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2024 Tour of the California Alps - Death Ride Cycling

Markleeville, turtle rock park 17300 ca-89 , markleeville, ca, 96120, us.

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Death Ride – Tour of the California Alps

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Date/Time Date(s) - 07/13/2024

Death Ride • 43 Years of Cycling the California Alps • Learn More Here

Challenge yourself to the premier cycling event in California.  The route offers over 14,000′ of climbing,  103 miles, and up to six (6) HC Alpine climbs .  This ride is sure to challenge you, inspire you, and leave you wanting more. 

Starting and finishing at Turtle Rock Park in Markleeville, Calif., the 103 mile course begins at 5:00 am and covers both sides of three mountain passes: Monitor Pass (Hwy 89), Ebbetts Pass (Hwy 4), and  the Pacific Grade (Hwy 4). The full course is not for the faint at heart! The course will be closed to traffic from Markleeville through all sections of climbing, with a turnaround point at Lake Alpine where participants will head back to the finish at Turtle Rock Park. 

Those who complete all of the climbs and return to the finish line within the event timeframe may purchase the sought-after Death Ride® – Tour of the California Alps Finisher’s Jersey.  All athletes, their families, and spectators are encouraged to join us at the finish line festival for food, photos, camaraderie and to visit our expo booths and sponsors.

Official Route Map >>

View the route on Strava and tested by Pete Stetina

The course route, water and rest stop locations and cutoff times are subject to change. Road closures will be in effect from 5am – 4pm. The event time limit ends at 6:00 pm, and all riders must be off the course by 7:00 pm. All cut-off times are strictly enforced. Segment cut-off times indicate the latest time that a rider will be allowed to begin each segment. Riders attempting to begin a segment after the cut-off time will not be allowed to proceed.

Train with veteran cyclists! The Alta Alpina Cycling Club will be hosting training rides throughout the spring and summer.  Learn more >>

The Death Ride started in 1978 when five guys decided to cycle the California Alps in one day, with just the support of friends and family following along in a vehicle. The event quickly grew to worldwide recognition in the cycling community, and is a sought-after event for those looking for a serious challenge.

Today, the ride still caters to the elite mountain cyclists, but also offers a range of challenge levels, from one pass to up to six highly categorized climbs over Monitor Pass, Ebbetts Pass, and the Pacific Grade.

The event is not only a highly sought after cycling challenge, it is the primary fundraiser of the Alpine County Chamber of Commerce and many local nonprofits that serve the communities of Markleeville, Woodfords, Bear Valley and Kirkwood.

The goal: Supporting a vibrant economy and healthy community while providing a world class destination for cyclists, fishermen, hikers, climbers, skiers, and many more. We thank those who have participated in past year’s Death Rides, and who have contributed to help us keep our mission alive.

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California Alps Cycling

The 41st Deathride – One Rider’s Experience

TEN days has passed since the 41st Annual (kinda) Deathride (aka The Tour of the California Alps). We’re starting to relax a bit here in Alpine County, yet at the same time we’ve begun preparing for next year’s ride. Not kidding.

THAT, however, is a story for another day.

TODAY we have a guest blogger! Amador County resident, and Deathrider Bill Condrashoff. I’m pleased to put forth, for your reading pleasure, Bill’s story about his “day of death.” Editors notes: First, let’s be clear. No one has ever died on the Deathride . Second, the following words are all Bill’s and they WERE NOT edited for clarity or whatever else some news programs might say. That wouldn’t be fair to Bill. It’s his story, and a good one at that. I did take the liberty of throwing in a few photos, though.

IT’S been 3 years since I rode the Death Ride and I missed it. I was in my 50s last time. So I thought I’d see if could still do it in my 60s. I wasn’t planning to better my best or even go for a fast time. I was just going to try to finish. I mentally prepared myself for being passed by the young riders and to just let it go. I’d be happy enough just being out there enjoying what I like to do. Then I got a call from my riding friend Kevin, who was going to come out and enjoy the festivities for old times’ sake. He wanted to know when I would be riding through Markleeville. I told him I would come through between 3 and 4PM. He couldn’t accept that for an answer and convinced me I would be there by 3PM for sure. So he was going to look for me between 2:30 and 3:30PM.

I didn’t know anyone else riding it this year. It was going to be a hot one. I was ready to ride at 5AM but ended up starting at 5:04 or so. Close enough. With the hot weather predicted for later, I knew I had to get in and out of the back side of Monitor Pass as quickly as possible so as not to get fried in the desert. Each side is about 3,000 ft of climbing.

When I started, it was about 65 degrees and my legs felt good. I was pedaling up Monitor in a matter of minutes. Most people knew it would be hot and started when I did. I was in a sea of riders just before sunrise. It was calm and all you could hear was the sound of heavy breathing, tires rolling over the pavement and an occasional conversation. Then the grade got steep and the sound of hundreds of bikes downshifting filled the rocky canyon. I was in my lowest gear but not too bad off. As we went up, I could see the sunshine start to cover the mountains around Ebbetts Pass. It looked a long way off and later the ride was going 15 miles beyond Ebbetts before riders would turn around. Of course, at this moment, I was headed AWAY from that pass. Then I realized I needed to get my head in a good place to be able to succeed. That meant having some fun along the way and paying attention to how my legs were feeling.

Before I knew it, I was over the first pass and it was time to have some fun. I gulped some salt tabs and chased them with fluid then started to pass some riders before the unthinkable happened. Some dude passed me going downhill! It was still shallow near the top for a while, but I decided it was time to have some of that “fun along the way”. So, I chased. I might seem like a thin man, but for a cyclist on the Death Ride, I’m a big boy (gravity is my friend on descents). I was up to him pretty quick and I got by him just before the grade got steeper and the spectacular view of the desert appeared. I could see his shadow racing mine on the pavement. He wasn’t just going to let me go ahead. I focused on my line and how to avoid the hundreds of bikes around us. He stayed with me in the twisties and that impressed me because I know the road very well. A couple of times I saw what looked like his shadow riding off the road over the cliff. But, it would always come back where I could see it. Left, right, left, right, pass 12 riders at a time, left, right, left, right, pass 12 more. Then after we came around a righty, and just before a lefty I saw something that scared me. It was guy with a camera standing on the double yellow center line taking photos at the apex of the turn! I could go left or right of him. Both options seemed bad at the speed I was going. So, I braked and went right of him (on the slower line) and the rider making the shadow passed me. I thought “Ok, it’s still a long way down and I have gravity on my side.” After a slower turn, I got back up to him and made a slingshot pass using his draft. It was pretty straight after that so the bigger boy wins, and that was me. At the bottom he was as jacked as I was. We averaged 42 for 7.5 miles with a max of 50mph. We talked about it halfway back up the climb out of the desert before he went ahead of me. 

IT was quite a bit warmer on Monitor Pass the second time over. But, it wasn’t too bad. I still had a good attitude. I pretty much had the second descent to myself and it is less fun to go fast without traffic. So, I decided not to push my luck and conserve energy (and blood). As I started up Ebbetts Pass, Shadow Rider passed me and we discussed how he got behind me. He had taken a nature break. We rode a little while then we both stopped at Wolf Creek for my first water stop. 5 miles up the road he passed me again on the steep stuff. By then the bike traffic was thinning a lot. This told me that I was doing well. It was like the good old days of the 2010s. I kept trying to extrapolate the time I would get to Markleeville because I knew I would be slowing down as I rode. It seemed like I would get there before Kevin left.

I got to the top of Ebbetts feeling pretty worked over. I thought “If I ride over the top, will I be able to climb out of there?” Editor’s note: Even though he was pretty worked over that skeleton is not Bill. This photo, in fact, was taken during the 2018 Deathride. It is, though, at Ebbetts Pass.

AND that’s not the worst of it. Pacific Grade Pass is new to the Death Ride this year. After you go down the back of Ebbetts, you go up Pacific Grade’s 24% slopes. This was sure to lessen my chances of getting back out of the hole I was about to ride into. Against my better judgement, I went for it and Pacific Grade felt steeper than ever. That road tests you at the start with some short 20% grades followed by shallower grades. Then back to steep, then not so steep. Just when you think you’re past the worst of it, the road seems to disappear in front of you. The first right hand switchback is so steep and sharp that it looks like the end of the road. But, it just turns so sharp that it looks like a dead end. Too bad it wasn’t. I would have been happy to turn around at that point. Standing in my lowest gear, wishing I had three more, I could feel the last of my legs slowly being left on the road. On the steep grade, each time I thought I would need to stop, the slope would ease off just enough to keep me from quitting. Before I knew it, it was over and I was at Mosquito Lake on Pacific Grade Pass.

THIS was my chance to rest on the easy pedal to the turnaround at Lake Alpine. Shadow Rider passed me here again and when he did he asked me how long I thought my ride was going to take. I said “If all goes well, 10 hours. If all goes not so good, 11 hours.” I saw him again at the turnaround and spent too much time talking and not enough time drinking. Rolling out of the rest stop, I could tell I was starting to lose power. But I told myself “just get over Ebbetts one more time and you can coast for 30 minutes.”

IT wasn’t much of a ride back to Mosquito Lake. But boy I felt it. After the lake, the drop down Pacific Grade is so steep that you have to get your weight behind your saddle, like on a mountain bike, or you can easily go over your bars when you try to slow for the hairpin turns. I needed to stall because I was so fried. So, I just went slow this time and kept all my blood on the inside by not falling.

THE last pass was Ebbetts and I was ready for a struggle and that’s exactly what I got. The pass isn’t that long or steep. What makes it so difficult is all the other climbs before it. Shadow Rider passed me for the last time and I never saw him again. I was crawling (at best) up the hill and just looking for a reason to stop when a guy on the side of the road asked me if I had a CO2 tire filler and if he could use it. That was my excuse! So I stopped with enthusiasm to help him. We got him going quicker than I wanted. Once I started rolling again I felt better. It was only about 500 ft of vertical up to the top from there. When I rolled over the top it was like standing on Everest to me. I was going to make it. My stomach was upset and, due to dehydration I wasn’t sweating anymore. But now it was all downhill for a long time. I filled all bottles for weight and for makeshift perspiration. I drank all I could and poured the rest over my head, front and back as I mostly coasted down towards where I started the day. The cooling plan was working pretty well for a while. But then the temperature started really going up when I dropped below about 7000ft elevation. All the gains I made the first 10 minutes of coasting were getting erased by the heat.

THE 5 miles of road along the canyon that leads to Markleeville were so hot and dry that I would get cotton mouth just 30 seconds after a swig of water. And now, my legs were starting to cramp. Through all of this, I realized I had a shot of finishing the ride in under 9 hours. Remember, 10 hours was my best case scenario. Imagine my surprise! The only obstacle between me and a 9 hour time was the last 20 to 30 minute climb, in nearly 100 degree heat with cramping legs and only about a pint of warm water.

I rolled into Markleeville and looked for Kevin (hopefully with tons of cold water). But, I was an hour ahead of my best predicted time and he wasn’t there yet. In order to beat 9 hours, I had 25 minutes to get up the last hill and figured I’d just see what happened. A woman standing in the street offered me a cold Gatorade. I stupidly said “no thanks” and rode by her. Just past her, I reconsidered and turned around and stopped next to her. She had just ridden both Monitor Passes and had a sense of how I felt. I poured the cold Gatorade into my bike bottle, thanked her and rode off. 50 feet from there, I saw Kevin just as he yelled my name. He had just gotten there and he was prepared. He had ice, cold water, and pantyhose to put ice into and hang around my neck as I rode. He knew all the tricks to beat the heat. Now it’s only 20 minutes to my 9 hour goal! I asked him if he thought I could get up that last hill in 20 minutes and he said “NO”. I still wanted to try, and told him I didn’t want to bother with the panty hose trick. He decided I could use a splash of cold water and poured what felt like an Ice Bucket Challenge cooler full of water over my head. I was yelling “heart attack, heart attack” without breathing out. It was so cold. I was freezing now. I thanked him and took off with 17 minutes to get up the hill. At first I still felt pretty drained so I just went at a pace I thought I could do and drank the Gatorade as fast as I could before it got warm. About halfway up the hill I could see the top. I still had 9 minutes. Then a guy about 50 feet ahead of me turned around and said “tailwind”. There was a tailwind, and it was a good one too. I still had goose bumps on my legs from the icing incident. I thought “I’m going for it.” I picked it up a notch, and seeing how the road got steeper at the end, I timed a last ditch effort to the finish. I watched the time get closer and closer to 9:00:00 on my Garmin. For the last 15 minutes I’d been telling myself not to ride for 9 hours and pull up a couple minutes over 9. So I grabbed a gear and really made sure. 8:58:05!

THIS was about my 12 th  Death Ride. I’ve been trying to beat 9 hours and have never been able to do it before this ride. The new route is about an hour shorter than the old one. But still, I can now say that I did the Death Ride in under 9 hours! My rolling time was 8:38:XX. So I spent about 20 minutes not moving. The ride was 103.3 miles with 13,999 ft of climb. I averaged 11.9 MPH, maxed 51.3 MPH, averaged 156 watts for a total 1.4 kWHr of energy output. Now your electric bill of $0.60/kWHr doesn’t seem like such a high price, does it? My average heart rate was 133 BPM and max was 150 BPM. According to Strava, I was about the 50 th  finisher of all six passes.

I signed my name on the big Death Ride poster over the forehead of the skull, as usual. I burned about 5,000 calories, and I got it all back in the breakfast Benita made for me on Sunday morning. One last editor’s note: Only finishers get to sign the poster. Will you add your name next year?

CONGRATS, Bill! I think I can see your signature somewhere in there. 😉

WHAT a ride you had and what a great story. And a PR to boot. Sweet!

THANKS so much for sharing and we’ll see you next year for lucky 13!

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Death Ride - Tour of the California Alps

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Ride Information

Located in the stunning California Alps, the Death Ride® course covers the traditional five mountain passes. This super challenging course includes climbing both sides of Monitor Pass, both sides of Ebbetts Pass, and the final climb up the east side of Carson Pass. Cyclists will register and finish at Turtle Rock Park, located two miles north of Markleeville, CA. Ultra distance 129 miles with over 15,000 feet of climbing.

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103 Miles • Monitor Pass, Ebbetts Pass, Pacific Grade • 6 categorized climbs

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Ride Information

Tour of the California Alps - Death Ride®

Copyright © 2024 Tour of the California Alps - Death Ride® - All Rights Reserved.

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Death Ride - Tour of the California Alps

Climb List: Markleeville - Death Ride (sort by distance, difficulty, elevation and more)

Statistics: view tutorial, total climbs: 6, top 100 world: 0, avg. fiets (top 5) : 5.8, sort by attribute:, showing all 6 climbs, pjamm trips adventure starter bundles, member comments.

Death Ride: 5 for 5 - YEAH!

PJAMM’s Profile Tool

Click on “Profile Tool” just below “Full Summary” for interactive data.

DEATH RIDE RIDE STATS :

• 104.2 Miles
• 14,399’ gained (full ride)
• Gradient Review:
• 50% of the ride is at 0% elevation or is descending;
• 23.9% at 0-5%
• 21.9% at 5-10%
• 3.7% at 10-15%
• < 1% at 15-20%
• Steepest segments:
• ¼ mile = 12.5% on Ebbetts Pass West
• ½ mile = 11% on Monitor Pass East
• 1 mile = 10% on Monitor Pass East
• Climbs ranked by difficulty (in PJAMM’s experience and opinion)
• Monitor East
• Ebbetts East
• Monitor West
• Ebbetts West
• Pacific Grade East
• Pacific Grade West

Five passes (you go over Monitor and Ebbets twice).

The Death Ride is an extremely challenging yet fun event.  It is very well organized and in our three times participating, we have never had any form of bad experience - it’s all good . . . well, except for 127 miles and 15,000’ of climbing in one day - OUCH!

INTERESTING AND IMPORTANT FACTS:

• 2021 is the 40th Anniversary of the Death Ride
• This was a timed race until 1987
• This event began as a gathering of 17 friends looking for a challenge.
• Check in is from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Friday before the ride, or beginning at 4:00 a.m. the morning of the event.
• The official start time is 5 a.m. or later (but, many people begin earlier)
• You must be off the course by 6:30 p.m.
• Ice cream this year is at the end, as the customary ice cream spot was Carson Pass.
• KOM for Death Ride 2021 Route: Peter Stetina  at 5:15:45 ( Strava Page ) .

HERE ARE YOUR OPTIONS

Note:  You may do as many passes as you wish, but they must be done in order.  At each summit, you receive a sticker placed on your ride number identifying how many passes you have done.  You must have six stickers for an All Pass jersey.

“ALL PASS FINISHERS: The all-pass-finishers, AKA "Tombstone Club", will receive the finishers' pin, and have the option to order the finisher's jersey and sign the official ride poster. A limited stock of Tombstone Club jerseys will be available for purchase at the Expo. Once those run out, we will take orders.”  (Source:  official [email protected]  pre-race information and instruction email).

Note for 2021:  Northern California is in the midst of an unprecedented seasonal heat wave.  PJAMM's weather projections (see our weather tool for start and summit of each climb on the individual climb pages) for the area on event day is high 80s to low 90s, so consider beginning as early as possible, even before the official start at 5:15 a.m. from Turtle Rock.  Bring headlights.

We have always had good luck parking on Highway 89 near the entrance to Turtle Creek where the ride begins.

 “PARKING: Parking at Turtle Rock Park is limited. We encourage carpooling, having a friend or loved one drop you off at the start, or getting there early to find a spot. Many riders park alongside the mowed areas of the roadside on Hwy 89 near the park area. Additional options include parking along Airport Road, or in Markleeville or Woodfords and cycling to the Start.”   (Source:  official [email protected]  pre-race information and instruction email).

“Riders can check in to obtain their bibs, swag bags, t-shirts, and jerseys if you pre-purchased them, as well as sign the necessary waivers. Each rider MUST provide photo ID to receive their packet, and must be present. Check-in on Friday is from 11AM-7PM, and Saturday starts at 4AM. Unlike prior years, you will not receive any packet information or bibs in the mail.”  (Source:  official [email protected]  pre-race information and instruction email).

START TIME AND ROAD CLOSURES

“Roads close at 5AM. Opening ceremonies begin at 5:15AM, and cyclists will be released in waves starting at 5:30AM. Riding prior to the official event start time is done so at your own risk, and aid stations/bib checks are scheduled to open in accordance with the official start time.” (Source:  official [email protected]  pre-race information and instruction email).

“CLOTHING: Prepare for very cool temperatures in the morning and hot temperatures by mid to late morning. The temperatures in the Sierra Nevadas can drop drastically overnight. There will be drop bags available at the top of Monitor Pass as well as at the Topaz junction turnaround point. While the forcast currently 96 degrees, it is also common to have rainshowers and thunderstorms in the hot summer afternoons. Also prepare for greater susceptibility to sunburn at high elevations.” (Source:  official [email protected]  pre-race information and instruction email).

BIBS AND BIB STAMPS

“BIBS, BIB STAMPS: Bibs should be worn on your back and be visible at all times. There will be a bib check just before the junction to Monitor Pass. There are five (5) bib stamp locations throughout the course, and then a sixth at the Finish. It is critical that your bib be on your back so that the volunteers can quickly and safely place the appropriate pass stamp on your bib with minimal face to face contact. If your bib is not visible to course marshalls you may be stopped and asked to present your bib. "Poachers" will be escorted off the course.”  (Source:  official [email protected]  pre-race information and instruction email).

SUPPORT ON THE RIDE

“SUPPORT: The fully supported course includes nine rest stops. Your official course map will indicates which of these are full rest stops with porta potties, water, electrolyte drink, snacks etc., which ones are water/electrolyte stops only, and where the lunch stop is located. To view the map on our Facebook page, click here . A cleaner version will be posted on the Death Ride website over the weekend. There will also be SAG throughout the course to assist if you feel you are unable to finish the ride or get to the closest aid station without support. Medical personnel will also be placed throughout the course to monitor rider health and safety.”  (Source:  official [email protected]  pre-race information and instruction email).

The ride begins at Turtle Rock - early!

Nice pancake and egg breakfast.

Bring your lights and a windvest/jacket.

MONITOR WEST

Ride 8.2 miles gaining 2,648’ at 6.1% average grade.

PJAMM CYCLING’S PROFILE TOOL

This will be the easiest of the day because it is the first, and fairly mild with a consistent 6% average grade.

Monitor Pass.

MONITOR PASS EAST

Ride 9.5 miles gaining 3,261’ at 6.5% average grade.

This is the hardest climb of them all and a Top 100 US bike climb.  It is a grueling 9.5 miles at 6.7% average grade.  You will be ascending in the early morning so the temperatures, which can be stifling in the afternoon in the summer, will be mild and manageable.

Bottom of Monitor East - Start of Climb #2.

Monitor Pass . . . again . . .

EBBETTS PASS EAST

Ride 11.4 miles gaining 2,951’ at 4.9% average grade.

It’s starting to hurt now.  This is the longest climb, and while it has only a 5.2% grade, has some steep segments to it (e.g. half a mile at 9.9%).

The steepest segment (quarter-mile at 10.9%).

Ebbetts Pass.

PACIFIC GRADE EAST

Ride 2.3 miles gaining 963’ at 7.9% average grade.

Pacific Grade is new to the Death Ride this year.  Carson Pass has been eliminated and replaced with Pacific Grade.  We feel this greatly improves the quality of the ride because Caron Pass is extremely busy with fast moving traffic and the west side of Ebbetts (including Pacific Grade) replacing it is much more scenic, peaceful, and quiet.

Cycling Pacific Summit

This is a fairly short climb but it packs a bit of a punch because the gradient is not uniform. Instead there are several steep sections interspersed with shallower sections. It is difficult to get into a rhythm with the different slopes.  It might be tempting to just power through the steep sections, but slow and steady could be a better approach.

PACIFIC GRADE SUMMIT WEST

Ride 6 miles gaining 929’ at 2.3% average grade (4.2% climb only).

EBBETTS PASS WEST

Ride 5.2 miles gaining 1,654” at 6% average grade.

The fifth and final leg of the Death Ride is blessedly short at 5.2 miles (6% average grade).

Bottom of Ebbetts Pass West.

Ice cream at the finish!

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Zermatt: Family of skiers found dead in Swiss Alps 'froze to death after trying to build cave'

F ive missing skiers found dead in the Swiss Alps “froze to death” after trying to build a cave to protect themselves from the elements, according to rescuers.

The five skiers were found dead near the famous Matterhorn mountain on Sunday, while an urgent search remained underway on Monday for a sixth skier from the group who was still missing.

The cross-country skiers, five of them members of the same family, went missing around Tete Blanche mountain on Saturday on the Zermatt-Arolla path, near the Matterhorn mountain that straddles the border between Switzerland and Italy.

The group went missing during a ski tour and their bodies were discovered on Sunday, police said.

The skiers were between the ages of 21 and 58, according to an earlier police statement. Five belonged to one family from the Valais canton, while a sixth person was from the canton of Fribourg.

Police did not immediately confirm the identity of those who were found dead.

Anjan Truffer, director of helicopter rescue company Zermatt Mountain Rescue, told Swiss media outlet Blick : “The picture we found was ugly...We saw that the ski tourers had tried to build a cave and protect themselves from the wind. 

“The ski tourers froze to death at altitude, disorientated,' Mr Truffer added.

He said weather on Saturday daytime was good, but added: “We knew it would get worse at night and on Sunday. They were caught in the storm.”

Christian Varone, commander of the Valais cantonal police, told Blick of the poor weather conditions in the area, which is experiencing “tremendous wind”, cold, and poor visibility.

Zermatt is a popular mountain resort renowned for skiing and attracts tourists from around the world.

Last month a British skier died following a “heavy fall” at a resort in the French Alps.

Paramedics were scrambled to the scene after the man, 30, was fatally injured on the slopes in Serre Chevalier.

The accident happened in the La Salle-les-Alpes area of the slopes.

Last year a British man in his fifties also died during a climb on  Mont Blanc  in  France .

Another British tourist also died from a heart attack at a ski resort in the French Alps.

The 63-year-old collapsed at the popular resort of La Plagne in the valley of the Tarentaise.

A French police spokesman told The Sun: "Emergency workers were at the scene extremely quickly, but the man could not be revived.

"He was declared dead by the Modane mountain aid station."

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