This is your invitation to spend the weekend of Sept 11 and 12 riding in the beautiful Sierra Nevadas on a journey to the all-you-can-eat buffets at the famous Stateline casinos. Yes, the Tahoe Epic is returning for 2010 after taking a few years off, and you're invited to come!
Here's the ride in a nutshell: Sept. 11: Depart Davis at 7 a.m. and follow the Big Fix Day One route to Sly Park (where BF stopped for the night), then continuing on to the 25+-mile climb up Mormon Emigrant Trail, Carson Pass, and Luther Pass before descending down into the Tahoe Basin. (* There are options--more on that later.) We'll stay at a local hotel (** More info below) and eat at a local casino. Sept. 12: After a hearty breakfast at a local eatery, we'll take a slightly different route back (*** Options! We have options!!), climbing over Hwy 50 to Echo Summit and then descending to Sly Park, where we start retracing Saturday's route. Total mileage if you start in Davis (*) is about 270 miles (140 Day One/130 Day two) with about 15,000 feet of climbing (almost all on Day One). SOME STUFF TO KEEP IN MIND 1) This is a tough ride. Almost half of the riders who have attempted the entire Epic have not finished, and that roster includes some pretty strong riders. Be prepared to spend a lot of time in the saddle facing a road that slopes up in front of you (as well as some kick-ass downhills). 2) Do NOT count on support. As of right now, we will ride the Epic in traditional fashion, unsupported and carrying everything with us. That needs to include your street clothes for Saturday night dinner, toiletries, and ... WATER. The climb up Mormon Emigrant Trail and then down to the store at Silver Lake will take a strong rider at least 3 hours, and it can get hot. On the first Epic, all three participants ended up flagging down passing cars for water. Don't let this happen to you! Plan to bring at least two bottles and a large Camelbak--once you leave Sly Park, the next services are almost 30 miles and 5,000 feet of climbing away. 3) Bring LIGHTS. Sure, if you're super duper strong you could possibly finish in daylight, but we'll be regrouping. Every single Epic has ended in darkness, and you will probably need good lights for the 35mph+ descent of Luther Pass. 4) You're on your own for lodging. I have made a room reservation at the Lodge in Kingsbury Crossing in Stateline (just over the Nevada border) in a room that can hold up to six people. That room (through Priceline) was $103. I'll be happy to share the room, or you can book your own, but let's try to all stay in the general vicinity of the Stateline casinos. Address for the Lodge is 133 Deer Run Court, Stateline (Nevada), NV 89449. 5) This is a friendly ride, and we will regroup regularly. Traditional spots have generally been: Folsom, El Dorado Hills (AM/PM on our side of the road), Placerville (coffee shop), Sly Park, Silver Lake Store, Carson Pass, Hwy 88/89 junction, and Hwy 89/Pioneer Trail junction. OPTIONS: * If you like, you can leave from the Sacramento/Folsom area and avoid the flat miles from Davis. We can meet in Folsom and continue from there. ** You can stay at the "official" hotel or anywhere else you choose, but let's all try to stay in approximately the same area. *** If you don't want to climb over Echo Summit, you can retrace the Saturday route back over Luther and Carson passes and down Mormon Emigrant Trail. Be warned that this is much harder than the official Sunday route--there is a lot more climbing. I've never had a problem with Hwy 50 over Echo Summit--Sunday morning traffic is pretty light, there's a good shoulder, and on the downhill side you'll be going almost as fast as the cars. You decide what's best for you. *** You can also arrange to have your spouse/significant other meet you in SLT on Saturday and drive back with them, but then you won't get to enjoy the great downhills that you earned on Saturday. IF YOU'RE INTERESTED--email me offline, or call 530-574-4875. I'd like to have a general idea of who's coming within the next week or so. Hope to see you on the 11th! --Eric campyonly...@me.com www.campyonly.com www.wheelsnorth.org -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
