The Markleeville Base Camp  Bicycle Tour

Sept. 5 - 11, 2012

Markleeville

Camping / Motel Options:   We are staying at Grover Hot Springs State Park located about 4 miles west of Markleeville.  The campground has shaded campsites, hot showers, food storage cabinets, and features a wonderful public hot pool that I’m sure most of us will find most beneficial after each day’s endeavors on the bike.   I will have booked a certain number of campsites together based on the anticipated number of riders signing up.  For those of you who wish a little more luxury, check with the Alpine County Chamber of Commerce for a listing of hotels in Markleeville.  For those of you who choose to stay in motels, you will simply meet us each morning as we start our rides.  

Food: We are not providing food or cooking for you.  You know, there had to be a reason that this tour is so cheap!  You have two options for sustenance:

• Cook Your Own: If you want to save money or if you have special dietary needs , then prepare your own meals.  We will provide one two burner cook stove, dish washing bins, and hot water for coffee, soups, meals, etc.   You need to provide your own eating utensils and cookware, unless all you need is hot water, in which case that is available from a large pot. Again, you can bring food with you or buy supplies in Markleeville.  We don’t supply a refrigerator so you might want to bring along an ice box if you have perishables.
• Restaurants:  Available in Markleeville, 4 miles from camp.   There may be times when all of us might want to head into town for a little grub.  The Cut Throat Saloon has particularly good bar food.  It is not mandatory to eat in camp, so individuals can drift into town anytime they want.

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Money:   We are not charging for this trip.  However, you should recognize that there are certain expenses involved in putting on a trip of this nature, particularly for the campsites at Grover Hot Springs State Park, as the campsites are fairly expensive.  At the end of the trip, if you would like to make a donation to help us recover our expenses, that would be appropriate.   Your main expenses will be for food, liquids, and hot springs admission.  All in all, if you are camping with us, this will be a pretty cheap vacation …..which is in character with most of our trips.  Anyone staying in a motel, will of course, be paying a bit more.  

Physical & Skill Level Requirements:   (Moderate)  As with almost all our bicycle tours, riders are expected to be experienced and in relatively good physical condition.  This tour varies each day from 30 to 60 miles with elevation gains of 2,000’ to 6,000’ with an average of around 4,000’.  The nature of each ride is that we ride out from Markleeville in a “Hub & Spoke” pattern which allows any rider not feeling particularly fit that day, to simply turn around and mostly coast back to camp.   The main requirement, beyond decent physical fitness, is that your bicycle be equipped with low gears for some of the more challenging climbs.  If you have any questions about your ability to do this ride, feel free to write or call us, and we can talk it over.   

Equipment:  

•  Camping & Hiking Gear:  You will need a tent, sleeping bag, and  sleeping pad.  Make sure you have stakes to pin your tent to the ground in case of high winds. And even though you might be eating at the restaurants, it still would be a good idea to have a cup for coffee, tea, or booze in case you want to hang around camp in the evening while we sit around a campfire and tell stories.  
• Clothing:  Hey, even though it is supposed to be warm/hot .... be prepared with clothing for both hot and cold, particularly for some of the descents off the passes.    A swim suit for the hot springs is mandatory ….no skinny dipping allowed. We will have a bucket to wash clothes in for those who don’t have several changes of clothing.  
• Bicycle ?   We don’t provide bicycles, so make sure you have one.  In addition, it should be a road bike and you are equipped with at least 2 water bottles, spare inner tubes, and new tires on the bike itself. You might consider having a lock and rudimentary tool kit, although, we will have a pretty good tool box in the truck. Low gears are a must.
• First Aid Kit: ?  Bring your own personal kit to cover minor cuts, blisters, and muscle/joint aches.

Road & Weather Conditions:

• Roads: The good news is that 100% of the roads are paved and in good condition, so the various day rides are ride able with a skinny tired road bike.  The bad news is that there is a fair amount of climbing on the tour; but given the relatively short miles of those days, it should not be much of a problem if you are reasonably fit.  Traffic is pretty light on most of the roads.
• Weather:  Weather this time of year should be really good.  It might be a bit hot at the lower elevations, but certainly mild up near the passes that we climb to each day.  If it is hot, most of our campsites will have a lot of pine tree shade, plus temperatures always drop a lot in the evenings, even at the relatively low elevation of 6,000’ of our campground.  Still, always bring foul weather gear ….. Just in case.

Medical Insurance:  Please have medical insurance for this trip. Bicycle riders routinely have accidents.  Our various rides will have some fairly demanding and certainly steep descents which have the potential for serious injury in case of a crash.  Traffic is fairly light on most days, but a bicycle/vehicle collision could have serious consequences.  Due to the relative isolation of this trip from any population centers, an ambulance or helicopter rescue could be very expensive.  After you have been accepted on the trip, I’ll send you a release form that you need to sign as well as the details of your medical coverage.    Bring your own personal first aid kit to cover minor cuts, blisters, and muscle/joint aches.

Sign Up Maximum :  I will reserve enough campsites for a maximum number of 20 riders.  If it turns out that a number of riders are staying in motels or people are willing to book their own campsites if we are full, then we can probably go beyond that number.   I’ll book the campsites with the idea that there will be 4 people and two vehicles in each site.   

Roster:  We’ll send out a roster by email as soon as we have a pretty firm idea of who is going.  Sometimes, knowing who is on the roster lets you share equipment, transportation, etc.  The roster is usually sent out 2 to 4 weeks before the trip.  We generally include each person’s name, town, email, and telephone number.

Sign Up Procedure: To officially sign up for this trip, just follow these steps:

1. Sign Up: Go to the  Mail List & Sign-Up  link and sign up there, or call us at 760-872-7630.    
2. Our Reply -  We will then reply, either  to accept you on the trip or put you on the stand by list.  We might possibly have a question or two for you if you haven't been on one of our trips before. We’ll also send you a release and medical insurance form for you to either mail or bring with you.  

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Maps & Guidebooks:  The routes for the various rides are extremely simple for the most part.  I have a recommendation for a single overall map and a book that has pretty good descriptions of most of the rides.  For those of you who don’t buy your own map in advance, we can supply you with one when you check into camp at Grover Hot Springs State Park.    

Map:

Hwy 395 Carson City to Lone Pine

By Benchmark Maps

ISBN:  0-7834-9848-9

Guide Book:

Complete Guide to Climbing by Bike

By John Summerson

ISBN: 978-0-9792571-0-0

Support Vehicle:  We have some good news and some bad news concerning our support vehicle. The good news is that our support vehicle is a 2004 Toyota Tacoma half ton pickup in excellent running condition.  The bad news is ….we won’t be using it.  Because this is a base camp tour, the need for a support vehicle is minimized.  Any rider having trouble making it to each day’s destination, can simply turn around and mostly coast back to Markleeville.  Besides, Margy and I want to do the rides too. So…. Riders will be responsible for having full water bottles and food to carry with them when there are not sources of food on each days ride.  Of course, in an emergency, or if either Margy or I don’t feel riding on a particular day ……we might use the truck.  

Sept. 5 (Wed.) Meet at Grover Hot Springs State Park.    

Lets plan on meeting at Grover Hot Springs State Park at  5 p.m.  You can check in at the park between 1 and 5 p.m. The park is located 4 miles west of Markleeville on Hot Springs Rd.  out of the center of town.  You will have no trouble finding the center of town as the population is only about 150 people.  Markleeville itself is located about 60 miles south west of Reno, NV. We’ll get together to discuss the details of the upcoming days of riding.  After words, we can have a meal and maybe head over to the hot springs for a dip.  

Grover Hot Springs

Sept. 6 (Thurs.) to Daggett Pass (7,334’)   64 Miles-5,500’  Elev. Gain.

This is the first of the mountain passes that was part of the early years of the Death Ride.  Due to conflicts with the Nevada Highway Patrol, the organizers dropped Daggett Pass off the route and decided to do a double climb of Monitor Pass to make up for the mileage and elevation.  We, however, have no restrictions and can tackle this beast.  We start with a ride down a frontage road next to the Carson River followed by a quick dash along the valley floor before an assault on the climb. The road up to Daggett Pass has a fair amount of traffic on it, but fortunately, it has an excellent shoulder and is well worth the effort with stunning views of the Carson Valley in Nevada.  On our return, for those who have the energy, we’ll take a little side trip to Genoa, the oldest town in Nevada, for a little food and refreshments. Then, we’ll retrace our route back to Markleeville.

Kingsbury Grade

Sept. 7 (Fri.) to Luther Pass (7,735’) & Carson Pass  (8,600’)  

55 Miles - 5,000’ Gain

Again, following the route of the original Death Ride, we ride from Markleeville to the little settlement of Woodfords on the Carson River.  From there, it is a steady climb up to Hope Valley, an incredibly beautiful and pristine high meadow area.  From there we make a quick half hour climb up to Luther Pass.  This pass is no longer part of the Death Ride …..don’t know why, but it isn’t.  After our descent off of Luther, we’ll still be in Hope Valley and we might consider taking a lunch break at either Sorensen’s Resort or Hope Valley Resort.  Then onto the longer and more demanding Carson Pass.  The top of the pass has a rest area complete with toilets. We’ll then make a quick and easy return to Markleeville.

Hope Valley

Sept. 11 (Tues.) to Sonora Pass (9,643’) 30 Miles - 3,800’ Elev. Gain

This, of course, is not part of the Death Ride route as Sonora Pass is located about a two hour drive south of Markleeville off of Hwy. 395.  However, among the many , many climbs that can be found in the Eastern Sierra, Sonora Pass is legendary.  Any rider worth his or her salt simply cannot ignore the challenge of riding this incredibly beautiful and challenging mountain pass.  And yes, it is a real bugger to climb this monster pass …..but it can be done by any reasonably fit rider.  The secret is to have some low gears and the patience to not be in a hurry.  The climb is a whole series of short and steep pitches followed by sections of flat terrain.  Take your time, take your breaks, and it will be done.  This completes our Markleeville Base Camp Tour. Hope you had a good time.

Sept. 8 (Sat.) Hike to Lake Winnemuca & Round Top Mt. (10,381’)

8 Miles - 2,200’ Elev. Gain

That’s right….we are taking a day off from cycling and going for a bit of a gallivant on a beautiful and easy section of the Pacific Crest Trail that crosses Carson Pass. So bring your day pack, some hiking shoes, some food, and a good attitude and we’ll head for beautiful Lake Winnemuca.  For those with a little more ambition, we’ll do an easy scramble up the slopes of Round Top Peak.  Back when I lived in Markleeville, this was absolutely my favorite hike.  

Lake Winnemuca

Sept. 9 (Sun.) to Monitor Pass (8,321’)  34 Miles - 4,000’ Elev. Gain

I can’t begin to tell you how many times I have climbed this pass from the years I lived in Markleeville.  It is absolutely my favorite.  Although the day looks relatively short, you will find yourself wanting to linger and enjoy the panoramas of the Northern Sierra to the west and the Nevada desert to the east.  The large grove of Aspen trees at the top is particularly appealing.  The ride does not come without challenge as there is one short 2 mile section that is as challenging as any part of the Death Ride.   Easy return to Markleeville and maybe a late lunch in town.

E. Side of Monitor Pass

Sept. 10 (Mon..) to Ebbetts Pass (8,732’) 44 Miles - 5,000’ Gain

This will be our last ride out of Grover Hot Springs SP as we tackle the last pass of the Death Ride.  For many of the riders that we had back in the old days, Ebbetts was definitely the hardest of the five passes.  I think this was more due to the fact that the accumulation of 15,000’ of climbing in one day simply …….well, what can I say, proved to be brutal, and this was the culmination of that epic day.  For us, however, it should be a pleasant outing on the least travelled of all our roads. It features a whole series of short and steep grades.  The highest of all the Death Ride passes.  Again…..an easy return to Markleeville.

Downtown Markleeville

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The Markleeville Base Camp Bicycle Tour, Sept. 5 - 11, 2012

30 to 60 Miles Per Day   -  $$ Shared Expense   

Markleeville, California is the location of the famous “Markleeville Death Ride”, a one day event that inspires thousands of riders to climb over 15,000’ in 129 miles while climbing up and over Monitor Pass, Ebbetts Pass, and Carson Pass.   As the founder of this ride, I have an intimate knowledge of the course and would like you to join us in riding each leg of this ride, one day at a time.  We will deviate from the present ride by riding the original route which also includes Luther Pass and Kingsbury Grade.  As a bonus, on our last day, we will drive south for 2 hours so we can also take a stab at riding the most demanding of the E. Sierra climbs: Sonora Pass.  This will be a base camp tour where we will camp at Grover Hot Springs State Park, a truly great place to relax at the end of each day.  Riders can either cook their meals in camp or eat in one of Markleeville’s restaurants.   Hotel/motel options are also available.  Join our Trip Updates mailing list for this ride.

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