It was the hardest thing I've done on a bicycle so far and I'm very glad I did it.

Acknowledgements.

Thank you all.

While we tend to regard this kind of accomplishment as an individual effort I couldn't have done it without quite a lot of encouragement, good advice and useful information from many people. That's why I'm very glad to be a member of the Grizzly Peak Cyclists. It's been a great source of support for many years.

While I don't want to single individuals out, Brenda Giese took on a huge job. She was the Death Ride Course and Volunteers Coordinator, which is a huge amount of work. Many more riders, much more difficult terrain, more liaison and more volunteers than the Grizzly Peak Century. She was also the person in charge at Turtle Rock Park on the day of the event. While I was up at Markleeville I spoke to a number of people and everyone knew who Brenda was. She seemed to be everywhere at once. Even though many people who live in the Bay Area haven't met her she is very much worth knowing and is a real asset to the Grizzly Peak Cyclists.

Preparation.

Over the previous months and years I have been building up towards completing this ride. Here are some of the things I've been doing to get ready for the ride.

• Many, many miles of riding. Over 100 miles each week, a couple of tours to Los Angeles, the Davis Double, and the Tour Of The Unknown Coast, and other rides, including Brenda Giese's Death Ride Training Series to get used to the idea of riding hard at high altitude.
• Getting a bike that fits me right and suits my style of climbing. Losing about five pounds off the bike didn't hurt either.
• Learning that I can't always attack every hill or descent. I need to pace myself and measure out the effort so as to have enough to spare for what is to come. Using the descents for resting, rather than spending time at the rest stops at the tops of the passes.
• Learning that I can't wait till I'm out of energy to eat. "Listening to my body" is more a matter of knowing how much fuel I need to sustain a certain level of effort than an immediate reaction to the moment by moment sensations.
• Knowing when I'm so tired that I need to get off the bike Right Now! My concentration and judgement started to go as I was climbing Carson Pass, and I stopped for about 10 minutes.
• Getting to the Sierras almost a week before the ride to get acclimated, and riding up Ebbetts Pass two days earlier, which helped because the road was that much more familiar on the actual day.
• Deciding to not to force myself beyond my limits, and being prepared to accept discomfort (pain?) within those limits.

How it went.

Look, I completed the whole ride. The details are here.

What I could have done better.

• Lose weight. The bike has lost weight. Now it's my body's turn.
• A lot more climbing in training. South Park Drive, Mt. Diablo, and back side of Mount Hamilton are good, but I didn't do them often enough.
• Make sure that I continue to eat enough. After the lunch stop I was definitely flagging.

What's next?

• Like Rob Hawks I swore this would be my last time. Too much hoopla and "getting in" is too competitive. But I feel that I have unfinished business with the ride. I would like to see if I can improve.
• California Triple Crown, i.e. completing three double centuries in one year. I am going to attempt the Knoxville-Berryessa then try to persuade my family to let me do the Death Valley Fall Classic.
• Give back to the club. I'll lead "Easy Rides" again, starting after the Novice Series is over. (I can't commit to leading in the Novice Series because my daughter is interested in participating and I can't divide responsibilities). I'll also take a turn as ITT timekeeper.
• Out in the future I'm interested in PBP, but I'm a bit daunted after reading Bruce's description of the 600 km Brevet.
• Ditto Terrible Two and Rob Hawks's description. But let's do some rides up there. I'm sick of Skyline, tired of Tunnel and bored with the Bears. Some time in September I want to lead a ride in Coleman Valley Road.

Was it worth it?
Emphatically, Yes!