Tour de France/Death Ride

[Deanna]

Yeah, it caused me some confusion at first, as every body I speak with calls it the Death Ride, but I couldn't find an official website called that. Then I got the story.

I've been wanting to go to Grover Hot Springs, but usually we have the dog and he's not allowed in. There's a river we stop at just south of town where we can all, including the dog, take a dip.

[maillotpois]

Yeah, it caused me some confusion at first, as every body I speak with calls it the Death Ride, but I couldn't find an official website called that. Then I got the story.

But there is: http://www.deathride.com/

[Deanna]

Now I know. Not like I'll be doing it anytime soon. How did you manage to get spots for all the people you train? Do they have to get their confirmations and then they start to work with you, or is it easier to get in then I've heard?

[maillotpois]

I have been a team in training coach for about 5 years. The SF chapter of team in Training does Death Ride as a fundraising event. I am hoping that our group (Sonoma/Napa/Marin) will be able to get a Death Ride team together next year, so I trained a group of our coaches so perhaps some of them can help out if we do get a team. So these guys all fundraised for TNT and got entries that way, though it was more informal than the real SF team.

[Bike Goddess]

Deanna- Try Caples Lake near the summit of Carson Pass. Great campground!

Well MP- I did try to call you yesterday (Sunday) to check up on you. Now I know where you were!

Thunderstorm in the afternoon made for very wet sleeping bags and campsites! My club pals came back after the ride to find their stuff dripping wet, so they all packed up and headed back home (after dinner, of course!

Glad you could at least get up there to see them off and celebrate the end. All of my club guys and gals finished as well despite the elements. But that's the nature of the Sierra. You never know what to expect!

Congrats to all who did that ride!

[bikerchick68]

how fun that must have been... glad to hear all your trainees finished! That's no easy ride...

and what a hoot it must've been to be in that bar debating Tour results... LOL... I have found in my cycling experience that most bikers are actually pretty cool towards cyclists... sometimes a bit rough around the edges but overall good people... glad you had a good time... must've been a really different perspective for you!

[yellow]

Markleeville is NOT in the middle of nowhere! I spent a whole lot of time there. The hot springs after a day of backcountry skiing are heavenly.... I think I would have lived there but for that whole work thing... Gawd I miss the Sierra.

The "bar" has changed somewhat, I think. Used to have a giant collection of bras hanging from the ceiling. I heard that they are gone. Doesn't it (the bar) have some sort of fish name now?

FYI, it's always been called the Tour of the California Alps...they just reemphasized that name after the death, which was in 03 or 04, I think. The cattle guards all came out after that one. Now just painted lines.

[maillotpois]

Markleeville is NOT in the middle of nowhere! I spent a whole lot of time there. The hot springs after a day of backcountry skiing are heavenly.... I think I would have lived there but for that whole work thing... Gawd I miss the Sierra.

The "bar" has changed somewhat, I think. Used to have a giant collection of bras hanging from the ceiling. I heard that they are gone. Doesn't it (the bar) have some sort of fish name now?

FYI, it's always been called the Tour of the California Alps...they just reemphasized that name after the death, which was in 03 or 04, I think. The cattle guards all came out after that one. Now just painted lines.

I didn't see any bras in the bar (which also has a good restaurant where we ate while camping a few weeks ago. I did not note the name...

The guy died in 2002, the first year I did it. (You tend to remember those sorts of things... )

And... how the heck are cows so dumb they won't cross painted lines? That always blows my mind.

[Deanna]

Markleeville may not be in the middle of nowhere, but it is pleasantly remote. That's why we like it.

I was wondering about that cow and the painted line thing to, though I'm glad it works as it makes the roads nicer. I also have to wonder how long ago some cow figured out not to cross the real thing and did it get hard wired into their genetics so that now NO cow will cross a cattle guard. I read a news story about some sheep in Scotland who figured out they could cross a "cattle" guard by laying on the ground and rolling over it!