March 20th, 2013
Distance
103 Miles
Time
7:42:41
Route Map/Profile
Weather
Picture
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| Death Valley |
Ride Report
This was my second annual trip to Death Valley. (Click here for last year's ride.) This is the route I've always wanted to do. If you go to Death Valley from Bishop, CA, there is a beautiful stretch of road on 190 in the Rainbow Canyon area in between the Death Valley sign and Panamint Springs. It's one of those descents where you'll be in your car driving it and the whole time you'll wish you were on your bike instead.
It was windy (as it usually is when I go to Death Valley), but the temperature was pretty good with a high of 91 down in Furnace Creek. This is a tough ride. 12,000 feet in 103 miles is no joke, and as I mentioned last year, a lot of the climbing can be tough mentally because the roads tend to be straight and they don't look as steep as they really are. I was looking forward to an easy final 20 miles or so with the long descent and flat section, but that's when the wind was really howling in my face. Since my legs were dead and my heart wasn't really into it at that point, I was struggling to maintain 10mph on the last flat section.
This is a great out-and-back route that I highly recommend. Start at the intersection of 190 & Scotty's Castle Rd., then head west on 190 until you reach the Death Valley sign. I hope I can do it again next year.
