Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - 2010 Spring Death Valley Double Century Report

If you are interested here is my Death Valley Double Century Report (http://epictrain.blogspot.com/2010/03/spring-death-valley-double-century-race.html).

I finished 2nd with a new PR of 11 hours 07 minutes. Results can be found here (http://www.adventurecorps.com/deathvalley/2010/2010dvspring.html)

http://www.adventurecorps.com/deathvalley/images/DVDCsouthmap.jpg

http://www.adventurecorps.com/deathvalley/images/DVDCsouthelevation.jpg

http://www.adventurecorps.com/deathvalley/images/falldvdc3d.jpg

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Sponsors-- I'd like to thank my sponsors for providing me the opportunity to train and race. Skins for my compression wear, Infinit Nutrition, Uvex for my helmet and sunglasses, Woolistic for my wool armers, and a new sponsor for 2010 that will cover my race fees and lodging expenses. I thank all of you for your support.

AdventureCorps-- thank you for putting on a fantastic event in one of the most beautiful landscapes on earth. Your volunteers were awesome as always. Your support and hospitality made one of the most inhospitable places on earth the perfect place for me/us to test our personal limits once again. Also thank you for taking so many great pictures. Photo Credits AdventureCorps.


Bike Setup-- Sasha my Cervelo Soloist SL with Zipp 808 Wheelset and Power Tap, Continental Competition tubular tires. Chainrings 53/39 Cassette 11-23

Clothing-- Skins Compression Tights Bike Religion Jersey, base layer, Woolistic wool arm warmers.

RESULTS can be found here on the AdventureCorps website.


Here is the short and sweet version. I was part of a six man lead group up until Ashford Mills (mile 45.5) . Phil Kelly one of the riders in our six man surged ahead at the base of the Jubilee climb and slowly disappeared out of sight. He maintained his advantage on me from mile 45.5 until the finish. I was third up the first climb-- Jubilee Pass, second on the Salsbury climb. I was in second place for 50+ miles after leaving from the Ashford Mills. I rode alone from Ashford Mills (mile 45.5) through the climbs and back through Ashford Mills (mile 100) . I was caught by Desert Fox about mile 120. We rode together from just before Badwater (mile 130) until the finish. Kelly went on to win at least 30 minutes ahead of me. I came in about 11:08 and happy with a PR of more than an hour.


http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vXKGF3dlk2I/S5wUFMs_E8I/AAAAAAAABls/YgDf_NDhyco/s1600/Climbing%2Bzipped.jpg


http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vXKGF3dlk2I/S5wT4Bw9SgI/AAAAAAAABlk/rplXGzjkNRE/s1600/Sasha.jpg


The rest of the report may found on my blog here (http://epictrain.blogspot.com/2010/03/spring-death-valley-double-century-race.html)

Thank you for such an informative and exciting post. To blow your old PB out like that has to be so satisfying. My next month's Devil's Gate 100 pales in comparison but I promise to be just as excited when I cross the finish line! It's certainly true that, "One man's ceiling is another man's floor".
Raydog (215 lbs./62 yrs old)

Congratulations on your great accomplishment. I hope you have many more. I just did my first 109 mile race, the Tour De Tucson, and took a silver too.
Of course, I took it with a lot of others who finished in the prescribed time allotment. Not exactly #2 like you. But being 67 I was probably as happy as
you were with coming in second. Again congrats. By the way I want your bike.

Great effort! Vireo, Are you doing the stage races too? Awesome long distance rig you have there but, where are the panniers and fenders? haha ;)

Great effort! Vireo, Are you doing the stage races too? Awesome long distance rig you have there but, where are the panniers and fenders? haha ;)

Thank you!

I don't do Planet Ultra events. So when I see that the stage race includes them I don't do it.

Next up:

April 3--I'm not committed yet to the Davis 24 (I have never done a looped course)

April 17-- Mount Laguna Bicycle Classic 100 miles 10,000 feet of gain. (http://www.adventurecorps.com/mlbc/index.html) or my blog (http://epictrain.blogspot.com/2009/11/mount-laguna-bicycle-classic-pre-ride.html)


May 1- Breathless Agony (http://www.cyclingpros.com/onyx.htm) 12,000 feet in 114 miles. 11,000 in th first 73

June 12- Alta Alpina challenge (http://www.altaalpina.org/challenge/8pass/index.html) 198 miles 20,300 feet of climbing

June 26- Th Grand Tour Highland Triple Century (http://www.lawheelmen.org/grantour.htm)

and more

Planet Ultra sponsors some interesting rides.. We did the Spring Century in 2003. After we did our climb to Scotty's Castle we enjoyed a substantial snow.. Sort of hard to plan for such temperature changes , because down at Furnace Creek , where we started all we needed were arm warmers..

Planet Ultra sponsors some interesting rides.. We did the Spring Century in 2003. After we did our climb to Scotty's Castle we enjoyed a substantial snow.. Sort of hard to plan for such temperature changes , because down at Furnace Creek , where we started all we needed were arm warmers..

What you are describing is the bizarre and unpredictable weather patterns of Death Valley. There was rain and snow fore casted in our double century. Luckily we only experienced high winds and a little rain. The snow level was supposed to come down to 4,000 feet. Salsbury Pass, which we summited twice is 3315 feet of elevation.

To be clear Planet Ultra is no longer running the Death Valley events. They are now run by AdventureCorps. I believe it was 2004 when the organizers split the events between them. AdventureCorps kept the Death Valley events and Planet Ultra took over a good portion of the southern California double centuries. I now only do the AdventureCorps events and not the Planet Ultra events.

What you are describing is the bizarre and unpredictable weather patterns of Death Valley. There was rain and snow fore casted in our double century. Luckily we only experienced high winds and a little rain. The snow level was supposed to come down to 4,000 feet. Salsbury Pass, which we summited twice is 3315 feet of elevation.

.

Looks like my climbing pales compared to yours...As said, It snowed for us up at Scotty's .. Think that elevation was only, something like 3000 feet.? If so, I'd say the snow line started at about 2700 feet. Luckily , it was a lite snow and we did not need snow tires.. But, with only arm warmers , knee warmers , and a base layer, I was cold, cold, cold.

Thank you!

I don't do Planet Ultra events. So when I see that the stage race includes them I don't do it.

Next up:

April 3--I'm not committed yet to the Davis 24 (I have never done a looped course)

April 17-- Mount Laguna Bicycle Classic 100 miles 10,000 feet of gain. (http://www.adventurecorps.com/mlbc/index.html) or my blog (http://epictrain.blogspot.com/2009/11/mount-laguna-bicycle-classic-pre-ride.html)


May 1- Breathless Agony (http://www.cyclingpros.com/onyx.htm) 12,000 feet in 114 miles. 11,000 in th first 73

June 12- Alta Alpina challenge (http://www.altaalpina.org/challenge/8pass/index.html) 198 miles 20,300 feet of climbing

June 26- Th Grand Tour Highland Triple Century (http://www.lawheelmen.org/grantour.htm)

and more

I don't do PU rides either. Maybe for the same reasons as you but I wasn't too fond of them when Hugh Murphy was running them either. I might be at Davis too. It's an ok course, pretty fast. Not as fast as Solvang but there are a lot of people and big pacelines so it's fun. It also has great support. Davis was the first double I did in less than 12hrs.

Isn't Breathless Agony the reverse course of Ride the Bear? I've done the Bear...

I've been meaning to do the quad at the GT for many years but RAAM has been getting in the way for the last five. RAAM is early in June this year so maybe...want to pull me around for 300 miles???:lol: Actually if I do it I might be on the tandem so...

FWIW - I did Planet Ultra's Gran Fondo -- and thought they did a nice job

How hard is Alta Alpina? I've done Death Ride - and AA is a reverse of it....

FWIW - I did Planet Ultra's Gran Fondo -- and thought they did a nice job

How hard is Alta Alpina? I've done Death Ride - and AA is a reverse of it....

Do a few more of their events and then report back.

I didn't get a chance to do AA. I was stuck working urg! The Death Ride is fairly easy compared to all the hype the ride gets. I would love to do AA ....hopefully this year.

Do a few more of their events and then report back.

+1 on good olde PU [apt abbreviation!]!
As long as you can subsist on day-old PB&J, plus green bananas [if offered], then you'll survive their rides. But, you may not enjoy them....

One word in defense [or whatever you want to call it] of Hughie. At least his rides were fun. There weren't "rule books" and the never ending rationalizations that PU offers anyone who questions them - "we don't do that." Hughie did run fast and loose, but hey, that's what got me started in the mid-90's! His "rock soup" at the finish was also legendary!
YMMV
-dg