WhiteCarbonDude

Chuck Bramwell leads this ride. I am posting this for him.

Saturday, March 22, 7:30 A.M.
About 105 Miles with about 11,000 to 13,000 Feet of Climbing

Many options to do less

There’s only 4 weeks to the Mulholland Challenge so NOW is the time to get our climbing legs kicked into shape!!

Tony Rodriguez has designed a major adventure for us this Saturday!! The Tour of Two Saddles will take us up to Dawson Saddle and then for the ultimate test to Cow Canyon Saddle.

Let me know if you are coming by replying to this post. Note that this is a ride where you can easily climb as much as you like then head for home!! If there isn't enough interest in this ride, I may cancel it by announcing the cancellation on this e-mail list on Friday.

This Century is not recommended for first time century riders. Tony is estimating 11,000 to 13,000 feet of climbing.

We’ll start in Glendora at Starbucks across the street from the McDonalds which is Water Stop 2 on the Mount Baldy Century which is at 1832 E Rte 66, Glendora, CA 91740 and shown at
https://tinyurl.com/2ugbkx
We’ll first climb up Glendora Mountain Road for 9 miles, then descend down East Fork for 5 Miles to Camp Williams for the first Stop.
WARNING: Bring a Camelback or an extra bottle and fill them since there is no water after Camp Williams all the way to Dawson Saddle and back.

From Camp Williams, we’ll go 5 more miles on East Fork Road to Highway 39 / N. San Gabriel Canyon Road where we’ll turn right and climb up about 15 miles to Crystal Lake and beyond … all the way up to Highway 2 / Angeles Crest Highway. I’ve never been up there but “Vertical Tony” Rodriguez says it’s possible to ride all the way up 15 miles to Highway 2 / Angeles Crest Highway. And he said it’s beautiful up there.

We’ll then turn right on Highway 2 / Angeles Crest Highway and climb 5-6 miles to Dawson Saddle which is the highest point on the Angeles Crest Highway as described at

https://tchester.org/sgm/places/dawson_saddle.html

How cold will it be at Dawson Saddle? Weather.com doesn’t show Dawson Saddle but it does show Wrightwood at

https://www.weather.com/outlook/recre...m=search_10day

to be 36 – 59 Degrees this Saturday with only 10% chance of rain. Wrightwood is at 5930 Feet. Dawson Saddle is at 7901 or 2000 feet more … Ken Bartholic’s rule of thumb is 3 degrees of temperature drop for every 1000 feet of gain so temps will be 6 degrees colder at Dawson Saddle than at Wrightwood or in other words, like a high of 53 degrees but with the wind chill it will probably be in the 40’s.

We’ll then descend back down Highway 2 / Angeles Crest Highway for 5-6 miles then left on Highway 39 / N. San Gabriel Canyon Road and descend about 15 miles all the way back to East Fork Road. We’ll then turn onto East Fork Road for 5 miles to Camp Williams for Water Stop 2 then climb 5 miles up to Glendora Mountain Road. At this point, we could fly down Glendora Mountain Road and head for home … or for more miles and more climbing, we could go up Glendora Ridge Road for 11 miles to Water Stop 3 at the Mount Baldy Fire Station then head back down Glendora Ridge Road for 11 miles and Glendora Mountain Road for 9 miles.

Weather wise, this ride has a very short window because once it gets hot the climb up Highway 39 / N. San Gabriel Canyon can be a real barbecue.

I’ll finalize the route with a route sheet and send it out on the list tomorrow.

You should bring your riding buddy along with you so you can stick together. We will stop at the Regroup points only for a few minutes.

See you Saturday!!

merider1

Too tough for my blood but looks like an amazing training ride, Jon.

voltman

Oof.

WhiteCarbonDude

You mean, Out!

vertical bob

WARNING: Bring a Camelback or an extra bottle and fill them since there is no water after Camp Williams all the way to Dawson Saddle and back.

I know several people who drink the water running out of the springs in the area of the tight switchbacks. The three cyclist we ran in to a couple of weeks ago and a local resident I have made friends with who owns one of the burned out cabins you pass in the same area. This is not the streams that you pass lower but the springs coming right out of the rock. I've not tried drinking that water yet but will probably imbibe this summer.

big john

Hey Bob, isn't the road blocked by a massive rock slide?
This sounds harder than the MC.

WhiteCarbonDude

I sure hope not.

I'll let you know.

WhiteCarbonDude

Hi,

The Tour of Two Saddles Century has been upgrade to The Tour of Three Saddles Century with the recent discovery of Islip Saddle … don’t worry, this doesn’t change the route plan or amount of climbing … Islip Saddle is at the top of Highway 39.

Note: The ride start has been moved to a different Starbuck’s at 459 W. Foothill Blvd in Glendora with a big parking area with easy access to and from N. Grand Ave. See

https://tinyurl.com/2rcyne
Please send me an e-mail letting me know that you understand that this ride starts at this new location so we don’t have anyone starting at the wrong Starbucks.

The route sheet is at

https://www.CalTripleCrown.com/Centur...lesCentury.xls

I’d appreciate it if someone could check it out and let me know if you see any errors. This will be the first time I’ve ridden all of these roads together. Note that there are 3 options on this route in case you’re out of gas.

Required: Camelbak and Two Water Bottles because there is no water for 53 Miles from Camp Williams up Highway 39 to 2 to Dawson Saddle and back to Camp Williams.

Required: Winter clothes for descent. The forecast for Wrightwood at Noon is 55 Degrees at

https://www.weather.com/outlook/recre...ur=1&begDay=82

but note that the wind will be WNW at 20MPH at 1:00 … and Dawson saddle will be 6 degrees colder than Wrightwood. So the wind chill could make this a cold descent down Highways 2 and 39.

The Tour of Three Saddles Century is On with the following registered riders:


IN:
Anny Beck
Chuck Bramwell
“March Madness Man” Dan Crain
Paul D’Aquanni
“Burrito Bob” Davidson
Scott Davis
Kerin Huber
Alan “Paolo Bettini” Ptak
Troy “Floyd” Raffelson
“Vertical Tony” Rodriguez
Jon Shellenbarger
Bruce Taylor

vertical bob

Oh man I wish I was doin this with you guys but I'm commited to riding on the other side of the mountain. You will love it up there.

WhiteCarbonDude

Someone could have told me there was SNOW on AC! A mile up from the gate towards Dawson Saddle the road is entirely covered what looks like 3 feet of snow all the way up the mountain. I had a good day in the saddle riding with Bob Davidson all day.

Stats:

vertical bob

So I take it that hwy 39 is passable again up to AC? What did you think of that climb, pretty awesome eh? I'm thinking of doing that next week. We are going to test the water from the springs. Laura the science teacher has the tests.

WhiteCarbonDude

Yup, Hwy 39 is clear. There are still plenty of rocks on the road you have to dodge on the way down but nothing that bad.

What I thought of the climb?... GREAT! It was definitly one of my favorite climbs. The water was tempting to drink but I didn't want to stop. I did Camp Williams to Hwy2 and back on 2 watter bottles. Let me know how the water tests come out.

Rick@OCRR

Hi Jon,

Good to see you on the mountain yesterday. Never did see any of the others on your ride!

Guess you didn't catch Chuck Chen either . . . he said maybe he saw you and you blasted down past Boulder Springs.

We rode GMR plus the Ski Lifts (still snow on the side of the road, but not on the pavement), then added Little GMR to complete out day.

Rick / OCRR

WhiteCarbonDude

Hey Rick,

This is what it looked like up on AC.


More Photos by Chuck Bramwell

Shprung

^ WOW!

I assume you and your bodies will do the double this coming weekend. If not, I would like to do another epic climbing day. I am going to test-ride an Orbea Orca so I want some miles. It not coming with a compact so it will be even more of a tranning...

WhiteCarbonDude

I don't know about my bodies(I only have one you know), but my buddies will be doing Solvang. We will be shooting for a sub 10 hour double, totally possible on the Solvang Double.

Rick@OCRR

Have a great double Jon ,

I'll be shooting for a sub 15 Hour double, totally possible for me . Even when I was young, and riding doubles in way flat IL, I only had one under 12 hour! How you can do it under 10 . . . I don't know, it's just amazing to me.

Rick / OCRR

Shprung

sub 10 hours - that beyond reality.
If I am not wrong, the pro in the tour of california were avg 22 mile per hour and did only 110miles; you 'want' to do better than 20 mph in 200miles

vertical bob

I'm thinking of climbing 39 this Saturday as far as the snow allows. Probably meet at Encanto 8am

merider1

That was a Shprungism. I love that he does that. It cracks me up.

Shai, I tease in kind!

Shprung

Everyone add something to the forum, some knows Photoshop to the max, some can find photo for everything and anything and post it, some can piss off everyone, I just have 'my english'...

I got the "you don't ride this Saturday.. do you?" from the wife because we are going to start celebrating her 40th birthday which fall on the 1st - but because I am getting an Orbea Orca for test ride this weekend, I will try do something bigger than usual on Sunday. Merry, btw are you planning on trying MC?

felt1

I'm doing GMR this weekend. I think I'll try this route, why not. If I need to ask this question maybe I shouldn't try. Question, do you think cell phones work in the middle of those canyons?

WhiteCarbonDude

^^..NO cell reception.

felt1

Mtnmn said he would do it with me. So we are in. This way I'll give it a shot without worrying about other people worrying.

mtnmn

Wow, I didn't know we were going public with this.