2015 Death Ride - Tour of the California Alps

glenn_VEGAN_lejano

Complete all five passes within the cut off time to qualify for the Death Ride Finisher jersey. This was my wife's first big cycling event. 109 miles, 14K in one day.

https://www.strava.com/activities/344180099

She had been training for months to prepare herself for this tough course. I gave her all the tips that I know to help her get through it with minimal pain in her body.

July 11, 2015 2:30AM roll time at Turtle Rock Park, Markleeville, CA. We decided to roll out as early as possible to avoid the crowded roads with other cyclists. We passed some rollers before we ascent to our first pass of five, Monitor Pass, east. After an hour or so, we reached the summit and received our first sticker for the day (every pass will give you a sticker to indicate that you completed the pass). Down we went to the west side of Monitor Pass. The sun was peeking at the horizon but the temperature was still in the low 30s. The descent was fun, Monitor Pass has one of the smoothest paved road in the city. We enjoyed the long sweeping bends and had the luxury to go down the hill with very few cyclists on the road. At the bottom of the pass, our second sticker awaits. We refueled and refilled our water bottles before we headed back up. At the top of Monitor Pass, we had a great view of hundreds of cyclists climbing and getting their first sticker. We descended down Monitor Pass and turned left to Ebbetts Pass. This was the steepest climb of the day. Legs feel a little tired but still managed to climb to the top. As soon as we got our third sticker, we immediately descended to the backside and took our fourth sticker. We didn't stay longer, enough to load some food in our back pockets and headed back up. Mile 80ish, LUNCH!!! We had hummus with lettuce and tomato sandwich and rested for 15 minutes. Mile 90, Picketts Junction rest stop, made the cut off time with one hour to spare. On to our final climb of the day and our last sticker with our finisher pin. Carson Pass is not a steep climb but it is a grind. At this time, the temperature, luckily, was only at high 80s, low 90s. It didn't matter that we are tired and our whole body was aching. All we know is we can see the summit and we can tough it out. 5:45PM, we reached the summit and received our last sticker! Words could not express how proud I am of my wife. She had some struggles along the way but she kept her head down and fought through. She was very happy to finally considered as a Death Ride Finisher. Job well don Vi!