Death Ride Passes

[maillotpois]

Back from a great weekend in Markleeville!

(I did bring home a nasty head/chest cold, which started Friday night and led to some less than perfect riding performances.... but snot's better than clots, right?? I actually did think a bit on Ebbetts about my terrible ride up it last year, when I could NOT get any oxygen and was at the point of hyperventilating - not knowing why. I could barely stay with our slowest rider last year. I beat myself up afterward for doing so poorly as if there was something I had done that had led to me not being able to breathe. This year was definitely better than that, snot and all! )

In addition to the SF Bay TNT Death Ride team (we're "Redwood Wine Country" - basically Sonoma, Napa and Marin counties), I saw a couple of friends, Susie and Barb who were also training on Ebbetts and who introduced me to a very nice Luna Chix woman whose name I forgot (blame the head cold).

Friday we arrived and set up camp at Grover's. Dinner in town, which was nice. I love that little restaurant on the corner - and the General Store folks. Pretty much all the businesses in Markleeville are terrific. One of our team had never been camping before, and the woman he carpooled with told him quite seriously that you have to cover your tent with aluminum foil in order to ward off bears (they don't like the feel of the foil in their teeth, don't'cha know) and so he dutifully went around the campground offering to help ithers wrap their tents.... We finally broke the news to him Saturday night. He missed out on the snipe hunt, though...

Saturday was a ride up Ebbetts'. This is my favorite of the passes (both sides). We were riding on our own, letting our participants feel out their own paces. I went hard on the front side, and paid for it on the back, but that was fine. The ride was only 55 miles. One of our stronger participants had a VERY bad time with altitude. It can really affect people in ways they might not expect - this weekend is designed for experimenting with the effects of altitude and familiarizing our folks with the passes, and not as "training" per se. So they learned a lot.

Saturday afternoon we cleaned up at Grover's Hot Springs, a pair of pools, one natural and one man made - well, I guess they're both man made, but one pool has hot water flowing directly from the hot spring. Saturday night was group dinner, honoree moment (leukemia patients who are part of the team either as participants or inspiration) and the coaches discussion about the Death Ride. (It's a fine line between giving them enough information and info overload. I think we did okay.)

Sunday we broke camp and then rode up Carson pass. I love love love the descent off Carson and the climb's no big thing, though we had some nasty winds. I have seen my best downhill speed here. This weekend any attempt at besting that time was ruined by a camper who decided he HAD to pass me and then only went 50. ARGH!!! But it was all good. One of our participants (an honoree who has survived non-hodgkins lymphoma and has "chemo brain" - a recognized condition where you can be a little forgetful) missed the turn back to Markleeville and ended up ion Minden Nevada. Oops. Fortunately, our wonderful SAG crew retrieved her....

All in all a great weekend. Except for the cold.

Notes for anyone planning to go up there (V): They have torn apart one side of Crystal Spring campground so I am not 100% sure the campground still has water, but I expect it does. The one bathroom that was there is not there for sure. This is about 1/2 way up the front of Ebbetts and is one of the only places for water you will get after leaving Markleeville. The campground at the base of Ebbetts (name escapes me but it is where the DR has the lunch stop) MAY have water but I don't know for sure.

[cindysue]

....... a very nice Luna Chix woman whose name I forgot (blame the head cold).

that would probably be Denise

goodness. Your tales of people with altitude sickness are a bit intimidating. I hope I am smart enough to keep drinking water and lucky enough that it does the trick. Any tips??

p.s. i leave for Colorado next Thursday. The tour is 6/24 - 6/30.

[maillotpois]

Well, I don't know that I would actually call it "altitude sickness". I think that's really where your lings start filling with fluid, etc. (pulmonary edema). But we had one very strong (with ego to match) guy humbled by feeling really badly - so much so that he almost didn't want to go over the back side of Ebbetts. And another moderately strong guy was the same way. Both ended up doing the entire ride, and felt a lot better the second day.

From what I have seen both climbing and cycling, altitude effects are largely genetic - either it affects you a lot or it doesn't. Even for those whom it doesn't affect drastically it will raise (or lower in some cases!) your HR for the same perceived exertion, make you breathe more, often make your GI tract "off" and dehydrate you QUICKLY.

But remember, at DR, you're always coming back down to the 6000 foot range (just over Tahoe lake level). So lingering effects of "altitude sickness" won't be bad.

I'd hate to scare anyone off this ride - it is a beauty. And you would be very well trained after BTC. My friend Susie Bump trashed her bike and won't be riding. I think you may know her - ask her about her entry....

[cindysue]

My friend Susie Bump trashed her bike and won't be riding. I think you may know her - ask her about her entry....

oh sheeze! I'm seeing her Friday - better call to see how she is doing!

[Veronica]

So there is pretty much nothing between Markleeville and Pacific Grade. Is Pacific Grade at Pacific Valley Rd?

V.

[maillotpois]

Pacific Grade is on hwy 4 just out of Hermit Valley, past Ebbett's.