# My Death Ride hill climb training route



## thinkcooper (Jan 5, 2005)

Gotta love a route that's only ten minutes from the house, is about 60 round trip miles door to door, with ~8500 feet of climbing. I wish I could work this into my commute  

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Empire-Grade-with-spur-climbs


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## parity (Feb 28, 2006)

Still doing all of that climbing with the fire out there? Smoke not bothering you? Maybe you should come up to the South Bay sometime. The climbs are better.


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## thinkcooper (Jan 5, 2005)

parity said:


> Still doing all of that climbing with the fire out there? Smoke not bothering you? Maybe you should come up to the South Bay sometime. The climbs are better.



There's no smoke or fire on any of this route. I'd love to ride more South Bay climbs, but the drive puts a damper on it. I'm not sure there are any climbs much stouter than Alba, check out the ACTC Billy Goat list. And stuffing 8000' into a 50-60 mile loop from my front door is a tough route to compete against. What would you recommend?

BTW, I really, really miss Bohlmann, used to work nearby and do it at lunch.


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## DrRoebuck (May 10, 2004)

This thread is useless without picx.


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## thinkcooper (Jan 5, 2005)

DrRoebuck said:


> This thread is useless without picx.


cross post from the Norcal forum...

My pics are weak, but the legs are strong...

We started out with 6 girls and 4 guys for the ride - plan being, start out altogether; the girls would ride up Empire Grade to Smith and then forge on without us to Bonny Doon, then Route 1 to Casa d'Cooper. The guys were going to chase the elusive Empire Grade Triple Crown (Felton Empire, Alba, Jamison Creek).

We bagged Felton Empire and Alba, but that was our undoing as a group. We all agreed, if we had to do Jamison, we could've, but since we didn't, we wouldn't. After the century in Tahoe next weekend, I'll be back to capture all three.  

Next time I think I'll ride it reversed. Empire all the way up to Jamison, down, then up Jamison, back down Empire to Alba, down and up that beast, then finally down to Felton Empire (the cuddly puppy of the three) to descend and ascend it for the triple, then balls to walls down Empire Grade to home.

That should hand me a solid 8800' in ~60 miles. Talk about compressed climbing!

Pics are:
1. the ride profile
2. the girls and guys on the UPRR trestle foot bridge crossing the San Lorenzo River
3. the group before we split on Empire Grade
4. the guys before we dropped down Alba
5. Matt giving me the single finger salute regarding his climbing experiences up Alba.


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## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

We're doing Ebbits and Monitor this weekend. Finally getting ramped up to do yet another leg busting D-Ride. The weather should be really nice for you in Tahoe this weekend.


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

Go Beavs! My wife went to Oregon State and I bought her that jersey.

A better option for Death Ride training is to climb up San Jose-Soquel, then take Summit all the way across Hwy 17, to Bear Creek Road. Descend into Boulder Creek, then take 236 up to Jamison. Then you can sort of reverse your original route. 

Or, instead of descending Bear Creek, take Skyline to Hwy 9, descend (another awesome descent) into Boulder Creek, or for extra credit, take 236 through Big Basin, pick up Jamison, and you know the rest.

The steep stuff is great, but San Jose-Soquel is a LONG climb. You need a mixture of both for your training. Doing Summit/Skyline all the way to Hwy 9 is effectively another LONG climb.


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## thinkcooper (Jan 5, 2005)

Ridgetop said:


> We're doing Ebbits and Monitor this weekend. Finally getting ramped up to do yet another leg busting D-Ride. The weather should be really nice for you in Tahoe this weekend.


We've been watching the weather and were very pleased to see the predictions for the weekend. Are you riding Tahoe?

Curious point here - what will your longest ride/max accumulated elevation this season be before the DR?


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## thinkcooper (Jan 5, 2005)

mohair_chair said:


> Go Beavs! My wife went to Oregon State and I bought her that jersey.
> 
> A better option for Death Ride training is to climb up San Jose-Soquel, then take Summit all the way across Hwy 17, to Bear Creek Road. Descend into Boulder Creek, then take 236 up to Jamison. Then you can sort of reverse your original route.
> 
> ...


I like your idea of doing Soquel/San Jose across 17, down Bear Creek to Jamison, then adding in Alba and Felton. That's sick! Join me?

I've also been thinking of doing the SC Mtn. Challenge route - that sounds like the loop you were sharing on the phone a few weeks back.

The steep stuff gave me a great indicator of how much grunt my legs currently have, and what the corresponding heart rate and recovery feel like this season. I was very happy yesterday. After Alba's steepest grades (they must be steady 16%) the 5% grades felt like riding the flats. I'm still using a standard crankset, and wasn't sure if that was a mistake. After Alba, my sense is that the 39/27 combo will be fine on the DR. 

Alba observation? It's tougher than Bohlmann. It looks comparable to Sierra on the ACTC Billy Goat climb tool.

I might be reviewing a Blue RC8 with a compact set-up during the DR, and if that comes in early enough to get it set-up I'll ride it for the event.


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## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

I have been preparing for my next challenge which is the Seattle to Portland. I will do the one day version so I get 204 miles with very few hills and the steepest is around the 30-40 mile point. My challenge is the constant pedaling of a relatively flat course when my primary training area is very hilly. I am mostly trying to get hours in the saddle and not obsessing with mileage. 

I have done Bridge to Bridge and Mount Mitchell which both involve a ton of climbing, but for me, the long flat rides are the hardest.


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## thinkcooper (Jan 5, 2005)

bigbill said:


> I have been preparing for my next challenge which is the Seattle to Portland. I will do the one day version so I get 204 miles with very few hills and the steepest is around the 30-40 mile point. My challenge is the constant pedaling of a relatively flat course when my primary training area is very hilly. I am mostly trying to get hours in the saddle and not obsessing with mileage.
> 
> I have done Bridge to Bridge and Mount Mitchell which both involve a ton of climbing, but for me, the long flat rides are the hardest.


Sounds like a great ride. I just can't picture you having issues with a flat ride, nor having a problem getting in hours on the saddle. Will you do the Seattle to Portland on the Big Leg Emma? What saddle are you running?


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## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

I'm guessing around 10,000 max. We have two routes that we do in preparation for the ride. One of them is just the four passes themselves starting at Turtle Rock. Living so close to them makes this pretty easy. We'll do it about 2 weeks before. The other ride we call the Purgatory Ride which is four passes (Kingsbury, Luther, Carson Pass and then Carson Pass again after descending to Kirkwood which I think is only about 7,000) which we'll be doing in the next couple of weeks. On June 8th we're going down to Lone Pine to climb to Horseshoe Meadows (6,700 feet of one long climb if I remember correctly) and maybe do South Lake/Sabrina/North Lake out of Bishop (that one is a killer IMO). Your regular training ride you posted here is actually a little tougher than I do on a regular basis.


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

thinkcooper said:


> I like your idea of doing Soquel/San Jose across 17, down Bear Creek to Jamison, then adding in Alba and Felton. That's sick! Join me?


Ha! Join you! I've been trying to get some climbing in here and there, but it's not much, and there's no way I could do that ride. I'll have to be happy with reliving the memories of when I used to haunt all those roads and could do the ride you described. 

My biggest hill so far this year is what we call "IBM Hill," which is the hill leading up to the IBM Almaden Research Center. I ride up one side, descend the other, then climb back to the top. It's not easy, but it's nothing like what you are doing. I was trying to get myself in some kind of shape to do Hamilton with you, but it's so hard with Luke and a general lack of motivation.

My plan was to do some climbing this past weekend, but I couldn't work myself up to do it. I did do an interesting ride that I'll post a report on at some point. I rode by this flying monkey thing that I first saw pictures of from your Burning Man gallery. It's in downtown San Jose right now. Saw it Saturday night on the way to dinner, and had to ride over and see it the next day. That, coupled with Fanime, "Northern California's largest Japanese Anime convention," and the hundreds of people dressed up like cartoon and video game characters, downtown San Jose was a very strange place on Saturday night. You had to see it to believe it.


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## hclignett (Dec 18, 2006)

Can I ask what kind of gearing your using for Lone Pine and the ride up to Sabrina Ridgetop? I am thinking of changing over to some mountain bike gears so I can enjoy the climb up to South Lake/Sabrina. I have ridden up Pine Creek and Rock Creek but for some reason they don't seem as long as Sabrina.


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## SCBianchista (May 27, 2008)

Cooper,--Girls on Top and their Associates Rock! Nice Pics.


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## thinkcooper (Jan 5, 2005)

mohair_chair said:


> Ha! Join you! I've been trying to get some climbing in here and there, but it's not much, and there's no way I could do that ride. I'll have to be happy with reliving the memories of when I used to haunt all those roads and could do the ride you described.
> 
> My biggest hill so far this year is what we call "IBM Hill," which is the hill leading up to the IBM Almaden Research Center. I ride up one side, descend the other, then climb back to the top. It's not easy, but it's nothing like what you are doing. I was trying to get myself in some kind of shape to do Hamilton with you, but it's so hard with Luke and a general lack of motivation.
> 
> My plan was to do some climbing this past weekend, but I couldn't work myself up to do it. I did do an interesting ride that I'll post a report on at some point. I rode by this flying monkey thing that I first saw pictures of from your Burning Man gallery. It's in downtown San Jose right now. Saw it Saturday night on the way to dinner, and had to ride over and see it the next day. That, coupled with Fanime, "Northern California's largest Japanese Anime convention," and the hundreds of people dressed up like cartoon and video game characters, downtown San Jose was a very strange place on Saturday night. You had to see it to believe it.




The monkey sculpture is called Homoroborous. It's great to see some BM art getting mainstream exposure.

I'll share as much as you want to hear about the prep and the ride. I'm bummed you won't be able to join me but I completely understand. I think I'm gonna burn through my traditional riding buddies with this goal. Luckily a few of the Team in Training folks are also doing the DR, so I'll enlist them to feel the pain.

Hang on to the idea of a joint Hamilton ride, but more towards the end of the summer. I've got kids, so I understand... Beware, it's not just the physical demands; there's a time when they'll require every synapse to deal with the endless stream of "why nots?"


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## thinkcooper (Jan 5, 2005)

SCBianchista said:


> Cooper,--Girls on Top and their Associates Rock! Nice Pics.


Girls on Top? check!

Sadly we didn't meet-up back at the house after your Monday ride. MissK said her knee felt fine. Sounds like you had fun on the Smith and Bonny Doon Road descents.

On that note, "If I were a guy, I'd **** me, wouldn't you?!?"


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## thinkcooper (Jan 5, 2005)

Ridgetop said:


> I'm guessing around 10,000 max. We have two routes that we do in preparation for the ride. One of them is just the four passes themselves starting at Turtle Rock. Living so close to them makes this pretty easy. We'll do it about 2 weeks before. The other ride we call the Purgatory Ride which is four passes (Kingsbury, Luther, Carson Pass and then Carson Pass again after descending to Kirkwood which I think is only about 7,000) which we'll be doing in the next couple of weeks. On June 8th we're going down to Lone Pine to climb to Horseshoe Meadows (6,700 feet of one long climb if I remember correctly) and maybe do South Lake/Sabrina/North Lake out of Bishop (that one is a killer IMO). Your regular training ride you posted here is actually a little tougher than I do on a regular basis.


That's good to hear. Frankly, the DR scares the crap out me. I've never done that level of climbing. 130 mile road rides? Sure, but 15K in climbing is a spooky number. It's good motivation over the next month to get prepped. I'll be sure to have at least one +12,000 foot ride over a century before Markleeville.


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## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

Honestly, you'll do fine. The key to completing the ride is V8 juice. Sounds funny, but drink a couple of those at each rest stop and you'll rock. The only thing that sucks for a coastal guy like you is the altitude a little, but beer after the ride cures it all anyway.


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## thinkcooper (Jan 5, 2005)

Ridgetop said:


> Honestly, you'll do fine. The key to completing the ride is V8 juice. Sounds funny, but drink a couple of those at each rest stop and you'll rock. The only thing that sucks for a coastal guy like you is the altitude a little, but beer after the ride cures it all anyway.


V8? Cool, loves me sum V8! It sounds like the sags are pretty good on the DR.  

Thanks for the encouraging words. Yesterday's climb showed me the muscle is back, and the endurance has really kicked in. My recovery is fast and I'm able to ride at a consistent 165 BPM for nearly unlimited times. At normal grades if I'm hitting it _hard_, my heart rate goes up to 160 or so, but if I go in gently, I can hold it as low as 140. So I've got a lot of ceiling left.

Not much I can do to battle the elevation challenges, but beer afterwards sounds like as a good a solution as any.


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## Gnarly 928 (Nov 19, 2005)

*Love the climbs out of the Owens Valley. Everest Challenge anyone?*

Can I ask what kind of gearing your using for Lone Pine and the ride up to Sabrina Ridgetop? I am thinking of changing over to some mountain bike gears so I can enjoy the climb up to South Lake/Sabrina. I have ridden up Pine Creek and Rock Creek but for some reason they don't seem as long as Sabrina.

The climbs around Bishop, Big Pine, Lone Pine are super! The most difficult one for me has been the Glacier Lodge climb right west out of Big Pine. Short but very sustained and steep. At the E.C. race last year I was climbing that one with a tandem next to me, really dragging along with a compact (30) and a 27 rear when we hit the only 'soft' section of that gradient..It felt like we were coasting until I checked my Garmin and saw it had flattened out to just 8% (for about 1/4 mile only)

Some of the more experienced Everest Challenge competators use a compact crankset and a mountain bike rear der with a 32 cog. That would be very welcome as a fall back ratio on many of those Sierra climbs, especially when the air grows thin, like it does about 8000' and you have another 1000'+ to go up..Check out the website..

http://everestchallenge.com/

Some good climbing info on the EC links. I caved in on the first day of the '07 race but rode the second day at training pace as 'self-punishment' and I will go back this year, better prepared for an epic couple of days. Last year, snow and cold was a big factor in the race, but on a nice day, any of the climbs are spectacular! Put them all back to back over two days...that is quite hard.

Don Hanson


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## thinkcooper (Jan 5, 2005)

Gnarly 928 said:


> http://everestchallenge.com/
> 
> 
> Don Hanson


DH - that looks like truly twisted event. :thumbsup:


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## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

Hey Don,

I'm stuck with a compact and a 26 in the back. I've tried larger but can't fit it without replacing the rear DR which I don't want to do. Sabrina is long but doable with a 26 imo, but if you have the ability to spin up in a MTB gear I wouldn't complain!


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## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

I was looking at the recommendation for gearing and RPMs on that ride. I don't even fit the profiles . I think I'd die or something. I love the website as it lists some of the best climbs in the Sierras (if not the west).


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## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

thinkcooper said:


> Sounds like a great ride. I just can't picture you having issues with a flat ride, nor having a problem getting in hours on the saddle. Will you do the Seattle to Portland on the Big Leg Emma? What saddle are you running?


I will ride the BLE for STP. All of my bikes have SSM Regal saddles, they fit my ass. I am buying a new white one for Emma and putting the old one on my MXL. 

On flat terrain I am a diesel, but where I live now doesn't even have a half mile flat section. It is hard to just mindlessly pedal for ten or more hours. Climbing gives you a goal and you get a descent as a reward. Flat means you are always pedaling. Plus I will probably have about a hundred riders single file behind me. 

I have been getting in around 13-14 hours a week of riding. Commuting acounts for 10 hours of that with four round trips. Five round trips puts me around 13 hours and on the couch on Saturday.


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## ericm979 (Jun 26, 2005)

Coop- I'd like to join in one of these days. I haven't done Alba yet. Would you rate it harder or easier than Jamison?

The issue with the death ride (I'm going for my 6th this year) isn't the steepness, it's the amount of climbing. And, usually, the heat. I try to bring at least one gear lower than I think I will need in case something goes wrong. My first time it did- I suffered badly from hyponatremia and crawled up the last pass on a 30x28. I'm fitter now so I use a 34t small ring and a 12-27 cluster, and don't really use the 27 except for the one steep part on Ebbetts.

The EC also has a "tourist" class. If you can do the death ride and still think about getting on the bike the next day, you can ride it. For the most part the scenery is even better than the death ride. I don't know why more people don't do it.

I think my longest training day last year was around 11k feet of climbing (3x mt diablo) and I managed to finish the death ride and EC with decent if not spectacular times. But I did a lot of climbing- 700k feet for the year.


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## thinkcooper (Jan 5, 2005)

ericm979 said:


> Coop- I'd like to join in one of these days. I haven't done Alba yet. Would you rate it harder or easier than Jamison?
> 
> The issue with the death ride (I'm going for my 6th this year) isn't the steepness, it's the amount of climbing. And, usually, the heat. I try to bring at least one gear lower than I think I will need in case something goes wrong. My first time it did- I suffered badly from hyponatremia and crawled up the last pass on a 30x28. I'm fitter now so I use a 34t small ring and a 12-27 cluster, and don't really use the 27 except for the one steep part on Ebbetts.
> 
> ...


I'm always game to hook-up with other climbing riders. Especially in advance of training for the DR. Where are you based?

Jamison versus Alba? I haven't done Jamison, but it's got a lot less elevation than Alba, with similar looking ride profile. In terms of difficulty, grades look to be midway between Felton Empire and Alba. 

Check it out on the ACTC Ride Profile comparator


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## thinkcooper (Jan 5, 2005)

ericm979 said:


> Coop- I'd like to join in one of these days. I haven't done Alba yet. Would you rate it harder or easier than Jamison?


Eric, having finished the Triple Crown two weekends ago I have a better perspective on the comparison, Jamison and Alba are surprisingly similar in many ways, with subtle differences. Once you're on the steep ascent up Jamison, there's no relief. The steepest portions are very comparable to Alba's steeps. But Jamison doesn't seem to let up until you're close to the summit. Alba is a longer climb, with more elevation, but it has a lot more undulation, giving you time to take a slight break from the steeps. Alba's steepest sections are more severe than Jamison, but after a switchback or two, they taper down.

Our group was split down the middle with half figuring Jamison to be the tougher of the two, the other calling Alba the b1tch. 

Personally? I need to try Jamison then Alba again to really gauge it.


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