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It all started so early…

Bear Valley, CA. Eyes opened at 12:30am (guessing from nerves), but the alarm officially convinced me out of bed at 3:15am. Even though it was dark, it seemed like the weather was warm and yesterday’s smoke from the California wildfires had cleared out by virtue of the breeze coming in through the window. I was leery of the first, thankful for the second.

Started hydrating with a full glass of water. Dressed in 5 minutes with what I had laid out the night before, I headed to the breakfast station. ‘Power cake’ ingredients were ready for final mixing: wheat flour, bran, flax seed, oatmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, pecans, walnuts, salt, egg, milk, applesauce, blueberries and cinnamon. This was no wimpy pancake – this pancake-turned-power-cake was created for hours of cycling and most effective when topped with butter and maple syrup. Accompanying the power cake: 1 cup of coffee, 1 cup of water with multi-vitamin, 1 bottle of water for the road.

4:00am – Stepped out our front door to find that my brother, sister and mom had taken advantage of my 9pm bedtime from the night before. My car was painted with various encouraging slogans and a number of inside-joke depictions. Laughing along the one hour drive over Ebbetts Pass to Markleeville/Turtle Rock Park, the temperature hovered around 55 degrees (warm for 4am, predicting a hot day). As I approached Monitor Pass around 5am I drove in the opposite direction of many riders who had started before light (teammate Dave being one of them). I parked along the road near the entrance to the park, surrounded by many other crazy people gearing up to do the same thing I was about to – spend an entire day going uphill on a bicycle.

(ready to head out in front of my car, indicating this is my third Death Ride for TurningWheels for Kids [to my car painters – thank you for the support and huge laugh at the wee hours of the morning])

The riding begins

5:30am: I was officially riding with 55 degree temperatures, so I only needed long fingered gloves, my vest and sleeves in addition to my jersey and shorts. This year I started the ride on my own, but knew a number of riders that would be on the same path – my three TurningWheels for Kids (TWFK) teammates (Dave, Brennan and Jeff), a number of fellow Bear Valley-ites (Martin, Charlie, Jill, Doris and Dave), and friends and fellow riders mostly from the San Jose/Santa Cruz area (Bob, Greg, Caspar, Tommy, Hilary, Brett, Leslie and Brad). I was hoping to catch up with some of them, but had no idea if we’d cross paths with 3,000 total riders this year (the largest number yet).

A complete novelty for this ride, I had no heart rate monitor. The batteries to my Polar had died at the last moment. For the past two Death Rides and all throughout training, I had based my pace on my heart rate and knew it’d be tough to keep slow and steady without it, but I didn’t have much choice. I borrowed my mom’s stop watch however, which allowed me to monitor my calorie intake.

The first two miles were dark and chilly – a downhill stretch until we reach Markleeville and the check point where all riders show their numbers to enter the route. The next three miles were a gentle climb and until the left on Monitor Pass and the beginning of the real climbing.

I caught up with two fellow riders from Bear Valley, Martin and Charlie, and we found ourselves at the same pace for the first climb, chatting, watching the sunrise and surrounded by just a fraction of the total riders. My calorie intake was programmed as last year’s was – every 15 minutes I had a drink of water and a drink of Cytomax from each water bottle (what I trained on and what is served at the aid stations) and every 30 minutes I had 1/3 of a power bar. If and when I stopped at rest stops, I would eat fruit – bananas, oranges, watermelon – because of their water content for more hydration and digestibility. Long rides have demonstrated that if I get behind in calories there is no way to recover them later, but if I have too many they cannot be digested fast enough, causing stomach cramps so the balance of concentration and frequency is key to last the long day. Even though it was early, I had probably passed three riders already changing flat tires – I crossed my fingers that I wouldn’t have one myself over the course of the day – such a pain.

Heading up Pass #1 – front side of Monitor. Riders in shorts and no jackets – it’s only 7:00am, indicating a hot day and need to stay ‘watered’. Martin (sporting Wisconsin’s W) and Charlie.

8:00am: Reached the top of Monitor Pass at 8,314 feet – Pass #1 completed, first sticker earned and only 113 miles to go. I began the long, windy and spectacular descent down the backside of Monitor. Many riders were passing on the left and being passed at the same time. Towards the bottom of the pass there were more riders coming back up so this became a bit treacherous.

Bottom of pass #2 rest station – our TWFK team colors and the fun décor (a skeleton)

Heading up Pass #2
8:30am: After a quick refuel I began the long climb back up. Just as I clicked in I ran into fellow TWFK teammate Brennan and his friend Cara, both looking strong and enjoying the day.

The ride back up brought more excitement. As many riders were still descending at fast speeds, I was thankful that there was a painted line separating the lanes, encouraging riders to stay on their own sides. Nevertheless, there was still the occasional line crossing by the ascender which usually drew a wild yell from the descender barreling down at 40+ miles per hour. Add in the occasional SAG motorcycle splitting the lane while trying to find and aid any troubled rider and you were kept on your toes (and towards the far edges of the road).

I was passed and was passing other riders and not too far up the climb I met up with a fellow Carmel to Cambria Century rider, Greg and his friend Gary. Surprised that I was finding friends, our paces separated us and I was upon the mid-rest station which was full of energy. The rumor was that a local high school football team was aiding this station to cheer, run, entertain and exercise at the same time. They’d greet the riders downhill of the station, grab their water bottles, sprint up the hill to refill them and hand them back (all while the rider is riding, so no time lost and no stopping). This was one of the three liveliest rest stops of the entire route.

View while ascending the back side of Monitor Pass (Pass #2) and riders riding on – towards the top of Monitor Pass.

I had forgotten that this is a long ascent and that there were certain turns where you can see far ahead of you, and hence know how far you have yet to go. Towards the top I found fellow Bear Valley rider Dave Ritche – an amazing rider and veteran of the Death Ride many times over. He puts me to shame and offered the best piece of advice I could have received for my first Death Ride two years ago: “Go out at marathon pace, and then back off”. Thanks Dave!

Around 9:15am I hit the summit (8,314 ft) of Pass #2 – where my 2nd sticker was officially earned. I refueled here and began the descent towards Pass #3 – eager to make it to Hermit Valley where the TWFK crew and my family would be waiting.

Pass #3 – Front side of Ebbetts Pass

Near the base of Ebbetts Pass is the second most lively ‘stop’. It’s not a scheduled ride stop, but is incredibly entertaining to pass this group of prom queens. Their sign reads “my outfit is better than yours” and they were a very friendly group.

Around 9:30am I began the ascent up my favorite pass for its scenery, but the steepest pass of the ride with some 10% grade climbs. I am thankful to the two riders pictured below, who brought an outburst of laughter with their brassier-wearing, whiskey-drinking skeleton in tow (aptly called The Rolling Bones), complete with bike helmet and sound system. My hats off to the ‘driver’, as that could not have been a light load to pull up any of the passes.

About half way up Ebbetts I found my TWFK teammate Dave. Keeping his steady pace, Dave was in perfect rhythm to finish his first Death Ride. We’d been riding for five hours and I became anxious for the PBJ&banana sandwich waiting at the bottom of the fourth pass.

Views riding up Ebbetts Pass. No shoulder, no guard rail, no lane dividers – a true mountain pass.

A bit farther up the road I came across Leslie, another first time Death Rider from Truckee who was also looking very strong and well on her way to make all 5 passes. I was towards the top of the climb and just kept plugging away. It was at this point I realized, though, that I had made an error at the bottom of the pass.

The temperatures had become increasingly warmer and I was drinking more fluids accordingly. Unlike last year, I did not see nearly as many riders collapsed on the side of the road from dehydration, yet I had miscalculated my fluid intake and thought that a bottle and a half would sustain me from the bottom of Monitor to the top of Ebbetts. A ways before the top I reached for my bottle and found both empty. Now I was left hoping that the voice in my head – which sounded strangely like ride master Captain’s – that had yelled ‘hydrate!’ every 15 minutes throughout the morning had left me well-watered by this point and I’d make it to the top ok.

I came across Jill and Doris (married to Martin and Charlie who I had ridden the first pass with just hours before). They were on a three-pass mission for the day and enjoying the opportunity to take it the views a bit more than I was, with my head down just keeping pace.

At 10:35am I made it to the top of Ebbetts (8,730 ft) completing Pass #3, and rolled gingerly over the cattle guard and to the downhill. At 11:00am I arrived at the Hermit Valley rest stop (bottom of fourth pass) to a crowd of supporters. My family and TurningWheels for Kids had truly formed a rally cry for all TWFK riders. This was by far the most rewarding rest stop of the entire experience. The first sight pulling into the stop was of four neon colored signs from my family all in support of my ride, a huge banner with our teammate’s names (see picture below), a crowd of cheering TWFK supporters and my amazing family there to help me. I followed the Toeniskoetter clan to finally refuel my water bottles and to a well-stocked car with water glasses that read “2 to go” (meaning number of passes left). More sunscreen, more water, my two PBJ&banana sandwiches on wheat (one for this stop, one for the road), chapstick and the opportunity to unload my sleeves, long fingered gloves and camera (which now felt a bit too heavy, even if I was able to capture more of the ride on film). I kept my vest just in case – recalling that the last descent on my first year brought hail.

After refilling my water bottles (twice) – keeping with one water, one Cytomax (but asking for an additional scoop of mix in my bottle because I trained on a higher concentration) – my family and I made our way back to the TurningWheels greeting station to wait for Dave’s arrival, announced by rambunctious hoots and screams from the squad. Shortly thereafter arrived our fourth TWFK teammate, Jeff. Although we were one teammate short of being in the same place at the same time, I was thrilled that I had at least seen all the TWFK riders – Brennan, then Dave and finally Jeff – especially considering the number of riders on the road, the different start times and the course route.

Following a myriad of pictures, a rather quick conversation and one PBJ&banana, Dave and I headed out while Jeff refueled. It was a whirlwind of a visit and Dave and I both commented that we couldn’t have been more grateful for every single person who came to support us (especially for me, for my family who was 100% there to help – holding my bike, refilling my bottles for me, bringing my lunch, making the signs, decorating my car, taking pictures – doing everything so that I could have a few minutes to eat lunch and say hello before heading off again). They drove all that way to see us for 20 minutes. To everyone who was at Hermit Valley – thank you!

Team TWFK greeting station at the Hermit Valley rest stop. Fantastic banner, amazing cheering squad.

Dave and I are off again – beginning pass #4.

Keeping to our individual paces, Dave and I separated on the way back up the fourth pass. It’s easier to pick out friends as they are coming down and there were a slew of them on their way to the Hermit Valley stop. Caspar and Tommy zipped by, easily distinguished by the horns they had cleverly attached to their helmets. Martin and Charlie followed just after. Brennan and Cara were just behind them and again I came across Leslie whose computer had come loose and fallen off her bike on the way down, but with luck she found it on her climb back up. Within an hour I was back at the top of Ebbetts Pass at 8,730 feet.

Four passes down and one to go

The temperatures were very warm, but not yet uncomfortable and there was a large cloud or two offering some shade. More riders were passed changing flat tires. Talking to a volunteer mechanic after the ride, he mentioned that the majority of flats he changed were probably due to thin (cheaper, lighter) tubes.

Descending the front side of Ebbetts Pass is always the trickiest of all five. A rock wall borders the right side, it’s a 1 &1/2 lane road, there were riders coming up two and three across, no shoulders, hairpin turns and a steep drop off the other side of the road. There’s also a tendency for the rock wall to drop small rocks on the road, so reaction time is helped by a sane speed.

I passed the lunch stop at the bottom of Ebbetts as I had already eaten my PBJ&banana and proceeded to join into as many pace lines as I could for the next 14 miles of hot, flat riding between the bases of Ebbetts and Carson passes. It was much warmer at this point – into the mid-90s, and as usual we were riding into a head wind, so keeping up with a line of riders was the most energy efficient way to go.

I joined one group, but they pulled off after a few miles to rest. I joined another group, but didn’t have the energy to keep up with their pace so started slogging it out on my own. I passed my car at Turtle Rock Park, its painted windows making me smile yet again and then was passed by a rider who encouraged me to pull in behind him for the next few miles – saving me precious energy as mine was nearing its end on this flat stage.

Finally, we arrived at the base of Carson Pass and my second favorite rest stop of Woodfords. It was around 2pm and the heat of the day was in full swing. I thanked the kind rider who let me tag along for the last few miles and as I pulled into the stop I saw her – the magical volunteer with the spray hose. Bless her and the water she showered upon us over-heated riders. Within minutes I was doused, cool and refueled for the final climb. My legs had begun to feel heavy, my knees a bit tired of climbing and I knew this would be a mental and physical effort to the end. I had 38 miles to go, half of them uphill and a sudden sound of distant thunder, which was slightly worrisome.

The Final Climb

After seven slow, uphill miles I arrived at Picketts Junction, the last rest stop until we reached the top. As I pulled off the road and onto the gravel, I watched as an exhausted rider failed to pull out of his pedals. Over he tipped and collapsed he remained. The volunteers at the stop rushed to help, physically unclipping his shoes from the pedals and taking his bike from under him as he did not seem to have the energy to do so. What looked to be a combination of total energy expenditure, high temperatures and dehydration, the rider decided to remain on the ground and recover while being tended to by the volunteers. A glimpse of why only 25% of riders finish all 5 passes – this is a demanding day.

It was at this last stop that I ran into two other riders – Brett (who I rode one pass with last year and who was completing all five passes this year for the first time) and Bob, another rider with whom I shared the road during the Carmel to Cambria century in mid-May. Brett had a very complicated and potentially ride-halting experience on the road between the fourth and fifth passes that resulted in him losing the function of his rear wheel. He had returned to Turtle Rock Park looking for a mechanic and found none, but in an amazing show of rider sympathy, a complete stranger agreed to let him take the back wheel of his bike if Brett mailed it back to him. This random act of kindness allowed Brett to continue and eventually finish all 5 passes (with only two gears, but two gears nonetheless). Incredible.

With only 9 uphill miles left to ride from the Picketts rest stop I turned back to the road. I was becoming increasingly aware of how long this day had been. My knees were feeling the strain, my sit bones were tired of sitting, the 3.5 hours of sleep and lack of HR-monitor pace was catching up to me and the complete void of any wind was allowing the heat to slowly sap my remaining energy. This was the point of the ride where I dug in to remember why I was out here for the third year in a row. Thinking about the more than 70 individuals who donated to TurningWheels for Kids in support of this goal, my family and friends who drove up from San Jose to cheer for me, those who thought to send a dozen well-wishes the day before the ride, the ice cream bar at the top of the pass ? and most importantly, the hundreds of under-served kids that would be helped by finishing this goal that Dave, Jeff, Brennan and I started training for months prior. There was no where to go but upward and onward.

Finally I could see the top, even if it was off in the distance. The slow and steady train of riders was making its way and I knew that in 20 minutes I’d be there. Knees unhappy, feet slightly numb, shoulders growing tense, I pedaled forward one stroke at a time. 20 minutes, 15, 10, 5 and I was there – the top of the 5th and final pass. The 5 pass pin was bestowed upon each rider with directions to the well-deserved ice cream bars. Because I had not stopped for any amount of time throughout the day I decided this would be my place to relax. I found a chair kindly offered up by a rider who turned out to be a Swedish racer. His friend had convinced him to travel to California just for this ride and he marveled at how challenging it was in comparison to the flat riding in Sweden. Their group was tired, but happily so and enjoying the rest. I saw Brett and Bob both come in and then found fellow Santa Cruz rider Brad, the last person I knew on the ride who I hadn’t seen yet. Amazing – I couldn’t believe how many friendly faces I had actually come across.

After 45 minutes of sharing tales of the day, congratulating each other and signing the 5 pass poster, I finally dared to peek at the sky behind us. It certainly wasn’t the color I was hoping for; dark clouds, looking as though they were letting out rain somewhere on the road and working their way towards us. As much as I wanted to wait at the top for my fellow teammates, I knew that a rain storm was on its way and it was time to finish.

I put on my vest and began the final descent, at first in another pace line of riders. Then we hit it – a hard rain. The temperature dropped down to 65 and I found myself soaked in a matter of minutes. The salt and sunscreen dripped into my eyes and I couldn’t blink it away fast enough. Not seeing all too clearly, I decided against pulling off the road because I was surrounded by riders whose brakes were likely as wet (and useless) as mine. Eventually, the water running into my eyes no longer stung and at least I could see out of them again (even if my glasses were soaked). Slow and controlled, I made my way down Carson pass in a solid downpour. Riders were still ascending and had a long ride to go in the rain. I later discovered that the skies at the top opened up with grape-sized hail, forcing a hundred riders to seek shelter in the port-a-potties, under any tent and any available tree. What a Death Ride experience.

Thankfully without incident, I made my way back to Turtle Rock Park and my (slightly rained on) painted car at 5pm. I was glad to have a towel and change of clothes for the hour ride back to Bear Valley. Tired and stiff, I still couldn’t help but smile. The day was a success. 10 hours of riding plus1.5 hours of total stops totaled an 11.5 hour day. 129 miles ridden, 15,500 feet of elevation gain, over $12,000 raised (almost $25,000 between the whole team TWFK) and the ability to pass on that opportunity to a child who has never had access to it. That could accurately be defined as a ‘banner day’.

The evidence: 5 stickers, 5 passes, 129 miles, 15,500 ft of climbing, one rain storm and over $12,000 raised for TurningWheels for Kids.

My sincerest gratitude to my supporters, donors and cheerleaders.
You made it happen and I thank you.