Monday, September 25, 2006
100 Miles!
Well, I did it. Saturday I followed Catherine 100 miles around the North Lake Tahoe area. We did the Tahoe Sierra Century, which is a fund raiser for the local high school music programs. It would appear they have very impressive music programs in Truckee. The ride was extremely well supported with 100's of volunteers. After the ride we listened to a high school jazz band and they were great. It whole day was a great experience (most of the time). Here are some of the highlights.
We left Squaw Valley at 7:30 AM. It was a chilly 33 degrees outside. The ride started with some downhill, which made the windchill pretty painful, particularly on our faces and hands. We headed south on Hwy 89 into Tahoe City. We went east on Hwy 28 to Kings Beach where we had our first rest stop (about 18 miles). The rest stop was right at the edge of Lake Tahoe and they had great food for us to enjoy. Because it was so nice, we stopped for too long - probably 20 minutes. Here's a photo of Catherine at the rest stop:
From the rest stop we headed north on Hwy 267 over Brockway summit (about 1,000 feet of climbing) and then down into Truckee. Next we headed north on Hwy 89 into the Tahoe-Donner area. We did a tough, 8-mile climb up another 1,500 feet and then descended back into Truckee where we stopped at the west end of Donner Lake for another rest stop. This rest stop was probably the low point of the ride for me. We had gone 50 miles and I was tired and sore. It was cold and windy and looming directly in front of us was Donner Pass Road that headed straight up and over Donner Pass. I was seriously wondering whether I could make it, but fortunately it's not easy for me to give up, so on we went.
As soon as we started climbing, at least we got warm. And 30 minutes later we were at the top with a commanding view both east and west. Then came the descent down the west side. Usually I enjoy a nice steady descent like that, but all 16(!) miles were tough to enjoy (even though they were beautiful) because I knew we were just going to turn around and climb right back up. At the end of the descent we stopped for lunch (probably for 40 minutes) and then headed up the hill. It was a long, painful slog back up to the top of Donner Pass, but we eventually made it. Catherine paced me all the way up the hill (actually for the whole ride). She kept telling stories - she said she figured it would help take my mind off the pain. I was just focused on breathing. Once we made it up to the top, it was pretty energizing. We knew there were no more serious hills to climb (although there was still 20 miles to go).
The descent back to Donner Lake took about 5 minutes, then it was 17 relatively flat miles back to Squaw. Unfortunately, Catherine finally tired of being held back by me, and she decided it was time to pass all those people that hadn't stopped as long as we had at the rest stops (not many people passed us while we were riding). I have a little competitive spirit in me, so I tried to tuck in behind her and draft my way along. We really flew back to Squaw - passing at least 50 people. I had to ask her to slow down a few times, but it was fun to move along at such a fast pace. I wonder how fast she would have done the ride if not tethered to my lazy bones.
It's pretty cool how much ground you can cover on a bicycle. 100 miles is a long way. In the picture above, you can see Donner Lake in the background. The ride from the far end of Donner Lake to where I'm standing is less than 6 miles!
Probably most amazingly, driving home that night and at home the next day I felt almost no soreness (except for my butt). It's not something I'd want to do every weekend, but it was really a fun experience. The ride was really well supported and beautiful. I highly recommend it.
We left Squaw Valley at 7:30 AM. It was a chilly 33 degrees outside. The ride started with some downhill, which made the windchill pretty painful, particularly on our faces and hands. We headed south on Hwy 89 into Tahoe City. We went east on Hwy 28 to Kings Beach where we had our first rest stop (about 18 miles). The rest stop was right at the edge of Lake Tahoe and they had great food for us to enjoy. Because it was so nice, we stopped for too long - probably 20 minutes. Here's a photo of Catherine at the rest stop:
From the rest stop we headed north on Hwy 267 over Brockway summit (about 1,000 feet of climbing) and then down into Truckee. Next we headed north on Hwy 89 into the Tahoe-Donner area. We did a tough, 8-mile climb up another 1,500 feet and then descended back into Truckee where we stopped at the west end of Donner Lake for another rest stop. This rest stop was probably the low point of the ride for me. We had gone 50 miles and I was tired and sore. It was cold and windy and looming directly in front of us was Donner Pass Road that headed straight up and over Donner Pass. I was seriously wondering whether I could make it, but fortunately it's not easy for me to give up, so on we went.
As soon as we started climbing, at least we got warm. And 30 minutes later we were at the top with a commanding view both east and west. Then came the descent down the west side. Usually I enjoy a nice steady descent like that, but all 16(!) miles were tough to enjoy (even though they were beautiful) because I knew we were just going to turn around and climb right back up. At the end of the descent we stopped for lunch (probably for 40 minutes) and then headed up the hill. It was a long, painful slog back up to the top of Donner Pass, but we eventually made it. Catherine paced me all the way up the hill (actually for the whole ride). She kept telling stories - she said she figured it would help take my mind off the pain. I was just focused on breathing. Once we made it up to the top, it was pretty energizing. We knew there were no more serious hills to climb (although there was still 20 miles to go).
The descent back to Donner Lake took about 5 minutes, then it was 17 relatively flat miles back to Squaw. Unfortunately, Catherine finally tired of being held back by me, and she decided it was time to pass all those people that hadn't stopped as long as we had at the rest stops (not many people passed us while we were riding). I have a little competitive spirit in me, so I tried to tuck in behind her and draft my way along. We really flew back to Squaw - passing at least 50 people. I had to ask her to slow down a few times, but it was fun to move along at such a fast pace. I wonder how fast she would have done the ride if not tethered to my lazy bones.
It's pretty cool how much ground you can cover on a bicycle. 100 miles is a long way. In the picture above, you can see Donner Lake in the background. The ride from the far end of Donner Lake to where I'm standing is less than 6 miles!
Probably most amazingly, driving home that night and at home the next day I felt almost no soreness (except for my butt). It's not something I'd want to do every weekend, but it was really a fun experience. The ride was really well supported and beautiful. I highly recommend it.
# posted by Craig @ 6:12 PM 
