Death Ride?

[maillotpois]

Nancy / BG -

You have racked up some serious mileage this year (and this is probably your typical mileage - I just haven't compared your past years journals and I am a relative newcomer to these boards). I know you dismissed my suggestion that you should do a double and now you seem to think DR is too much - I really think these things are not as hard as you may think they are. It's just a long day on the bike. But you have an incredible base of fitness - enviable, actually. I would love to be able to put in the miles you have! (CLearly you can't be afraid of rain! )

Seriously - you are VERY tough and I really believe you could do DR and/or a double. Just give it a whirl! If you're not psyched about climbing then start with Davis or Solvang next year (though as I learned Solvang is a bit early in the season for a double!). Anyway, you can TOTALLY do it.

[Veronica]

I've ridden with Nancy. I think she could do it too. She climbs a lot too. I don't want to do the Death Ride because there are so many people. I thought the roads for Solvang were crowded at times

V.

[aka_kim]

Speaking as a lowly mortal, and not the AMAZON that the rest of you are, I can say that the DR is HARD! Not as hard as a double I'm sure, but still alot of work. You have to train for it, and love hills. Think of each pass as roughly a Mt. Diablo, well, w/o the 17% at the top.

I've done 3 passes on two DRs. The first ride I had a great time and finished strong (and damn I wish I'd gone for 4 passes that year). But I also had a massive nose bleed at the lunch stop before finishing. The next time I did the ride I barfed before the second pass - weird sinus problems again I think. Now I'll stick to doing one pass, at my leisure, maybe with the pathetically decrepit SK , and cheer on you Amazons from the sidelines.

[maillotpois]

I've done 3 passes on two DRs. The first ride I had a great time and finished strong (and damn I wish I'd gone for 4 passes that year). But I also had a massive nose bleed at the lunch stop before finishing. The next time I did the ride I barfed before the second pass - weird sinus problems again I think. Now I'll stick to doing one pass, at my leisure, maybe with the pathetically decrepit SK , and cheer on you Amazons from the sidelines.

Nose bleed and barfing? Not good experiences - boy can I empathize. My goal for my first DR was a simple one: not to barf. It was 95 degrees at Topaz at 8:30 am, and I was nauseated and could not eat all day. I got by just on liquids, but not much of that.

I didn't barf. But it was close!! Did 4 passes that time and the ride was a monkey on my back for the next 2 years til I had a chance to ride it again and knock off the whole thing.

But really, it's not so bad!