Conference noted::bicycle

2353.0. "Death Ride 1992" by TPFLOW::ALVIDREZ () Tue Jul 14 1992 16:22

Bad weather for the 1992 Death Ride cut the ride short for a lot of folks
including myself.  Its too bad because it started out as a very nice day.

The Death Ride takes place in Markleeville, just south of Lake Tahoe.
It features a ride up five mountain passes, 128 miles in length and over 
15000 feet of climbing.  It accomodates only 2500 riders; many got turned away
this year.

I brought my Death Ride gears, 13-15-17-19-21-23-26 and a 52-39 combo
in front.  I was ready to to all five passes and was eager to get an
early start (I only managed four passes last year because I started
too late).

The ride organizers suggested an early start of between 6 to 7 AM for 
riders doing the full five-pass option.  I hit the road at 6:01 AM and
noticed there were a few hundred riders in front of me.  The roads
accomodate all the riders since they close the roads for the first
two passes until noon and the third pass is closed until 3:00 in the
afternoon.  The mountains are filled with nothing with bikes!  At 
the start, temperatures are cool with just a few patchy clouds over
the mountains.

The ride begins at a county park at elevation 6000 feet and descends
500 feet into Markleeville.  For the morning descent, I brought my
warmies and a windbreaker and was very comfortable.  The course then
winds its way to the base of Monitor Pass, the first climb.  While
half the riders stop to take off clothes for the climb, I manage to
continue climbing while removing my windbreaker and warmies, revealing
my nice, full-zip Motorola jersey.  I pretend I'm Andy Hampsten and
start reeling in riders going up the top, but before ascending the
weather starts to turn cloudy and the morning riders are greeting with
some early morning sprinkles.  Nearly everyone around me turns and
looks at each other with an "uh-oh" expression.  Luckily, the sprinkles 
don't last that long, and I make it up the first climb at 8300 feet,
no problems.  But its colder at the top, and you can see the dark clouds
forming around the other mountains.  I stop to grab some fig bars and Cytomax,
whip on my warmies and windbreaker, and I'm on my way to the bottom of 
the other side.  Before descending, a course monitor says, "Its wet on
the other side."  Oh great, I'm thinking, this will really slow me up.
Actually, the other side turned out to be dry as a bone, but I took it
real easy anyway.  I make it to the bottom of the other side and I'm at
5000 feet again.

The second pass ride just goes up what I just came down.  I take off
my windbreaker and warmies, point my bicycle the other way, and start 
climbing.  I climb for about a mile when I'm caught by a rider from our 
swim club (Bryan) and I ride with him up to the top.  For some reason, 
the climb up the backside is harder.  As I get closer to the top, I see
more and more clouds form, and they look darker.  I make it back up to the
8300 foot elevation and put all my clothes back on as the wind starts 
whipping up.  I stay at the rest stop longer for some more food and
tell Bryan to go on without me.  Some folks at the top are shivering,
it seems a lot of riders were fooled by the weather and brought only
jerseys and shorts, in fact there were some riding in skimpy tank-tops.
Brrrrr.

Its a coolish ride down to the bottom but I manage OK, the roads are still
dry.  At the bottom, I ask a communications worker about conditions at the
next pass, Ebbitts, the hardest climb at 8700 feet.  He says "Light rain
and some wind".  Hmmm, I can handle that, maybe that will be the worst of
it.  NOT!  

The first part of the climb up Ebbitts is gradual and easy.  But halfway up
the mountain there are some pretty steep stretches and some out-of-the-saddle
switchbacks.  At this point it starts to drizzle pretty good and the road
gets wet.   Then, light rain starts to fall.  I make it to the top and
decide that I didn't really need any more water or food, so I point my bike
in the opposite direction and head right back down, gingerly.  On the way 
down, I spot my wife coming up, so I turn around and ride with her for a little
while, giving her encouragement.  She says she has had drizzle and rain
all the way from the bottom of Ebbitts and sounds like she's having a
miserable ride.  I tell her she's doing a great job and head on down.
At the bottom of Ebbitts, the road flattens out, then climbs out of
Markleeville to the county park and then on to lunch at the 80 mile
mark.  I get hit with only minor sprinkles.

At the lunch stop inside a school gym, there is an announcement that a lot 
of riders are bagging the whole thing because of the weather, and the 
announcer asks how many are still determined to go the distance.  I proudly 
raise my hand along with half the crowd.  The announcer asks how many are 
quitting at this point.  A lot of clapping and cheering result.  I ask another
communications worker how things are going, she says that they are
treating quite a few riders for hypothermia.

After lunch, I wait outside a little longer for the weather to clear, but 
the clouds get darker and darker.  It starts to rain at the lunch stop.
Well, I think, might as well get it over with, I've only got another
50 miles to go.  I hear thunder in the distance.

The course takes you around a desert-like valley before hitting the main
road up Woodfords Canyon for the last two passes.  I hear some loud thunder
coming from the top of the canyon at I start riding up.  A minute later, I 
pass a guy parked in a communications car who gives me a grim look and says 
"Hard rain and wind!" as I pedal past.   A moment later, I pedal past some 
firemen in the fire station and they start clapping and whistling "ALLRIGHT! 
GOOD JOB!!"  Man, this is like a bad Disneyland ride.

It starts raining pretty good midway up the Canyon.  The next thing I know,
I see John Walker and Rich Washington coming DOWN the road; the two just
set out a few minutes before me at lunch.  "Turning around" is all I heard
from them as they go screaming past.  I put my head down and continue the climb,
my windbreaker was useless, I'm all wet, but I make it to the top of Picketts
Junction feeling GREAT and not particularly cold.

At this point, I've ridden 96 miles and was ready to turn right onto highway
89 and the 3 mile ascent up Luther Pass at 7700 feet when the announcement 
comes over the CHP loudspeaker, "The event has just been cancelled, please 
ride back to the start."  A volunteer tells me the ride is being cancelled
because there is not enough support crew to handle all the cases of 
hypothermia at the top of Luther and Carson Pass (the 5th and last pass at
8500 feet).  In fact, they had to rescue 250 riders by shuttling buses to 
those areas; riders just left their bikes at the top.  Another volunteer tells 
me that it was hailing at the top of Luther Pass close to where the lighting 
hit.

A rider next to me says that he came out from Florida just to do the ride.  
A volunteer says that five-pin passes are being passed out to anyone who wants 
them.  Doesn't sound right to me.

Well, I didn't stay too long at Picketts Junction and headed back disappointed.
I'm wet and sweaty and start to get cold going down a rainy Woodfords Canyon.
I start to shiver as I try to pedal and brake at the same time, thinking that
the ride organizers did me a real favor by stopping the ride.  The wind whips 
up pretty good going down, but I manage to roll back to the start dripping 
and shaking with only 106 miles on my Avocet and just three passes plus half 
of another.

There's always next year.

AAA

    
    Great report, Artie.  Sounds like you were on track for a good finish,
    too.  I had imagined this was more like a big circuit, rather than a
    star-shaped ride.  I'll go look on the map.
    
    Any special training?  Equipment?  Better luck next year!
    
    -john

John the course looks something like this:

                       .Luther Pass
                       |    7740 feet
                       |
                       |
 Carson Pass.__________|
    8573 feet          \
                        \
                         \Woodfords Canyon
                          \
                           ------------------+
                        |  |                 |
                        |  ----X-------------+
                        v  | lunch   -->
                           |
                           | 
            start/finish   X
             6080 feet     |
                           |
                           |
              Markleeville |
               5501 feet   \         Monitor Pass
                            \         8314 feet
                             \            V
                              ---------------------. (turnaround)
                             /          
                            / 
                           /  
                          /  
                         /
                        /
                       /
                      . Ebbitts Pass
                           8730 feet

As for equipment, I had my stock aluminum Trek 1200, Shimano 105, clipless
pedals, and Flite saddle.  It was OK going up hills, but was useless on the 
descents.  There were riders passing me left and right on nice steel, carbon, 
and Titanium frames.  Maybe next year I'll have better hardware.

Training?  Just 60-75 mile rides every weekend going up and down hills,
and there are GOBS of them here.  Usually rides up and down Skyline
or Mt. Hamilton.  Throw in a few centuries for endurance and you're 
there.

Think you can handle it?

    
    Thanks, Artie.  Nice picture.  Looks like a grueling route!
    
    I'd agree, you'd want a nice stable geometry (maybe geometry
    more important than material) to make some time on the descents,
    especially as you get tired.
    
    >Think you can handle it?
    
    Hmmm... I think I could work up to it. :-)  (Good training regime.)
    
    -john

    I have a friend who does all 5 passes each year and then buys me a
    T-Shirt.  I really liked last year.  She got me a black one with a
    really nice skeleton in neon colors.  I wear them when riding the
    flat areas so folks don't really know how slow I am in the mountains
    (I also use my "King of the hills" pokadot jersey on the flats for the
    same reason).  The T-shirts are good conversation starters like "did
    you do the ride????" "No, my friend did" the conversation then usually
    then ends then with "Oh..." and they then just move on briskly.  I
    thought you might like input from one who does the "No Pass" option.
    
    Mike ;^)

    
    Artie, did Bat/Mike do the ride this year?
    
    -j

No Batdeath this year.  He sent in his entry too late, they returned his check.
I lot of people I know experienced the same thing.