The Dips Bike Club

Otherwise known as Susan’s (and Anna’s) Birthday Ride, this will be a long, but epic day.

For those that may have been living under a rock, Highway 1 has been closed at Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge to the north, and Mud Creek to the south, bracketing some 35 miles or so of spectacular coastline highway. Although cars can still get through via Nacimiento-Fergusson Rd, it’s a long detour that most wouldn’t make just to visit this stretch of road.

Earlier this year, a “Community Bypass Trail” was built for locals to get past the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge closure and continue with their day-to-day lives (including kids walking to school). This trail has since been opened to the public, but the new bridge is scheduled to open on 9/30, so soon the roadway will return to normal (although the Mud Creek landslide likely won’t open until mid-2018.

The plan is to carry or walk our bikes on the Community Bypass Trail to access the roadway beyond the closure. From here, it’s roughly 37 miles of rollers with very limited traffic to the Mud Creek landslide. At this point, we’ll grab lunch, turn around and head back north to our cars and Susan/Anna’s birthday dinner.

We’ll park at the Pfeiffer Big Sur Park Day Use lot, which will cost $10/car and is open a half-hour before sunrise, and a half-hour after sunset. From there, we’ll access the trail. People should know that the trail has been described as strenuous, although it’s only a half-mile or so.

Preparations

To get ready for this ride, it’s basically just like any of our away rides, with the exception of everything you need for the hike-a-bike section. Here’s some quick tips:

• Non-bike shoes: I would recommend wearing another pair of trail shoes for the hike, unless you ride in mountain bike shoes. We can stash our shoes behind a tree for the return hike. There’s also an e-bike rental place south of the trail; maybe they would be willing to watch our stuff for us.
• Remove water bottles: It’s harder to shoulder your bike when the water bottles are in place, as this leaves less room for your arm to pass through the frame. I would recommend bringing a cheap cinch sack, like the ones they give away as freebies, to carry your water bottles and cycling shoes on the hike
• Frame pad: I’m planning on putting a piece of pipe insulation (or a section of swim noodle) on my top tube/down tube so that the frame isn’t resting solely on my shoulder, but I’ve got bony shoulders, so others may not have a problem. I’ll leave it in my cinch sack with my trail shoes.
• For those of you that want to get fancy (tattoos optional)
• Make sure your bike is in good shape: If someone has a mechanical, there won’t be anybody driving by to assist. The only way in is a LONG detour, so if your bike needs a tune up or inspection, get it done before the ride.

 

The Ride

As for the ride itself, there’s surprisingly about 7200 ft. of elevation for the roughly 74 mile ride. There’s no real extended climbs, but plenty of 200 to 400 ft. “bumps” to keep us occupied. Pacelining over all the rollers will be tough, but we should try to stay together as much as possible.

Going south, we should try to hit up all of the vista points along the way for pictures, since they’ll be on our side of the road (although reduced, there will still be some vehicle traffic). There’s also campgrounds and picnic areas that should have bathrooms. Lastly, there’s actually a place to eat lunch near the turnaround point called Whale Watcher’s Cafe; I verified they’re open on Sundays. There’s also a general store by the cafe if we need any supplies, or to refill bottles.

Here’s a tentative list of stops on the way south:

• Grimes Point Scenic Overlook – Mile 4
• Big Creek Cove Vista Point – Mile 19
• Kirk Creek Campground (potty stop) – Mile 27
• Big Sur California Panoramic View – Mile 34
• Whale Watcher’s Cafe – Mile 36

The Mud Creek landslide (turnaround point) is about a mile past the Whale Watcher’s Cafe. There’s also a LOT of big turnouts I can see on Google maps that I’m assuming are for informal picture taking, so we can play it by ear whether to stop at any of these.

Heading north, we’ll likely just ride straight through, maybe stopping back at Kirk Creek for bathroom break. Marty’s suggested Nepenthe for Susan’s birthday dinner; I’ve heard the ambrosia burger is delicious, but it may be too early for dinner, plus we’ll be in our kits, which may not be the most comfortable dining attire. We’ll have to play it by ear.

Ride Roster

Here’s the current list of Dips planning on joining in on this ride:

1. Marty
2. Susan
3. Jorge
4. Steve
5. Mike B
6. Mike G
7. Mike W
8. Ron
9. Anna
10. Donna (Anna’s friend)
11. Eduardo

That’s probably it for now, but we can finalize any other details when we meet at the Goose.

 

Ok. So I’m exaggerating, but I thought I was ready for the challenge of the Ebbett’s Pass Century, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.

The weather was perfect as we gathered at Bear Valley for the start of the ride. All told, it was Paul, Mike B, Eduardo, Tom, MJ, Jorge, Susan, Marty, Anna, Chris, Jeff and Jason. Sorry Jeff and Jason, looks like Paul needs some work on his selfie skills because you two slid off the group shot.

Before heading east to the major climbing, we headed west to Spicer Reservoir for a beautiful view of the sun rising up over the water. It was a an awesome ride on Spicer Reservoir Road, with fresh legs and hardly any vehicles. We got our first stamp (out of 4) on our “passports”, fully anticipating we would collect all of them before the end of the ride.

Here’s a shot of Marty and I looking like the Creatures of the Black Lagoon emerging from the water.

After refueling, we headed back to Bear Valley, already having wiped out a quarter of the miles for the day. Feeling good, we unloaded any extra clothing since it had warmed up nicely. There wasn’t any need for that jacket anymore, right? And full-fingered gloves? That would only take up valuable jersey pocket space.

As we headed East towards the real climbs, spirits were high, and and climbing up to the Mosquito Lake aid station was amazing, with roads that seemed to be made for cyclists and a gentle grade to another beautiful alpine lake.

Here’s the Dips ready to roll out from the Mosquito Lake aid station. We were looking forward to more beautiful riding ahead; after all, look at the phenomenal weather at the lake!

Right after leaving the Mosquito Lake aid station, we were set to descend Pacific Grade, with its’ infamous section of 24% grades, it was fun going down, but we also knew we would have to ride back up it. . . or would we? But before descending, we stopped to drink in the spectacular view of Hermit Valley and the glorious weather we were enjoying.

In the next two shots, the first one is a picture I took of Tom while he was taking a selfie, and the second shot is Tom’s selfie he was taking.

The descent down Pacific Grade was fast, twisty and fun, and after the briefest of flat sections at the bottom, we began the climb up the western side of Ebbett’s Pass. It was a tough climb, but everyone climbed at their own reasonable pace, and mine matched up with Tom’s as we kept each other company while we marched up the mountain.

We felt the first raindrops with just with about 3 miles to go until the aid station at the summit. We knew there was a 35% chance of thundershowers, and a few clouds had formed overhead, but we had difficulty determining which one even looked remotely like a rain cloud. Putting that aside, we put our focus back to the task at hand, which was turning our pedals up towards the top.

With about a mile to go, the random raindrops began to get more organized, and by about a half mile to go, it began to rain in earnest. As we reached the aid station, the hail started and the temperature dropped about 10 degrees.

So that was the bad news; the good news is we were under a canopy, Sierra storms usually pass in about a half-hour, and this aid station had camping chairs, Oreos, and espresso! So while we huddled to stay warm, we contemplated our situation and some choices began to form: 1.) Go west, with a wet, rainy descent back to Bear Valley and a warm car; or 2.) Go east with a wet, rainy descent away from the car towards Markleeville and our next stamp for our passport. In true Dips fashion, we realized that we had to try to finish the ride; what we didn’t realize was that while were walking around in the rain-soaked ground, some of our cleats were filling up with a wet past of Sierra mud that made it difficult to clip in for some, and impossible to clip out for others.

It took a while, and it splintered the group, but eventually everyone was able to roll out down the eastern slope of Ebbett’s except for Susan, who actually had to take her foot out of her shoe to get off her bike. After being unable to get her cleat to function properly after a lot of effort (thanks to Jason), she begrudgingly called it a day and took a SAG wagon back to the car. Later, she would realize that it was the best thing that could have happened to her.

The descent down the eastern side of Ebbett’s was truly wet and treacherous, but only for the first couple of miles, then in true Sierra form, the rain stopped and the roads miraculously dried immediately, and we were left with one of the most spectacular descents in recent memory. After reaching the bottom, there were several miles of a slight downhill grade that made it easy to hit 25 mph spinning easy in your highest gear, reaching a beautiful river at the bottom of the valley.

I had done the entire descent by myself, and was happy to spot Tom taking pictures of this river, and together, we headed towards Markleeville and our next stamp, but not before stopping at this spectacular view of another river valley that looked straight out of a Hollywood western.

When we got to the Markleeville aid station, we found Mike B, Paul, Marty, Jeff, MJ, and Chris. The food at the aid station was seriously lacking, but we did get our stamp, and MJ gave us a handful of delicious bacon from his bike bag (seriously). As we headed back towards Ebbett’s, other Dips began passing us in the other direction. First there was Jorge, who waved and continued towards the aid station, followed by Anna and Jason, who decided to forego the next stamp at the aid station and turned around to join our group on the climb up Ebbett’s.

The climb up the eastern side of Ebbett’s is long; remember that gradual downhill that made it so easy to hit 25mph? It works against you on the way back, and by the time you hit that cow guard that marks the “real” climb, you’ve already blown some matches. So as Paul, Anna and Jason started gapping the rest of group, I stayed with them for a while, before realizing that I still had the infamous 24% grade of Pacific Grade to contend with, so I backed off and drifted back down, first to Chris, then to Jeff; this is when the rain started again.

This time, there was no sneaking up on you, the rain just came, and came hard. I was quickly soaked to the skin, and stopped to pull my arm warmers up (a little too late). Pulling up wet arm armers over wet arms takes a bit of time, and afterwards, I decided I may as well wait for the next Dips to come up the hill so I’d have company for the rest of the climb. That next Dips was Tommy and he was great horse to hitch my wagon to. Tom was determined to do the full 100 miles, and nothing was going to deter him, so once again, the two of us matched pedal strokes up Ebbett’s, this time on the other side.

As we climbed, I was having flashbacks to the infamous aborted Lake Tahoe ride in the freezing rain. I was losing feeling in my hands, my teeth were chattering, and as we crested at the aid station, I began to get the shivers. The cold rain continued.

When we arrived at the aid station, Tom and I figured the rest of the group would have already left, and we were right; what we didn’t expect to see was Jorge there taking our picture. He had jumped into a car about 5 miles down the hill, knowing that his legs just weren’t there to get him up any other way. What he didn’t know was that he wouldn’t be the only Dips to climb into a car that afternoon; in fact, at the aid station were two women who were waiting with their cars to SAG riders in distress. I thought long and hard about that, but in the end, refused to believe that I fell into that category, and rolled out with Jorge and Tom down the western side of Ebbett’s towards Pacific Grade. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I was being an idiot.

Descending down Ebbett’s in the freezing rain required a lot of brake modulation, at least it did for the three of us, as MJ flew by us on a straightaway going about 50 mph, it was clear that he didn’t share our need for brakes. But with all that braking, my hands quickly grew more and more numb until I lost all feeling in them, sometimes wondering if I was even applying the brakes or not. As we approached the bottom, I was wondering why my bike wasn’t shifting, thinking I had some sort of mechanical problem, then I realized that it wasn’t the bike, my fingers weren’t even near the shifters as I was trying to depress them (even with electronic shifters). This was when I knew my day was finished and I would gladly say yes to the first SAG opportunity that presented itself, which was right at the bottom of Ebbett’s.

The SAG was driven by Charlie, who had himself been SAG’d earlier in the afternoon, and was now paying it forward by picking up other riders, in this case, myself and Jorge. He was a nice guy, and his car was warm. As we drove the 15 or so miles back to Bear Valley, we asked each of the other Dips ahead of us if they needed a ride, and I’m proud to say that none of them took us up on the offer. We also passed Susan, who was going in the other direction. She had SAG’d some riders, and was going back to scoop up any of the Dips still behind us.  Thanks to her stubborn cleat, she was nice and dry.

With varying degrees of resistance, she picked up Marty and Eduardo, but Tom refused a ride, deciding to push onward. On her way towards Bear Valley, she found MJ standing on the side of the road, unable to pedal another stroke, and threw his bike on her car and drove him back as well.

Meanwhile, back at Bear Valley, the riders started to straggle in, frozen to their core, but making it back under their own power. In the end, only Tom and Jeff did every mile (there was a detour to Bear Valley resort to get full credit), but I think everyone was proud of the effort they made on this day, and nobody could have cared less about those fricking stamps!

Later that evening, the personal stories (and tequila) was flowing!

The next morning, after a hearty breakfast, we bid farewell to the group and the Ebbett’s Pass Century. . . we’ll get you next year!

I’ve never ridden Ebbett’s Pass before, actually, I’ve never even driven it, but everyone I’ve spoken to insists it’s one of the most beautiful rides in the Sierra’s (especially the east side). When Mike B. suggested we ride it, AND graciously offer his cabin as a base, how could we resist?

There’s about a dozen Dips (and friends of Dips) that will be doing this ride, and it promises to be an awesome weekend of riding and revelry (riding first, then the revelry). Here’s the current list of Dips that are coming:

1. Mike B
2. Ron
3. Tom
4. Marty
5. Susan
6. Anna
7. Jason (Susan’s friend)
8. Paul
9. Eduardo
10. MJ
11. Chris (MJ’s friend)
12. Jorge
13. Jeff (Anna’s friend)

If you’re going, or thinking of going, here’s a link to the Century website, but here’s some highlights:

• 103 miles and 10,500 ft. of elevation
• 11 aid stations (that’s a ton!)
• If you want to register, use the discount code EPCGUEST for 20% off
• Usually includes a reserved spot in the following year’s Death Ride

Mike B.’s cabin is in nearby Arnold, about 3 hours drive from the Bay Area. Click here for a Google Map.

If you’re coming, here’s what you’ll need to bring:

• Bath towel
• Sleeping bag / pillow or whatever makes you comfortable at bedtime.
• Sleeping pad if you have one
• Bike stuff (Mike will bring a stand for any last minute issue need to be resolved)
• Clothing for the ride; It will be in the high 40’s low 50’s to start, then 70’s -80’s toward the end of the day. (we pass by the cars mid-ride so we can unload clothing)
• Sun block (mountain sun is intense)
• Light jacket,  It will be cool Saturday morning.
• Bathing suit and Beach towel if you are interested in staying for a swim at the lake on Sunday.
• Snacks you like or would like to share
• Drinks you like or would like to share
• Breakfast of choice for the day of the ride