Tag: climbing

climbing, equipment, training

Thinking of Riding Monitor? Here Are Three Things You Should Know

NOW that Monitor Pass has opened for the season (thank you Caltrans!) it seemed like a good time to post up a few hints on riding one of the most iconic passes in the California Alps.

ESPECIALLY because while we await the opening of Highway 4 between Lake Alpine and Centerville Flats (Ebbett’s Pass), it’s a great training ground for any ride at altitude, including America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride (just under a week out!), Tahoe Truckee Gravel (forest fun five weeks out), the Deathride (seven weeks from Saturday!) and the Mammoth Gran Fondo (a September cap off to the summer).

MONITOR is monolithic compared to say, Ebbetts, which is longer, yet more gradual. Similarly, Carson has some flat spots and so allows for some breathing room. Monitor. Not so much. The views are breathtaking, though, especially in the early morning hours when heading east and dropping down from the pass.

BOTH sides, west and east, of Highway 89, are short, steep and declivitous.

Looking northwest from just over the Mono Co. line. The pass is about 1 mile away.
Taking a well deserved break at a snowy Monitor Pass marker after climbing up on a bluebird day.
Roscoe on a trail just off Leviathan Mine Road. Aspens a poppin’
All smiles in front of the Monitor Pass marker after my 10th ascent up the west side of Monitor Pass
The first mile o’ Monitor!
Our friend Mario, after making an ascent a couple years ago.
Looking east from Monitor Pass towards the Pinenuts. Those are sulpher flowers in the foreground.

EACH is approximately nine (9) miles long – ALL UP, or down, depending…

Supplies Are Scarce

AT least on the climbs, that is. Markleeville is five (5) miles away so certainly you can load up (at the General Store), fuel up (at Al’s – for your vehicle; or Cutthroat, Outwest or Stonefly – for you), and take a nature break. Heads up – the port-a-potties were removed recently from County properties so look to the local establishments for facilities. The Chamber will likely have its portable pissatorium back soon; not sure about the other locations, though.

CARSON River Resort, between town and Monitor Junction (the confluence of Monitor and Ebbett’s Passes) is another place to get basic supplies and also a great place to stay, especially if you have a trailer or camper.

BIKE shop? you ask. Unfortunately not. We’ve talked to the owners of the General Store (Andy and Avery are totally supportive of cyclists) about stocking some basic provisions (tubes, tires, etc.) at the store and they’re amenable. With the summer cycling and riding season kicking into gear I guess we should get our ca-ca together and get that done. Ok, it’s on my calendar.

ONCE you are on the road from the west side, there is NO WATER until you get to 89 and 395 (Topaz). There is a hidden spigot there – not really hidden, just hard to see – at the BLM “pullout” just east of the Topaz Center Fire District (a Deathride rest stop). It’s right by the vault toilet on the northeast corner. Look for the red handle.

Weather Is Always A Factor

FOREST-LIKE on the west side; moonscape on the east. The terrain is “very Sierra-front” style. Steeper and rockier on the east side of the Sierra Crest, more sloping and green on the west side. As such, the weather can be vexing, especially the wind. Not always is it really windy but most days there is some wind.

HOTTER on the east slope than the west, unless you’re coming up the east side later in the day, it can be a grueling sweat-fest midday, even mid-morning. That’s one reason the Deathride climbs Monitor first: starting at 5:30 a.m. means you can be back over and heading up Ebbett’s before it gets too hot on Monitor. Depending on your fitness, I’d suggest allowing for an hour, to an hour and a half of climbing per side. Baking in descending time and nature breaks and such, I’ve found 3.5 to 4 hours is my sweet spot to do both east and west.

IN late fall or early spring I’ll often wear a sack back. In it goes a vest, extra gloves, neck-thingy and a spare cap. If I’m planning on hammering up hill I’ll even throw in a spare jersey. You can work up a pretty good lather on the ascent and so those dry pieces of wardrobe come in handy for the descent, and the vest oh so valuable when you’re hitting 30, 40 or more MPH on those downhills.

HERE’S an example of the temperature variations you’ll encounter on a “normal day” (if there is ever a normal day in the Sierra):

AT 9:00 a.m. ’twas 72 degrees Fahrenheit at the western base (Monitor Junction) and just a bit later, as our recon was by vehicle, the temp. was 58 at the Pass. About an hour later, the mercury was hitting 80 on the east side (Topaz).

It’s Exposed

THERE’S not much cover on either face of Monitor. On the east side, you can get some shade at Boy Scout Corner, about four (4) miles from the start. On the west there are some dappled patches near the start of the climb, around Heenan Lake (3.5 miles from start) and again closer to the 8000 foot mark. And at the pass itself you can get some respite from El Sol courtesy of the aspens, who often quake with excitement when visitors are about.

THERE’S no cell service either. BOLD Once you get to Whorehouse Flats (yeah, it was, and still is, a real place) there’s no service until you get to Topaz. And in case you were not aware, it’s pretty much Verizon only in Markleeville. Not sure about that ol’ east side, however.

DO a lot of stuff in the Sierra and want to step it up a notch? I carry an InReach Mini on my travels. I can text my contacts when there is no cell service and help is just an SOS away.

BECAUSE it’s so exposed, the wind, as I alluded to earlier, can howl some days. Usually down either face, but sometimes you’ll get some crosswinds so pay attention on those descents if that’s the case. I’ve found that Monitor is not as temperamental as Carson (thunderstorms, with hail, happen often in the summer) but it’s not to be taken lightly either.

UV arm “warmers” come in particularly handy, as they can be used for both the hot hill climbs and those daredevil descents.

A Few More Resources

CHECK out our virtual climbs of both sides of Monitor Pass on FulGaz.

STAY tuned for more on that by way. Our California Alps Cycling Club Room on Fulgaz will be launching shortly. You’ll be able to access all of our rides from one place and we’ll be hosting some group rides and workouts in June, with some cool prizes to boot.

ALTA Alpina Cycling Club’s Training Series still has a couple more weekends available – June 3rd and June 17th. You can Kick Some Passes Asses! ® with some local cycling experts.

CURRENT Markleeville weather and air quality is always available on our website.

SOME previous posts that you may find helpful:

REMEMBER and honor the fallen on this Memorial Day and please, ride safely.

climbing, science, weather

Climbing Mountain Passes – 5 Key Things to Know

I’ve lived here in the heart of the Sierra Nevada for about 3 1/2 years now and in that time I’ve tackled our “Big 3” (Carson, Ebbett’s, Monitor) a bunch of times (well except for Carson Pass), and I’ve done some of the lesser known climbs as well. The below tally is by no means a comprehensive Sierra Nevada list but it gives me enough experience to offer some advice as to what to be wary of when you’re climbing big mountains here in the California Alps.

The Current Count

  • Carson Pass = 1
  • Ebbett’s Pass (N. – the Markleeville side) = 14
    (my favorite climb as you can see)
  • Ebbett’s Pass (S. – the Bear Valley side – from Hermit Valley) = 2
  • Geiger Grade = 1
  • Luther Pass = (S. – the Tahoe side) = 2
  • Kingsbury Grade = 2
  • Monitor (E. – the Topaz side) = 5
  • Monitor (W. – the Markleeville side) = 7
  • Spooner Summit (Hwy. 50 – E. – the Carson City side) = 2

That’s a total of 32 climbs on local mountains (or passes as they are also referred) for approximately 112,000 feet of climbing, or the equivalent of climbing Mt. Everest almost four (4) times! Here’s some of what I’ve learned in all those hours and pedal revolutions.

Climbs up Mountains are Steep

Yeah, this may seem like a no-brainer but just last week, as I was climbing the west side of Monitor (the first 3.5 miles of which average close to 10%) I came across a few cyclists struggling to maintain any kind of cadence. I noticed that several did not have the right gearing (I ride a 50-34 in front and a 30-11 in back).

Lesson learned #1: make sure you have the right chainrings and cogset.

The Air is Thin

A couple riders told me as I passed (and they gasped for air) that they didn’t realize how hard it would be and that it was difficult to get any air. Some riders I’ve talked to like to come up and spend time here before they hit the climbs. Others come right up and do their climbing before their body realizes they’re here. In any case, be do your homework!

Lesson learned #2: address acclimatization.

Winds Can be Vexing

One of our members, Dr. Rich Harvey, commented on this post (which I wrote some time ago) and it was he that used the word “vexing.” So appropriate because here in the mountains there really are NO reliable wind patterns. Just yesterday I rode part-way up Ebbett’s Pass, into the wind. Did I get the tailwind on the way back? Nope. The wind shifted due to, among other things, the valley winds (explanation in that post).

Lesson learned #3: It’s a rare day that there is no wind and so set your expectations (and plan your wardrobe) accordingly.

The Climate can Change Quickly

There can be a temperature variation of 10-20 degrees between the start of the climb and the summit! And, in the summertime there are often afternoon thunderstorms. During the 2018 Deathride several of our riders were pelted with hail and rain on Carson Pass. This was in July and it was sunny here in Markleeville!

Just last Saturday I climbed Monitor. I brought an additional neck-gaiter and hat for the descent but it wasn’t enough. The wind came up and the temperature dropped while I was still climbing up to the summit. I did have a vest on, and arm-warmers, but I should have brought another jersey or vest. In the past I’ve done so (using a cinch-pack). This day, though, I didn’t follow my own advice and I was so cold on the descent I started to shiver badly enough that I had to stop and warm up before I could continue.

Lessen learned #4: Bring the necessary gear, or layer up, so you can deal with any adverse conditions that may arise.

There is No Cell-Service

We’ve all come to take cell service for granted. Here in Markleeville it’s really only Verizon that works. My wife and I had AT&T in San Jose but when we moved up here we quickly switched to Verizon. That doesn’t do diddly-squat up on Ebbett’s Pass, though, or even in some of the lower elevations. I carry a Garmin inReach Mini on my rides. Admittedly, I already had it before I moved up to the mountains because I’ve got a yellow-jacket allergy. But, had I not had it before I moved here I would have gotten it afterwards. Among other things (including an SOS feature) it allows me to send texts to my wife from anywhere in the world.

Lesson learned #5: Get a satellite communication device if you can and if you can’t (and I do this also) make sure you have clearly communicated to “your person” your route, your approximate return time and what to do “if you don’t hear from me by such and such a time.”

Cycling in the Mountains is an Awesome Experience

And one that is made that much better if you are prepared for what you’ll experience. Understand the topography; prepare for the thin air, wind and climate; and address communication. By following some of my lessons learned you too can have an awesome experience cycling in one of the world’s most amazing venues – the Sierra Nevada, and our little slice of heaven within, the California Alps.

climbing, fitness, reviews, science

Climb! the California Alps

For years, like many of my friends, I have been riding bikes. Mostly road bikes but I do some mountain biking as well and have been known to ride my wife’s hybrid as well – especially when I don’t want to gear up.

I’ve gotten to be a better rider over those years, mostly because I’ve lost some poundage but also due to the shear volume of riding, with the associated climbing that comes with living and riding in the California Alps.

I’ve found, though, like many of you I suspect, that I pretty much “just ride.” Yeah, I’ve used a heart rate monitor for years and I’ve been active my entire life, even when I weighed over 300 pounds, but I never really paid attention to the data and until about two (2) years ago I never had a power meter.

So, as I added my big events to the calendar this year, the first one being the Wildcat 125 in Chico next month, I decided I needed to do more to improve my climbing. An ad or an email, I can’t remember which, that I received earlier in the year touted a new book: “Climb!” by Selene Yeager and the editors of Bicycling. The sub-title reads: “conquer hills, get lean, and elevate every ride.” So I went ahead and bought the book and read it from cover to cover.

What an awesome book! It has several plans in Chapter 12 and I decided to do “The 8-Week My-Base-is-Built-So-Let’s-Roll! Hill-Climb Plan.” It’s a combination of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), steady-state intervals, endurance rides, easy rides, and rest days. In other words, exactly what I wasn’t doing! By the way, as it happens, just yesterday Selene posted a blog article on HIIT workouts. Click here to check it out.

Well, I’m in the middle of week 5 and it’s making a huge difference. My power is up, my endurance is up and I’ve learned some new skills as well. Because of the weather here in the Sierra over the last several weeks I’ve had to do many of the workouts inside but thanks to Zwift and FulGaz, and my smart-trainer, that hasn’t been a problem. Last Sunday I got outside for my first ride in awhile and I killed it! Extra poop on the climbs, lower heart-rate while generating more watts, and I PR’d my Max Avg. Power (20 min.)!

So, if you haven’t checked out the book, and if you want to be a better climber, I recommend that you do. It’s a good read with lots of nuggets, and no, I’m not getting paid a cent by Bicycling for this “review.”

And if you have any climbing tips for your fellow riders, comment on this post and share them.

Last but not least, I wanted to let you all know that you can FOLLOW US now on Twitter! @bikedalps is our handle and we’d love to have you join the conversation!