With the heat and the headwinds, I'm guessing there was a lot of that going on.
Having completed 2 5-pass Death Rides in prior years, I decided to skip Carson pass this time.
As I rode by my car at 1 pm on the way to Carson, with the temperature in the mid-90's, and the wind blowing 10-20 mph, I asked myself "Do I really want to suffer for another 3 hours for an ice cream and a pin?". And my answer was, "No...not today".
Anybody hear any word on the condition of the rider who crashed on the back side of Ebbett's? When I passed the crash scene going back up Ebbett's, he didn't look very good (the ambulance came by about 5 minutes later).
My VDO computer was showing 107 degrees in the sun climbing out of Markleeville toward Woodford. Thankfully it was just in the mid-nineties on the Carson climb (as you noted).
This was my first Deathride. I had a great experience and I'm sure I'll be back.