So I made it. So did my brother David who came out from Salt Lake to ride the thing with me. It took us literally all day long. We took off in the morning from Auburn, and about 12 or 13 miles into it or so around Meadow Vista we took a wrong turn. We were old and confused and thought that we paid for it. So anyway, we had a little 5 mile detour before we recognized the error of our ways and got back on track. We found that the ride organizers wanted to inflict maximum pain on the riders. Whenever there was an opportunity for us to take a side route that included more climbing than the main road, we sure did it. I had planned on the real pain not starting until after Colfax when we would have to go up Iowa hill. Unluckily for us, that was not the case at all. We got to dip down to some campground for an initial 1000 or so feet of steep climbing that was just a precursor to the suffering we would endure for the next 60 miles.
To make it short, the rest of the way to the top of the route was uphill, uphill, and more uphill. Well, more like upmountain, but that's not a word. The worst part of it was of course, Iowa hill. It is about a 2 mile stretch of road that winds up from the American river canyon floor. It averages 13.5 percent grade. It is steep. Both David and I felt like we were going to throw up by the time we reached the top. Sadly, at the top there is only more up for a solid 40 miles.
After a grueling 67 miled in 6.5 hours we got to Robinson Flat, which is about 25 miles south of Donner Summit, at an elevation of around 6500 feet. The one good thing that I do have to mention is that the rest stops on this ride were great. Great snacks and drinks and whatever else a tired cyclist could desire. They were lifesavers. After hanging out at the top of the ride for a half hour or so we hopped back on our bikes and headed down the mountain. The second half of the ride took us probably 2.5 hours. It was downhill almost all the way, and fast. It was certainly the most enjoyable part of the ride. We rode into the parking lot where we had begun the day with another rider who had a fancy bike computer, who informed us that our ride had been 117 miles, with 12800 feet of climbing. We felt awesome for completing such a ride.
We made it back to Auburn in the evening, packed up our gear and drove home and collapsed. We were lucky to have Jenny whip us up a great chicken parmigiana dinner that tasted like the best food we had ever eaten. A few aleves later, and we were out for the night.
I am actually surprised at how well I have recovered, and am not even really sore. Just a little sunburned on the tops of my thighs.... Where I shaved them... you know, to be more aero.
So the only pics I have of this adventure are on my phone, which I will post if I figure out how to get them off the device, and onto the computer.
6 comments:
Very cool accomplishment! Ryan did a 100 mile bike ride too but it was along the coast down here. Yours was probably much harder! And way to go David for not even training at all!
yeah, david is tough.
You guys are the men! You must come from good genes!
Good Job! Must have been the bike, and the altitude training way up there in Granite Bay.
yes, the bike worked perfectly. David was very satisfied with his ride.
Mark and David...the ride sounds great. You are right, it was a great accomplishment, one you will always remember. It makes you realize what you can do if you put your mind to it.
Dad
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