benweir.com

This was my first death ride. I finished all five passes and overall it was not as bad I thought it might be. Part of the reason for this, I'm sure, was the superb weather. I mean 64 degrees when I started at 5:00am? For the whole ride I didn't need any layers other than my short sleeved jersey and arm warmers. It was ridiculous how perfect the weather was.

I got down before the rain. This is a good one sentence summary of the ride as I feel like I was out in front of most hazards both weather and people alike.

My girlfriend Susanne was volunteering at Ebbetts pass and had to drive up there before the road closure. She dropped me off at the start and I joined the long line of other bikes that were also starting a half hour before the official start. It was my first time starting an organized ride in the dark and all the blinking lights were a little disorienting but fun nonetheless. There were a number of riders without headlights or taillights which seemed really foolish. Maybe a higher number this year since there was no gear drop-off? On that first downhill out of Turtle Rock I almost ran down a rider who was creeping along in the car lane in complete darkness

So not only was this my first time doing the death ride but I also didn't really study the route map or elevation profiles. I didn't know where any of the turns would be or how steep each climb was or the elevations of any of the passes. In retrospect I think this worked in my favor as it forced me into a sustainable pace on the uphills. Too often I let my pace creep up and up as I get closer to the top of a climb and so when I finally reach the top I'm spent. Not the case on Saturday.

The first climb was Monitor and I settled into a nice easy rhythm. It began to get light out shortly after starting this hill and so off went the lights. It must have been the sense of peace and calmness brought on by riding a bike through the beautiful Sierras at sunrise but for a minute I could almost see the logic of those riders who had gone lightless. Why bring lights for a whopping half hour of a 10 hour ride?

Other than the superb scenery, the other thing that stands out most from this first climb was the number of people passing me that sounded like the big bad wolf - huffing and puffing and blowing the house down. Maybe they were one pass riders? I don't think it's possible to finish much more than that at the level of exertion these folks were at.

I got to the top and got my first sticker and headed down the other side without stopping. Normally I'm on the faster side when it comes to descending but I was exercising my self-restraint mightily. I didn't want to be "that guy" who is recklessly passing and almost causing crashes. And so I ended up being on the brakes for about half of the way down as I was too leery of passing. But then another rider passed me and it looked so easy! And fun! And thus passing became okay in my mind and I passed people the rest of the way down which made for a much more satisfying ride.

At the bottom I stopped for a quick nature break and got back on the road without even filling my bottles. For this climb, I found another rider who was going my pace and shamelessly followed him pretty much all the way to the top. Thanks #2110! It sure made it easier to keep a steady pace and each time I was tempted to dial up the intensity (even for just a little bit) I would force myself to stay behind this guy.

Back at the top I filled up the water bottles and ate a couple small snacks and then got back on the road as quickly as I reasonably could. This became a theme throughout the ride of stopping at about every other stop and then making a conscious effort to not linger. Coming back down Monitor the second time was all about tucking into the most aero position I could and flying. What a great descent!

The next climb was Ebbetts and I had a special motivation - Susanne was at the top I don't remember much specific about this climb other than I felt really strong at the top. My legs felt like machines - no physical sensations really. No pain, no achiness, not even any effort. Just propelling me steadily along. Also I think some other riders were faltering near the top because in the last half mile of the climb I began passing people at a much higher rate.

At the top I was treated to a sticker on the jersey and evidently a squeeze on the ***** by my favorite volunteer and then I went over and down the other side. Another thrilling descent, possibly my favorite of the day. It was twisty enough and I was early enough to beat the crowds. A sag motorcycle passed me and I followed it all the way down In fact this descent was so thrilling that when I got to the bottom my sunscreen bottle was nowhere to be found (it had started out in a jersey pocket).

Fortunately the ride provided sunscreen and I slathered some on at the bottom and stripped my arm warmers for the first time. The climb back up was when the first twinges of fatigues set in. I noticed another rider pacing off me for a good chunk of this climb and felt good that I could pass on the favor after following #2110 up Monitor.

Coming back through Ebbetts the second time it was a zoo with bikes stopped in both lanes of the road. I stopped long enough for a smooch and to drop off my headlight with Susanne and then headed down toward lunch. At this point in the ride I was getting sick of clif bars, gels, blocks, and cytomax. I didn't feel hungry but knew I had to keep the calories coming in and so I was vaguely worried about having to force food down the rest of the day without any appetite.

Coming down the front side of Ebbetts I was a little shocked at how many riders were working their way up. I hadn't realized until this point that I was out toward the front of most people. I was glad to have started when I did and thus not having to deal as much with riding amidst a mass of riders of wildly varying paces.

At the lunch stop I ate some real food even though I wasn't initially hungry. It really hit the spot like it always does. I had a veggie wrap, a ham wrap, one of each kind of cookie, some pretzels and potato chips, and a can each of Coke and V8. Normally I really don't like V8. Actually I didn't like it on Saturday either but I was thirsty for something that was not cytomax or water and that wasn't carbonated. So I drank it quickly and tried to not pay too much attention to the taste.

After lunch, I hit the road and found myself all alone on the flat stretch back into Markleeville. Not for long. One guy passed me and I grabbed his wheel. We picked up a third rider. I kept waiting for and guy #1 to rotate off and let the other two of us take a pull but he never did. He stayed at the front for a few miles until we caught another bunch of about 20.

Our large group rode through Markleeville together and I felt like I was in a parade! People were lining both sides of the street and cheering us on and ringing cowbells. There were a bunch of guys playing drums. It felt good.

So after lunch, I didn't stop again until halfway up Carson. I had no car parked near Turtle Rock and then at the base of the Carson climb I skipped that rest stop since I had sufficient water and calories on me already. This final climb was the hardest and least satisfying of any of them. Lots of cars, headwind, late in the ride. I was riding solo and passed a rider or two but not really any groups. Then one guy passed me seemingly effortlessly and at 2-3mph faster than me. I couldn't help but say something like "nice work" as he went by.

I did stop at the rest area halfway up and got a few snacks and topped off the water bottles and then hit the road as quickly as I could. It was surprising how much better I felt after just a few minutes of rest although that extra energy didn't last long

The rest of the climb to the top just went on and on. Only nine miles to the top they had told me encouragingly at the rest stop! And it had sounded so easy at the time. Not even double digits! Anyway it sure seemed longer than that. The last mile or so to the top is totally exposed and with fierce headwinds. Tough.

About 200 feet from the summit, I had the closest thing to a crash of the day. The two riders in front of me slowed unexpectedly and I crossed wheels and then started losing my balance. I didn't want to take out someone else and luckily I got my left foot unclipped and down on the ground. So I narrowly avoided hitting their wheel and also I avoided a solo tip-over.

At the final rest stop they sure treated us like royalty with much cheering and congratulations. I ate my chocolate ice cream bar, signed the poster, and got my first ice water of the day - so much better than warm water. At this stop I even allowed myself to sit down on a chair for a few minutes and let me tell you that felt GOOD!

That last descent was exhilarating. Even in the flattish sections there were tailwinds and I barely got out of my 50x11 the whole way down. I did have to hit the brakes hard once as there was a cyclist in front of me going down the hill at like 20mph with a car stuck behind him. But the car passed soon enough so no big deal.

After the ride I saw Donald and we hung out for about an hour waiting for more familiar faces to show up. Susanne got back and we ran into Ramon while eating dinner but I didn't see any other BFers (well I did see Georges the day before at the campground).

Today the sorest part of me BY FAR is my neck. Too much time in an aero position on those descents I guess. Knees are mildly achy but the ibuprofen really kept things in check there. Legs are tired but not sore. My core muscles around the abs and torso are a little sore.

My total time on the course was 10 hours 40 minutes. I don't know how much of that is moving time but I'm fairly sure it was under 10 hours for whatever that's worth.