Near Death Experience - cougarguard.com — unofficial BYU Cougars / LDS sports, football, basketball forum and message board

bluegoose · 07-16-2007, 07:02 PM

Its a long one, so read on at your own risk.

I've been waiting to put that thread title up since about mile 12 on Saturday, which was the first of about 18 different internal conflicts, in which I desperately tried to talk myself out of actually finishing the darn thing.

Well, we made a day of it up in the high Sierras for the Death Ride on Saturday. Temperature when we left at 5:30am was about 52 degrees, which felt much colder on the 4 mile descent to start things off.

From there it was straight up for the first of 5 mountain pass climbs. About 5 miles up, I was feeling okay, but just didn't have any zip in my legs. This is when the thought first occurred to me that perhaps I would be okay with only finishing 3 or 4 of the passes. After all, I've done it before. What else do I have to prove, right?

Well, I made it up to the top and after a brief snack break, it was down the other side. I think my top speed on the first descent was about 45 mph. After getting my 2 pass sticker, I immediately turned around and headed back up. This was my strategy for the day – eat only at the top of the passes, giving me about 30 minutes on the descent to digest my food. The second climb was tough. There was absolutely no rest the whole way, just a constant 8% grade the whole way. I got very hungry about 2 miles from the top, which is not a good sign so early in the ride. I actually stopped for a Gu at that point.

After another killer downhill and a 5 mile ride through a canyon to the next climb, it was up Ebbetts pass – a 13 mile climb that probably averages 7-8% grade, but gets as steep as about 20% on some of the switchbacks. I got to see a couple of guys lose their breakfast on the way up, which was nice. This is the one that killed me 2 years ago, so I definitely took my time on the way up, keeping my HR below 165. It was on this climb that I realized how far I was behind one of my buddies. He was beginning his descent after #4 as I was finishing #3, so I figured he was already almost 2 hours ahead of me.

Felt reasonably well at the top, better than I thought that I would. Then it was down the backside for a short (6 mile) but steep descent to the base of climb #4. I saw buddy #2 on my way down, so I figured he was about 1 hour ahead of me. This was the shortest and supposedly easiest climb of the 5, but I really started to feel it on this climb. Try as I did, I couldn't keep my cadence above about 50 rpm. I actually had to stop a couple of times on the way up to get a drink and eat a Gu.

When I hit the top, I was dead, and had to lay down for about 10 minutes before I could even think about eating. At the bottom of that next descent was the lunch stop, but by this time my gut had basically shut down, so I couldn't get hardly any food in me. I think I had half a coke, some wheat thins and a couple of orange slices. So here I was at mile 80, its getting hot (about 90 degrees), I still have 50 miles, a 3,000'+ 20 mile climb, plus 2-500' climbs to go. Oh yeah, and they shut down the course at the next rest stop in 1 hour and I am still 14 miles away. So I meet up with a couple of guys in the canyon and we fly along at about 25 mph for about 8 miles until the next 500 foot climb. Since we made such good time through the canyon, I was able to stop at the car and unload my cold weather gear and get a cold drink of Gatorade. This really lifted me up a bit and I skipped the next rest stop and headed up the final big climb, 3 minutes before the cut-off time.

The next 7 miles were BRUTAL. Steep, unrelenting grade, hot, lots of traffic (the only highway they didn't shut down to traffic), and no shoulder to ride on. I stopped twice on this stretch. My odometer was off the course map, so I thought the rest stop was a lot closer than it actually was, which made it all the more difficult. I hobbled into the rest stop with about 9 minutes to go before the cut-off time. Still can't eat anything at this point, so there's really no point in sticking around.

The next 6 miles leveled off to only a 2-3% grade so I was able to hammer and actually felt really good. The last 4 miles to the top were painful. As you come around this bend, you can finally see the summit about 3 miles off in the distance. Unfortunately, the grade really picked up at that point and the headwind started. With less than 1 mile to go to the top, there was a traffic pull-out which had about 15 riders stopped. Wanting to get my fat butt to the top as fast as possible, I desperately wanted to keep going at this point, but an incredibly strong electromagnetic pull attached to my steel-framed bike, bringing me to a complete stop by the side of the road. After about 5 minutes, the magnetic pull let up, and I was able to hobble on up to the top. I met my second buddy at this point, who cramped up badly and lost almost that whole hour that he made up on me over the first 3 passes.

The final descent was fun, as I was able to hit 55 mph for about 4 miles. We had to get home quickly for Sunday meetings, so after a quick (and freezing cold shower) we hit the road, arriving at home at about 1:30am, with no sleep in the car for me. And no, I didn't make it to my 7:00 meetings that morning.

Overall, I felt very satisfied to have finished. I met a lot of really nice people. I wore my old BYU jersey and got a lot comments about it. One guy asked me what BYU was. He had never heard of it. I asked what planet he was from. He told he was from Canada, specifically Toronto, my old mission. And here I thought that the work was moving forward 14 years ago when I was there. Never heard of BYU! Sheesh.

A pro from WebCor finished the whole thing before I even made it to lunch, which really made me feel really good about my performance. 130 miles, 5-3,000 foot climbs + 2-500' climbs, totaling 16,000 feet elevation gain. I still can't feel my toes on either foot. There's a snowballs chance in hell that I'll ever do it again, which my wife reminds me I said 2 years ago after my last Death Ride.

MikeWaters · 07-16-2007, 07:06 PM

wow, that is nuts. I wonder if I could do even one of those climbs.

RC Vikings · 07-16-2007, 07:55 PM

I just looked at the profile for that ride and that is brutal. It's cruel that at Ebbetts pass you climb it, ride down the back and then have to climb what you just came down.

creekster · 07-16-2007, 08:01 PM

Near death indeed. I am very impressed. A great ride. Btw, my bikes are almost all aluminum so I giuess I would have avoided the trunout problem (not).

COngrats.

il Padrino Ute · 07-17-2007, 02:39 AM

You need to tell Coug on the other board about the Canadian who had no idea what BYU was. He served a mission in Canada too and he thinks BYU has fans around North America - not because of church affiliation, but because BYU is a power that attracts fans just because it is BYU.

Sounds like quite the ordeal you went through. Glad to see you're alive.

bluegoose · 07-18-2007, 12:03 AM

Post-ride day 3 and I still can't feel any of the toes on my right foot. Left foot is starting to come back, but toes 2 and 3 still don't exist inside of my shoe.

Legs feel good. Back, neck and saddle feel great.

In case you were wondering.

creekster · 07-18-2007, 12:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluegoose

Post-ride day 3 and I still can't feel any of the toes on my right foot. Left foot is starting to come back, but toes 2 and 3 still don't exist inside of my shoe.

Legs feel good. Back, neck and saddle feel great.

In case you were wondering.

I'd just go ahead and cut them off. Why waste time?

SteelBlue · 07-18-2007, 12:07 AM

Make sure you read your own ride report when DB asks you to ride it again next year.

MikeWaters · 07-18-2007, 01:12 AM

Hmm, nerve damage from pressure, lack of oxygen and blood.

They'll probably come back, but I can't suppose this is good for them.

07-16-2007, 07:02 PM	#1
bluegoose Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Northern California Posts: 2,919	Near Death Experience Its a long one, so read on at your own risk. I've been waiting to put that thread title up since about mile 12 on Saturday, which was the first of about 18 different internal conflicts, in which I desperately tried to talk myself out of actually finishing the darn thing. Well, we made a day of it up in the high Sierras for the Death Ride on Saturday. Temperature when we left at 5:30am was about 52 degrees, which felt much colder on the 4 mile descent to start things off. From there it was straight up for the first of 5 mountain pass climbs. About 5 miles up, I was feeling okay, but just didn't have any zip in my legs. This is when the thought first occurred to me that perhaps I would be okay with only finishing 3 or 4 of the passes. After all, I've done it before. What else do I have to prove, right? Well, I made it up to the top and after a brief snack break, it was down the other side. I think my top speed on the first descent was about 45 mph. After getting my 2 pass sticker, I immediately turned around and headed back up. This was my strategy for the day – eat only at the top of the passes, giving me about 30 minutes on the descent to digest my food. The second climb was tough. There was absolutely no rest the whole way, just a constant 8% grade the whole way. I got very hungry about 2 miles from the top, which is not a good sign so early in the ride. I actually stopped for a Gu at that point. After another killer downhill and a 5 mile ride through a canyon to the next climb, it was up Ebbetts pass – a 13 mile climb that probably averages 7-8% grade, but gets as steep as about 20% on some of the switchbacks. I got to see a couple of guys lose their breakfast on the way up, which was nice. This is the one that killed me 2 years ago, so I definitely took my time on the way up, keeping my HR below 165. It was on this climb that I realized how far I was behind one of my buddies. He was beginning his descent after #4 as I was finishing #3, so I figured he was already almost 2 hours ahead of me. Felt reasonably well at the top, better than I thought that I would. Then it was down the backside for a short (6 mile) but steep descent to the base of climb #4. I saw buddy #2 on my way down, so I figured he was about 1 hour ahead of me. This was the shortest and supposedly easiest climb of the 5, but I really started to feel it on this climb. Try as I did, I couldn't keep my cadence above about 50 rpm. I actually had to stop a couple of times on the way up to get a drink and eat a Gu. When I hit the top, I was dead, and had to lay down for about 10 minutes before I could even think about eating. At the bottom of that next descent was the lunch stop, but by this time my gut had basically shut down, so I couldn't get hardly any food in me. I think I had half a coke, some wheat thins and a couple of orange slices. So here I was at mile 80, its getting hot (about 90 degrees), I still have 50 miles, a 3,000'+ 20 mile climb, plus 2-500' climbs to go. Oh yeah, and they shut down the course at the next rest stop in 1 hour and I am still 14 miles away. So I meet up with a couple of guys in the canyon and we fly along at about 25 mph for about 8 miles until the next 500 foot climb. Since we made such good time through the canyon, I was able to stop at the car and unload my cold weather gear and get a cold drink of Gatorade. This really lifted me up a bit and I skipped the next rest stop and headed up the final big climb, 3 minutes before the cut-off time. The next 7 miles were BRUTAL. Steep, unrelenting grade, hot, lots of traffic (the only highway they didn't shut down to traffic), and no shoulder to ride on. I stopped twice on this stretch. My odometer was off the course map, so I thought the rest stop was a lot closer than it actually was, which made it all the more difficult. I hobbled into the rest stop with about 9 minutes to go before the cut-off time. Still can't eat anything at this point, so there's really no point in sticking around. The next 6 miles leveled off to only a 2-3% grade so I was able to hammer and actually felt really good. The last 4 miles to the top were painful. As you come around this bend, you can finally see the summit about 3 miles off in the distance. Unfortunately, the grade really picked up at that point and the headwind started. With less than 1 mile to go to the top, there was a traffic pull-out which had about 15 riders stopped. Wanting to get my fat butt to the top as fast as possible, I desperately wanted to keep going at this point, but an incredibly strong electromagnetic pull attached to my steel-framed bike, bringing me to a complete stop by the side of the road. After about 5 minutes, the magnetic pull let up, and I was able to hobble on up to the top. I met my second buddy at this point, who cramped up badly and lost almost that whole hour that he made up on me over the first 3 passes. The final descent was fun, as I was able to hit 55 mph for about 4 miles. We had to get home quickly for Sunday meetings, so after a quick (and freezing cold shower) we hit the road, arriving at home at about 1:30am, with no sleep in the car for me. And no, I didn't make it to my 7:00 meetings that morning. Overall, I felt very satisfied to have finished. I met a lot of really nice people. I wore my old BYU jersey and got a lot comments about it. One guy asked me what BYU was. He had never heard of it. I asked what planet he was from. He told he was from Canada, specifically Toronto, my old mission. And here I thought that the work was moving forward 14 years ago when I was there. Never heard of BYU! Sheesh. A pro from WebCor finished the whole thing before I even made it to lunch, which really made me feel really good about my performance. 130 miles, 5-3,000 foot climbs + 2-500' climbs, totaling 16,000 feet elevation gain. I still can't feel my toes on either foot. There's a snowballs chance in hell that I'll ever do it again, which my wife reminds me I said 2 years ago after my last Death Ride.

07-17-2007, 02:39 AM	#5
il Padrino Ute Board Pinhead Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: In the basement of my house, Murray, Utah. Posts: 15,941	You need to tell Coug on the other board about the Canadian who had no idea what BYU was. He served a mission in Canada too and he thinks BYU has fans around North America - not because of church affiliation, but because BYU is a power that attracts fans just because it is BYU. Sounds like quite the ordeal you went through. Glad to see you're alive. __________________ "The beauty of baseball is not having to explain it." - Chuck Shriver "This is now the joke that stupid people laugh at." - Christopher Hitchens on IQ jokes about GWB.

07-16-2007, 07:06 PM	#2
MikeWaters Demiurge Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 36,365	wow, that is nuts. I wonder if I could do even one of those climbs.

07-16-2007, 07:55 PM	#3
RC Vikings Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Rexburg, Idaho Posts: 2,236	I just looked at the profile for that ride and that is brutal. It's cruel that at Ebbetts pass you climb it, ride down the back and then have to climb what you just came down.

07-16-2007, 08:01 PM	#4
creekster Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: the far corner of my mind Posts: 8,711	Near death indeed. I am very impressed. A great ride. Btw, my bikes are almost all aluminum so I giuess I would have avoided the trunout problem (not). COngrats. __________________ Sorry for th e tpyos.

07-18-2007, 12:03 AM	#6
bluegoose Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Northern California Posts: 2,919	Post-ride day 3 and I still can't feel any of the toes on my right foot. Left foot is starting to come back, but toes 2 and 3 still don't exist inside of my shoe. Legs feel good. Back, neck and saddle feel great. In case you were wondering.

07-18-2007, 12:07 AM	#8
SteelBlue Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Norcal Posts: 5,821	Make sure you read your own ride report when DB asks you to ride it again next year.

07-18-2007, 01:12 AM	#9
MikeWaters Demiurge Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 36,365	Hmm, nerve damage from pressure, lack of oxygen and blood. They'll probably come back, but I can't suppose this is good for them.