Gallery - Son of Death Ride - 128 miles 17,500' ... and 109 degrees
08/27/11

the route - out and back - hardest ride ever

already hot near Ridgecrest

the start - 6:30AM sun just coming up

Nine Mile Canyon, here I come

sun just coming up

much climbing ahead

long shadows in the early morning

looking back down - lots of climbing already

but lots more ahead

still smiling

nearing the top of the canyon

into the pines

made it! - first big climb done

beautiful meadows

the first turn

civilization :)

checkpoint at Black Rock Station

many rollers along Kern plateau

over 8,000' all the way

amazing rockfalls everywhere

long stretches of false flats

on and on and on

final checkpoint before the big descent

still smiling after 53 miles

9,200' and hot

down down down we go

awesome views into the Kern River Valley

the Kern River! halfway point

taking a cool break

although it is 109 here (!)

back up to Sherman Pass

onward...

lots of climbing ahead

fantastic streams splash down the mountainside

climbing...

not smiling anymore - a three hour climb

view back down

still climbing endless

yay the top, after 15 miles at 7-10%

now I can smile

the checkpoint at Sherman Pass

back through the rollers

have picked up some riders

wow

now for some nice descending, yay

a fork of the Kern River

power flats in Kennedy Meadows

time to descend! 15 miles and all downhill

view down Nine Mile Canyon

whee

dusk gathers, almost down

the final straight

yay! made it 138 miles 17,500' in 13:54

pretty happy with myself

Immortal victory :)