Northern California - Knoxville Double .. anyone?

After completing Grand Tour, I feel I have more doubles in me. However, Mt. Tam is just a bit out of my league, White Mountain is at high elevation, and then there's Knoxville. I being coerced to do Knoxville. Looks like it is doable, so just wondering who else is in for this? It's at end of September, plus they have the CTC Awards Breakfast the following morning. So who's in?

http://www.quackcyclists.com/Knoxville.cfm

Congrats on getting back into a double success streak!

I'll be there as I have over the past 10 years, providing road support for the public ride. Or, as we sometimes call it, "pushing the rat through the snake" [think 'flow chart']. I've been doing the same on DMD lo these many years also. Those of us on "staff" will ride the course the Saturday prior to the public ride. KNX has only two real tedious sections, from the end of the ratty pavement on Knoxville-Berryessa Rd., up past the old gold mine and on into Lower Lake. And then, after the lunch stop, the run up Siegler Canyon/Loch Lomond Rd. and on over Cobb Mountain. Lower Lake is pretty much always the warmest spot on the course and since the bulk of the riders hit that stretch between noon and 1600, they're getting the worst of the sun's rays. Just hydrate, and set a comfortable pace. We don't have any cutoff times once you're past CP2 at Lake Berryessa, and will stick with any rider who is still moving towards the finish. So, once you've passed the lunch stop and still want to continue, we'll be there to support you.
YMMV
-dg

I did it last year. It is a great ride. Unfortunately this year it is the weekend before the Furnace Creek 508. I don't want to be doing a double, then FC508 the next weekend and then a 600K the third weekend. I'll just do the later two.

LanceOldStrong and my own bad self signed on to help. Look for us somewhere near Point Reyes Station at a water stop.
Me, I'm avoiding all that endless climbing.

EDIT: I am confused. We're riding Knoxville, working Mt. Tam.

Thanks for all the great comments. Looks like I'll ride this one solo too. Grand Tour gave me the confidence to do another double. I may be lacking good judgement here, but from all the comments here, it looks like I'm doing Knoxville. Plus, there's the CTC Awards Breakfast the next morning. Yippee!

To clarify:

cccorlew and I are riding The Knoxville Double and we would be happy to have you join us.

We are volunteers at Mt. Tam.

--SNIP-- I don't want to be doing a double, then FC508 the next weekend and then a 600K the third weekend. I'll just do the later two.

I run the Shoshone TS. What's your totem?

-dg

I run the Shoshone TS. What's your totem?

-dg

Team Blue Whale. Were you running SAG on the DMD? I was working the Patterson Pass water stop this year and i think we talked there.

To clarify:

cccorlew and I are riding The Knoxville Double and we would be happy to have you join us.

We are volunteers at Mt. Tam.

Cool. We should hook up for the ride.

Team Blue Whale. Were you running SAG on the DMD? I was working the Patterson Pass water stop this year and i think we talked there.

Spot on! I've been part of Quack staff since '99, working both DMD and KNX. Fuzzy Mitchell was [and still is] my mentor when I started; not a bad way to get into the biz.

Yeah, I remember the Blue Whale now!
Memory is supposed to be the 2nd thing that fails; I don't remember the first! Guess I should start making my mental notes on Post-its!
-dg

I'm thinking of doing the Pope Valley - Berryessa - LochLomond - Cobb loop, as a training ride. But is there food and/or water along the route to refill? Thinking about doing that this weekend, but not sure. And by all means, if anyone wants to do this with me, the more the merrier.

I'm thinking of doing the Pope Valley - Berryessa - LochLomond - Cobb loop, as a training ride. But is there food and/or water along the route to refill? Thinking about doing that this weekend, but not sure. And by all means, if anyone wants to do this with me, the more the merrier.

Well, I was doing it that weekend with Cccorlew and Mililpony so I am glad you can join us. Check your email for details

How many miles is that loop?

Veronica

How many miles is that loop?

Veronica

87.5 the way I figure it.

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/145215

How many miles is that loop?

Veronica
You thinkin' about coming, or is this just a tease?

Ron,

Are you already signed up for KNX?

You thinkin' about coming, or is this just a tease?

I was thinking about it, but I'm not sure we're up for that kind of distance. My longest rides this year have been 56 miles. And other than Tricia's b'day ride, they have only occurred in between swimming and running. But I enjoy riding with the group that's forming...

Veronica

Signing up right now

Ron,

Are you already signed up for KNX?

Are you thinking of doing it? My friend Lynn from LA is coming up to do it, so that's prompting me to do it too ... even if it may be a little over my head.

I was thinking about it, but I'm not sure we're up for that kind of distance. My longest rides this year have been 56 miles. And other than Tricia's b'day ride, they have only occurred in between swimming and running. But I enjoy riding with the group that's forming...

Veronica
So, that's yes??
:)

Are you thinking of doing it? My friend Lynn from LA is coming up to do it, so that's prompting me to do it too ... even if it may be a little over my head.

No, I was just going to try and convince you to do White Mtn with us, if you weren't signed up for Knoxville ;)

So, that's yes??
:)

No, decided after a bit of discussion, it would be too much suffering. :D We haven't been riding much lately, but we do have a great new storage shed and the garage is now a useful space. Oh, and I have some awesome planter boxes too.

Keep us in mind for something in the 40 - 60 mile range.

Veronica

No, I was just going to try and convince you to do White Mtn with us, if you weren't signed up for Knoxville ;)

Oh, well there's always Bass Lake in October. If I survive Knoxville, I might toy with that idea, unless someone can knock some senses into me.

Knoxville Double: One week away.
I know I'm in, as is LanceOldStrong. Who else?

Me too .. just got my email confirmation yesterday ... yay! Where you staying?

Me too .. just got my email confirmation yesterday ... yay! Where you staying?

Hotel: Best Western Heritage Inn

Ok, I'm at Motel 6

Thom and I will be working the water stop near the end of Knoxville/Berryessa Road.

Veronica

Does anyone have a contact other than email for Scott, Quack Cyclists? I've sent a few requests to volunteer and have not heard back yet. I've done five doubles this year and really want that gold jersey. This is the only other double for the rest of the year that I could volunteer for since it's fairy close by.

Does anyone have a contact other than email for Scott, Quack Cyclists? I've sent a few requests to volunteer and have not heard back yet. I've done five doubles this year and really want that gold jersey. This is the only other double for the rest of the year that I could volunteer for since it's fairy close by.

If I remember correctly you can do the volunteer part of the Gold Jersey during the year following the one you rode 5 doubles.

I did Mt. Tam and I'll be doing the Knoxcille. Tam sucked -- really long and harder than I expected.

Knoxville should be a lot of fun.

Thom and I will be working the water stop near the end of Knoxville/Berryessa Road.

Veronica

I heard back from Scott and will be joining you at this water stop to assist.

Thom and I will be working the water stop near the end of Knoxville/Berryessa Road.

Veronica

Bring a beer too.

Bring a beer too.

What kind? :D

Veronica

I heard back from Scott and will be joining you at this water stop to assist.

Cool! Looking forward to meeting you.

Veronica

What kind? :D

Veronica

Cold, Free.

I have been given a whopper of a chest cold as a test of my devotion to the insanity that is this quest.
I started to come down with it last Thursday.
Riding Saturday, 41 Mi with the Diablo Junction en route, maybe not such a good idea.
But hey, I am Spartacus!

Now after using 2 sick days from work yesterday and today things are looking up. (Rode 20 easy miles yesterday)

I have been throwing everything I can at this virus:

Mucinex, echinacea, zinc, phenlyeprhine, chlorpheniramine, ibuprofen, 6000 mg vitamin C a day, inhaling mentholated steam from a vaporizer while under a towel, dextromethorphan, chamomile tea, cough drops.

A potpourri of colorful packages and exotic names.

It is a mixture of holistic, ballistic and masochistic medicine but it is working.
My lungs are clearing rapidly today as the day goes on.

Thank you immune system, I never doubted you.
At least while I had down time I memorized all the turns for the first 35 miles to rest stop #1

Looks like we're going to be in for a warm day, Saturday. Here's Howell Mountain Rd. the year I did the Knoxville staff ride. We had rain just about all day. Made the descent off Howell interesting to say the least...

Here's hoping you all just have an awesome day. Curtis, I think we have some Sam Adams, will that do?

http://tandemhearts.com/coppermine/albums/knoxville-staff-2007/knoxville-staff-02.jpg


Veronica

Sam Adams, sure! That's exactly what I'll be needing before the big climb. Something to wire me up real well.....

Even with the water stop, I'm wondering if I really do need to bring a third bottle, or a platypus. Seems like it's going to be a hot one.

Personally, I am glad for the heat. It means I will start the day with no arm warmers, knee warmers or vest to drag with me.
92 degrees is the forecast high for Lower Lake where the lunch stop will be. That is do-able for me. The water stop along the long dry stretch of Knoxville-Berryessa Rd before that will really help. When, cccorlew, spingineer,mililpony and I did a recon ride through there a few weeks ago it was about that hot and we made it to Lower Lake without benefit of the water stop that we will have on Saturday.

After lunch, we still have two big climbs but from our recon ride I recall that they are not exposed climbs. There is plenty of shade to be had.

I did Mt. Tam and I'll be doing the Knoxcille. Tam sucked -- really long and harder than I expected.
+1 Tam sucked in the most awesome way possible. Freezing and 10+ grade hills for 200 miles. - I'll probably do it again ;)

Hope you guys are fine. I thought about you on my ride yesterday when it was starting to get hot in late morning.

LanceOldStrong, Spinnenger and I started at 3:45am and ended at 10 pm, rolling in together. Heat was huge. We all lived anyway. I am still toast. I hope for a blog entry and photos soon, but damn, it was epic!

Still working on my blog post, but I didn't take many pictures ... the few that I did take came out blurry and crappy. But I'll quickly summarize here:

Sleep ... even though we finished registration and dinner early enough (by 7 pm), and I went to bed by 8:30 pm, I could not sleep. I think I got at best, 1 hour sleep. Maybe it was the adrenaline of the ride, but I just couldn't sleep. Then, in the morning, I felt light headed. Had to go through another clif bar, and that did the trick.

It was pitch dark, and didn't see anyone till the passed us on Howell Mountain. They had a porter potty in the middle of the climb, which was nice. They warned us of a dangerous descent on Howell Mountain ... what dangerous descent? I thought it was quite nice, actually ... pretty smooth, and gentle switchbacks.

Knoxville Road was hot, the climbing was brutal, and I had no life in my legs between miles 80 through 150. Plus, I had to walk up the last portion of Loch Lomond. I just couldn't get it going.

Cardiac Hill at the end was brutal. We did this the opposite direction from Davis Double ... Cardiac on Knoxville definitely much tougher ... kinda like comparing front side of Hamilton to the back side.

Last person to finish arrived at 2:30 am. The Quackcyclists support is excellent. They had sag drivers drive up and down with water and ice, and they were very well prepared. I'm going to volunteer for DMD ... these guys are great!

Wow, congrats on a truly long day!
That was very smart to start so early.

One more to go and the price is yours: gold TC jersey for ccc and lance, comeback TC for spinn. GO GUYS YOU ROCK!

Thanks George. Can't decide which one to do next. All I can say is, this was a tough epic double century (as if there was a non-epic double century). Anyways, ride report is in my blog

http://sevencyclist.wordpress.com/2010/09/26/knoxville-double-double-6-30daysofbiking/

_________________________________________________________________________
A Recipe for a Tough Day.

1 Part: The most climbing you have ever attempted in one day
1 Part: 200 miles
1 Part: 100 degree heat*
1 Part: 3 hours of riding in the dark in the morning
1 Part: 3 hours for riding in the dark at night.
*Add a dash of leg cramps.

Season generously with blood, sweat and tears. (use nose bleeds, & stinging sun screen in the eyes.)

Let simmer for 18 hours. Serve when tender.
_________________________________________________________________________

Thanks Team NorCal It was so important to have Curtis and Ron along for this ride. Moral support helped so much. This was the most climbing I have ever done in a day, let alone the most climbing I ever did on a double.

What kind? :D

Veronica
All of em of course.