The Birds and the Bees (and the Bikes)

Back in March, I wrote a series of posts looking at each leg of the Gold Rush Randonnee route, from the start in Davis to the turn around point in Davis Creek. Now that we are only 8 days from the start, I realize that I never finished looking at the rest of the route. Here is a quick rundown of the climbs on the way back. Since the elevation at Alturas is at 4400 feet, that means that there is going to be more descending than climbing on the way back to Davis. The course profiles are on the previous posts, and since this is an out-and-back ride, we can just look at the same profiles in reverse…

The Climbs

Adin Pass – Similar to the ride from Adin to Camby, the ride back up the pass starts with a long, gradual climb at river grade, followed by a 4.5% stretch for the last 1.6 miles.

Eagles Lake and Antelope Pass – After the Grasshopper water stop on Eagles Lake, between Adin and Susanville, there is a 1.6 miles climb as you leave the lakeshore, at about 4.5% grade. The road climbs just a little while longer at a more gentle grade and then descends towards Antelope Pass. The climb to Antelope pass is similar, somewhere between 5 and 6 % for 1.4 miles and then a tiny bit more gradual climbing to the crest. Each of those climbs is followed by a long, steep descent. For most riders, this section comes at night before a night stop in Susanville, so we’ll need to bring good lights, and perhaps ride in a group.

Janesville Grade – The hardest climb of the GRR comes on the way from Susanville to Antelope Lake. The road climbs 2200 feet in about 7 miles. The first 2.3 miles averages 5.5%, the next 2.5 miles are close to 8% average, and the last 2.3 miles at about 4%. From some of the ride reports I read, the averages that I calculated looking at Google Maps may not give you a good picture of this climb. The middle section includes some short, steeper sections that are going to be interesting. Overall, I think that the low gears that I am bringing with me (26×27) should make it slow but manageable climbing. Of course, this comes after more than 800 km of riding, and what may be easy to do with fresh legs may be really hard when you are tired. The good news, of course, is that after the top of the GRR at 6000 feet, it is mostly downhill to Oroville. The stretch of road after the top, several miles of rollers at close to 6000 feet, should be spectacular. I look forward to riding in that section.

Jarbo Gap – The last significant climb of the ride is between Tobin and Oroville, as we leave the Feather River canyon to get back to Jarbo Gap. That climb is close to 6 miles long, but at an average of around 3%. The prevailing winds here are from the central valley, so we may end up climbing against some headwind.

The Times

Alturas to Adin -In 2005 the fast riders did this in 3.08, getting in Adin around 2 AM on day 3. Interestingly enough, the mid-pack riders were leaving Adin for Alturas around the same time. Quite a gap. The mid pack riders did Alturas-Adin in 3:12, arriving in Adin around 3 PM. The lanterne rouge riders did it in 4.27, arriving in Adin at 10.40 PM.

Adin to Susanville – In 2005 the fast riders did this in 4.47, getting in Susanville around 8 PM. The mid pack riders did it in 6.07, arriving in Susanville around 10.15 and taking a few hours rest. The lanterne rouge riders did it in 8.10, arriving in Susanville at 7.30 AM. I suspect that for these riders this time included some ditch napping, and perhaps some rest at the Grasshopper water control.

Susanville to Taylorville -In 2005 the fast riders did it is 5.04, arriving at 1 PM. The mid pack riders did it in 5.41, arriving in Taylorville at 8.45 AM. They probably finished climbing the Janesville Grade around sunrise, which would be really cool. The lanterne rouge did this leg in 7.29, arriving at 3.50 PM.

Taylorville to Tobin -The fast riders smoked this section in 1.48. They arrived in Tobin around 3 PM. The mid pack riders did it in 2.08, arriving around noon. This is a long gradual downhill stretch, which will be very fast if the headwind is not too strong. The lanterne rouge did it in 4.27, arriving at 9.50 PM.

Tobin to Oroville -The fast riders did it in 3.17, arriving in Oroville at 6.15 PM, just a few minutes more than 48 hours after starting. Very impressive. The mid pack riders did it in 3.42, arriving around 4 PM. I don’t have arrival or departure times for this control for the lanterne rouge, but they took about 16 hours to go from Tobin to Davis.

Oroville to Davis – I don’t have good data for this leg, but the mid pack riders did it in 7.23, arriving before 1 AM on Friday, with 11 hours to spare.

Overall, I am surprised to find that the difference in ride times between the fast riders and the mid pack riders is not huge. The big difference is the time that they spend at the controls.