Devil Mountain Double spectator

[Adventure Girl]

Hey, Veronica.

I'd like to come and watch you and cheer for you in the DMD on Saturday. I'll stand on the side of the road and ring my bell like crazy! Do you have any suggestions for good places to watch. And what is your anticipated time you will be at these fine spectator viewing areas?

[maillotpois]

Me too! I already mentioned wanting to go to Pet the Goat (which is how I suckered my daughter into going with me). But I expect you may be at Sierra after dark (? I don't know but I was sure I would be if I did it) and I would rather try to cheer you on earlier on the course.

Any projections would be great!

I find that doing a projection chart with ranges of times based on ranges of mph does help keep me on track. It's interesting to go back then and see how close or how completely off base my projections were! :D

[cindysue]

I'd like to try and show up to Mt. Diablo about the time you'd be there.

Here's what we know:

The course starts at the San Ramon Marriott Hotel.
- Mt. Diablo
- Morgan Territory
- Altamont Raceway
- Patterson Pass Road.
- Mines Road. (a little over 91 miles)
- Mt. Hamilton.
- Crothers Road
- "SIERRA ROAD"!
- Calaveras Reservoir
- town of Sunol, (mile 181).
- Niles Canyon,
- Palomares Canyon.
- Crow Canyon,
- Norris Canyon Road.

- finish at the San Ramon Marriott! That is 205.6 miles and over 20,000 feet (Cateye accuracy) of elevation gain in one day!

[Veronica]

Wow! Thanks you guys. Here's what I think:

The course starts at the San Ramon Marriott Hotel 5 AM start
- Mt. Diablo - 7:30 AM
- Morgan Territory 9:30 - 10:00 AM
- Altamont Raceway 11 - 11:30 AM
- Patterson Pass Road. 12
- Mines Road. (a little over 91 miles) 1 PM
- Mt. Hamilton. 6 PM
- Crothers Road 7:30 PM
- "SIERRA ROAD"! 8:30 PM
- Calaveras Reservoir 9:15 PM
- town of Sunol, (mile 181). 10:00 PM
- Niles Canyon,
- Palomares Canyon.
- Crow Canyon,
- Norris Canyon Road.


I haven't ridden past Sunol, so I can't really give estimates. These times are based on how fast I have ridden these sections in the past. Hopefully I'll be a little faster than this. 18 hours is what I hope for, but realistically I'm thinking more like 19. I'm really going to try to minimize my time at stops.

V.

[aka_kim]

Dude, you're going to make me stay up way past my bedtime to see you come in to "dinner".

BTW, do you have any food/drink requests for the ride or after? (Sorry, I don't think Noah's bagels pre-ride will be doable.)

[Veronica]

Yeah, it's way past my bedtime too. :) I'd do it faster if I could. Frappicinos, pretzels with peanut butter and Espresso Hammer Gel come to mind. Otherwise my eating habits are pretty normal.

V.

Oh and orange soda for after.

[cindysue]

would that be the top or the base of Mt. Diablo at 7:30? I'm wondering if I can drive and meet you at the top of the "wall" but I don't think the gates open until after 8am. ....yeah I know what you all are thinking: "her lazy a$$ should bike up there!" :p

[Veronica]

Summit at 7:30.

V.

[Bike Goddess]

I wonder how they are going to take you on Sierra Road. When we did the Primavera the other day, the sign said it was closed. Anybody know what the conditions up there are?

I get off work at 6:00PM on Saturday. I'd love to come support you as well. I was going to PM you to get Thom's number. Perhaps we could set up some kind of phone tag so we could get an idea of where you are!

I'll print out your ETs.

I'm so excited for you!

[aka_kim]

Sierra Rd does have a road closed sign, and a section of about 100 feet of road is chained off. Most of the damage is to one lane, with about a 20 foot section having collapsed.

[maillotpois]

My understanding is the ride will still go up Sierra. There may be a part where you have to get off and walk, though.

[Veronica]

I've been told I need to take pictures of the road. :p

So, not only am I still getting over my cold (almost gone!) I have another salivary stone. :mad: This is NOT how I envisioned the two weeks before DMD.

V.

[tprevost]

Hey Veronica!

I'm a bit crazy here and keep worrying that time will get away from me and I'll forget to tell you...

Knock 'em dead! Have a safe and wonderful ride - you've worked very hard for this and you're gonna STOMP them thar hills!!! :D

Tracy

[aka_kim]

My understanding is the ride will still go up Sierra. There may be a part where you have to get off and walk, though.What ride? Remember the saying, "the walls have ears"?

[aka_kim]

Veronica, for anyone hoping to spot you along the course and pick you out of the "throng" :rolleyes: - what will you be wearing?

[Veronica]

A pink helmet, Amici Veloci jersey, but I'll probably have a yellow vest over it.

V.

[maillotpois]

Weather's looking good... :) May get warm, though.

Not having trained in anything warm this year - you kind of forget how to ride in it. Be extra careful about hydration and sunscreen. Sometimes I get a bit nauseated in hot weather (the Death Ride barf debacle of 2002) - but be sure you are taking in calories be it through drinks or food. Reapply that sunscreen when you stop. I believe the Quacks had sunscreen available at Knoxville, but bring some in case.

Ice in the helmet and/or sports bra can be nice.

[greenmachine]

Hi Veronica,

I wanna come too! Alas, I'm in So. Cal. and can't be there to cheer you on, but I'll be there in spirit, wishing you a wonderful and safe ride!!

Cheers,
Judy

[Veronica]

I'm glad it's going to be warm - I like warm. I keep looking at the hill profile picture, reminding myself that there are only two climbs I find HARD! on this ride. It's all mental. :D

V.

PS all the other climbs are just hard.

[DirtDiva]

Every time I see the title for this thread, I read it as: Devil Mountain Double Spectacular!!! (Yes, my mind even adds exactly three exclamation marks.) Fitting, but incorrect. :rolleyes:

Good luck V. :)

[Adventure Girl]

Veronica:

I remember at last year's DMD, you and Thom cheered the climbers somewhere along the route. I remember seeing a picture you posted. Where was that taken? Would that be a good place to watch? What time?

Sorry to be a pest!

Edit... Oh... I found the thread. http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=2640It looks like it was Sierra Road. Is that officially not on the course this year?

Edit again... Or was the picture taken on Mines road?

[maillotpois]

Sierra is on the course, but you I believe cannot drive up it the way the riders are riding up because it is closed to cars. I am going to go around whatever the other side of Sierra is to the top of Sierra because my daughter want to see the goat. Then I'll be going up the west side of Hamilton and down Mines - basically backtracking the route.

I'll probably get to Sierra around 4 - 4:30 because that's when the goat (and my friend) get there. Then I'll head over to Hamilton.

[Bike Goddess]

MP- whom else are you supporting on the ride? Give them a cheer from us too!:) :) :)

[maillotpois]

MP- whom else are you supporting on the ride? Give them a cheer from us too!:) :) :)

as of right now, my friends Paul and Ken, both of whom did the 600 k w/ me and are both way more masochistic than I!

[Bike Goddess]

I'll probably miss them due to my late entrance into the spectator gallery, but you never know!

Isn't Robert B doing this ride as well? I'll have to PM him and see. I thought he was using it as a training ride for RAAM.

However, my star so far is Ms Veronica. Am looking forward to this adventure. I'll call you to see what you know if I don't hear from V. tonight re Thom's cell number.

[bikerz]

V - have a wonderful ride!

I'll be thinking of you on my short, flat ride tomorrow! :)

[yellow]

It's all mental.
As long as you don't have pulled pork. :rolleyes:

Have a great ride. I'm sure you'll kick major booty.

[Veronica]

Hey Evil Pulled Pork Day was totally mental!

Nope, I'm scarfing down 2/3 of a box of Annie's mac and cheese. I can't believe how hungry I am all the time. Okay - not right now since I just finished the mac and cheese.

V.

[yellow]

Hey Evil Pulled Pork Day was totally mental!
You turning green was not mental. Or are you like a chameleon?

I miss mac & cheese. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

[SadieKate]

Go, Princess Zippy!!!!

[cindysue]

looks like Kim and I will be waiting for you along Ygnacio (I'm thinking it will be near the top at Clayton Road where you begin to enter Marsh Creek). will have to call kim in morning. see ya there - not sure you will get this before you leave....

[Veronica]

I'll look for you guys - not stopping though.


I'm scarfing my pre ride yogurt. It's going to be a nice day I think. :)

V.

[Jones]

Go Veronica! Have a great ride.

Jones

[SadieKate]

The Sacramento area has a lovely cloudy overcast that looks like it will hang around most of the day. What about the Bay? That would be a miracle after the hot weather we've suddenly had this week.

[Bike Goddess]

I just checked temps for Pleasanton- in the 70's with light winds. Looks like the stronger winds won't kick in until later this afternoon- Hopefully V will be on the way to Hamilton by then which is a bit more sheltered than the valley area.

Looking forward to updates during the day. I'll be calling Tom around 7:00 this evening to see where best I should go to cheer her on.

[cindysue]

it's cruddy here in Walnut Creek - but Veronica looked great when I saw her at 8:45. I basically drove around until I found her on Pine Hollow Road. She had apparently left her water bottles at home (see 3rd photo of the evian bottle). Unfortunately, I hadn't thought to bring water (gee that's twice now [remember that Dita?]) but I had some clif bloks to get her up Mt. Ham. Thom will be bringing her some waterbottles - probably at Mt. Tam

Here's some pics:

[cindysue]

stopping for a minute

[cindysue]

taking off

[cindysue]

bye bye! (not exactly a creative set of photos but thought I'd share)

[SadieKate]

Thanks, Cindy. Nice to see the smile!

[aka_kim]

Cindy, sorry about the mix-up this morning.

It's windy here right now! Did V say anything about the winds on Diablo? And how is she doing per her schedule? You saw her heading into Clayton at 8:45... that probably puts her at Morgan Territory at about 10? It looks like she was riding alone ... did you see any other riders she might hook up with?

[cindysue]

ahhh, no worries. there were riders before and after but no one that was really that close - and they all looked really strong on the bike - which says a lot about how strong V is as well. And as expected, mostly men but a few women. I also saw a few tandems.

I agree it certainly helps if you have someone to ride with or at least hang behind to help set your pace. It wasn't very windy at the time and I didn't ask about Mt. Diablo. (I'm actually surprised she stopped). But she was in good spirits and in good shape for the upcoming challenges

side note: seeing all those riders out there got me very excited about wine country (even though I'm not ready with it only being 1 week away!). I'm *thinking* about doing the 200K for Marin (??) - should be ready by then....

[Bike Goddess]

Thanks Cindy Sue! She looks great! I'm looking forward to cheering her on later! Thank goodness for cell phones and Thom! At least she didn't forget her shoes! (a friend of mine forgot his last year on the Death Ride and ended up riding the whole ride in sandals! :eek: :eek: :eek:)

[SadieKate]

There are two primary cutoffs.

#1: You must leave the Mines road rest stop by 1:00pm. Anyone later than this will have the option of either being Sagged forward on the course, or back to the start.

#2: All riders must depart the lunch stop (Mile 112) by 4:30pm or they will be sagged to the top of Mt. Hamilton. We will allow you to continue on the course at that point.

Anyone know if V made cutoff #1? I'm assuming she started at 5 am, so she had 8 hrs to get to cutoff #1 but I don't know the mileage.

[Bike Goddess]

Mines Rd to the Junction is about 25 miles. From there to Mt Hamiltion summit is about 14 miles if I recall correctly.

I tried calling Thom- no luck. Also tried calling Sarah- no luck there either.

[Nanci]

Great pics!

Nanci

[SadieKate]

Ah ha! Found it.


Along the way you'll see many cows and a lot of windmills, before coming to rest stop number 3 at Mines Road. At this point, you have covered a little over 91 miles.It looks like cutoff #1 is about 91 miles so she'd have to avg 11.4 mph with huge climbs and no stops .

Ok, we' re on the countdown to cutoff #2. 112 miles in 11.5 hours. Cumulative avg speed of 9.7 with another gonzo climb and still no stops calculated in. I'm holding my breath to hear the news.

[slinkedog]

Has anyone an update? I'm rooting for you, V!

[Trek420]

we were talking about this today on our humble little social recreational ride that V. should come down Niles Canyon at about 11pm? Is that right? :eek: That's a narrow road during the day, hope there's no or little traffic.

Cindysue writes "Unfortunately, I hadn't thought to bring water (gee that's twice now [remember that Dita?])"

ah, you mean the famous
"would you like some water?"
"YES"
"oh, I didn't bring any" ;-)

[SadieKate]

Not much but we do know that V was trekking on earlier this afternoon,

Yeah - I thought maybe I could give email updates, but of course I get out there in the middle of BFE and have no signal whatsoever. and I have no helpful information. I started up mines about 130. Saw my 2 other friends at various points. Saw thom toward the top. He was cheerful - said she had a mechanical issue (rear brakes not working) and was at the back of the pack as she expected. We then went on to see World's Most Amazing Goat. So I know NOTHING. Nancy just called and she's going to the main hotel to see if she can get an update and will call me. We are in Burlingame now.

[Dianyla]

Go, V, Go! :)

[snowbear]

*comes out from lurkdom*
Any news yet? V, you so rock! http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/images/smilies/icon_rock.gif

[Melody]

*Silently cheering for V and waiting for news* :)

Mel

[Veronica]

I'll do a full report later. Felt great until mile 132. I spent the next 3 miles (an hour!) climbing to Windy Gap, feeling hurts everywhere. My feet, back and butt are still sore. I had been without rear brakes since Diablo - yes I did all my descending with front brakes only.

That coupled with how tired I was getting - no longer able to ride in a straight line, made me decide, after debating for an hour as I rode, to call it quits at mile 135, 13370 feet of climbing.

I'm bummed I didn't finish, but it is further on this course than I have gotten before.

Bedtime.

V.

[Jones]

13,370 feet is more climbing than I have done in my life time! Ya done good!
Jones

[SadieKate]

V, can you tell we've all been on pins and needles waiting and waiting for news? I'm anxious to hear your report but want you to know that your commitment to the ride, your training efforts and what you accomplished is tremendous and an inspiration.

[Blueberry]

Well said SK! V, we'd love to hear more once you've recuperated:) Kudos to you for that much climbing (and the training involved in being able to climb that much)! Makes my quads hurt just to hear the number!!!!

[maillotpois]

V, can you tell we've all been on pins and needles waiting and waiting for news? I'm anxious to hear your report but want you to know that your commitment to the ride, your training efforts and what you accomplished is tremendous and an inspiration.
ditto what sk said.

it takes monumental guts to try the hardest double in CA (yes I have confirmed this and can discuss my sources later) in your first year of doing doubles. you have tremendous courage and I am so impressed! and just think, what you did was practically the equivalent of the Death Ride! do something civilized like Tam w/me and get your triple crown jersey to wear at DMD next year!!

you rock!

[jobob]

We're so proud of you, V. ! {{hug}}

I'm curious to hear what happened to your rear brake, that must have been oh-so-not-reassuring :eek:

[cindysue]

I woke up this morning thinking how amazing doing a double century would be. Then add 20000 feet of climbing and I can not even relate. As I was brushing my teeth, I was trying to figure out how long it would take an average rider like me to finish the thing. I remembered SK's calculation of just under 12mph and thought - oh sure that's easy enough for 100 or even 130 miles. But, 200 miles with 20000 feet of climbing. Unbelievable really!

so, as I'm going over all this in my mind, I log on to the forums to see if there is any word.....

sorry to hear but so glad we aren't reading a note from Thom that V flipped over her bike due to a lack of rear brakes. That scared me!

In addition to already completing a double metric with over 13000 feet of climbing, I wonder how the lack of rear brakes worked on your state of mind. Personally, I would have been petrified to go down any hill in that situation, much less some of the descents that lay ahead.

I commend you on a job well done. And look forward to this report and more.

xxoo

[snapdragen]

Veronica - you are my hero. Your determination is inspiring, the fact that you made it as far as you did - to quote MP "on the hardest double in CA" - you are the amazon girl. {{big hug}}

[Tater]

Congrats on making it as far as you did, V.! That is just awesome!

[aka_kim]

...you are the amazon girl.Yeah! You so rock. And next year, you'll look great tackling DMD wearing your Triple Crown jersey.

[LL_Super_D]

ditto to what everyone else said about how much you rock, are a hero and an inspiration. another cheer and hug for you V!

[betagirl]

Awesome. Congrats!

[Veronica]

I put my write up about the ride in the adventure section. I think the expression on my face in the last picture says it all.

V.

[Bike Goddess]

V- When I heard that you didn't have functioning rear brakes I too was quite concerned.

When I got to the Marriott last night and found out that you had sagged in, I was both sorry and relieved. I was sorry you had to quit, but at least you were okay- my biggest worry considering your mechanical difficulties.

That you got as far as you did is an acknowlegment of all the work you did for this ride as well as your determination to even tackle such a hard course! I too am inspired! Great job and a great mark of the progress you have made in your ongoing training for these very difficult rides.

[snapdragen]

I put my write up about the ride in the adventure section. I think the expression on my face in the last picture says it all.

V.

Lordy, it sure does!

[Veronica]

It's funny, I didn't even worry about the brakes. The fronts provide enough stopping power. It was weird to not grip both levers when I did brake, but even that soon became habit. I was never worried that I would crash because of the brakes.

V.

[slinkedog]

V, you're amazing! You're an inspiration to us all and I think you're very brave. Thanks for sharing your journey with us.

[Bike Goddess]

Good thing you weren't worried! I was envisioning the steep hills you had to descend and just hoping you were okay. Then again, I know you would be careful!!!!! (Unlike some of the other sex I know!).

Glad you are up and around today. I'll look for your report in the other section.

[bikerz]

Veronica - I'm in awe! The training you have done, then 135 miles with all that climbing - good golly! I'm glad you knew when to save yourself for another day!