The 8th of July dawned, clear and cool in the Eastern Sierras, as 2,800 cyclists began their assault on the 129 mile, 15,800 foot, five-pass route that is the notorious Markleeville Death Ride. Seventeen riders associated with the Touchstone Cycling Club met in front of a line of increasingly pungent Port-O-lets as the eastern sky lightened to an ice blue. The Touchstoners have been training under the eagle eye of Marty Kaplan, veteran randonneur and finisher of the prestigious, 1,200km Paris-Brest-Paris race. The Touchstoners rode the first two climbs under strict heartrate discipline. By the third climb, we began to pick up the pace and, in the end, the group finished happy and strong--most of us coming in among the first 10%-15%. The best thing about controlling our energy output early was that we were able to enjoy the day fully. Alpine County is a gorgeous place. We rode through green meadows, past wildflowers, waterfalls, dry gullies, chaparral flats, spectacular rock formations, the evocative smells of sagebrush, and the vanilla scents of Jeffrey pines.

For a full ride report by Arthur Combs, check out the bike club message board.