Has anybody ever done the Death Ride in California?

[Shine]

it's an annual ride in the "alps of California". 129 miles in a day, with over 15,000 ft of climbing, over 5 passes....whew!
http://www.deathride.com/

A girlfriend of mine is trying to convince me to do it, but I'm a bit daunted. I've done centuries before, but this one seems really insane. It's supposed to be the pinnacle of cycling, around here. Pun intended.

Anybody out there done it that can share their experience? :shrug:

Thanks! :hi:

[Gregorian]

1. I've never done it. But I know where you can find out.

I used to live in San Luis Obispo. I miss it. When I was there, I rode with guys who did the Markleeville ride. And those guys were national champions and the like. I would say that the majority of people who have done that ride hang out on mtbr.com If you go to their Northern California forum, you can get every experience under the sun from them.

I can ride 20 percent grades every day. But I mentally lose it when it starts going over 20 miles. Even road riding, I always quit after around 35 miles. It's just not my thing to push it that long.

[Gregorian]

2. Welp, it looks like I was wrong.

My friends did the deathride back in 1989. And all we ever did was mountain biking. I don't even think those guys had road bikes. And from the stories, I swear it was dirt they were riding. But I've searched the forum, and don't see much on the ride. It's a road ride, which would make it a lot "easier" than I had thought.

But you can still go to www.roadbikereview.com and they'd have reviews and posts on the ride, without a doubt.

[vanamonde]

3. Has anybody ever done the Death Ride in California?

I've attempted it twice. 3 passes the first time and 4 the second. Many people enter the ride without the intention of completing all 5 passes.
It is a truly epic ride. They close the roads over much of the route, which is really nice. The 5th pass however is on a road that they do not close.
The kicker is not the steepness of the grades, but their length and being at a high altitude. I've always camped for a day or two in the area prior to the race to help acclimate.
Start early, don't loiter too long at the rest stops, and come prepared for any kind of weather. At that altitude it can be very cold if the weather is stormy, but if its clear it can get pretty hot by mid afternoon.
By all means, do it!

[redacted]

4. I know several people hwo have done it. And our local Team in Training

Chapter is sending a group.

It's lottery entry I think.

I understand it's not for the faint of heart.

Where are you I could hook you up with some folks?