Dante’s View – 25 mile Climb

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On the day after the 2010 Fall Death Valley Double Century, in which I placed third,  I went on a “recovery ride”.  My ride was to Dante’s View — a 25 mile climb from 100 feet below sea-level at the Furnace Creek Inn to Dante’s View, 5,475 Elevation.  Probably not the wisest choice for a recovery ride but my season was over so one more day of hard climbing wasn’t going to hurt too much …or was it?

February 2010

My good friend, Steve Barnes, had told me about the climb up to Dante’s View while we were sharing a meal earlier in the year.  I was on a high after placing second at the Spring Death Valley Double Century and I asked him for a recommendation for a good ride the next day.  Steve made the climb to Dante’s View very enticing.  But when I awoke the next morning I wasn’t fully recovered and I decided to sleep in.  However, since my curiosity was already piqued,  I drove up to the summit to recon the route.  Luckily, I didn’t ride that day because when I got to the summit it was shrouded in clouds along with freezing rain. Visibility was nil and while riding in freezing rain doesn’t bother me in the least, the point of going to Dante’s View … is for the view!

October 2010

I began the climb feeling pretty good.  The grades were pretty gradual from Furnace Creek (approximately 100 feet below sea level) with a few reliefs here and there.  The grades got progressively steeper throughout the climb.   The last three miles got really steep at over 10% grade.  I thought I was having a hard time because I was tired but after looking at the download it all made sense.  Yes I WAS tired from the Double Century the day before but by the time I got to the last 3 miles I had already climbed 22 miles and over 5,000 feet.  The last 3 miles were steep over 8% with the last 1/4 mile at over 15%.   On the last 1/4 mile it was all about standing and cranking to keep the pedals turning as I struggled to keep the bike upright and maintain my balance.

The reward for all that hard work was some of the best views of Death Valley I have ever seen.  I have included some pictures that I took but really you have to see it for yourself.  Death Valley never ceases to amaze me when it comes to its beauty.  I strongly recommend doing this climb next time you are in Death Valley.

Detail of the surges and sprints on the descent of Dante’s View

Notice I’m wearing the best socks made– Swiftwick Merino Wool Socks 7″ !

Did You Know?
The salt pan on the floor of Death Valley covers more than 200 square miles. It is 40 miles long and more than 5 miles wide.  Source

2010 Fall Death Valley Double Century- Quick Post

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October 30, 2010 I completed the Fall edition of the Death Valley Double Century.  Unofficially my time is 11 hours 39 minutes.  Unofficially, I came in 3rd place.  It is my Personal Record for the northern route.  My previous best was 12:11 back in 2006.  I am happy with my result.  After the Furnace Creek  508 I hung up Felicia and I haven’t ridden her since.  Basically I have been off the bike for a month.

I will post a race report soon.  In the meantime you can check the AdventureCorps  site for the official results.

2010 Fall Death Valley Double Century T- Minus 2 days

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Saturday October 30th I will be riding the Spring Death Valley Double Century.  It will mark my 22nd double century in the last eight seasons.  In my first couple of years I did a lot  more double centuries.  But over the years I branched out and starting doing brevets (unsupported events) and eventually I focused on the Furnace Creek 508.  I became interested in brevets because they were unsupported.  The shorter brevets like the 200km (125 miles) are just a fast century plus rides.  But the longer brevets like the 300km (187 miles), 400km (252 miles) and the 600km (375 miles) really test your stamina, nutrition and endurance.  I became interested in brevets but I fell in love with the 508.  I guess what I’m trying to say is that while I started in Ultras doing double centuries I really enjoyed the difficulty, and solitude of the longer events so my double century count is really low.  By contrast, my focus in the Furnace Creek 508 allowed me to finish five consecutive solo races and an invitation to the Furnace Creek 508 Hall of Fame.

Life Cycles – the movie

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Last night I took my son to see Life Cycles.  I thought it was awesome.  The cinematography was nothing short of incredible.  It is a must see movie.  And while the images in the movie are stunning and may distract you, please pay attention to the narrative …it is inspiring, thoughtful, meaningful and felicitous to anyone who has ever thrown a leg over a bike.

 

The video below is not the official teaser but I wanted an image on my post. The link below the video is what I believe to be the official teaser.

http://www.pinkbike.com/v/157417

Product Review 2011 Cannondale CAAD 10 — Big Bear Road Ride

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Today I rode the Cannondale CAAD 10 3-  Ultegra build and what follows is my review on this outstanding bike. The spec for the bike is good except the Mavic Aksium wheels. That is a really low level of wheel being paired up with an Ultegra component group.  I am also not a big fan of the Mavic Ksyrium family of wheels. I believe they are ride too harsh for the recreational or even avid cyclist. I would recommend they use a Shimano wheel like an RS-20 on the Ultegra build.  Cannondale uses the RS-80 wheelset (one of the best values and best performing wheels at any price point) on the Dura-Ace equipped bike.    But aside from the wheels this is one kick-ass bike. The best compliment I can give the bike is that you forget you are riding an Aluminum frame.  The CAAD 10 is so smooth you think you are riding a carbon bike.  Keep in mind tires and tire pressure make a significant improvement or detriment to your ride quality.  Riding 25 mm tires and lower pressure on high end tires can tame the harshness of just about any stiff riding frame.  Tires and wheels are by far the most important component combination to dial in your ride quality.

The ride today was almost 50 miles with 4,600 feet of gain.  The elevation gain came from one long hard climb from Lucerne Valley up Hwy 18.  The descent on the 18 to Lucerne Valley had a lot of switchbacks with very steep sections.  I was having so much fun descending I didn’t take pictures but there were caution signs of 11% and 16% grades.  The descent was a very good test of the handling characteristics of the CAAD 10.  New for 2011 is the 1.5″ bearing on the bottom of the head tube.  The bike tracks great into a hard corner.  Some of the caution signs were for 10 mph with extreme banking and I was going at least twice that speed.  Even though it was my first time on the CAAD 10 and my first time descending this mountain I had total confidence to ride the bike and test it’s limits.

Once the fun descent was over it was time to climb.  The bike was equipped with a compact crank 50/34  chainrings 12-25 cassette– and that was a good thing.  The grades were very steep.  The CAAD 10 climbed beautifully.  It was so stiff and yet very comfortable.  I was completely surprised and impressed with the CAAD 10.

In my opinion, the CAAD 10  puts lower end carbon bikes to shame and I dare say mid grade carbon bikes as well.  Additionally, I don’t know of any other Aluminum frame that can hold a candle to the CAAD 10.  I thoroughly enjoyed the bike.  I had lots of fun surging and sprinting on the CAAD 10!! And there you have it my review on the 2011 Cannondale CAAD 10.  Honestly, this bike is a great value at any price but the best value is the CAAD 10 4 with Rival.  Don’t get me wrong I love Shimano components however the Rival bike is well equipped and has a SRAM Force crankset.  The CAAD 10 4 is only $300 more than the Shimano 105 bike.  By the way, while I understand some of you might be nostalgic about having the “Handmade in the USA” logos on your bike — don’t!  The CAAD 10 version is the best CAAD model Cannondale has ever made!

On the Epictrain goodness scale I rate it a 4.5 out of 5 stars. (a perfect 5 would be awarded if the Mavic Aksium wheels were replaced with better wheels)

12 mile climb and 4,000 feet of gain


Murray Wasburn Global Product Marketing Manager giving Tech Presentation on CAAD 10

Untitled from Move Films on Vimeo.

Big Bear Retreat- Edgewood Mansion

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So some have asked how opulent the place I’m staying at really is?  Well check out this video.

7 bedrooms

8 bathrooms

Incredible Gourmet Kitchen

Large Formal Dining Room

Full Room Tavern/Bar

Wine Tasting Room

Grotto-Type Hot Tub Room

Enormous Master Suite

Detached 2 Bedroom Guest Home

Full Size Tennis Court

Pond w/Waterfall

Gazebo

Brand new Furnishings Throughout

11,150 Sq Feet of Living Space

1.8 Acres of Landscaped Property

2011 Cannondale Flash — Big Bear Mountain Bike Ride

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GARMIN PLAYER FOR THIS RIDE

Great weather for a mountain bike ride.  I rode the 2011 Cannondale Flash Ultimate.  It is a carbon hardtail 26″ bike with a Lefty fork a $9,600 complete with DT Swiss carbon wheels and a SRAM XX (double chainring setup) The bike was amazing.  Lots of single trail climbing and descending which tested my novice mtb skills 😉   Tomorrow there is a road ride schedule but I think I want to get back out on the Flash instead!

All for now.

2010 Furnace Creek 508 Video- Red Eyed Vireo and Wolverine

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So many videos and pictures were taken and I’m still trying to sort them out.  But here is one that has good picture quality and narration.  YouTube of course compresses it and it’s not as good once uploaded. I am passing Furnace Creek 508 Hall of Fame racer Kevin “Wolverine” Walsh on the climb to Randsburg (only about 120 miles into the race) just as it pitches up to 9 or 10%. Kevin is my friend and racing is racing right? But friends don’t drop friends… they just make them chase 😉

Official Finisher of the 2010 Furnace Creek 508

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Thank you Felt for the F2 with Di2 and SRM for the Dura-Ace 7900 Crank Wireless Power Meter

 

Thank you  to my crew for believing me even when I was no longer believing in myself.  Steve, Rachel and Jaime you guys were awesome.

I am now an official five time finisher of the “Toughest 48 hours in sport”, the Furnace Creek 508.  I have finished five out of five consecutive Solo division 508’s I have entered, including one on a fixed gear (49×17), in 2007.  As a five time finisher I am now qualified to be included in the Furnace Creek 508 Hall of Fame.   I set out to achieve that goal five years ago.  I thank ALL my crews from 2006-2010 for helping me in my journey.

A huge thank you also goes out to my sponsors who have supported me this year and years past.  SRM for the awesome Dura-Ace 7900 Wireless Crankset Power Meter, Infinit Nutrition for the customizable nutrition formulas, Felt for the stiff yet supple F2 with Di2, Bont Shoes, PRO for the comfortable and versatile saddle and perfect stem, Bike Religion, Skins compression garments, Swiftwick socks, Oakley for my Jawbones, and Zipp for my Zed Tech 2’s.

 

A race report will follow soon.

Thank you for reading my blog.