From: bhilden@bigriver.Eng.Sun.COM (Bruce Hildenbrand)
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles
Subject: Roll Your Own Markleeville Death Ride
Date: 30 Jul 1992 07:49:16 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems Inc., Mountain View, CA
NNTP-Posting-Host: bigriver

After a completely negative experience at the Markleeville Death Ride
in 1991, I speculated that it would be possible to do the ride with
only self support(i.e. sag myself).  The following account is a guide
for those who would also like to do this popular ride with only self
support.  A couple of weeks ago, I completed this ride, here are the
details.

There are a number of advantages to doing this ride by yourself:

1) campgrounds and hotels are more readily available

2) you can do the ride when you feel like it

3) you do not have to contend with 2500-3000 stressed out Yuppies

4) the ride is actually safer(IMHO) with only car traffic to contend with

5) you can actually watch the scenery instead of the person you are passing

I started the ride in Markleeville(rather than 2 miles south at Turtle
Rock Park), it doesn't much seem to matter.  At 7-8am in the morning
(and on a Saturday) there was very little car traffic on either side of
Monitor Pass(about 20 cars total).  Traffic on Ebbetts Pass was also light
(maybe another 20-30 cars).  I think this is a big plus over the organized
ride.  Encountering 50 total cars over a 4-5 hour period is much less
traffic than having to deal with 2500-3000 riders.  Not only that, because
the road is less crowded, you can actually enjoy the beautiful mountain
scenery which is why you are doing this ride in the first place!!!

As far as food and water go, here is what I did.  The night before the ride
I drove over Ebbett's Pass and left some energy drink behind a tree.  The
2 liter plastic Gatorade containers work great for stashing the liquid. You
could also leave food there, but be sure it is tightly wrapped and be prepared
for the possibility that it may be eaten by an animal.  I also stopped at the
junction of Hiway 4 and 89(bottom of the west side of Monitor Pass) and left
some energy drink.  There are grocery stores in Markleeville, Woodfords
and about 1/2 mile before Pickett's Junction on Hiway 88.  These store proved
to be completely adequate for my need in terms of food and water.  In fact,
since it is almost all downhill from the top of Ebbetts Pass back to
Markleeville, you could probably leave out the cache on top of Ebbetts and
get by only on the cache at the base of Monitor, I filled up my bottles after
doing both sides of Monitor, just before starting up Ebbetts.


Here is the route description, the mileage and altitudes are a bit rough,
but it is close enough.

Leave Markleeville(alt. 5500') and ride 5 miles south on Hiway 89 to the
Monitor Pass junction(food/water cache here).  Ride 9 miles to the top
of Monitor Pass(alt. 8300') and descend 9 miles to the junction of Hiway
89 and 395(alt. 5200').  Turn around and climb back over Monitor Pass
and descend back to the junction of Hiway 89 and Hiway 4(41 miles ridden to
here, 6000' climbed).  Turn left and ride 13 miles to the top of Ebbetts
Pass(alt. 8700').  Turn around and ride the mostly downhill route 18 miles
back to Markleeville.  At this point you have ridden 72 miles and climbed
9000'.  Continue 6 miles on Hiway 89 to Diamond Valley Road.  Turn right
and pass Diamond Valley School(site of organized ride lunch stop,
unfortunately there are no services here, best bet is in Markleeville or
Woodfords).  The next 14 miles is the infamous Diamond Valley loop which
has been installed for the purpose of increasing the number of miles
ridden to that of the original Death Ride course, which was 150 miles and
climbed up and descended back down Dagget Pass instead of doing both sides
of Monitor Pass.

The Diamond Valley Loop is described as follows:  follow Diamond Valley Road
for about 6 miles till a housing area is sighted on the left.  Make a left
turn(it should be marked on the road) onto the continuation of Diamond
Valley Road(straight ahead is Mud Lake Road which is the wrong way to go).
Follow this for another 2-3 miles and at the next intersection, turn left
heading back towards Woodfords.  Follow this road for about 6 miles till the
road ends at Hiway 88, ride 1/4 mile to the junction of Hiway 88 and 89 in
Woodfords(alt. 5600').  There is food and water available here.  So far you
have ridden 92 miles and climbed 10,000 feet.  The 3 pass option returns to
Markleeville on Hiway 89, giving 99 miles and 10,500 feet of climbing.

For the 4-5 pass option, turn right and head west on Hiway 88.  After about
6 miles you reach Hope Valley(alt. 7000') where food and water are available.
If you plan on doing all 5 passes, tank up here because you will not return
this way until after you have done Carson Pass.  At Picketts Junction, turn
right on Hiway 89 and climb for 3 miles to the top of Luther Pass(alt. 7700').
Turn around and descend back to Picketts Junction(alt. 7100').  Turn right and
begin the 9 mile climb to the top of Carson Pass(alt. 8500').  At the top of
Carson, turn around and descend 15 miles back to Woodfords.  Turn right onto
Hiway 89 and ride the 7 miles back to Markleeville.  Total riding is 128 miles
and 15,000' of climbing.

Bruce

ps - on a personal note, I felt much more relaxed and enjoyed the ride
much, much, more than 1991.  In 1992, when I looked up the road all I saw
were trees, lakes and streams, not hordes of struggling cyclists.  At the
top of each pass, I was greeted by a warm feeling of accomplishment, not
a mob of cyclists sprawling and gagging across every piece of usable ground.
Boy, what a difference!!!  I would encourage all those who revel in the beauty
of alpine cycling to experience this ride in the style of my ride, you will
be amazed and pleased at the difference.  I now climb off my soapbox.
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles