who's riding in the Death Ride?
- Thread starter pnj
- Start date
Hehe, i thought you were talking about paris-roubaix
pnj said:I guess my brother in law is gunna be pedaling on this ride.
pedalPedalPedalPedalPedal...coast...pedalpedalPedalPedal...coast...Pedalpedal...
sounds boring to me.neaky:
any monkeys doing this ride?
Bwahahaha, The history teacher at my school did it last year, and will most likely do it this year
Beginning and ending at Turtle Rock Park north of Markleeville, California, the five pass ride includes 129 miles and 15,000 feet of lung busting climbing. You also have the option of riding one, two, three or four passes. For your safety, the first four passes will be closed to vehicular traffic for the ride. Please see the Course page for
more info.
Five pass finishers will receive a five-pass pin and be eligible to purchase an exclusive five-pass finisher jersey.
www.deathride.com
more info.
Five pass finishers will receive a five-pass pin and be eligible to purchase an exclusive five-pass finisher jersey.
www.deathride.com
Yeah I live in Cali... and I've done the Death Ride 3x. Hope you boys like 55 mph descents with a bunch of ppl passing you while you pray you don't blow out on a cow grate (like I did coming down Monitor Pass). I've given up on the Death Ride cos it's such a zoo. Sure the road is closed on the first three passes but I just don't like descending enuf in a crowd to go off and do this ride anymore. If you really want a challenge consider The Terrible Two (hardest ride in the country perhaps?) and/or the Climb to Kaiser. Both rides only get about 200 riders (compared to the lottery controlled 3000 on the Death Ride) and the rides are more challenging than Markleeville. On the other hand, every endurance cyclist needs to do the Death Ride at least once if for nothing else the view coming down Monitor or the feeling coming down Carson pass at the end of the (long ass) day.
any kin to the South Texas Death Ride?
real audio
wav
Take a look in my mind and justify
Hell, I might even sympathize
But why must you **** with these things
In my head for so long that I feel I could break
Never forget your lies
Hypocrisize
Five million might change your mind
But why must you **** with these things
In my head for so long that I feel I could break
So c'mon c'mon c'mon get up get up
South Texas deathride you mother****
So c'mon c'mon c'mon get up get up
South Texas man I'm livin' it up
So what if I was your guide
South Texas deathride
Like I said I might sympathize
But why must you **** with these things I believe
Man it's guilt by association
union underground
real audio
wav
Take a look in my mind and justify
Hell, I might even sympathize
But why must you **** with these things
In my head for so long that I feel I could break
Never forget your lies
Hypocrisize
Five million might change your mind
But why must you **** with these things
In my head for so long that I feel I could break
So c'mon c'mon c'mon get up get up
South Texas deathride you mother****
So c'mon c'mon c'mon get up get up
South Texas man I'm livin' it up
So what if I was your guide
South Texas deathride
Like I said I might sympathize
But why must you **** with these things I believe
Man it's guilt by association
union underground
LordOpie said:
Double century.
Although the route has varied in small ways over the years, its defining features have always been its four big climbs (and the steep, twisting descents that follow): Trinity Grade, the Geysers, Skaggs Springs, and Fort Ross. Numerous smaller but pesky hills add to the overall challenge. Trinity, the Geysers, and Fort Ross are all double-summit climbs, while Skaggs Springs is a long series of climbs and descents, including a tough new climb introduced with the 1995 route change. Few gradients on the course exceed 15%, but many climbs stay in the 8-12% range for long distances.
The ride starts and ends on the west side of Santa Rosa at Willowside School, a pleasant facility with parking, rest rooms, showers, and picnic tables set under old oaks. The course heads east into and through Santa Rosa and its suburbs for ten miles. (After the mass start, a sag vehicle will lead the riders through town, tripping all the traffic lights ahead of the group. This is a good opportunity to warm up without immediately going into hammer mode.) At ten miles, the route becomes rural, with the first rolling climb out of Bennett Valley. The first major ascent (at 24 miles) is Trinity Grade, a feature of the old Coors Classic stage race. The descent off the back side of Trinity often surprises over-eager riders: it's steep, twisty, and sometimes wet with dew in the morning. A second, shorter climb leads to the top of Oakville Grade and the wide open, 50-mph downhill into Napa Valley.
The next forty miles (32-72) roll easily through the picturesque vineyards and meadows of Napa, Knights, and Alexander Valleys, with only a few moderate hills. The first rest stop is in central Calistoga (mile 51). Serious climbing begins again at Geysers Road, with the next rest stop at the top of the nine mile, twin-summit climb (mile 81). The descent off the backside of Geysers begins with an extremely steep drop of about one mile.
Following a hard left turn, it settles into seven miles of gradual downhill into Sulfur Creek Canyon, then several miles of small climbs and longer descents along the canyon. This is an active geothermal area, with steep, unstable terrain. The road is often washed out or in some state of disrepair. There are several sheer drop-offs into the canyon, with no guard rails. Caution is advised. After passing through Cloverdale, a short climb on Dutcher Creek and a descent into Dry Creek Valley lead into the midway lunch stop at the Warm Springs Dam Visitor Center (mile 109).
After lunch is when the Terrible Two gets truly terrible. The first half of the TT climbs 7500' in 109 miles. The second half climbs nearly 9000' in 91 miles, 5000' of it in the first 30 miles after lunch. It often takes riders up to three hours longer to complete the second century...if they finish it at all. Skaggs Springs-the road the Army Corps of Engineers built to bypass Lake Sonoma in 1981-is an endless series of steep, sun-baked climbs and false summits. It can be very hot (90°-110°). There will be at least one informal water stop along this stretch. Eventually, the old road emerges from under the lake and the course returns to pavement from an earlier age...bumpier, but also shadier. After 15 miles of steep ups and downs, riders can recuperate on 12 mellow miles of downhills and rollers along the beautiful Gualala River.
There is a rest stop at Camp Gualala (mile 137). After the stop, the route continues on the same road all the way to Stewarts Point at the coast. This is the new section introduced in '95, eliminating the Annapolis loop, and accounting for the reduction in overall mileage from 211 to 200. There are two climbs on the new section: a wicked, 1.7 mile, 900' wall, followed by a steep, technical descent, an easier 300' climb, and another tricky drop to the sea. At Stewarts Point, the route turns south along the ocean on Hwy 1.
(Note: for 2005, to commemorate our 30th Anniversary, we are reprising out traditional 211-mile course--not used since 1994. The net gain of 11 miles comes from turning right on Annapolis Road after the Camp Gualala rest stop and heading north to Sea Ranch, then down the coast to rejoin the regular route at Stewarts Point. While this route avoids the steep Rancheria wall, it is by no means flat. Several substantial climbs make this section quite challenging. Expect the extra 11 miles to add approximately 45 minutes to your time.)
Temperatures are usually much cooler here and sometimes one can even catch a tailwind while cruising for 15 miles alongside the rugged beaches and pounding surf. Although this Hwy 1 section is considered easy, it actually adds nearly 1000' of climb to the total before reaching the next rest stop at Fort Ross (mile 172). It also features the heaviest traffic of the day.
The climb on Ft. Ross Road is 2.6 miles, averages 11%, and feels even steeper. Some riders find it to be the hardest climb of the whole ride. However, most of it is shady and all of it is beautiful. It's followed by a bumpy, narrow descent, a more gradual climb up to Black Mountain, and a long, technical descent into Cazadero. A flat, shady run along Austin Creek and the Russian River leads to the last rest stop in Monte Rio (mile 194). After that, the road climbs gradually for seven miles, just skirting Occidental, before a long, smooth, fast downhill. Two small hills entering and leaving the village of Graton complete the climbing at mile 206, and then it's all downhill and level to the finish at Willowside School.
Except for the transit of Santa Rosa at the start, the entire course is rural and very scenic: vineyards, orchards, pastures, oak-studded meadows, shady forests of redwood, bay, and madrone, the spectacular coastline, wild rivers, lakes, and streams, and always the sweeping panoramas from the summits of all those climbs. It's enough to make you forget how hard it is!
The ride will be held, rain or shine. (Yes, it has rained on the TT, although very rarely.) Temperatures can range from 50 in the morning to 100+ in the afternoon on some of the inland portions. It will cool down again as riders reach the coast and encounter fog or its influence. The wind can be a factor, but is not usually a major player in this hilly terrain.
Good grief! It sounds like a nice drive. Man, if I spend that much time in the saddle, it'd be like having prison sex!
Pau11y said:
Ewwwww.....
TT sounds awesome. Granted, you're covering a lot of distance and gain, but "...5000' of it in the first 30 miles after lunch" doesn't seem that bad. Unless I'm missing something. I've done rides here that cover that distance in less than 20 miles... and I'm a big fat wuss. I guess the simple fact that you've already done a century at that point.
"...a feature of the old Coors Classic stage race."
-- I think a goal of mine will be to ride every stage. Especially since some of 'em are in easy driving distance from me anyway.
"...a feature of the old Coors Classic stage race."
-- I think a goal of mine will be to ride every stage. Especially since some of 'em are in easy driving distance from me anyway.
Op, what they don't tell you is that that road which heads west out to the ocean and Hiway 1 is essentially an old logging road with many many sections in the 20+% range. The hills keep coming at you incessantly for those 30 miles. I've done the ride twice and the second time I really didn't have the form to do the ride rightgeously and suffered like I've never suffered on the bike. The other thing that typically happens is that the temperature goes up into the 3 digit range by the time you hit that area. To put it plainly, the ride is just sick. So when are we doing it? We could tell "3 jewish guys walk into a bar" jokes to each other along the way.LordOpie said:
