Printable View
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?
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....
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:)
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.
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.
Great pics!
Nanci
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.
Has anyone an update? I'm rooting for you, V!
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" ;-)
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.
Go, V, Go! :)
*comes out from lurkdom*
Any news yet? V, you so rock! http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/.../icon_rock.gif
*Silently cheering for V and waiting for news* :)
Mel
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.
13,370 feet is more climbing than I have done in my life time! Ya done good!
Jones
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.
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!!!!
ditto what sk said.Quote:
Originally Posted by SadieKate
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!
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:
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
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}}
Congrats on making it as far as you did, V.! That is just awesome!
Yeah! You so rock. And next year, you'll look great tackling DMD wearing your Triple Crown jersey.Quote:
Originally Posted by snapdragen
ditto to what everyone else said about how much you rock, are a hero and an inspiration. another cheer and hug for you V!
Awesome. Congrats!
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.
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.
Lordy, it sure does!Quote:
Originally Posted by 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.
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.
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.
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!