Bookmark This Page
Posts
Innovate or Die Ride to Interbike - Day 2
posted by rusty nations at 01:13 PM on September 19, 2007
“Today should be a good recovery day,” says Chris ‘I just took a 120-mile pull’ D’Lusio as we started up the 23 mile, 6250-foot second climb of the day. Recovery wasn't’ a word any of us except Chris had in mind. Survival was.
Turns out that it doesn’t usually rain in the southern Sierra in September let alone snow, but last night it did both. The six, or at least five of the six, in our group were a little concerned about riding up to 7,200 feet with massive storm clouds and a light dusting on a few of the lower peaks that we could see from our start in Exeter. The ride up route 198 was a little cold and damp. Cold and damp enough that we needed to stop at the Ponderosa Lodge at the top of the pass and dry off. For those not familiar with the nightspots of the Southern Sierra, the Ponderosa is a pretty heavy-duty biker bar and ghostly white-purple freaks who’ve just ridden from fifty-some miles away are regarded with great suspicion. Luckily they sold us hot chocolate and made enough room for at least one rider by the fire. Of course he was forced to endure a karaoke version of Tequila Sunrise and the embarrassment of having to answer questions about his red shorts and smooth legs, but the tradeoff seemed worth it.
Mostly dry and somewhat up for the 37-mile descent to the Golden Trout Resort on the banks of the Kern River, our party headed out… just in time to ride into a storm just this side of a deluge. Nothing biblical, but rain hard enough to welt the skin and form nice streams across the road. Without much of a choice but to ride it out, everyone gritted their teeth and did their best to keep it upright. After about 20-miles the skies cleared, some perfect fall afternoon light filtered through and the Kern River appeared on our right. Pretty amazing. Wait. Until the guy with the rifle. “He doesn’t have a rifle does he,” says Don ‘Langster’ Langley. Oh yeah, the guy standing by the side of the road looking kind of our way. He’s got a rifle. We hope it’s not cyclist season and ride by. He grimaces. We later find out that September 22nd is the opening of deer season in these parts. We agree to make note of that for future expeditions.
Tomorrow should be a recovery day too. Something like 135-miles with 10,000-plus feet of climbing on our way over to the western edge of Death Valley. Fortunately there’s a raging bachelor party in the next room over here at the Golden Trout. Should be an interesting night’s rest.
categories: News & Announcements , Sponsored Rides , Photos , Videos
Post Photos
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Already a Member? Sign in Now to Add A Comment »
Comments (2)
10:21 PM on September 23, 2007 UTC The Fury, Haime wrote:
Mark D.,
We are cheering for you!!!! Keep it up :) Stay hydrated and let the good times roll... alright that was lame but I wish you the best of luck. See you in a few days Jamie
10:17 PM on September 24, 2007 UTC G-Force wrote:
I'm jealous!!! You all are riding in nice cool weather and it's still in the 90's here in the Carolinas!