Training Log Archive: AliCIn the 1 days ending Jul 9, 2016:
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Saturday Jul 9, 2016 #
5 AM
Cycling 8:14:19 [2] 104.84 mi (4:43 / mi) +4718m 4:08 / mi
DeathRide!!
Yeehaw, finished and actually went up a 6th pass just to get home… =)
Unfortunately, Garmin died on top of 5th pass.
The prescribed route goes up 5 major passes and has about 15,000ft of climb. If you know the Vermont gaps, you might compare it to the Vermont Gran Fondo loop which does App, Roxbury, Lincoln and Moretown Gaps. Except there's 5,000 extra feet of climb and 25ish more miles and you're at altitude the whole time...
If you don't feel like reading the take-by-take below, know it is an amazingly beautiful ride - the name 'Alpine county' is very well merited! Having the roads closed to cars for 4/5 passes was also really great. The ride was made a bit tougher this year by atypically strong wind (especially up final Carson pass!). Still, I really enjoyed the whole thing and look forward to doing it again sometimes in the future!
____________________________________________
#1: Monitor, take 1
We started in the morning gloaming ~ 5.20am, some flat in the valley and then up to Monitor. Rode mostly with Sam, felt good and in control, we chatted, some about bikes. Turns out his is a carbon frame he built himself with electronic shifting. I didn’t even know electronic shifting was a thing. Whee downhill! Much fun, beautiful views! Lowest pass of the day at ~8300.
#2: Monitor, take 2
We rode together as a group of 4 for the first half, Suzy, Tamara, Sam and I. So, so, so beautiful - probably the most scenic portion of the whole ride. You can just see forever (including how far you have left to go up). At the top, becomes flattish and we were going into the wind. Sam and I had pulled away during the second half, in the windy section I pulled, he enjoyed the ride, we were flying past everyone around us which was kinda fun. Descent was a bit hairy due to cross-wind - Sam had larger rims and reported some serious speed wobble, which sounds un fun.
#3 Ebbetts, take 1
We de-layered after the cool morning weather (although I should have kept arm warmers for the descents!), then I rode my own game from on out as I was feeling good. Picked off riders continually heading up the pass, working on cadence, which is something I should work on for biking, I have a tendency to power through. Ebbetts is a much narrower road and had some crazy hairpin corners. A bit hard to pass on the left while some of the super-fast riders were hurtling down on their side. Highest pass of the day at ~8700. Saw speedy Brian heading down as I crested.
#4 Ebbetts, take 2
Only went down 7 miles or so to turn around at Hermit Valley and come back up. I grabbed a gu and some oreos and water and headed back up. Latched on to two different guys passing me and held on for a mile or two. Probably could have kept up, but this is endurance, no need to bury myself still at this point. Saw Suzy and Tamara near the top coming down. Kinda crazy narrow descent, on cyclist injured off the road, saw the ambulance coming up for them.
#5 Carson
Lots of flat, including lunch stop before Carson pass climb proper. Had the sandwich offered for lunch, and two pickles. Then we joined up with the road in the valley and it started to be open to cars. Made it less pleasant, then in addition it was getting hotter and more head-windy (the whole day was epicly windy, as proclaimed by all locals we talked to). Still I was mostly overtaking people, but latched on to two guys who passed me at least for a little bit. Fun to have people cheering through Markleeville, mostly this is a very low-spectator route, being in the gorgeous middle of nowhere.
Stopped at the Woodfords rest stop, re-sunblocked, got some ice water (amazing!) and I think another mocha cliff shot. After riding harder for the previous two passes, I was now surrounded by more seriously looking cyclists. Then up and holy moly headwind. It was simply howling at us. And gusty and because we were going uphill and so slow drafting was only very minimal help. Still, I drafted behind a guy in green for a bit at the beginning, then a few miles later behind a train of 4 guys who were going strong. I peeled off that with about 2 miles to the next rest stop, Pickett’s junction, because it was just a smidge to much for me.
Refilled on gatorade, maybe some more oreos at the stop, then was surprised to find a few miles of flat riding before the final climb began. It started off ok, but then had this epic 1.5 miles straight into the headwind. Ouch. The very last 1.5 miles was sheltered though, much appreciated.
Happy to get to the top, got scanned in as a 5 pass finisher, signed the poster, got some more food and then headed back down- was chilly up there. << GARMIN DIED HERE>>
#6 Luther pass
What? A sixth pass? I thought this ride was 5 passes? True. But our group of 5 hadn’t really planned how we were all going to reconvene and get back to the house. Speedy Brian finished earlier and came up in the car (he usually picks up Suzy from the top of Carson- they’ve done this before). He encountered me about halfway back to Pickett’s junction, we chatted about what I wanted to do. I could ride all the way back to where we started, or just jump in car there, or cycle home. Cycling home seemed like it was going to get me home and showered and comfy the fastest, so I opted for that.
So I jumped back on my bike, went down to Pickett’s junction. Asked around and found Tom, who had hike/run out and just missed spectating me coming through there, but had since been conscripted by the crew there and was handing out sodas to riders. Chatted for a bit, grabbed more gummy bear and told him I’d come back to pick him up if he wasn’t successful hitchhiking back.
Ride up Luther pass was pretty chill, it was only 7700 and I was starting from close to 7000, so not too much. More car traffic and going faster because there weren’t oodles of riders alongside, but luckily they were mostly cyclists themselves and respectful. Ascent wasn’t windy, but descent was. Tom passed in the car of friends Jamie and Heather at one point. Happy to get off bike at the end!!
Anyone want to play next year?? Fun times, but probably only if you train for it…
Yeehaw, finished and actually went up a 6th pass just to get home… =)
Unfortunately, Garmin died on top of 5th pass.
The prescribed route goes up 5 major passes and has about 15,000ft of climb. If you know the Vermont gaps, you might compare it to the Vermont Gran Fondo loop which does App, Roxbury, Lincoln and Moretown Gaps. Except there's 5,000 extra feet of climb and 25ish more miles and you're at altitude the whole time...
If you don't feel like reading the take-by-take below, know it is an amazingly beautiful ride - the name 'Alpine county' is very well merited! Having the roads closed to cars for 4/5 passes was also really great. The ride was made a bit tougher this year by atypically strong wind (especially up final Carson pass!). Still, I really enjoyed the whole thing and look forward to doing it again sometimes in the future!
____________________________________________
#1: Monitor, take 1
We started in the morning gloaming ~ 5.20am, some flat in the valley and then up to Monitor. Rode mostly with Sam, felt good and in control, we chatted, some about bikes. Turns out his is a carbon frame he built himself with electronic shifting. I didn’t even know electronic shifting was a thing. Whee downhill! Much fun, beautiful views! Lowest pass of the day at ~8300.
#2: Monitor, take 2
We rode together as a group of 4 for the first half, Suzy, Tamara, Sam and I. So, so, so beautiful - probably the most scenic portion of the whole ride. You can just see forever (including how far you have left to go up). At the top, becomes flattish and we were going into the wind. Sam and I had pulled away during the second half, in the windy section I pulled, he enjoyed the ride, we were flying past everyone around us which was kinda fun. Descent was a bit hairy due to cross-wind - Sam had larger rims and reported some serious speed wobble, which sounds un fun.
#3 Ebbetts, take 1
We de-layered after the cool morning weather (although I should have kept arm warmers for the descents!), then I rode my own game from on out as I was feeling good. Picked off riders continually heading up the pass, working on cadence, which is something I should work on for biking, I have a tendency to power through. Ebbetts is a much narrower road and had some crazy hairpin corners. A bit hard to pass on the left while some of the super-fast riders were hurtling down on their side. Highest pass of the day at ~8700. Saw speedy Brian heading down as I crested.
#4 Ebbetts, take 2
Only went down 7 miles or so to turn around at Hermit Valley and come back up. I grabbed a gu and some oreos and water and headed back up. Latched on to two different guys passing me and held on for a mile or two. Probably could have kept up, but this is endurance, no need to bury myself still at this point. Saw Suzy and Tamara near the top coming down. Kinda crazy narrow descent, on cyclist injured off the road, saw the ambulance coming up for them.
#5 Carson
Lots of flat, including lunch stop before Carson pass climb proper. Had the sandwich offered for lunch, and two pickles. Then we joined up with the road in the valley and it started to be open to cars. Made it less pleasant, then in addition it was getting hotter and more head-windy (the whole day was epicly windy, as proclaimed by all locals we talked to). Still I was mostly overtaking people, but latched on to two guys who passed me at least for a little bit. Fun to have people cheering through Markleeville, mostly this is a very low-spectator route, being in the gorgeous middle of nowhere.
Stopped at the Woodfords rest stop, re-sunblocked, got some ice water (amazing!) and I think another mocha cliff shot. After riding harder for the previous two passes, I was now surrounded by more seriously looking cyclists. Then up and holy moly headwind. It was simply howling at us. And gusty and because we were going uphill and so slow drafting was only very minimal help. Still, I drafted behind a guy in green for a bit at the beginning, then a few miles later behind a train of 4 guys who were going strong. I peeled off that with about 2 miles to the next rest stop, Pickett’s junction, because it was just a smidge to much for me.
Refilled on gatorade, maybe some more oreos at the stop, then was surprised to find a few miles of flat riding before the final climb began. It started off ok, but then had this epic 1.5 miles straight into the headwind. Ouch. The very last 1.5 miles was sheltered though, much appreciated.
Happy to get to the top, got scanned in as a 5 pass finisher, signed the poster, got some more food and then headed back down- was chilly up there. << GARMIN DIED HERE>>
#6 Luther pass
What? A sixth pass? I thought this ride was 5 passes? True. But our group of 5 hadn’t really planned how we were all going to reconvene and get back to the house. Speedy Brian finished earlier and came up in the car (he usually picks up Suzy from the top of Carson- they’ve done this before). He encountered me about halfway back to Pickett’s junction, we chatted about what I wanted to do. I could ride all the way back to where we started, or just jump in car there, or cycle home. Cycling home seemed like it was going to get me home and showered and comfy the fastest, so I opted for that.
So I jumped back on my bike, went down to Pickett’s junction. Asked around and found Tom, who had hike/run out and just missed spectating me coming through there, but had since been conscripted by the crew there and was handing out sodas to riders. Chatted for a bit, grabbed more gummy bear and told him I’d come back to pick him up if he wasn’t successful hitchhiking back.
Ride up Luther pass was pretty chill, it was only 7700 and I was starting from close to 7000, so not too much. More car traffic and going faster because there weren’t oodles of riders alongside, but luckily they were mostly cyclists themselves and respectful. Ascent wasn’t windy, but descent was. Tom passed in the car of friends Jamie and Heather at one point. Happy to get off bike at the end!!
Anyone want to play next year?? Fun times, but probably only if you train for it…