At the bottom I stopped only to get my second sticker and remove my windbreaker. It was a mass of riders and just turning my bike around was an effort.  As usual lots of riders had forgotten to gear down before stopping and several were struggling to begin the climb from a standing start. Eventually I managed to find some empty real estate and clipped myself in.

 

As with the start of Monitor, the east climb was pretty much wheel to wheel for the first mile or so. I had started to feel a bit better now that my legs were warmed up.  Just up the road I saw Hans bombing down. He was no more than 15 or so minutes behind me. That was good since he had been worried about his performance, mainly his back. Go Hans!

 

I took advantage of the Running Boy Water Stop this year. I was carrying two extra 16 oz bottles in a seat mounted cage and had finally drained the majority of my four bottles. I handed over a 20 ouncer and within 10 seconds had it back. Death Ride service at its best.

 

The rest of the climb proceeded at its typical steady pace sans the spectacular views which usually accompany it. The smoke wasn’t too bad though and I had no trouble breathing.  As I approached the summit the riders had finally spread out a bit which made for a more enjoyable ride.

 

Back at the Monitor Pass rest stop I paused to relieve myself and grab a snack. Up to this point I’d been munching on Hammer and Clif bars and decided a little variety might help.

 

Now came what’s probably my favorite descent of the whole ride, the downhill return back to Highway 4. It’s my favorite because there are only a handful of ascending riders to contend with and you typically have very little company on the downhill side.  There’s also something about winding your way through a canyon, it just feels right.  My speeds effortlessly hit +55 mph and in no time I was making the left turn to take on Ebbett’s.

 

Monitor West may be my favorite descent, but Ebbet’s takes top prize for ascents.  The scenery is fantastic; the grades vary all over the place, there are all kinds of twists and turns and there’s a real feeling of solitude as it traverses up the side of the mountain.  I completely enjoyed it.  I did partake in the Scossa’s Cow Camp rest stop about five miles up the road gorging on salty chips and a cookie or two just to replenish my stores.

 

Cresting the summit I sailed past the Ebbet's rest stop after getting sticker number 3 to continue on to the exhilarating Hermit Valley descent.  Exhilarating only because you feel like you’re skirting a disaster at every turn. Tired riders are both going down AND coming up. The road is narrow too. It zig-zags all over the place and is fraught with rough spots and a few pot holes. I was relieved to finally roll into the rest stop at its base and park my bike.

 

I had every intent of lingering here a bit which meant staying more than just a few minutes. I took on fruit, a soda and various other carbohydrate loaded supplements. I walked around too just to give my legs a break. It was entertaining to watch all the riders, so many shapes, sizes and abilities. What a group!

 

I reclaimed my bike with water bottles filled to tackle climb number four, the slog back up to Ebbett’s.  The crowds had returned and I spent most of my time synchronizing passes of slower riders always mindful of the continuous stream of descenders.  About halfway up we were passed by a compact car which seemed really strange. With so much on coming traffic, the car was having trouble making progress and we suddenly found ourselves stuck behind it unable to pass.  It was a bit dangerous and how they got on the road I can’t imagine. After a while they finally pulled off and unplugged the road. In short order I made it to the summit and then headed down Ebbett’s.

 

Ebbett’s is also a great descent, but it has some dangerous curves that can send you into oblivion in the blink of an eye. I kept it conservative, but still found myself constantly passing slower riders. I ended up in a four man about half way down and we made really good time. It flattens out at the bottom and the miles really flew working with this group.  It was fun and we worked well together.

 

Just as the six and half hour mark was approaching I rolled into the lunch stop in Centerville Flats.  I built myself a nice turkey sandwich, grabbed a Coke and some chips and sat down with the rest of the group. I chatted briefly with several riders as I finished off my sandwich and, though it would have been nice to hang around, I pulled out after about 20 minutes of lounging about.

 

The return trip to Markleville can be a drag, and this time it did not disappoint. Of course I took it alone and as a consequence had to fight a mild head wind. I was passed by several small groups, but never jumped on until a massive paceline of over 30 riders came by. I leapt onto this one and was pulled along by the shear momentum of the group. This was definitely the right way to do this portion of the route.

 

The group broke up a bit as we wheeled into town and on the first ascent I pretty much lost them. I was remembering how painful the ride along Highway 88 was and I suppose I was saving myself in anticipation. I followed the road along the endless lines of parked cars and then made my appearance at the Woodfords rest stop. I passed on the shower this time and only stayed long enough to get my bottles refilled.

 

Now came the 5 mile ride to Pickett’s Junction. This is where I started to really suffer last year.  The headwind had been relentless and I had not been diligent about staying fed and hydrated. This year, however, I’d drank and eaten regularly so the headwind would only play a partial roll.  But, low and behold, there was no headwind. It was fantastic. I felt great the whole way up, great being relative, but a huge improvement from last year.

Ride Stats

 

Total Distance:  124 miles

Total on bike time: 9:03

Total elapsed time: 10:10

Average speed: 13.6 mph

Maximum speed: 56.9 mph

Total altitude gained: 14,698 feet

Max gradient: 19%