Finally Completing the Death Ride

The Death Ride, or commonly known as The Tour of the California Alps, was something I decided to do back in 2021 … that was the year where there was a fire that forced cancellation of the event. This is one of those bucket list events, and for some reason, I didn’t finish it … took only 4 more years before I decided to actually ride it this time. Coming into this, I was concentrating so much on endurance and distance, that I suddenly had to think about climbing. Oh sure, I was able to complete DMD, and Eastern Sierra, so with all of this, I felt I should be all prepared to tackle the Death Ride. I had the climbing with DMD, and altitude training with Eastern Sierra … but DMD was back in late April, and Eastern Sierra was beginning of June. We’ll just gotta see how it plays out.

I was a little worried going into this … not because of fitness, but due to insanities at work. Someone had already taken the week off, so I couldn’t take the Friday before the event to take off, so mentally I was concerned I wouldn’t even make it to the ride. I had trained so hard with my training buddies, and I would feel really terrible if I had to miss this. With this in mind, I couldn’t commit to any carpool plans, so leading into the week before the event, I was really stressed out. It was to the point where even if I made it to the ride, who knows how my psyche would be. As it turned out, my co-workers were completely fine with me taking off (even though it would leave us at 50% staff … in a small team, that could really hurt). That still meant I couldn’t carpool with anyone.

I was able to leave at 10 am, but as with any trip, you’re bound to forget some things. In fact I had to go back three times, so I didn’t leave the area until around 10:45 am.

I made much better time than I thought (mostly because I only stopped once for a bite to eat), and I got into Markleeville by 4 pm. I stayed in a cabin that was through my friend Dave. In fact, the entire cabin was full of fellow ACTC club members.

Our plan was to meet some friends in downtown Markleeville at 4:30 am … I was riding with my amazeballs training partner Amanda … well, we didn’t quite make it on time, so we just missed them. We would eventually find them later in the day … we knew we’d split up anyways, due to our pace.

It was a good thing to start out this early, so we can beat the heat. In fact, a lot of people had this idea. The official start time is 5 am, but a very good percentage started as early as 3:30 am, or maybe even earlier. It would be interesting to see what percentage started at what time. I know some of the faster ones started at 5:30 am, so that they wouldn’t have to carry lights … but we’re used to riding in the dark … it’s like a double century ride start!

Soon after we got onto the first pass (front side of Monitor Pass) the sun started to rise, and then Barry and Rich caught up to us (I think they started 15 min after us).

The descent down the other side of Monitor Pass is freakin’ long … and that is putting it mildly. It seemed to go on forever, and didn’t end until we got to Hwy 395. It went down for about 10 miles and 3200 ft … which also meant we had to go back and climb that.

We hooked up with Virginia, who was carrying Fluff, her cute little pup … that was great. She later turned back to Markleeville, to drop off Fluff, before continuing the rest of the ride (who happened to pass me going up the 3rd pass, Ebbets).

We make the u-turn, then we see so many riders that we know (who would eventually pass us on the climb on the backside of Monitor Pass). The sun started to warm up, so it started getting hot. On Alta Alpina, this is the last climb of the day … I can’t imagine finishing the ride with this. I’m just glad this is in the beginning of the ride, with fresh legs.

The views while climbing Monitor Pass is breathtaking. I can see why so many people want to do this ride, because it is just gorgeous … pictures don’t do it justice.

After descending down Monitor Pass, we get a lunch stop before climbing Ebbets. In retrospect, we probably ate too much at lunch, or at least it didn’t digest well, as I had my struggles climbing Ebbets. I was constantly trailing Amanda, and I saw her stop a number of times, looking back to make sure I was coming .. and I really appreciate that. What an awesome ride partner. I was able to reach the summit. Just before that, I saw Alex Argue descend down … we chatted briefly … I asked if he made it to Pacific Grade, but he only made it to the top of Ebbets … since I was struggling, that put the thought in my head that I should turn back. I kept thinking about it, but luckily Amanda convinced me to continue, and not be such a wuss … besides, it would look bad that this DC veteran couldn’t even complete the Death Ride. I think part of my continuing was due to peer pressure.

Down the other side of Ebbets, we caught up with Hayes on the rest stop before the Pacific Grade climb. However, he was on the way back, so he was way ahead of us. I later found out they got rained on pretty hard, while we barely got some sprinkles .. I guess it paid to be slower 🙂

Pacific Grade is the forth climb … although it is not as long, it had some really steep pitches, which I remember from our reconnaissance ride back in 2021. As we made a sharp right turn hairpin, I see riders ahead of me dismounting, resting, and walking their bikes. I remember this, and they are steep climbs upcoming. It reminds me a little of the steep S turns on Quimby, so at least I have some muscle memory to recall for this climb.

I get up to the Pacific Grade summit, expecting the rest stop to be close by. However, looking at my Garmin, it says I still have 4.5 miles left, with a bunch of rollies. What? Well I continue on, and about 0.5 mile before getting to the next rest stop, I see a motor SAG telling me to turn around, as I missed the cutoff. So I made it all this way, to not get credit? Not only that, I miss water and food/supplies to re-fuel. Well that sucks.

We turn around, and luckily we see some radio support, and they have water before the next rest stop. Knowing that we miss the cutoff, there was some rumor that we would be SAG’d. We then start singing “They’re coming to take me away, ha ha, they’re coming to take me away ho ho, he ha ha, to the funny farm” … Radio support guys gave us these weird looks … yeah, we see insane and unstable … maybe it’s due to the altitude?

By the time we climbed the back side of Ebbets (the fifth and final pass), we feel rain drops, and sprinkles. However, it was just sprinkles, and it wasn’t that bad. As I mentioned before, riders ahead of us go more wet, so it wasn’t bad for us.

We got to Markleeville, all knowing we just need to make a left turn, to get back to the cabin. Since we weren’t getting credit, why bother to go back to the start? However, we decided to continue on, and we made it back before the course closed.

I did talk to a worker, who was responsible for stamping our bibs (for credit). She noticed there was no stamp at Alpine Lake (the one where we were turned around). I told her we were turned around … so she asks “the moto told you to turn around, and you didn’t volunteer to turn around”, and I said yes. I guess that was enough to give us credit. Whew … it would have really sucked to not get credit because of a 0.5 mile stretch, as we were told to turn around.

The good news is we all completed the Death Ride, such an awesome accomplishment. To celebrate, we decided to go out for drinks … well by the time we washed up, and got ready, it was after 8 pm in Markleeville, and they close at 8 pm. What? A bar closes at 8 pm? We then looked on Google and Yelp, and everything closed at 8 pm. We ended up having to drive 20 miles, across the state border into Nevada, to chow down. So in future, make sure you finish the Death Ride before 5 pm, because if you wait too long, you won’t be able to go out for food and drinks in Markleeville.

This was a hell of a fun trip, and having a cabin, just a mile from the course .. you couldn’t ask for better accommodations.

2025 Eastern Sierra Double

2025 edition of the Eastern Sierra Double is complete … this time it was a success. Yay! This time, I actually shared a ride to get to Bishop, which made things a lot less stressful, and made the time pass by so much quicker. This time, we could go through Yosemite National Park, instead of making the long detour of going on Hwy 108, via Sonora Pass, which probably added an extra 30-60 minutes.

I met my friend Dave at his house (which was on the way for me anyways), then we drove from there. A big difference this time, is not seeing all those road signs warning the entrance through Tioga Pass on Hwy 120 required reservation to go through the park. Nope, not this year, not a single sign, so we were able to go through (although it was $35 to drive through).

Got to Bishop around 4:30 pm, and boy was it hot. Dave’s Tesla showed it was 98 °F (although accuweather reported it as 92 °F), so it might be a hot one. This prompted us to leave the knee warmers and jacket, but still had sun sleeves, and a vest for the morning. It was probably a good thing I brought the vest, because the weather condition varied greatly throughout the day.

It was a mass start at 5 am, as usual every year. This year, like last year, was a stage race event, so those who were vying for the competition would start at 6:30 am … nope, not me, so 5 am it is.

We didn’t need lights for too long … about 15 or 20 minutes into the ride, it was light enough to go without lights (and I brought two lights). As usual, a good pack proceeded ahead of me, and I was not about to chase them. Dave went ahead and caught up with them. Eventually I was swallowed up by Las Vegas Adobe Velo boys and girls. Awesome, now I can ride with that train into the first rest stop.

I caught up with Dave at the first rest stop, then continued on. Riders passed me as we did our first big climb, going through Paradise via Lower Rock Creek to a false summit … then it kicks back up again. It’s about a 11 mile climb, going up 2600 feet .. yeah, that’s enough to distance me, but this time, I didn’t feel like I was lantern rouge … I was still making good time. And yeah, it was getting hot … I know there’s a heat advisory back home, so hopefully it won’t get too toasty.

By the time we got to June Lake Loop, cloud coverage started to shade the sun, so the temperatures were not getting too bad. In fact, I kinda felt a few drops. At least this time, I didn’t feel like I was the only one doing the loop .. I saw quite a few others, which meant I was making good time.

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This is definitely the most beautiful part of the ride. Coincidentally, the America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride was going on at the same time. With what I’ve seen so far on this ride, this is more beautiful, not that other ride in Lake Tahoe, which is only 78 miles.

Anyhow, lunch is in Lee Vining, and I saw the Las Vegas Adobo Velo group there. I chit chatted a little bit with them, but I needed to get going. I heard warnings of heavy head winds on the way back, and it was suggested to ride with a group. Hehe … I ignored that, and just carried on.

They were not kidding .. I was struggling to maintain a 10 mph pace, and then Adobo Velo came through, and I just right on their train. I was able to hold on long enough till we made the turn onto Benton Cutoff, so I think I made up some time there. However, that pace disappeared quickly, as we started the climb up Sage Hen. I saw Ron Iseri having some trouble as I was able to catch up with him on the hill. Now something’s going on if I can catch him. I think he may have had altitude sickness, as he was feeling light headed … enough where he couldn’t continue. However, he continued on ahead of me to the rest stop, where he SAG’d it in. A bunch of the legendary DC riders were having trouble with this hill. I’ve always had trouble with SageHen … I don’t know what it is about this hill.

Throughout this climb, we heard thunderstorms … that made us all worry, and perhaps that’s why some SAG’d it in, while others were just going fast! I did get dumped on, pretty good, but it didn’t last for long. I would estimate about 15 minutes, stop, then again for 15 minutes. It’s a good thing I did bring a vest … I was starting to get cold … my arms were also getting cold, and I wasn’t wearing arm warmers, but sun sleeves.

After Sagehen, we get a nice long descent, and luckily, while we descended, the sun came out. By the time I got to the end of the descent, I had to take my vest off … it was getting quite warm.

I got into Benton at 6:10 pm, much better showing than last year, where I got there at 7:25 pm. The rest stop actually closes at 7:30 pm, so that was the cutoff, so I was safely in the middle of the pack. Jennifer, at the rest stop, warned us to get going if we want to take advantage of the free BBQ. I took off, and made great time into Bishop. There was no headwind to speak of … there was some crosswinds, but it wasn’t really too bad. In fact, it didn’t even take 2 hours to get in. I got in approximately 7:50 pm, so technically, I made it in during daylight. That’s a bonus, as I’m usually coming in to finish a double in the dark.

Brutal Devil’s Mountain Double

This year, I came into the double century season with a slightly different training schedule. This time, I decided to do a brevet, once a month, leading into this event. I didn’t think about brevet’s specifically for this event … it just turned out that way. With this training regiment, I was pleasantly surprised at how well I did at Solvang Double, almost 1 month ago. I finished 1.5 hours faster than the previous year, so that gave me high hopes for DMD.

As usual, I did the previous night hangout at the registration. It was kind of a reunion of sorts, seeing my old friends (most of who would be way ahead of me).

There were a few of us that started at 3 am, while majority started at 4 am, and really strong ones at 5 am. I rode with Dave, Stefan, and Lam to start.

It’s the same course as last year, and the first climb, Sierra, was not even a mile in. Luckily it’s pitch black, so you don’t see how steep the climb is … or do you? Lam had never done Sierra before, so his legs were in for a big wake up call. It had been on the cool side in the week leading up to this, so we were all bundled in layers … I had 5 layers (base layer, 2 long sleeve jerseys, vest, and rain jacket). As we got near the top, I overhear Lam mentioning something, but I kept going to get to the top. I think he needed to take a leak, but I didn’t see him. I figured he’d meet us down the hill. We would later see him at CP #2, right as we were leaving that rest stop.

Since we started so early, we knew there wouldn’t be a CP #1 open for us (in Sunol), so we just continued on to Niles Canyon. That stretch wasn’t bad at all, with only one car passing us (I mean who would be out here at 4:30 am).

CP #2 would be the last time both highland and lowland riders would ride the same course. I mean, even with lowland, we’re doing 17k ft climbing … that still gets the same CTC credit.

Off we go towards Iron Horse Trail, while the. highland riders attack up Diablo. Stefan can be really fast on a flat stretch, and he definitely distanced us. Dave and I continued riding together, en route to Clayton.

As we are riding through, I get a text message from work … Arghh … I’m on a double century. I only know I’m texted, because my Garmin sync’s up with my phone. I could ignore it, but I know this customer is a real pain, and I’m the senior … arghh … as I’m riding through Iron Horse Trail, I get to a flat stretch, do a quick voice to text. Sorry guy, this is the best I can do for you. I guess I’ll hear about it on Monday in the office .. oh well.

We get to Clayton, and the rest stop is planned there. There is a street fair in Clayton, so the rest stop would not be in town, but further out on Marsh Creek Rd (same thing as last year). We didn’t see Stefan there, so I figured he just went out on Morgan Territory, blazing a trail.

The Morgan Territory climb is not ultra steep, but it keeps going on for 9 miles. Stefan actually passed me on Morgan Territory … I thought he was way ahead of me, but he stopped at a coffee shop back in Clayton.

After cresting Morgan Territory, it’s a mad bomb down the hill that locals affectionately call it “The Plunge”. It’s not critically steep, but you can pick up some good speed. Lunch awaited me in Livermore, and much needed. I was getting mighty hungry at this point.

Dave and Stefan went on ahead, as I just got to the lunch stop. I know that Patterson Pass awaits me, and hopefully the wind is not insanely crazy like it was last year. Normally, I would be attacking through Altamont Pass (as I know you can pick up some good speed here), but I wanted to save my legs for Patterson Pass. Like an idiot, my head wasn’t in the right place, and I totally forgot to fill up on water. So as I was approaching Patterson Pass, I was conserving on water. As I turned on Patterson Pass, one of the support workers came up along side me asking if I wanted water … Oh God, yes!!! Actually, he was supposed to be at the corner, and he was chasing me down … I am so glad he did. That was awesome that he chased me down (I guess there was supposed to be a water stop).

I kept waiting for the wind to give me a sucker punch, but it kept calm, so I guess today is one of those days where it wasn’t so bad.

After making it past Patterson Pass, it was a fairly flat jaunt to the next rest stop, at Mines Road. Much to my surprise, I saw Dave and Stefan there. However, as you guessed it … as I got there, they were about to leave. That’s ok .. I’ll just enjoy some chicken porridge … which felt so good at this point. As I’m eating, I’m savoring every gulp, enjoying while I can before hitting the road again.

Ok, onto Mines Road, the road to nowhere … well, that’s an exaggeration, but it is a long stretch of road, before getting to the Junction. I was eyeballing the skies, and was wondering if I’m heading towards these dark clouds above me … and just as I was thinking that, I felt some rain drops, and then it continued. It wasn’t hard heavy rain, but just enough to be a real annoyance … and getting you wet. The sun never came out, and the temps kept in the 40s to low 50s. This just made the ride and climb even more demoralizing. Luckily there weren’t going to be many steep climbs before the Junction.

I had to stop my our fallen rider, Ellen Le … the cycling community missing you dearly … such a beautiful memorial, I had to stop here for a couple of minutes.

Onwards for the 19 mile climb back up to the top of Hamilton. I kept looking at the time to see when darkness will fall upon us. By the time I got to Isabel Creek, the last rest stop, it was still light (for probably another 45 minutes or so). At this point, I thought I was making really good time.

Paul Vlasfeld greeted me, and asked me “What are you doing here” … my reply … “I keep asking myself the same thing … I’m just ready for more punishment, I assume”. That was too funny.

I got to the top, and then I started to see misty fog. Then it hit me … I’m riding in the clouds. No wonder. It’s all pitch black dark, so all I can is point my light at the middle lane markers, and give through that to the top. I had my 5 layers on, so just continue on.

At this point, the cold was coming through, and I was still wet from that rain earlier on. My Garmin read 38 F, and I’m descending from the clouds at 4000 feet. With all those layers, my arms were still cold … oddly enough, that’s what was suffering the most, not my toes or my fingers. This just meant my descent was as slow as could be.

I finally get to the bottom of the hill … I always wondered what cars are thinking when they see a cyclist, descending down a mountain, in pitch black darkness … never mind how cold it is. I’m just glad they just accept it, and allow me to go down the hill safely.

I’m approaching the finish, and I look at the clock, and it’s not even 11:00 yet. I get to the finish line, and Brett and Kayla tackle me while I’m on the bike. Oh what a relief … and I cut a little over an hour off of my time last year. That makes this hard and brutal ride so much more rewarding. And the best part, is all the cheerleaders at the end greeting us finishers. Only at DMD to you get this … what a way to spend a Saturday.

Eastern Sierra Double … Another DNF

At Davis Double, my friend Joyce reserved an AirBnB and was looking for a roommate, and I thought why not, I can knock out another double in two weeks, so I signed up. The AirBnB was 9.8 mile from the start so that was perfect.

The drive over is through Sonora Pass, which is beautiful …. Just the drive over is worth the trip

I arrive in Benton a little after 4 pm. I get everything ready for the morning and the worst fear in doing these out of town events is forgetting to bring something … like one of your shoes. I checked my bag and I had one cycling shoe and one dress shoe. What??? I guess I grabbed two black shoes … I should have double checked my bag before leaving.

Luckily there is a bike shop very close by, Aerohead Cycles. They had shoes, and in my size, but they are spd and I have look. Well I guess I’m buying shoes and pedals, so at least I can ride.

It’s a mass start at 5 am.

Since this is a stage race, everyone was pushing the pace. I hung in with Peggy for a while until I decided to let off the gas and that’s when it was decided I’ll be riding this solo.

I was able to see some of my group at the first rest stop, but that’s only because it was fairly flat.

The climbs started after leaving the first rest stop. Old Sherwin Grade is one of those climbs that just keep going on forever, and what’s worse, it got windy, and we’re at altitude. I remember grabbing for a bar, and taking a bite was an effort, probably due to the altitude. I just had to keep going, keep moving.

It was a strange day, and I saw Q just ahead of me. He was in the front pack this morning and I was surprised to see him this far back, and he was walking his bike. Later on, I found out he was struggling with the altitude, but he recovered, and passed me at since point after the second rest stop.

I got to the second rest stop, and there was a line at the restroom. I spent a bit longer than I wanted to hear … maybe I should have just found a bush instead. Just as I was leaving, I saw Terri pull up.

It’s onwards to Mammoth Lakes. At this point I was getting a bit fatigued, more than I usually do. I think this is due to not riding in the new shoes, plus brand new pedals, and I’m not used to it. I had to stop, and that’s C when Terri passed me. She says she was one of the last ones, but I did see two other riders going around my pace. This was not a good sign, but I did see the other two riders stop a number of times. One was even getting off and walking his bike for a while, gets on, then gets off and walks again. I thought that was pretty odd.

I get to the third rest stop, then Jennifer is manning the rest stop, wondered what happened to me. My quick reaction was “I’m slow” but I didn’t realize how slow I actually was. I may have just barely made it to C the rest stop before they closed, but I didn’t want to think about that.

By the time I get to June Lake Loop, the two other riders ended up passing me. I just had to keep at it. I started to get hot foot, to the point where I kept unclipping out of my pedals because my toes were killing me. I think it was starting to play mind games with me.

When I got to the lunch stop, it looks like I was the last one. I didn’t want to think about that too much, but I saw Terri still there. I made it a quick lunch stop, and I actually left before Terri did. Eventually she caught up to me and we rode a short bit on the Sagehen climb together, until I was just too tired and she passed me on the climb.

Sagehen was tough for me, as I think my fatigue had gotten to me. I kept trying to keep her in my sights, and I was able to do that until about the last mile of the climb. At that point, I was all alone, and I just had to squeeze every bit of energy to get to the next aid station, which I did manage to make.

The cutoff here was 5:30 pm, and I may have just barely made it. Just as I arrived, I saw Terri take off.

I took some quick drinks, quick snack bites, and off I go. They tell me I have two hours to get to Benton. One of the workers asked what I needed. I said tell me something motivational that would encourage me to continue. He said it’s downhill, but I know there are rollies, with steep risers, and those annoying freeze cracks.

Combination of the cracks (which seem to get bigger the longer I go) and the risers on those rollies seem to get steeper too. I’m fatigued but I could still pedal. I get to the final climb and I know I have a fast descent, so that’s where I can recover… but it always seem like the distance is longer and some is stretching the road making it even longer. That’s the head games getting to me.

I get to Benton and I am exhausted. I turned myself inside and out to get here, but I had nothing left. I did get there at 7:25 ) cutoff 7:30. It was not meant to be today, and I had to just admit defeat, and Jennifer drove me back to the start.

I kept thinking how humiliating this would be to admit defeat, but sometimes it’s not in the cards. Telling everyone at dinner, they were all so supportive, because we’ve all been there before. This one was a comedy of errors, and the ultimate humiliation is this picture of the one dress shoe and one cycling shoe.

What a way to DNF. I never thought it would ever come to this … leaving one shoe back home and bringing the wrong shoe. Who does that?

Davis, a Double Century Party!

After completing a grueling DMD Double Century, I was thinking about easing up on the DC riding. DMD is definitely the hardest I’ve ever completed, and I did it twice in a row. But then, I heard so many of my friends doing Davis, so why not … let’s go for another one. This will be number 37.

Since it was last minute, I had to figure out lodging. Then, I found James Lavigna was doing the ride, and he graciously invited me to stay and camp with him in his Winnebago and staying at an RV park, just 15 minutes from the start. First time RV camping, so sure, why not. This was better than sleeping in a tent or a car .. I mean look at this … and full air conditioned too! I’m small enough to fit … LOL

We all decided to start at 5 am, but by the time we got to the start, and got the bikes out and all ready to go, I didn’t leave until 5:10 am, and by that time, everyone I was going to ride with had already gone. Oh well, it’s not like I would be riding with them the whole 200 miles anyways. That is until I got caught by one fast pack, and I hung onto them for a good 3 miles at least, until I just couldn’t hold onto the wheel. Then a second pack comes by, and I see my friend Caleb in that group, so I hang in with them, up until the 1st rest stop.

First climb is coming up, Cardiac Hill, but until after we pass by the Glory Hole … but I didn’t stop, so I didn’t get any pictures there. One thing that was rude, was we got a headwind, while climbing up to the dam, but at least the headwind did not persist while we were climbing Cardiac Hill. On the way up, I pass by my friends on the tandem, Paul and Minh

On the stretch to Lake Berryessa, there weren’t too many groups of riders (perhaps it’s because everyone was passing me?). Parts of this route seem familiar, as we do the same roads on Knoxville Double Century, but in reverse. Then again, when I last did Knoxville, it was raining during this stretch … that’s probably why I didn’t recall it.

At the 2nd rest stop, I met up with a bunch of friends from past double centuries, so it was nice to catch up with them. Manny, from One Cycling, always seem to be at these doubles. Strong rider, who seems to get flats on these doubles (tries to blame it on me).

I also bumped into Jackson and Bryan, who started 30 minutes after me. I made it 2 rest stops before they caught me. I went on ahead, limiting my rest stop time to 10 min or less. Eventually, Jackson and Bryan did pass me. The group that I rode with in the beginning (the second pack) passed me, and we chatted a little bit, before they went on ahead. I would take short breaks, and they would pass me, because they are that strong.

There weren’t too many significant climbs after the 2nd rest stop .. mostly rolling hills .. but after reaching the third rest stop, that would change. While at the 3rd rest stop, I chit chat with the same group that I hooked up with in the beginning, and again, I would leave before they start, keeping my stops to a minimum. From here, we hit a 4.1 mile gravel section on Big Canyon Road. Again, the same group catches up with me on the gravel section, and we decided that I would ride with them … so cool!

The gravel section is fairly hard packed, so it’s rideable on road bikes. Once we finished the gravel section, the paved section had lots of big, large potholes (which I like to call craters). I remember Tara (one of the riders in my new group) saying to me, we’d prefer the gravel. It was heating up at this point, and we are starting the Big Canyon climb. This is the climb right before lunch, and on my way down Siegler Canyon (descent after summitting the Big Canyon climb), I started feeling a cramp in my leg. Perhaps it’s a combination of lack of heat training, being out in the sun, and doing this climb, all caught up to me. Most likely, I didn’t take in enough electrolytes (even though I was drinking my electrolyte bottle pretty vigorously). Lesson to be learned .. I should put my gels in a different pocket, so that I know exactly where they are.

I spent a bit longer at the lunch stop than I wanted to … but then again, that seems to always be the case. A good part of that was having the ice sock over my neck, to cool down, before heading out and climbing resurrection.

After lunch, I rode out with my group, and with my leg cramps, I was probably not going to keep up (actually, if it weren’t for the leg cramps, I probably wouldn’t have caught up anyways). One thing I liked about this group was they were very chatty. It was entertaining, and it kept my mind off of whatever pain my body is going through. In the end, I was distanced on the resurrection climb. The climb itself is not really bad. It is not a long sustained hill, as there are flat, and even descents … it’s just being out there in the wide open sun. It was tiring though, and it was a welcome sight to see the rest stop near the top. Peggy made some cute chocolate cupcakes, which felt really good. Also, what’s great is the group waited long enough for me to recover, and continue on with them. The more the merrier … and I’m thankful they waited for me.

After a short climb, we had a nice fast descent for awhile. We make a right turn on Hwy 16, and it seems like we are doing a descent. However, my cramps started acting up again, to the point where if I shifted down too much, and put too much pressure, my knee would seize up. Ooh, that is not good. I was probably going around 10-11 mph, where I should normally going 16-18 mph. I had to nurse my way over to the next rest stop. I should have looked for some pickle juice at that last rest stop. I chewed on some electrolyte tablets, but it was probably too late at that point.

I got to Guinda, and my friends are still there at the rest stop. I thought they might have gone, but glad to see them there. They gave me a couple of salt tablets to put in my water bottle. While I was there, I had some cup o noodles, potatoes, and pickle juice. I’m not sure what did it, but soon after leaving the rest stop, I felt a whole lot better. At least now, we don’t have too many climbs to do, so it’s just a matter of pedaling.

Traffic near Cache Creek casino was not too bad. Sure you had some rednecks honking at me, and a few times where someone passed a slow driver, and was coming in my direction, but it wasn’t even close.

By the time I got to the last rest stop, it was just before sunset, and it was 23 miles left (about 20 of it would be in the dark, through farm country).

I got to the finish at around 10:15 pm with still some energy left. I looked on past years, and it’s about the same time. What’s interesting is the last time I did this, in 2022, I started at 4 am, and I still finished at the same time. That’s encouraging at least.

Of course, I had to take a picture with the group I rode with. It’s a fun group, and I’m glad I was able to ride with them.

Back to the Old Classic DMD DC #36

This year’s DMD was back to the old classic route, and just like last year, there is a lowland and a highland route. The highland did all the same climbs as the original, but started in San Jose instead. This meant climbing Sierra first (instead of at mile 150), and back side of Hamilton being the last significant climb. However, I did the lowland route, which was lower in elevation but it was still 17,600 ft climbing! So the climbs in order were Sierra, Palomares, Norris Cyn, Morgan Territory, Patterson Pass, Mines Rd, then Hamilton. That’s still a tall order, and lots of climbing, not for the faint hearted.

I started at 3 am, along with a handful of other hearty, eager DC riders (including Peggy going for DC 100, and Stefan going for DC 50), and the most awesome support crew! They help fill bottles, park our bikes, offer food, food, and more food, and treat every rest stop like a party!

The temps were ok, in the high 40s, but we would start climbing Sierra in a couple of blocks (less than a mile). Nice warmup, eh? First time I attempted DMD, I DNF’d mid-way up Sierra, but since we are doing this with fresh legs, that shouldn’t be an issue. I looked at my Garmin, which was on the climb segment screen, and I didn’t need to know my progress there. So I switched back to the main screen, and much to my horror, distance showed 0. I paid careful attention to load the route onto my Garmin, I forgot to start the timer. I even took this picture before I realized my error.

As far as I can tell, I turned it on after 2.6 miles, 1270 ft climbing. At least it was too dark to see anything, so I couldn’t tell how much further I needed to go, and then I was at the top. However, the descent was not only dark, but it was foggy (or we were up in the clouds), so I had to put away my glasses, so I can see the road. Of course, since it was dark, and fog lowered my visibility, speed coming down the hill was much slower than usual. I caught up with my good friend, and totally super awesome DC rider, Peggy, who is doing her 100th DC. We took it easy descending into the first rest stop. We got there ~ 5:30 am, but there was no one there. At least there were two ports potties, so we could take advantage of that. Later on, we found out because a stretch of S I-680 was closed, they couldn’t set up in time. I guess if we started an hour later, we wouldn’t have had this problem, but there was no way I could finish this by midnight starting at 4 am. At this point, we caught up with Memo, and from here on out, I would ride with Memo the entire ride.

Throughout the entire ride, we had many instances where the road narrowed down to one lane, and a controlled traffic light. We approached Niles Canyon ~ 4:30 am, and we made an executive decision to run the red light … there will be no one here at 4:30 am … oops … there was. But at least we had shoulder room to get to one side.

Next climb is Palomares. This is not too bad, with no crazy pitches. On the old classic route, this is climbed mostly in the dark, and it could be quite spooky. Later on, another climb, that is vastly different in daylight, as opposed to night, is Norris Canyon. That is the last climb, and there are some steep pitches there, and that could be utterly cruel near the end of a double.

Our first rest stop, was actually the second on the ride, which was at Blackhawk, just before the lowland and highland split up. Dzung was saying we got to the first rest stop too early, because we started too early, as we were fast. No, I don’t think so. I’m definitely not in the fast category.

We caught up with Tushar, who is doing his first DMD. From here, Memo, Tushar, and I rode together for the rest of the ride. It’s great to ride a double with company. Our route was a flatter option, bypassing Mt. Diablo completely. We skirted our way through Danville, then rode on Iron Horse Trail until we go to Ynacio Valley Rd, where the two routes joined together. The next stop is “planned” for Clayton, but the location where it was supposed to be was being used for a street faire of some sort. We got to Clayton, but no rest stop anywhere. I then spotted Jeff Orum, and he mentioned everyone was surprised by that, and the crew is looking for a new location for the rest stop. In all my doubles, I never encountered something like this. This is definitely one to remember … where’s the rest stop? Keep going, it’ll be there.

The rest stop was re-located about a mile from the original plan, so it wasn’t too bad. One Cycling always has a great rest stop, and this certainly did not disappoint. They had nice helping of Adobo Chicken … mmm … but I needed to make sure I didn’t get too full, as I still had to climb Morgan Territory. As I was ready to leave, they kept asking me if I wanted Chicken Adobo … as much as I wanted it, I had to say no.

Next up is Morgan Territory, full of false flats, and as usual, climbs got steeper, the closer we got to the top. As I passed the Morgan Territory Regional Park, I was so tempted to make a left turn into the parking lot, as that was the stop that the Quackcyclists always had, after climbing Morgan Territory. However, I passed right on through, and descended “the plunge”.

Once I got down to the bottom, it was a series of left and right turns, all flat, but with a little bit of headwind … in other words, time trail mode, and then lunch. Nice little stop for sandwiches, and thankfully not a big one either … especially having to deal with these climbs. They certainly took care of us riders, and thankfully, the stop at Jimmy John’s Sandwiches, allowed us to sit in their shop, indoors, so no lack of seats to find.

Ok, next up, Altamont Pass (where we can pick up some speed, since a good portion of it is tailwinds, and modest descent). I made sure I didn’t go at my normal time trial breakneck speed here … I mean it is DMD. After getting to Midway, it’s the climb up Patterson Pass from the power station. When I first attempted DMD, it was extremely windy when we got to the “OMG Hill”, but by the time we got here, it wasn’t too bad. However, I did hear that later in the day, the winds really picked up, so it looks like we lucked out, coming at around 3:30 pm.

OMG Hill

According to Strava, the OMG segment is only 0.84 miles, and an average of 7% … but if you throw in heavy head winds, that just makes for a grueling, grunt of a climb.

Mines Road is the next stop, manned by Pokus. This was a great rest stop, again, with Adobo Chicken, and oh so good.

Mines Road is next, and what seemed to be an endless series of hills. I’ll remember this road, as this was when my dear friend, and XDV loved Ellen Le, was killed two years ago, on a club ride. I haven’t ridden Mines Road since then … as it turned out, on our group ride that day, I was the closest to her (about 5 min apart). Memo and I were looking with anticipation of seeing the ghost bike, and it was amazing. We could see it clearly from a distance, and in my mind, the most beautiful ghost bike I have ever seen.

We spent a few minutes just pondering here, then went on towards the next rest stop, at the Junction. This was a quick water stop, before heading up towards Mt. Hamilton. There would be one more stop, and that would be at the Isabel Bridge, just before the 5.5 mile climb (the steepest part of Mt. Hamilton). I was looking forward to this, but then I get not 1, not 2, but 3 traffic lights for traffic control due to the road going to a single lane. Each one of those lights involved a climb. Sheesh! And right before the rest stop, a punchy climb. I forgot all about that.

After a re-fuel, time to get this thing done, and the hardest 5.5 miles of the ride. Backside of Hamilton is tough, especially after having climbed 15,000 ft! The good thing … if there was such a thing, is that it’s dark, so I didn’t have to see how steep the climb is coming up. However I’ve done this a number of times, so I’m used to this.

Got up to the top, a little after 10:15 pm, so I feel pretty good about hitting my target of midnight. With it being so dark, I descended at a very conservative safe speed. Even with this, I hear a big pop… no not a flat, but a broken spoke. My wheel was wobbly, but still rideable. I’m lucky this didn’t derail my ride, but not in not sure if I can make it by midnight … if I don’t make it by midnight, I might miss out on food, entertainment, and cameraderie with fellow DC riders. However my ride was a bit more stable than I thought it would be, so I made it down to Alum Rock with 15 minutes to spare.

I then caught up to Peggy and Jeff. Wow, I’ll be able to finish this on Peggy’s 100th double. I did the same thing with Steve Meichtry for his 100th. It’s such an honor that I ride with Peggy at the beginning and the end of this ride.

We got to the finish at 11:57 pm … write talk about cutting it close. And we are greeted by Kayla and her band of dancers and singers, to greet us. How amazing is that? And there’s still food left. How sweet this is. This is the happiest moment of the entire ride. I am all smiles.

This was probably the hardest double century I have ever done (even harder than last year). I feel so accomplished, and hearing all the accolades from riders I look Up to, it is so gratifying.

Thanks to all the amazing volunteers, entertainers, and a special thanks to Memo and Tushar for hanging with me for the whole ride. Big congrats to Peggy for her 100th double. I am so proud of you, and so in awe.

Spring Solvang Double Century 2024 – Number 35

My first double century of the year, and number 35, is Solvang Spring Double. This time, my friend Bryan is doing it for the first time. Also David is joining us, and this will be his second one. Bryan and I drove down Friday, and it was a glorious drive down. In fact, there were all blue skies, so it sounded like it could be a promising day. There was forecast for rain in the morning (till ~ 7 am), and then again at 5 pm. We had our normal pre-DC dinner the night before, trading stories of our previous DC escapades. That’s actually one of my favorite parts of doing these rides … hearing all the tales and stories of our adventures.

It started out with rain at the start (5 am). Deb, the ride organizer, urged everyone, that if they felt too cold and wet, to not hesitate to turn back. It would be challenging, since there was minimal staff to support the ride this year. With that said, I’d have to say the support was fabulous. You wouldn’t have thought they were low on staff this year.

Just 1.5 miles out on the road, Steve Meichtry, who has over 190 doubles under his belt (so very experienced), hit a pothole, which then had him flying off into a ditch. He was ok, but they needed to pull him out of the ditch along with his bike. His bike was ok, evidence by the fact that he caught up to me in the second half of the ride.

With this in mind, I wasn’t in a real hurry, even though there is a descent into Solvang. I kept my speed pretty low, just so I can keep the rubber side down. It only rained constantly for the first 5 miles, so when I got to the first climb at Foxen Canyon, it wasn’t really bad. Roads were wet, but any precipitation we had was a light sprinkle or drizzle. I rode the beginning with David, but soon, I was passed up. I did hook up with a group of riders, where we traded leads pretty often, so we worked well as a group.

By the time we got to the first rest stop, I saw David, and my friend Joyce there. We then proceeded to continue the ride together … that is until I got dropped. Joyce is a strong rider, and David egged her on to keep on the wheel … well that’s what she did, then David tells me he doesn’t know how long he can keep up at this pace. At that point, I dropped back, and lost contact with the group. That’s fine … I always said I won’t ride with a group, but just go at my own pace. However, en route to the next rest stop, we are battling headwinds, so it is by no means an easy way.

I got to the second rest stop at ~ 11 am, where I got reunited with David, Joyce, and a whole bunch of my fellow DC friends. By the time I got there, Joyce was ready to go, so she went on. There, we saw Bryan there, and he caught up to us, who started at 5:30 am (instead of 5 am).

The next 20 miles is a loop, that goes to out to Cuesta College before looping back to rest stop 3, which is basically the same place. We found Dzung, who had just gotten there as rest stop 2, so he was 20 miles behind us. After chowing down, and trying to limit our time, it’s time to keep going. It was hard to decide if I should keep the rain jacket on, or put it away. I took it off during the 20 mile loop, before getting sprinkled upon again, half way through the loop. So I decided to keep it on for the duration of the ride.

We’re making pretty good time here, as we left the lunch stop ~ 1 pm. We head over to Pismo Beach area, and the views are amazing. Pictures won’t do it justice.

We head inland, and do this climb up Ormonde, which is about 5-6%, and then we turn onto Noyce Rd, which kicks up to 16% at some stretches. That gets your heart pumping. Then we get another kicker at 10% up Mesa Valley Road, before we head into Guadalupe for our next stop. Steve caught up to me, and it was good to see him with me, so that I have someone to ride with on the way to Los Alamos.

Heading out of Guadalupe, we feel the wind shifting. It looks like we are finally getting a tailwind in our favor. Steve and I took a fairly relaxed pace going into the next stop, keeping the pace between 15 – 17 mph (with a tail wind). The Adobe Velo Las Vegas train would pass us, and I had no intention of hopping onto that train. I wanted to have enough in the tank to climb Alisos Canyon after the last rest stop.

When we get to the last rest stop, I see David there (I thought he had long gone by this time). However, I think he burned too many matches in the beginning of the ride, and his legs probably got the best of him at this point. We get to the stop, and Steve and I wanted to make it a quick stop … down or gulp cup o noodles, then get on our way.

Next up is the climb back up, up Alisos Canyon, which intersects with Foxen Canyon. We would actually have two climbs up Foxen Canyon, the second one which the old Solvang Century would call “the wall”. By the time I get to Foxen Canyon, it is dark, and by the time I get to the wall, it is pitch black. Suddenly I’m all alone by myself, so it’s just me and the sound of rubber, rolling on wet pavement.

Once I descend off of the wall, I have to cross a highway, and then into Ballard Canyon. Just as soon as I cross the highway, and then start climbing Ballard, it starts raining, and hard. In fact, I recall I was looking down towards my wheel, and all I see is a constant stream of water pouring down. I was tempted to stop by a tree, where it’s not raining, but I wanted to complete this. I continue on, in the rain. I’m already wet, so what’s the difference? The descent on Ballard is rough, and with it being completely pitch black, and the constant rain coming down, it makes for a treacherous descent. I was definitely taking my time coming down this road. It’s a good thing I save my 1400 lumen light for this part of the ride. The guy in front of me was thanking me for my light.

Some of these roads, that we ride during the daylight, seem a hell of a lot longer when riding in the dark, and probably due to the rain too. Finally, we get to Hwy 236, and a right turn back to the start. If I hurry, I could get my meal ticket, and get a burger at The Habit, but first thing was to get myself out of wet clothes, and then take a nice hot shower.

This was my 35th double, and I would have to say this is tougher than it looks on paper. Maybe it’s because I’m getting a little older, and part of it is the rains too. No matter what the conditions, I always love doing this ride. It’s so scenic, and the reunions with all my DC friends is priceless. It’s like family, a tightly close knit bond.

2023 Dead of Winter

The last double century of the year is Dead of Winter, held first weekend of December. This will be my third consecutive year doing this event, so you might say I like it. This year, we are celebrating Dzung’s 63rd birthday, with this being his birthday double. For this occasion, we stayed at an AirBnB, which is actually about 5 miles away. Four of us carpooled over to the start, which means we will wait for the last person to finish, before we head back to the AirBnb.

We all started at 4 am, and the temps were a little cool (around 46 F), and bundled up in 3 layers (some bundled up with 4 layers). Since I was fine with 3 layers on my 6 am morning commutes earlier in the week, this would suit me fine.

The first 40 miles was flat, and that typically means it is a hammerfest. Paul, Daniel, and I were pulling the group (3 on the left), which quickly became our own little separation group. On the first actual climb, a Daniel passed me and then I was in chase mode. I soon was passed by my friend Rob Mann (who was riding on a fixie). I did whatever I could to keep up (for about 10 minutes) before I was dropped. There was another rider who was riding with him, Roxanne, who was riding her first double, but she was strong and fast. She ended up finishing in 12 hours. Damn!

I then got swallowed by a group of 10 Adobo Velo riders, and then the speed picked up. By the time we finished the first 40 mile loop, the average speed was 15.5 mph! The first rest stop was actually back at the hotel, which also meant we can actually enjoy a continental breakfast there. I made quick work of grabbing scrambled eggs and biscuit, then ready to go. But then I saw Maitram, Lam, and a few others from our original group. Lam was stating how he wanted to work on reducing down time, so we figured he would be ready to go. I went back inside, and what do I see? He’s taking his time eating breakfast … so much for the short downtime.

We went on ahead, and Lam would catch up with us later. Meanwhile, Maitram and I pretty much rode together on the double. We then caught up with our friend Ken Mathis, who would ride with us for the next 20 miles or so before he got a flat, but would catch up with us later.

Maitram and Lam had set up a cool feature on the Garmin, to track where they are on the ride (basically to see how far behind the other rider is). I should look into that on do that on future rides (perhaps on the next double, Solvang).

I have to tell you that Maitram and Lam had finished PBP (Paris-Brest-Paris) earlier in the year, so endurance riding is not an issue. However, both mention they hadn’t done much distance riding recently … about 20 miles was the longest, so this would be interesting. Well, I couldn’t see any effect of lack of riding. I did notice when we were climbing, they were a little behind, but not too bad.

It was mostly flat up until the lunch stop at mile 105. For some reason, I always struggle after the lunch stop, no matter what type of double, or even single century. I did have a couple of helping of rice porridge, but I refuse to blame it on that. I did have a couple of PBJ’s, but it finally kicked in by the time we started climbing. Perhaps I should have eaten the last sticky rice bun I had instead of PBJ.

When we got to downtown Ojai, we then went up to Dennison Grade, and an out and back. This is not my favorite part of the ride, but I did see that I got a PR out of this, compared to last year, and by a wide margin too. I guess I was feeling a lot better this year than last year.

It was still light out by the time we descended back into Ojai, but not for long. By the time we started climbing Casitas Pass, it was time to hit the lights, and when we got to the summit, it was already dark. Oh well, so much for not descending in the dark. I would have had to pull in a 12 hour double for that.

Maitram didn’t have a real powerful light, so we descended down the hill a bit slower than we usually do. I had two powerful lights (one was 1000 lumen, the other 1400 lumen) … I figure that should be bright enough for cars to see me. Once we got down to Rincon, and then the 30 mile ride down the coast, it was smooth sailing.

We did encounter one snafu, where we make a right turn, and one group ahead of us had a guy fall, and it was pitch black dark. It looks like he made a wide turn, and wound up on the other side of the street, and tried come back to the right side, and didn’t realize there was a lip on the road, and then he fell. I don’t know if it was a matter of them going really fast around a corner, or if they didn’t have bright enough lights. It immediately made us calm our roll … best to get back in one piece, with rubber side up.

We got back around 8:45 pm, with an elapsed time of 16:33, and more importantly, no flats, no injuries, and it was fun to ride with Maitram. For someone who had only done 20 mile rides up to now, this was a great accomplishment. Yeah, I know, the long climb on Casitas may have been tough, especially if you haven’t ridden long grinding hills like that, but she did great! She had her sprinting legs in the last 10 miles, as I had to go into time trial mode, to catch and hunt her down. At least I’ve still got it, even with 180 miles already in my legs.

As this double century was originally designed as a barebones event, we really appreciate all the volunteers and SAG drivers that were out there. And thanks to Kermit and Ira for setting this economical event, and an even bigger surprise, by giving us a $10 Starbucks gift card. So suddenly this ride was a $40 registration … far cry from the $130 to $150 event registrations.

2023 Bass Lake Powerhouse

Yea, I’m knocking out another double and it would be my sixth of the year. But more importantly, it is Kayla’s third, and this will be her triple crown double. All those hard knarly steep climb distance rides, all come to this. All along, I know that those training rides are much harder than any of the hills encountered on this ride, but at least we would be prepared for it.

Once again, I roomed with Memo, who would head home immediately after the ride (so I’d have to crash AT&T someone’s room … Paul and Dzung agreed to let me sleep there. Thanks guys).

We started out at 3:15 am, and it wasn’t too cold, so we didn’t need leggings (just base layer, arm warmers, and jacket). Everything started out smoothly, but then something happened … I must have overate or had food poisoning or something. I had stomach issues to the point where I had to stop. I was feeling light headed, and a bit dizzy. Then suddenly, I felt I had to puke. Ugh … this took a lot out of me. Poor Kayla … she saw me at my worst. She helped be work it off, and we made it to the first rest stop, but then, bent over, I vomited some more. Damn! This was not the way I envisioned this double would start. I was able to compose myself, then on we went.

I definitely was not at full strength so instead of holding Kayla back, she went on ahead and I would catch up with her later on, after I built my strength back up.

I got to the 2nd rest stop, which was at Bass Lake, but I couldn’t find Kayla there. We didn’t say exactly where we would re-group, and I started worrying is she ahead or behind me. So I asked everyone there who knows us, but they haven’t seen her, so she must be up ahead. I tried asking one of the workers, but they only had numbers and I didn’t remember what her number is. Well, the only thing is to move forward. I must have lost 25-30 minutes here.

We had a long screaming descent off of Bass Lake onto Powerhouse before climbing back up. I think the sickness wore off at this point and I was back to what I love to do … climb. The climb itself was not bad which averaged about 5% for 1150 fr, but it was good enough to work myself over. On my way towards the 3rd rest stop, I got a message from Memo that she is at the 3rd rest stop, so I should just continue on. I felt if I hurried, I might be able to catch her at the rest stop, but by the time I got there, she had just left. Rats! I’ll have to make this a really quick stop, then continue on.

Somewhere along the way after this rest stop, I must have past Kayla, as I got to the lunch stop first. That’s strange. I even made a pit stop along the way. The most important fact is we got reunited again.

We left the lunch stop with a nice group of 5. The next 20 miles or so had some headwinds and frankly, junk miles, or scenery that is a bit boring.

More flat miles until we get to MR 5 before the Pine Flat Lake climb, and more of an opportunity to pull the group. Then I saw Dee and I had to catch on her draft. It was a good stretch, but then saw the rest of my group wasn’t staying in touch so I had to back off when we had to cross the highway. Boy that was fun while it lasted. It’s a good thing I stopped, as I needed to save energy for the climb coming up.

I saw Kant Ng at the next rest stop, and he had already done the out and back ( 17 miles up, and 17 miles back). He started at 5 am and he’s already here? He’s going to finish in daylight. We got to this rest stop around 4:30 pm!

So much fun, but time to get up hill. The climb itself is not too bad, with 5-8% grades, and nothing too terribly difficult. I think the harder part is the outbound direction. At 140+ miles in, we still gotta maintain a little left in the reserve for the inbound climb.

It’s funny that every year, no matter how early or whatever mishap occurs during this ride I always end up at the turnaround point at the same time, which means I always return in the dark. Good thing I save my 1400 lumen light for the end (and I didn’t even have it on the highest setting).

We got back to the rest stop before 8 pm. We still saw people heading up towards the lake as late as 7:30 pm. They’re going to be arriving really late, maybe 1:30 am? Definitely not us.

No matter how many times I do this, the last 20 miles always seem longer, even though it is mostly downhill, and no headwind (maybe even a tailwind). Most of the time we descend in a group, and that’s what we did tonight. I was going strong, but mostly so I can keep the cadence up with Kayla. We wanted to maintain a good pace, so that the caffeine in her system would get her through the ride (she was starting to get sleepy).

We made it through at 10:31 pm. Amazing … Kayla made it, her third double century in What an amazing accomplishment, especially since starting cycling only in March. Three double centuries in about a month, and a triple crown winner! This was my 33rd and this was also Jackson’s third, who came sprinting up and passed us on the final stretch.

Recovery food awaited us and it was oh so good, and to celebrate with our fellow double century finishers. It’s a double century party!

Knoxville Strava

Check out my ride on Strava.
https://strava.app.link/bofyAjeNIDb