Everest Challenge Race Report

Everest Challenge was a bust. Sorry to disappoint but I had to DNF.

I came down with something on Wednesday night. More like early Thursday morning. I had trouble getting to sleep with an upset stomach. Then in the wee morning hours I began vomiting and the other thing. I went to work Thursday knowing I would be off on Friday. I couldn't keep anything down and I was feeling lousy but I made it through the day. Thursday night I didn't sleep well either.

On Friday, we drove to Bishop still wondering if I would feel better. It wasn't the case. At dinner I was still having GI issues. That evening I took some Immodium.

On Saturday, I thought I have to be better by now. I lined up for the hardest USCF race in California-- and about 5 hours I DNF'd. I had not been able to fuel as I needed to and I also had been to the bathroom three times. My stomach was in knots and revolting to anything I was putting in.

So there you have it. Months of training for EC and I had to DNF half-way through the first of two days.

Well there is always next year. I was very conflicted at first but now I am good with it. I DNF'd because there is no way I would have ever finished that race. Even more accurately I SHOULD HAVE NEVER STARTED THE RACE.

Now it's time to focus on the Furnace Creek 508.

SUBSCRIBE TO MY BLOG!

Everest Challenge

DAY 2 GRAPH IS THE TOP ONE

DAY 1 GRAPH IS THE BOTTOM ONE (sorry for the confusing graphs it is from the event site)

I am off to Bishop for the start of a two day climbing race the Everest Challenge. It is the California/Nevada State Climbing Championships. 29,000 feet of climbing in two days. It is my last hard training ride before Furnace Creek 508. Stay tuned for race report.

My Solo 175 miler (282 kms)- Dawson Saddle

On Sunday I went out to do 175 miles (282 kms) solo. I rode from Huntington Beach to Dawson Saddle (7901 ft) in the San Gabriel Mountains. The ride has 8600 feet (2621 meters) of gain. The largest chunk of it comes in a 33 mile 7,000+ feet of gain (2133 meters) in a remote closed road section. No cars and no people for hours and hours just the way I like it. I love doing long solo rides.


The ride took me North on the Pacific Coast Hwy to Seal Beach then Northeast on the San Gabriel Bike Trail. Hwy 39 up past Crystal Lake (where I went two weeks ago)to the junction of Angeles Crest Hwy then continuing up to Dawson Saddle.




Meet Rebecca, my climbing bike. It is a Cervelo R3-SL. Very light very stiff and unbelievably it has a great smooth ride. It is dressed out in a Dura-Ace kit with Velocity Arrowhead rims on a Powertap Wireless 2.4 SL.

Rebecca before the Fred Pump



After the fred pump



Flat repair- notice Park Tool Patches



18 gel packets stuffed into my shorts



Three bottles in my jersey pockets with powder mix NO WATER yet



Beginning of Hwy 39 climb









9 miles into the climb East Fork Turn Off





11.5 miles into the climb the road is closed




Nearest Mile Marker to the first gate



15 Miles into the climb 3,000 feet




THIS IS A SPECIAL PLACE



Looking down



About 4,000 feet (1219 meters) elevation about 18,8 miles (30.3 kms) into the climb there is a stream. It has been really hot lately so I usually dunk my head in the icy cold water. It is very refreshing. Some folks drink from it.







About 21.2 Miles (34 kms)into the climb the 5000 ft (1524 meters) sign



Crystal Lake Turn Off if you read an earlier post you will recognize this as the destination point in that post. You may also recall it is a veritable ghost town.



About 27.8 miles junction to Angeles Crest Hwy




Destination Dawson Saddle 7901 ft (2408 meters) 33.3 miles (53.1 kms) of climbing.

EPIC Climbing on Labor Day Weekend

Saturday:

Climb #1

We left the house at 2:30 a.m. Saturday morning to drive up. I had no idea where we were going until the signs on Highway 65 gave away our destination. We arrived in Springville early Saturday morning and started out on our first climb of the day.

Balch Park Road Loop started out at 1000 ft elevation and went up to 6400 ft. We took a little detour off of the main road and ended up with 5700 ft. of gain for this climb.



Climb #2

We went back to Springville and had lunch at the cafe, which has been there since 1897. Service was a little on the slow side, so we were off of the bike longer than we anticipated. While at the cafe, we stared at the thermometer which read 100+ degrees. IN THE SHADE!

Highway 190 out of Springville started at 1000 ft and Brandy made it to 5500 ft, while I made it to 6300 ft. It was over 106 degrees when we left (with 4 bottles each) on our second climb of the day. Though Brandy is getting better about riding in the high temps, she still overheats fairly easily and the Tule River was calling her name. I was back taking pictures when Brandy decided to pull off of the road and take a dip in a beautiful pool of water. I indulged her diversion from the plan and she shed her gear for a little skinny dipping. This put us behind schedule and losing daylight, but it was well worth it. I didn't mind at all.








Sunday:

From our motel in Porterville, we drove up to Three Rivers.

Mineral King Road was our climb for the day. From a starting elevation of 800 ft in Three Rivers to an ending elevation of 7800 ft at the end of the road, we gained over 7400 ft on this climb. The road was narrow, steep, sometimes unpaved (not hard packed dirt...but SAND!) and is reported to have over 698 curves. Totally awe inspiring. The views were breathtaking.



Mineral King Road is one of the toughest climbs I have done in recent memory. It is 7,400 + feet of gain in one shot (including the warm up climb before the turn off). It has sustained ramps of 10-12% grades. There are sections that avg 10% for over 1.5 miles. It got to the point where I didn't want a relief in the road because all it meant was that I was going to have to pay for it. Just after a leveling off section BAM! you would get hit with 12-14% grade ramp. This cycle of relief and punishment repeats itself over and over and over again over the 25 miles.

Then closer to the top above 6,000 ft there were sand sections with the 12% grades. Our 23mm tires were sinking in to the sand. Hard packed dirt would have been better. Next time we will ride 25mm tires.

The motorists all said it took them over two hours to drive the 23 miles up all the switchbacks, ramps, single lane travel, potholes, loose gravel and did I mention the very narrow road without guardrails?

Mineral King is a very tough climb indeed.

Truly an epic adventure...

Yesterday I rode out to Crystal Lake from Huntington Beach. It was 150 miles (241 kms) with 7,000 ft (2133 meters) of climbing. I had a lot of tire/flatting issues but I don't have time to write about it now. I will over the next couple of days (hopefully tomorrow) get something up for you to ride.

Epic Climbing Camp...it's a Wrap

Three hard training days in the mountains. I missed completing a few of my goals, but I came away from the weekend knowing that I am one step closer to being fit for Everest Challenge and Furnace Creek 508.

In short, here are my numbers:

My goal was 50K feet of climbing = ACTUAL FEET GAINED WAS 45,000

My goal was 400 total miles ======= ACTUAL MILES WERE 357

MY goal for the one night ride(6PM-6AM)= NO NIGHT RIDE

I still have one more weekend of concentrated climbing before Everest Challenge. Location yet to be determined.

A full report and pictures are in the works. My personal goals were sacrificed for the benefit of my training partner. My training partner this weekend was my girlfriend Brandy. This was her first exposure to the extreme training that I do before the Furnace Creek 508. She suffered, and as a pair our pace was slower. Temperatures were in the 90's everyday and water and food were scarce. You have to pack it with you which means carrying 10-15 pounds of fuel and water. Monday was our most remote ride, which took us up Kitchen Creek Rd, a closed road that climbs about 2800 feet from the 8 Freeway to Mount Laguna at 6100 feet of elevation.


SUBCRIBE TO THE BLOG

Epic Climbing Camp

I'm really excited about my plans for this weekend. I will be staying at a cabin at Lake Henshaw. It is located at the base of East Grade Rd of Palomar Mountain. I will be riding Saturday-Tuesday. I am publicly stating my goals so that I have to live by them.

THIS CAMP IS FOR SPECIFIC TRAINING IN THE PURSUIT OF 14 HOUR EVEREST CHALLENGE AND A 36 HOUR FURNACE CREEK 508 SOLO.

MY GOAL FOR ELEVATION GAIN FOR THE FOUR DAYS IS 50,000 FEET

MY GOAL FOR MILEAGE IS 400 MILES

MY GOAL IS TO INCORPORATE ONE NIGHT RIDE (6PM-6AM)

Tour de Baldy Double Whip

Brandy's Tour de Baldy


First off I will do a little bragging. Our househould is getting ready for Everest Challenge. My lovely, Brandy, has not committed to doing the event yet but she is well on her way. I have her on a training plan that will, at the very least, allow her to complete the event. She has very limited time to train. Her training must be precise and purposeful. She is doing a fantastic job complying with the program. Having done the Everest Challenge twice before, I am very familiar with the demands of the event. I'm proud and impressed with her progress. Last Saturday she did a SOLO century with 15,000 feet of climbing.

Before you scoff at that as what's the big deal --- I challenge you to find organized centuries with that much climbing. Even some of the most known climbing events, like Death Ride or Climb the Kaiser and Breathless Agony have less climbing per mile than the ride she did. So remember this was SOLO without the benefit buffet-style spreads that you find at the events below.

Take a look at this comparison

Brandy's Tour de Baldy 15,000 feet in 104 miles = 144 feet of gain per mile

Death Ride............ 15,000 feet in 129 miles = 116 feet of gain per mile

Breathless Agony ..... 12,000 feet in 114 miles = 105 feet of gain per mile

Climb the Kaiser...... 13,500 feet in 155 miles = 87 feet of gain per mile



TOUR de BALDY add DOUBLE WHIP
Whip = ski lifts


Oh by the way, I did 16,000 on Sunday in 110 miles. I went to the Baldy Ski Lifts twice and a couple of repeats on Glendora Mountain Rd.

Tour de Baldy add whip

The climbs are:

UP Glendora Mountain Road
UP Glendora Ridge Road
UP Mt Baldy Ski Lifts
DOWN Mt Baldy Road
UP Mt Baldy Road from Mills Rd
DOWN Glendora Ridge Road
UP Glendora Mountain Rd
DOWN Little Glendora Mountain Rd
UP Little Glendora Mountain Rd
DOWN East Fork
DOWN HWY 39




THE ORIGINAL TOUR DE BALDY

WEATHER ON AUGUST 2 HEAT AND LOW HUMIDITY

I owe a huge thanks to my nutrition sponsors who help ME train and compete at my highest level. SPORTQUEST products such as CarboPro and CarboPro 1200 are my primary fuels. They are easy on the stomach and provide sustained energy. I also use MOTORTABS in conjunction with CarboPro to add vitally important electrolytes Sodium and Potassium (250mg and 75mg per tablet respectively) and a little flavor. I ENCOURAGE TO TRY THESE PRODUCTS and send me your feedback. Ok happy reading....

As part of my Everest Challenge and Furnace Creek 508 preparation I needed some mountain and heat training so we drove out to Glendora to play around on Glendora Mountain Rd and Mount Baldy. It was a great day of climbing with 14,000 feet in less than 100 miles (111 miles total). Problem with climbing out there is the lack of services. I overheated pretty badly and actually had to sit out for about 20 mins under a shade tree at mile 104. The heat and dehydration was cumulative and caught up with me throughout the day. By 2pm it was in the high 90's which feels even hotter when exerting on a climb. I will attempt to recreate the ride and count the bottles I had. This exercise is more for my edification on where I went wrong. But I am sure you will glean something for yourself.

Saturday morning Brandy woke me up with breakfast (fluffy eggs, english muffin with peanut butter and jam and a cup of coffee) in bed at 3:46 a.m. Although it sounds like an unthinkable hour to wake up, Brandy and I both agreed that it didn't seem that early since the alarm often goes off at 4:00 a.m. around here. We drove out to GMR and arrived a little after 5:30 a.m. It was still dark so we didn't rush to get started. I made sure that she knew what her training goals were for the day, since we didn't have any plans to stick together and would just see each other in passing. As we discussed our concerns about fueling and hydrating up on the mountain during the day, we both made sure to hydrate pre-ride. We ended up rolling out just before 6am. The weather was nice, but you could tell it was going to be hot one. Prior to rolling, I drank a bottle of water (BOTTLE #1) with 2 MOTORTABS I wanted to get some electrolytes (2 tablets of Motortabs contains 500mg of Sodium, 150mg of Potassium) and I just get bored of drinking straight water.

I begin the Glendora Mountain Road (GMR) climb (8.1 Miles 5.3% grade 2100 feet of gain) with TWO bottles of CarboPro 1200 mix of 300 calories each. I have a great climb enjoying the total solitude that comes from 6am starts in the mountains. I had ONE, yes only ONE, motorcycle pass me in the first hour and half. I climbed GMR in under 50 mins and felt great. I had one bottle on the GMR climb (BOTTLE #2).



Graph of Glendora Mountain Rd. to the Ski Lifts on Mount Baldy

I then climbed Glendora Ridge Road (GRR) to Baldy Village (about 1800 feet of gain in 12 miles). Not one of my favorite climbs but it is a necessary evil to get to Baldy Village. I only saw one car on this stretch of road. I finished my third bottle (BOTTLE #3)and refilled two bottles (one with CarboPro 1200 and the other with 2 MOTORTABS, at the Baldy Village Post Office water fountain (the Baldy Village Restaurant doesn't open until 11:00 a.m.) for the climb up to the lifts.






The climb to the ski lifts is a toughie. The climb from Glendora Ridge Road to the lifts is about 4.6 miles at 8.6% with 2110 feet of gain. I hadn't been up to the lifts in 18 months and I thought, how bad can it be? Well, after having climbed for roughly 20 miles (there are some dips in GRR) the last 4 miles are a real bear up to the lifts. I was wondering why I didn't have a compact cranskset on the bike. Well I got 'er done. One more bottle (BOTTLE #4).

The top portion of the mountain is hard to descend fast. Cars overshoot the corners and are consistently over the centerline. There were also many rocks on the road. I stopped at the post office (Baldy Village Restaurant still closed) and refilled my bottle and then descended the 45+ mph screaming downhill to the bottom of Mt Baldy Rd and Mills Rd for the climb up Baldy Rd.

At the Mills Rd parking lot I was looking for a water fountain. I asked some mountain bikers where it was and one of them offered me some water. Chris the generous mtb'er even cut out the top of the water bottle so I could get the chunk of ice that was in the bottle. That was awesome of him.

I began my climb up Baldy Rd. It was getting hot. I tried to drink as often as possible and was feeling pretty good. The Baldy Rd climb is exposed and there is no relief from the sun beating on you. I drank another bottle (BOTTLE #5).

I got to the post office (yes, the restaurant was STILL closed) and refilled my 1 bottle and added 2 MOTORTABS and began the "descent" on GRR. It rolls in the general down direction. The descent from the post office to the car is a little over 20 miles.I finished one bottle (BOTTLE #6) as I made the junction to GMR. I knew I had to catch up on fluids and finished my second bottle (BOTTLE #7) before reaching the car. .

About three miles from the base of GMR, I ran into Brandy, who was climbing alongside John Beam (Triple Crown Hall of Famer with 54 double centuries) who she had befriended while riding. She turned around and descended with me. At the car I had my first solid food, a PB &J sandwich and some more water. While eating at the base of GMR I saw quite a few people I knew and it was nice to visit with old friends--total random sightings.

I saw Keith Brodsky looking fully recovered from his broken collarbone that he suffered while we were doing the Butterfield Double Century. We also saw three more California Triple Crown Hall of Famers. Dave Evans (Mr. 114 Double Centuries), Lynn Katano (Ms. 90 Double Centuries) and Anny Beck (Ms. 51 Double Centuries.) Anny is also a ride promoter and has added a brand new double century to the California Triple Crown schedule this year by offering the Borrego Double Ordeal. I'm hoping she takes a bigger role in organizing double centuries in the southern California area. With her 28 years of ultracycling experience, I am sure she will put a lot of thought into great routes and providing outstanding support. Hopefully, they will provide us, Ultra cyclists, with another viable option to the poorly run, poorly supported and unfriendly directed Planet Ultra events.


With two fresh bottles (one with MOTORTABS and the other CarboPro) I begin the "last" climb of the day. One more time up GMR. I already had over 9600 feet of gain it is only 67 miles into the ride. It was close to 12pm and it was really heating up. I drank one bottle (BOTTLE #8) on the climb and was feeling the effects of the heat.

I got to the top of GMR and headed down Little GMR to Camp Williams Cafe. Now I was hot and starting to overheat. I dunked my head in the spigot and tried to cool down.

I refilled my bottle and thought, well I'm already here, I might as well get one more climb in. So I headed back up Little GMR (5 mile 1300 feet of gain). Those extra 5 miles in 95F heat after 8 hours in the saddle did me in. That extra climb just wasn't in the plan, but since I had access to water and more MOTORTABS, I didn't think much of adding the extra climb in. I knew I was in need of electrolytes so that I wouldn't cramp in the heat. Motortabs makes it very convenient to carry along on a ride. I was sluggish while climbing Little GMR and finished the bottle (BOTTLE #9), and descended.

Once I got back to Camp Williams, I knew I was in trouble. I hadn't exerted this long in the heat for a long time. I had gotten spoiled leaving by the coast in Huntington Beach. I dunked my head in the water and started down the road, hoping to get off of the mountain and out of the canyons. I was also starting to bonk, yes in total calorie deficit. According to my Power Tap I was currently at 4000+ kjs and had consumed nowhere near that amount in calories. Not that it's recommended since you can only digest about 250 calories per hour.

Now the descent from Camp Williams back to Encanto Park is not all descent. It's funny how when you do this in reverse, you can't recall any of the descending on the way out, only the climbing. Once on Highway 39, I felt like I was getting that much closer to the San Gabriel River Trail, but the foot pain that I was experiencing earlier in the day was now unbearable. I took my feet out of my shoes and started riding on the tops of the shoes until I hit yet another roller. I just couldn't produce enough power with my feet out of the shoes and on top of the buckles, so I sought out the nearest shade tree.

I dismounted and sat there for about twenty minutes. When I first got off the bike, I was nauseous and my lungs hurt from all of the heavy breathing of the day. I could only take short breaths. I had two full bottles but I just didn't feel like drinking anything sweet anymore. I sat there and tried to count how many bottles of fluids I had through the day, and wonder how I ended up in this state, knowing that I know better than this. I've been down this road before. Where did I screw up? After some reflection, I realized it was the heat of the day, scarcity of services and that extra 5 mile, 1300ft climb that wasn't in the plan, that did me in.

I remounted after twenty minutes, and clipped into my shoes. Funny how I was only another two-three miles from the San Gabriel River Trail. I thought psychologically, once I hit the SGRT, that I would feel better, but I didn't. I was still overheated and dehydrated and now I was headed for the dreaded bonk. I was actually feeling hungry, which is a good sign...better than feeling nauseous. At that time I knew that I really needed to get some food in me. I exited the SGRT and got on Route 66 in Duarte, pulling over at the first taco stand that I could find. Even in my calorie deprived state and serious deficit, I can attest to the fact that it was one of worst carne asada burritos I've ever had. Their idea of meat resembled bacon bits and it made for a poor tasting meal. I gladly ate it though, knowing I needed the carbs from tortilla, rice and beans, along with five 20oz glasses of water.

That was the end of the ride. I called in the cavalry and my lovely girlfriend, Brandy drove out to pick me up. I knew I was still in bad shape because once you're in the car with the air conditioning and heading home, you usually start feeling better. But even after an hour off the bike, in a climate control environment --I still felt horrible.

LESSON LEARNED #1

Don't trust anyone else's weather forecast. We had heard that it was going to be in the 90's at the base of the mountain but in the 70's on the climbs. Because of that, I didn't take a third bottle and was taking care to conserve my fluids on each climb.

LESSON LEARNED #2

Take on more fuel and force myself to take on more gels earlier in the day when it is still cool. As it heats up, the sweet gels become less palatable and I, despite knowing better, am less likely to fuel with them.

LESSON LEARNED #3

As a coach, I should know better. Stick to the plan. The plan was to do X number of climbs with X number of feet of gain and nothing more as I increased elevation gain and heat exposure on a weekly and incremental basis in preparation for Everest Challenge and Furnace Creek 508.

KOM Series Breathless Agony & Heartbreak Double Century

...........

I want to thank my sponsors for all their support this season without them I wouldn't be able to race as strong as I have been. Thank you. Here they are in alphabetical order:

.

.

Accelerade- Sports Drink with Protein a must for Ultra Cycling-- Chris Facas

.

Bonk Breakers-Peanut Butter and Jelly nutrition bars very tasty --Jason Winn

.

Cervelo Bikes-- Truly the best engineered and best riding bikes in the world- Phil White

.

Finish Line- Your chain is the life of your bike lube, clean it. Love your bike clean it too--David Clopton

.

Kenda Tires-- You must ride the C2C tire developed especially for RAAM- Jim Wannamaker

.

I have been training and working so much lately I haven't been able to issue my race reports as promptly as I used to. But here I am posting about two events that are part of the Planet Ultra King of the Mountains Series. There are three events are:

.

1. Mulholland Century Challenge although I did the Double Century and then the Century the next day.

2. Breathless Agony
3. Heartbreak Hundred which I did the Double Century


So first I will talk about Breathless Agony. 114 miles and 12,000 feet. Of which 11,000 feet in 73 miles. We climb to a max altitude of 8,443 up to Onyx Summit. I had a a great day on the bike. My goal 5:45 and top 30. I did even better than I expected. In training I had done the course in 5:51 so I thought 5:45 was doable. I finished in 5:40 and 21st place overall and 7th out of 144 in 40-49 age group.

Next was the Heartbreak Double Century 202 Miles and 17,000 feet. I had a bad day on the bike. It was my worse race day on the bike this year. I went out with the lead group and suffered quite a bit. By mile 25 I was dropped and 6 riders went away. It continued to get hot during the day and I knew I was heading for a meltdown eventually. It happened sometime before the lunch stop. I was overheating and feeling miserable.
Mile 104. 6 --At the lunch stop I soaked my head twice once when I got in and once before I left.

I stopped consuming calories after my first century. I then started drinking sodas. I had a Mountain Dew at lunch.
Mile 119--Vanilla Cola at the base of the Heartbreak climb.
Mile 126.7 --1 bottle of water
Mile -171.4-- I had 1/2 an Orange Sunkist (knock-off).

The last 30 miles I hooked up with another rider who helped me get through the next 14 miles and then I helped him get to the finish. I was not feeling good all day and lost valuable time climbing Old Ridge Route --two years in a row I have faded there.
My goal was sub 14 hours I finished 13:28 for 5th place. I'm quite happy with the end result but the process to get there was one of the most challenging days on the bike in recent memory.

29,200 feet of climbing weekend

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

First let me thank the people that make it possible for me to race my bike:.

.

Chris from Pacific Health Labs

.

David from Finish Line

.

Jason from Bonk Breakers

.

I just got back from a weekend of EPIC climbing in the Santa Monica Mountains. I did the Mulholland Double Century on Saturday April 14th 203.7 miles with 17,000 of climbing.

On Sunday just because I was already there I did the Mulholland Century Challenge. 110 miles with 12,000 feet of climbing.

.

I arrived in Calabasas, the race start, late Friday night. I missed a couple of turns because I was on my cell phone and trying to drive. I should've know better. I hate driving in Los Angeles and one missed exit can cost you 1/2 hour of travel time. I had dinner with some friends and then it was time to do bike prep. It's ironic that I work in a bike shop and I don't have time to work on my bike until the night before the event .

.

There were two ride start times for the riders doing the Double Century. The first start time was 5am and the second start reserved for the faster riders, 6:15 . I elected for the 6:15 start. I believed I could ride with the lead group for a little while and then get dropped. The plan worked until Mile 40 when I dropped my water bottle and had to stop to pick it up. The lead pack just kept going.

.

This wasn't a bad thing. I was feeling really worked riding with the lead pack. Actually I was quite surprised to see how long the lead pack stayed together. Once I was dropped I started riding my own race. The Mulholland Double Century course is very difficult because the climbs are so steep. There aren't any long climbs-- I think the longest climb was 5 miles.

.

I felt good all day. I stayed on top of the fueling and supplements. I knew that I faded last year after mile 150. So this year I was forcing myself to drink. It really worked because I felt great. I went liquid fuel all day and had a lull but overall it was a good event.

.

The next day, Sunday, I did the Mulholland Century Challenge. 110 miles 12,000 feet of climbing. My challenge was getting enough calories in me on Saturday night so that I could replenish my glycogen stores and be ready to go again. I felt sluggish at the start but as the day wore on I started to get in my groove. But then as the elevation gain continued to accumulate I really just wanted to finish. I wasn't having fun anymore. But I got through with a little, ok a lot, of help from Brandy as my lovely SAG.

.

The hardest thing about these two events is the steepness of the grades. There really isn't anything that is 6% that climbs for 10 miles. Many climbs are 8-10% with some being as much as 15-20% for at least a mile.

.

I have decided not to do Devil Mountain Double because I really need to focus on training for RAAM. The round trip driving to and from San Francisco is time I could be riding my bike. Brandy made that little observation so clear to me. She's good at that. Devil Mountain Double Century and its 18,000 feet of gain will have to wait another year.