Dead of Winter Double
 

It's been a while since I attempted another double century, but on a whim, I registered for the Dead of Winter Double. It's hosted by the LA Wheelmen and is reasonably local, so all the logistics work out pretty well. About the only logistics that do NOT work out well is that is traditionally the day after my SO's holiday party, so I'm usually up a bit later the night before. That means getting maybe 4 hours of sleep before the double at best. Ugh. But on the bright side, traffic in LA sux, but a lot less so at 3AM.

So we arrive at 4:45 to check in with the intent of starting the ride at 5AM. There were oodles of riders that started at 4AM ... we saw many of them driving in.

We were also delayed. My partner's bike isn't looked after very well, and when we start rides, I am often asked to do quick fixes. The last time, I pulled her bike out of her car and the headset was WAAAY loose. I was able to fix that, but this time, the problem was in her rear hub. She said the shifting was a little funky, and when I grabbed her rear cassette, it would move axially almost a half an inch! No bueno.

Fortunately, there was a Velofix guy there and he took care of it. Her rear hub is a really funky design and this isn't the first time it was waaay loose. The last time, I had to do a field repair using string to hold the pawls in while reinstalling the cassette body. Ooof.

So by the time we head out, it is closer to 5:30, so we leave essentially dead last in the group, hoping to catch up to the others.

The route heads out through the fruit and vegetable fields of Oxnard and into the foothills for a bit, then circles back around to the start, which is the first checkpoint. Kinda a strange route, but it worked out OK. The temps varied from 45 to 55F, and there were very light winds. Much heavier winds were predicted for later.
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The next loop heads a little further into the local mountains of Camarillo, in areas that suffered significant fire damage not more than a few months earlier. This is a really sweet place to ride, and I was hoping to discover that the damage wasn't too bad. The good news is that for the most part, the ranches and orange groves survived intact, and there was only scattered damage that I could see.
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It was a beautiful day ... great weather, really.

The route then descends back down to the flatlands, and you head north to the lunch stop in the foothills of the Los Padres National Forest. On the way, we passed through Saticoy, one of the small towns struck by the great flood caused by the collapse of the reservoir in San Fransisquito Canyon. Lunchtime!

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After lunch, we head up to Foothill, and ride on that through the upper portions of the City of Ventura, which is very cool. We used to come up here after surfing sessions for the view. And from here, you have a sweeping view of the distant ocean and Channel Islands.

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From there, we turn north east and head through the more industrial area of Ventura (also quite cool) and take Highway 33 up to Ojai. Along the way, we pass through Casitas Springs ... proud that Johnny Cash was once a resident.
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Although there is a good shoulder, Highway 33 gets busy, so we were glad to reach the Creek Road cutoff. What a sweet road this is. Quiet and shaded by lots of trees. We typically run through here just before sunset, and the light is great.


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In years past, from here we head through Ojai and up over Casitas Pass, but this year, there were problems getting permits through Carpinteria, so the route headed up to the top of the Dennison Grade and back. I have been down this grade oodles of times, but never climbed it from this side. The climb was actually pretty nice with some great views.

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The problem is, we were heading out of town and the light was waning. By the time we got back to Ojai (after a really fun descent, BTW), it was dark and getting colder by the minute.

Leaving Ojai, you head into a broad plain, and then head up to Casitas Pass. It's actually a beautiful ride, but oy, did it get cold. Low 40s is about the limit with what I was wearing, so I found myself looking forward to each hill to warm up. The summit is a false summit, but I was grateful for it, because it meant a little more climbing before heading back to the coast at Rincon.

We rode along the bike path and frontage roads, avoiding the 101, all the way to Ventura, and at a pretty good clip. Again, to stay warm. Here in Ventura again, one of my favorite rest stops ... Tony's Pizzaria!

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Tony's is a favorite from my surfing days at nearby "C Street." You can get good NY style pizza by the slice here. It used to be a funky little stand, but when the veteran that opened it decades ago passed away, his children decided to keep it going. And boy, have they. We had a couple of slices of pineapple and ham pizza.

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The route from here is along Harbor Blvd. I'm not fond of this road too much. It has a wide shoulder, but it is often littered with debris, and it gets a lot of traffic. But this time, it was clear! They appear to have resurfaced it, and we made really quick work riding through here.

About 5 miles or so before the end, my Exposure Diablo light started blinking off. Uh oh. I have had this light for years, and pretty much only use it on long rides. It has lasted nearly 24 hours in previous usages, so I was surprised to see it go so soon (only 5 hours or so). I turned my Cygolite (always on in the flashing mode) to a steady mode and hoped that would last for the remainder of the ride. Fortunately, it did!

NB: The reason the Exposure Light didn't last as long as expected is that it had run completely out of power and had reset itself to a mode in which the light is brighter but lasts less time. Now fixed.

We finished at 8:30 or so, had something HOT to drink and called it an evening. Friends has offered us a hotel room and we wisely took it. I had a little snack for breakfast the next day. lol

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Amazing. :thumb::thumb:. Always appreciate the pics and write-up. Oh, to be 50's again.




BTW, Winter is just starting and already a bit jealous for SCal weather. Or at least more Sun. :o

What a wonderful write up and fabulous pics to help paint the story! Chapeau.

Thanks for posting -- brings back memories of the midsummer 1972 LAW double century I did -- at 12 hrs, 18 mins, my one athletic accomplishment in life. :)
As you know, the northern part of my ride overlapped much of the southern part of yours.

You have the best adventures and really appreciate your sharing. It’s just hard to imagine having a double this time of year with so few hours of daylight. Maybe that’s the purpose? And good on you and your friend for doing such incredible mileage.

Nice. I did the low land version in 2019 and it was my first double century. I don't remember some of the landmarks, especially Tony's Pizza. :-( I was planning on the high land version as part of getting my triple crown the following year but Covid hit. After that, I kept on getting injured and growing fat. I'm on a two-year rebuild for an attempt in 2026. If everything goes well I might try the high next June but really shooting for the Beach City Double in September. I plan to include the high in my 2026 attempt and will try to look up the spots in your photos.

Thanks! But I’m well over my 50s, and I miss ‘em too.

Those are all good choices for first DCs. Amd you’re right … the routes for the Grand Tour and the Dead of Winter DCs are very similar. I like to do both because they are essentially in my back yard.

Ahhhh, to be 60s again. ;) :roflmao2: