sue Wen was waiting at the top, Michael was stuck with a DNF, and that I'd bought this registration off John who couldn't ride due to knee problems. I decided I'd die before I walked or took an unnecessary (hot-foot/water count as necessary to me) break. I should mention here that the cheering crowds through Markleeville and then on the sides of Carson were amazing. I didn't think they would be a big deal when I'd read about this, but they really provided a lift for me. Especially on the top half of Carson where I was riding alone (at least 30 seconds ahead and behind) for long stretches. When people are cheering, clapping and ringing bells and you're the only cyclist around, it is pretty cool. I felt obligated to stand up, HTFU, and get to the top of the mountain.

My skipping lunch did pay off in that I got ahead of many faster riders. I couldn't hang with all of them, but I did manage to get a few miles of free pulls in as a number of people passed me. One even saw my camera and offered to take a picture for me.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_6DQj7sK5vY8/Sl3_hW1ldWI/AAAAAAAAB-c/OLI3Fymh158/s800/P1010517.JPG

Who's that in the NorCal jersey in the earlier photo?

Looks like Donald, dl33.

The top part of Carson was BRUTAL. It was starting to get cloudy, and really windy. There were sections on the top when I was unprotected from the wind where I was only able to manage 2.6mph. That number shows up on my trace a few times, and it wasn't a fluke. I also wasn't getting passed there, so the wind was hammering everyone.

Eventually I made it to the top and got to see my favorite volunteer:

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_6DQj7sK5vY8/Sl3_hv7m-eI/AAAAAAAAB-k/YXTgsPYZhNE/s800/P1010519.JPG

You can see that I beat the rain. I made it up there around 3:45 or 3:50. I hear the rain hit 20-30 minutes after I headed down.

Despite almost going down with the speed wobble incident, I held it together and managed to snap a few shots as I descended. There were SO many more people coming up now than when I had ascended. The wind had worked them all into these clumps. It was cool to see that I wasn't last.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_6DQj7sK5vY8/Sl3_h8na5-I/AAAAAAAAB-o/d9PGhavpfAM/s800/P1010520.JPG

Instead of turning for Turtle Rock at Woodfords, I headed to the hotel in Minden NV. I didn't know where Michael was (he'd driven) so I was racing home to beat the rain. The cross-winds on this stretch were horrendous, but occasionally they'd turn and push me along at 26 or 27mph from behind. Those parts were nice. It was also relaxing to be the only bike on the road, and it gave me time to reflect on the whole ride.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_6DQj7sK5vY8/Sl3_iSiRuyI/AAAAAAAAB-4/a0tfZXbyZKM/s800/P1010524.JPG

I stopped at the state line before making my final 10 mile push.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_6DQj7sK5vY8/Sl3_i7DempI/AAAAAAAAB_I/WF5I_Fjgibg/s800/P1010528.JPG

This is the same location about 60 seconds later.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_6DQj7sK5vY8/Sl3_jUP2ahI/AAAAAAAAB_Y/OFTcGpbbtZs/s800/P1010531.JPG

The weather wasn't kidding around. It changed from windy, to REALLY windy/gusty ominous quickly. I pushed my HR back into the 160s trying to cover the last few miles.

I made it to the hotel at 5:30. 12 hours after I'd started riding. My ride time was 9:56, and fully half of my stopped time occurred while trying to figure out where Michael was.

This was as satisfying to finish as the double I did earlier this year. I think having more people to share it with (Sue Wen being at the top of pass 5!), and to see that I really was doing pretty well as far as when I finished, it was great. I owe it to all the killer rides we do as a group. So thanks to all of you for showing me what it really means, and what you can accomplish when you go out and ride climbing centuries every weekend.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_6DQj7sK5vY8/Sl4RC_CX18I/AAAAAAAAB_8/UFMkXpD7rVg/s800/deathride.JPG


rest of photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/chris.adam.evans/DeathRide2009?feat=directlink▼
▲

Wow! That Garmin readout really says alot. There's not any time where you are on level ground it's either up or down. This makes 1-day STP look like a downhill metric. GG you animals!!! :thumb:

I have appreciated reading everyone's ride reports. I thought i was being quick at the stops but some of you didn't even stop for lunch .. wow!

Great reports mudworm and Chris, you were fast, very impressive.

Chris, have you tried the Specialized BG Footbeds. They worked out very well for me. I had been using the standard Sidi beds for the last 4 years without much trouble but also started to experience some hot feet issues this year. I bought the BGs last week (blue color, medium arch), the DR was my first ride with them. I know not a good idea to try something new on such a ride. After loosening the shoe straps (these beds are thicker than the Sidis) the feel was good. Once on the bike the first thing you notice is the arch support, then after a while you feel the metatarsal support. In one way it feels odd (different than usual) but quickly provides a sense of comfort. It's like the feet are maintained in proper form allowing optimal blood flow. At the end of the ride I had no complain from my feet. Definitely a keeper.

I have appreciated reading everyone's ride reports. I thought i was being quick at the stops but some of you didn't even stop for lunch .. wow!

I didn't want to deal with the crowds, risk stomach upset, or get cold and have to warm up again. Also, by skipping lunch I got some free pulls as the fast crowd at lunch passed me again. :P

New videos of Monitor descent. These are not as good in image quality but they provide a better idea of the speed, especially with the sound on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOl3pwlTp6g&feature=related

www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv2eJykMuoc


And another one of the all ride. The guy was following me at 2:33 along the Carson River.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2fvWAJYpQ4

Cool pics and vids.

I didn't stop for lunch because I just loved my own sandwiches so much. Now that I think about it, having done the ride, I still have no idea what the support was like on the course. Didn't even take a peek at the food they had.

I got hot spots in my feet on my training rides, so I did something new at DR -- I wore two layers of socks and it worked. Or maybe the hot spots were still there, but those scorching hot spots on the saddle distracted me. Any DR finisher here did not have complaints from his/her rear end? I want to know what saddle you use.

Any DR finisher here did not have complaints from his/her rear end? I want to know what saddle you use.

Very happy with my Specialized Toupe (155). Yet, it doesn't mean that my rear end was totally pain free. It just wasn't a major issue.

Specialized Toupe 143 for me. No issues at all.

Chamois cream + Arione...no issues.

. Any DR finisher here did not have complaints from his/her rear end? I want to know what saddle you use.


Selle Italia SLR XP. It's my second best saddle on my second best bike- the best bike broke before the ride. But the SLR XP is almost as good as the Toupe on my race bike. I didn't have any saddle issues. Using chamois cream (I use Assos) helps to reduce chafing.

But the saddles that work for me may not work for you- chances are that our butts are a different shape. Although I know a couple women who like the Toupe.

The SLR XP is about the same shape as the Toupe, just (on mine, which are a few years old) without the cutout.

Chafing did not seem to be the issue. It was the pressure. I got Specialized Ruby, which was supposed to be Toupe with a little more gel padding. I think I started noticing it while climbing the back side of Ebbetts, and by the Carson climb, the pressure became unbearable and no amount of position shifting seemed to help. Yeah, occasionally pedaling out of saddle provided relief, but I'm more of a in-the-saddle spinner. The saddle is fairly new (less than a month old), but I did not remember having any problem on the previous couple of training rides. On the other hand, I never rode 2-3 hours straight like I did at DR either. It made me wonder if it was because I was too skinny (not enough natural padding) for that saddle, but aren't all cyclists skinny like a stick?

It looks more like your seat bones lacked training. A couple 5 hours rides before the DR would have helped as well as more out of saddle sequences.

It looks more like your seat bones lacked training
http://www.mudncrud.com/forums/Smileys/default/idea.gif That sounds a plausible explanation. After all, four training rides were all I got before DR. But I didn't know we could break in seat bones as well. I don't think I'll ever get there considering how little I ride my road bike. Glad that DR is over.:)

I have a Toupe 143 and I was fine. I've never used cream, even on my double.

I was better off after the DR than I have been on other long rides. All the conditioning paid off in that sense, I guess. I even went for an hour-long spin Sunday in unpadded shorts on the Toupe and I was fine. Really not uncomfortable at all.

Had a great time doing DR. One attempt one finish.........can't wait to make it 2 for 2 next year. :thumb:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6eUg_sV6Ps

Watch with your sound up, that's why I took the video.

had a great time doing dr. One attempt one finish.........can't wait to make it 2 for 2 next year. :thumb:

I agree. :D

Chafing did not seem to be the issue. It was the pressure. I got Specialized Ruby, which was supposed to be Toupe with a little more gel padding. I think I started noticing it while climbing the back side of Ebbetts, and by the Carson climb, the pressure became unbearable and no amount of position shifting seemed to help. Yeah, occasionally pedaling out of saddle provided relief, but I'm more of a in-the-saddle spinner. The saddle is fairly new (less than a month old), but I did not remember having any problem on the previous couple of training rides. On the other hand, I never rode 2-3 hours straight like I did at DR either. It made me wonder if it was because I was too skinny (not enough natural padding) for that saddle, but aren't all cyclists skinny like a stick?


I find that the Toupe is very sensitive to saddle angle. If it is off by a even a little bit, it's much less comfortable. I had to get a micro-adjusting post to get it right. The serrations on the single bolt post had it either tilted up too much or down too much.

I also need to have the right shorts for it. The best I have used so far are PI Ultrasensors. Once everything is right it's a great saddle.

If you do a lot of MTB riding that should get your sitbones (or rather the flesh around them) "conditioned" to being sat on. Maybe not for extended periods of time, but the basic conditioning should be there.

Yeah, occasionally pedaling out of saddle provided relief, but I'm more of a in-the-saddle spinner. The saddle is fairly new (less than a month old), but I did not remember having any problem on the previous couple of training rides. On the other hand, I never rode 2-3 hours straight like I did at DR either. It made me wonder if it was because I was too skinny (not enough natural padding) for that saddle, but aren't all cyclists skinny like a stick?

For what it's worth, my Toupe has gotten more comfortable as it wears in. Almost a year on it now and it's flexy and nice.

I don't think more gel, or fat, is the way to go. The body is designed to be supported by the skeleton. With too much gel, you're distributing the weight and it ends up crushing the soft tissue instead of resting on the bones. If gel were a long-term solution all the RAAM guys would have huge wobbly seats.

Out of curiosity, would one of you provide some information on the grades of the climbs? Not just averages, but steep sections, etc. Thanks!

Out of curiosity, would one of you provide some information on the grades of the climbs? Not just averages, but steep sections, etc. Thanks!

In checking this against my Garmin it seemed pretty close to me except there were some pretty steep burst switchbacks on Ebbetts...otherwise I didn't have any surprises.
http://www.deathride.com/images/photos/elemaplg.jpg

In checking this against my Garmin it seemed pretty close to me except there were some pretty steep burst switchbacks on Ebbetts...otherwise I didn't have any surprises.
http://www.deathride.com/images/photos/elemaplg.jpg

This profile is pretty accurate. The rollers on top of Ebbets topped out at like 14% for me, for very short stretches.

Thanks! That doesn't sound too bad. I'm not feeling quite so nervous about doing this with a standard crankset now. I'm seriously considering it for next year.

Thanks! That doesn't sound too bad. I'm not feeling quite so nervous about doing this with a standard crankset now. I'm seriously considering it for next year.

This is going to be a goal for next year for me. I really wanted to try it this year but ultimately went with the triple chain ring bike. During the ride there were many parts of the climbs where I was in the two lowest gears, 32x26 & 32x23 for long stretches. Several times I would try to use the 32x21 which is just a bit higher than a 39x26 but it was too tough and I down shifted. It's not the grades but the combo of altitude and overall amount of climbing. I've done both sides of Mt. Rose and Geiger Grade in Nevada with a 53x39 11-27 setup and have not been totally winded but those rides have never been more than 9000' at a time.

The elevation definitely hit me hard...especially on the 3rd and 4th pass. I've ridden at altitude plenty before so no idea why it hit me this time but Ebbetts kicked me in the crotch.

This is going to be a goal for next year for me. I really wanted to try it this year but ultimately went with the triple chain ring bike. During the ride there were many parts of the climbs where I was in the two lowest gears, 32x26 & 32x23 for long stretches. Several times I would try to use the 32x21 which is just a bit higher than a 39x26 but it was too tough and I down shifted. It's not the grades but the combo of altitude and overall amount of climbing. I've done both sides of Mt. Rose and Geiger Grade in Nevada with a 53x39 11-27 setup and have not been totally winded but those rides have never been more than 9000' at a time.

Yeah, I spent a lot of time in my 34/28. Especially after I started feeling the altitude during the Carson Ascent. I tried to stick in my next-to-lowest 34/25 for the majority of the first 4 climbs, using the 34/28 as a bail-out gear during the steepest parts of Monitor and Ebbet's.

Hey I finished all 5 passes! I rode my 1979 Raleigh Pro, 41-28 low gear, brooks saddle and leather shoes with toe clips. I'll bet I was the only one there with a wool jersey and shorts too. First DR, super fun. I can't wait for next year.

Hey I finished all 5 passes! I rode my 1979 Raleigh Pro, 41-28 low gear, brooks saddle and leather shoes with toe clips. I'll bet I was the only one there with a wool jersey and shorts too. First DR, super fun. I can't wait for next year.

Were you camping next to me ? I was in a Silver F150 Pickup with Bed Tent. The guy next to me had such a machine.

Epic. I definitely plan on training for this next year. Going to have to figure out how to mount a road bike on my motorcycle for the trip there though.

There's commercial racks and plenty of people have made their own. Search on advrider. Rockymounts makes good inexpensive rack parts (see excel sports web site). Bolt a fork mount and a tray to an aluminum plate and mount that on the rear rack and you're set.

But if you would be riding the motorcycle back home the day after the ride, bring a car. Riding a motorcycle when you are dead tired is a good way to die.