Breakaway "Death" Ride

Just kidding about the title (but not too much).

Ride / Race: Breakaway from Cancer ride from Davis to Santa Rosa (along the same route as the upcoming stage 2 of the Tour of California).
Distance: 115 miles
Vertical: 8000 feet
Number or riders on the long route: 550 (including George Hincapie) another 1500 did the shorter rides of 25 and 60 miles.
My time: 7:25:25 riding time (8:20 including rest stops)
Weather: Clear and sunny. 55 at the start and 80 at the finish.
Misc info: Well run, well supported and enthusiastic volunteers.
Other: My average heart rate for 7.5 hours was 163!! I drank 7 bottles of gatorade, 2 cans of soda and ate over 1800 calories during the ride and I still lost 5 pounds

This was an epic ride that in hindsight I should have realized two things: first, I was not in good enough shape after having pneumonia only 5 weeks ago, and two, the ride gets progressively more difficult as the miles add up. I did the first 60 miles in 3 hours and the next 55 miles took me 5 hours and 20 minutes!

We started in Davis at 7:30 a.m. with a lead out from three motorcycles and numerous police. There were cops at every intersection stopping traffic and hundreds of people lining the 4 miles heading out of town. George and a few of the stronger riders kept the pace high and we wittled the field from 550 down to around 100 within 15 miles and we were at the 22+ mile mark by the end of the first hour. Then the climbing started and as we climbed up to Lake Berryessa, I began to feel the pressure but with a lot of work and a little chasing, I stayed with the main pack until mile 32. We then did rollers for the next 30 miles and a group of about 15 of us chased to the bottom of the first real climb (this is the one that goes over the hill from Berryessa to the Napa valley, but I don't know what it is called. Some of the riders were calling it the "E" hill.)
This climb came at the 65 mile mark and I was already starting to feel it in my legs and I knew I had another 50 miles to go and I was getting a bit worried, so, I stopped at the rest stop at the beginning of the climb and rested for a full 20 minutes. I rode OK after that and made it to the top a little of the 3 mile 1400 foot climb better than I thought I would which probably made me a little too confident as I descended for the next 15 miles on my way to the dreaded Oakville grade followed by Trinity gap.

A small group of us got to the bottom of the grade and as I looked up I realized I was in trouble. My legs had started cramping about 10 miles earlier and as I pulled over to stretch, my hamstrings and quads tightened up and I almost fell to the ground. I considered my options (quit or forge on) and I decided to give it a go. I made it about 200 yards up the 15% to 17% grade and quickly cramped up again. I've never had to get off my bike and walk and I was not too happy about this turn of events until I noticed about 40 other guys doing the same thing!!! We walked about 1/2 mile and then it leveled out to about 6% and we were able to ride again. However, about 2 miles later came the Trinity climb and that is a 3 mile 1400 foot climb that has some very steep switchbacks and looked extremely daunting. Again, numerous riders were walking up this climb and I decided to ride until I cramped then rest and then do it all over again. It took me over an hour, but with the exception of a few super steep parts, I was able to ride most of it. (Also, about halfway up the climb, a guy that I was riding with gave me some "Sportlegs" pills and within 20 minutes my cramping was almost gone!)

Once I crested the top of Trinity, I was able to make the final 20+ miles including the last 600 vertical foot hill without getting off the bike. The finish was fun as they had the "Tour of California" Stage 2 finish line set up for us and a few hundred volunteers and onlookers cheering for us at the end.

Bottom line, this was the toughest ride I have ever done and probably the worst I have ever suffered in my life. While not having great fitness contributed to the debacle, the difficulty of the course with all of the climbing in the second half definitely makes this course hard no matter your fitness.

Thanks for reading,
John Pauley