June 3 2006
Bishop, CA

It's 5 AM and just barely enough sunlight escapes from behind the White Mountains east of Bishop to light the way for the mass start of over 200 riders.  Although most of the ride lies north of Bishop, this morning we are heading south and east out of town through the alfalfa fields of the Owens Valley.  Its a nice way to warm up.

I am a bit more nervous than normal for one of these rides.  After having been beaten by the long climbs of the Central Coast Double my confidence is shaken a bit.  I managed one long training ride before this, a local century  (with good company, Glenn and Tanya and Maggie) with about the same amount of climbing as I will encounter today over 200 miles.

Although the coast is always an interesting place to ride, my adventurous heart really feels at home in the Great Basin.  Something about the smell of the sage, the wide open vistas, and the crispness of the air makes me feel very much at home.  It helps to drive away the anxiety.

Eventually the route circles around to the north, passes the edge of Bishop and begins the northward journey to Lee Vining and beyond.  Those of you familiar with Hwy 395 may know the long long grade on Hwy 395 north of Bishop.  Fortunately we avoid that, taking a parallel road along quiet roads through small communities tucked between the highway and the eastern scarp of the Sierra Nevada.  Climbing is steady but not particularly difficult.

At some point we do have to join the main highway but not for long.  The route enters the town of Mammoth for a short distance, then takes a road unknown to me, a scenic route northeast of town, providing more climbing up to altitudes approaching 8000'.  So far the day has not been too hot.

After circling the June Lake loop the route returns to Hwy 395, passes through Lee Vining and goes north past Mono Lake to a very pleasant park and lunch stop under the cottonwood trees at Mono Lake County Park.  Planet Ultra seems to like having Subway subs for lunch.

Back on the road again we retrace our route back through Lee Vining, then turn left to take the incredible route 120 toward Benton.  Ahead lies something like 40 miles of Great Basin backcountry road, no traffic, views of Mono Craters to the south, Mono Lake to the north,  the Sierra Nevada behind and ahead the White Mountain range, anchored on its north end by the highest point in Nevada, Boundary Peak.  I feel pretty good.  I know this road, having travelled it several times by car and also once by bicycle on the High Sierra Fall Century in 2001.  I'm confident of completing the ride at this point.  Its a long climb in the afternoon heat to Sagehen summit, but once there I anticipate the rest of the trip to be mosty downhill and downwind.

And I am not disappointed.  By this time the riders are pretty well spread out so I will be riding alone with my thoughts for the rest of the day.  Out in the middle of nowhere I pass two lazy wild burros, scraggly but otherwise pretty healthy looking.  The only problem with this stretch of road is the road surface.  Every 20 feet or so there is a large crack in the pavement, usually an inch or two in width, all the way across the road.  Although some have been filled with tar, they still shake and jar the bike sufficiently to cause a lot of discomfort. Its thump thump thump for many miles.  My hands hurt from the banging.  The steady vibration and shock have caused my rear light to gradually loosen and fall off its mount.  It gets caught up in my rear wheel spokes and self-destructs.  Fortunately, I will be back before dark.  At last the road surface improves and a screaming descent into Benton leads to the last rest stop. 

Its close to 6:00 and I know that this time I will make it with ease.  There is a strong north wind blowing and its all southbound to Bishop!  Hwy 6 is wide shouldered, well paved, lightly travelled.  The north wind pushes me along at 20+ mph for the next 35 miles, sweeping me into Bishop at 7:47 PM.

This is not an easy double, but for me it is my favorite just because of the location.  The organizers say it has 10200 feet of elevation gain.

A more moderate ride that is just about the same is the High Sierra Fall Century.  It starts north of Bishop, goes up past Mammoth and takes the same Hwy 120 route across the high desert.  Before reaching Benton it turns south then southwest to return to the start in only 95 miles.  I highly recommend either the century or double century.