2016-06-25 - Climb to Kaiser

The 2016 Climb to Kaiser went relatively smooth.  There were no major accidents or heat related illnesses to report.  That's always a good report.  Most of the days SAG duties were air (flat tires) and water (low water bottles) related.  There was one minor crash with what was initially thought to be a possible broken collarbone.  Luckily it ended up just being bruised.

The day got off to a rough start with a confusing lead-out.  A minor miscommunication between Clovis Police Department and the lead SAG caused the group to miss a turn on it's route through Clovis.  Clovis PD took it in stride and managed to get the riders through Clovis safely.

All told, I (SAG Moto 1) made two full trips from the start in Clovis to the top of Kaiser Pass and back. Plus a few miscellaneous side trips. I left home just after 4:00am and left with the mass start of Kaiser and Tollhouse Century riders at 5:30.  After leading out that main group, I returned to the start in order to lead out the second group of riders for the Millerton Metric ride at 6:30am.  After their lead-out, I began working my way to the front of the pack to stay with the lead riders on the Climb to Kaiser.

After very brief stops at Wildcat and Tollhouse Rest Stops (I didn't even get off the motorcycle), a quick stop at the Tollhouse top water stop and Shaver Rest Stop, and another brief stop and he Huntington Rest Stop, I was at Kaiser Pass Rest Stop at 10:53 when rider #1107, Jove Graham of Clovis arrived.  He made it in 05:23.  Incredible.  He was only there for maybe two minutes.  Just long enough to grab a bite, be mobbed by the press (literally), have his bottles filled, and then he headed down the mountain.

I followed him down the hill, stopping at a few of the Rest Stops, and escorted him the last 20+ miles to the finish, just before 2:pm.

I returned to the top for the last rider's arrival at 5:00pm and closed Kaiser Pass Rest Stop at 5:pm.  The last rider made it to the top under his own power - by walking the last half mile - but unfortunately, requested a transport down the hill.  I swept the course for riders down Kaiser Pass Road, Tamarack Ridge and Highway 168, pushing the remaining riders toward Shaver.  We closed Shaver Lake Rest Stop at 7:00pm and swept Alder Springs and Auberry Road pushing the riders and remaining SAG vehicles toward Millerton Store Rest Stop.  We then closed Millerton Store Rest Stop and had all of the riders back on the road, headed to the finish by 8:45pm. The Motos escorted in the final riders. I escorted the 3rd-to-last rider from Millerton to finish. Nancy Dooley followed in the final two riders.

The day's temperatures ranged between 62 and 102 degrees.

I rode 380 miles total on Moto 1.

A copy of the Fresno Cycling Club's Rough Draft Newsletter, including additional Climb to Kaiser info can be read here: July 2016 Rough Draft

Early morning stats.

Moto SAGs linup prior to the mass start.

Riders line up for the mass start.

Shaver Lake rest stop gets ready for riders.

Big Creek rest stop.

Flags line the last few yards of the Climb to Kaiser.

2015-06-27 - Climb to Kaiser: Heat, gear put riders to test

Climb to Kaiser: Heat, gear put riders to test

BY ANGEL MORENO - amoreno@fresnobee.com

Highlights:

• Fresno’s Amy Cameron overcomes health issues as top women’s finisher in 155-mile Climb to Kaiser
• Joey Galloway, of Exeter, was the top men’s finisher for second year in a row
• No major injuries or accidents reported in Saturday’s 39th annual Climb to Kaiser

There is nothing easy about the Climb to Kaiser.

The distance: 155 miles.

The climb: 15,000-plus feet from Clovis to Kaiser Pass and then back.

The weather: Triple digit temperatures and high humidity.

But the challenge in completing what is arguably one of the toughest endurance rides in the nation is as much mental as it is physical when it comes to riders surviving aches, pains and the occasional flat tire to make it to the finish.

Just ask Amy Cameron, the first woman to finish Saturday after 9 hours, 38 minutes, 9 seconds in the saddle.  In her fourth Climb to Kaiser, the 35-year-old marketing manager at Wine.com finally crossed the line in front.

“I told myself I’d do it until I won it. Then never again,” said Cameron, who is from Fresno but now works in Oakland.

After a runner-up finish in 2012, Cameron fell ill. She was diagnosed with celiac disease and also became “super anemic,” she said.

As the health problems grew, her sponsors vanished.

Still, Cameron didn’t give up. She trained for two years, returned to health, picked up Bay Area sponsor Mike’s Bikes and finally can check her top finish off her bucket list.

“I’ve had some really good luck,” she said. “It’s a blessing to be back to health.”

Cameron’s teammate and friend Jennie Phillips (10:29:14) was the second woman to finish the full ride.

288 - Number of riders who started the Climb to Kaiser, with more than 60% from out of the area.
Joey Galloway, 36, of Exeter was the men’s top finisher for the second year in a row, crossing in 8:55, nearly 20 minutes slower than last year’s time because of a pinched flat on his way down Tamarack Ridge. It was the third top finish in eight rides for Galloway, who is sponsored by Dayka-Hackett.

The one downfall that all parties agreed on was the heat.

“It was stupid hot,” as Cameron put it.

“The humidity was awful,” Galloway said. “It saps all your energy and you can’t push hard.”

Temperatures were in the mid-90s near Shaver Lake and eclipsed the century mark as riders descended into Prather.

To ensure all riders stayed hydrated, there were nine rest stops, each equipped with cold water, Gatorade, fruit and other snacks and towels soaked in buckets of ice. Numerous support vehicles also covered the route.

Some riders took their time to cool down, stretch and reapply sunblock at rest stops, while others plowed through before the heat got worse.

"IT WAS STUPID HOT." - Amy Cameron, of Oakland and formerly Fresno, who endured temperatures that hit triple digits to be the first woman to complete the Climb to Kaiser Saturday

“It’s a hot ride this year,” race volunteer Dennis Hall said. “This ride takes a lot of endurance and if you’re not ready, it can easily take its toll on you.”

This year, 288 riders started, with more than 60% from out of the area.

Madera’s Benjamin Madrigal (3:57:21) was the top men’s finisher in the 71-mile Millerton Metric. Leading the women’s field were Laura Wright of Modesto (4:37:01) and Clovis’ Jaime Schaffer (4:46:30).

Top finishers for the 95-mile Tollhouse Century were Christopher Buock (6:09:06), Mike Brown (6:09:10) and Michelle Brown (6:11:27), all of Fresno.

No major injuries or accidents were reported, though two motorists were reported to California Highway Patrol for harassing cyclists and one was cited, race director Jennifer Collins said.

For full results, search Climb to Kaiser at runsignup.com.

Angel Moreno: 559-441-6401, @anhelllll

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/sports/outdoors/article25692334.html

Climb to Kaiser - June 25, 2011

Painted on the road at the Wildcat Rest Stop at the crest on Watts Valley Road.

Cyclists at the Tollhouse Rest Stop at Sierra Elementary School in Tollhouse.

My Honda ST1300 at the top of the Four-Lane on Highway 168.

Central Valley BMW Riders Supports the Climb to Kaiser

By Paula Landis

Jon Mergan snaps a photo at the Shaver Lake Rest Stop
with his special mounted video camera.

The volunteer participation in the 34th annual Climb to Kaiser bicycle ride was something to be proud of. Twenty-three people turned out to assist with SAG, 10 motorcycles and 13 vehicles. Well over half of the SAG drivers were CVBR members.

SAG drivers started work at 5:30 am and many were still going strong at 10 that evening. Besides all the help, the BMW riders showed off their ingenuity.  Check out the custom racks that Kent Baucher and Terry Mergan built to haul cycling supplies (page 2).

Following are some thoughts from a few of the SAG drivers.

Ralph Tonseth: I volunteered to work the "late shift" (1PM to 10:30PM) with my pickup truck to assist riders who were beginning to realize, or had already confronted, the enormity of the task they had undertaken. As near as I can tell only Bruce Butterfield, Rodger Wagner and I had brought trucks to the event. Bruce had been tasked with hauling supplies and equipment for the rest stop personnel.  There were, however, several cars and SUV's (all environmentally friendly) from the cycling club also present on the circuit.

Climb to Kaiser - June 30, 2007

Today was the Fresno Cycling Club's 31st annual Climb to Kaiser. 155 miles. Nearly 14,000 feet of elevation gain, with a beginning altitude of 320 feet and final altitude of 9200 feet at the halfway point. There was a record 330 riders for the event this year. Cool temperatures in the mountains made for some fast course times. (It was in the mid-70s above 4000' for most of the day.) The first two finishers were only 15 minutes off the course record, and they said if they had known they were that close, they would have tried to beat it. As it was, they weren't trying at all; they were just out for a ride.

It was a good day for me. I helped organize the support vehicles - aka SAG vehicles - for the ride. This was my tenth year working the SAG crew. (After competing in the ride in 1996 & 1997, and earning my Finisher's Jersey, I started doing SAG for the Climb to Kaiser in 1998.) Paula Landis, 2006 Fresno Cycling Club President, and the current Fresno BMW Motorcycle Riders Club President stepped up to help with the SAG. She enlisted (for the second year now) the help of the BMW Club. Most of the aid needed by the bicycle riders is simply water and the occasional flat tire. Motorcycles can quickly move over the course and get alongside and around the bicycle riders much easier than a car or van. Cars, trucks and vans are used to move riders down the mountains if the bicycle riders have mechanical problems or if they get to sick or exhausted to continue. I first used a motorcycle in 2000 (I was the only one) and we've used more each year. We've had about 12-14 motorcycle to compliment the 10 other SAG vehicles for the past two years. This year I drove a van and really missed my motorcycle.

From a SAG perspective, the ride was fairly uneventful, which is a good thing. We've had, in years past, forest fires, rain, hail, and lightning strikes. We've had a few broken bones, a lot of road rash, and many, many broken spirits. We've even had a few concussions and, sadly, one fatality in 2003. This year, the worst I'd heard was a few unconfirmed reports of dog bites from a loose Doberman in Burroughs Valley, south of Tollhouse, and a wedding which was scheduled just across the parking lot from our main rest stop in Shaver Lake. There were relatively few riders that needed to be SAGged during the ride or at the end of the day. There were a few, but not as many as in past years. As a matter of fact, this is the first time in my ten years that there were no bicycle riders to be taken down the hill at 7:00 pm from the Shaver rest stop when it closed down. All of the large SAG vehicles headed down the hill unloaded, and all of the last riders made it to the end on their own.

Congrats to all of them.

See all the pics here.

Climb to Kaiser - July 31, 2005

There's not much to report about the SAG activities this year.  At least, my SAG activities.  This was the only picture taken of me, or any of the other SAG vehicles this year.  I didn't take any, but it wasn't for the lack of trying.  I DID have a camera with me.

The day started well, with no problems to speak of.  The ride began at 5:30am at the Clovis Veterans Memorial District building in Old Town Clovis.  I chased the group on my 1993 BMW R100GS.

By 7:30am, I was working the group up Watts Valley Road and toward the first rest stop at the summit known as Wildcat.  A few hundred yards below the summit there was an audible "click" in the Beemer's transmission and I was immediately unable to shift. It came out of gear, but wouldn't grab a gear - any of them - to go forward.  The motor ran fine, but with nothing seeming to connect the motor to the rear wheel, the GS was effectively dead.  I turned around and coasted down Watts Valley Road nearly a mile and a half to the intersection with Pittman Hill Road (Map Link).

When I got to the intersection, there was a husband & wife team on a tandem who needed some SAG support.  They were already having a bad day and had decided to abandon the ride.  I called in another SAG to transport the her back to the start so she could get their truck.  Meanwhile, I was contemplating my situation.  As I waited with the husband for his wife to return, he explained that he had a truck.  A big one.  Big enough that my motorcycle might fit.  When his wife showed up in their Ford F250 long-bed, 1-ton, I knew they had room for their tandem AND my motorcycle.  He also had enough tie downs to properly lash my GS to the truck bed.

The trick was getting the GS into the truck.  It was tall.  We didn't have a ramp.  The GS is 475 pounds of Big Pig.

We looked around and on one side of the road, the natural grade was fairly level, while the pavement descended toward the intersection.  I pushed my GS back up the hill about 150 feet to a point where the road bed met the natural grade, then pushed it up onto the dirt.  I walked it along the grade, between a drop off to the road and a barbed wire fence.  Not much room, but enough.

Meanwhile, the husband dropped the tailgate of his truck and backed it up so the tail gate hit the natural grade of the dirt adjacent to the fence.  It took some doing, but we were able to roll the GS right in the truck.  After that, they drove me all the way home, some 20+ miles away.  They dropped me off and headed home.  For their trouble, I sent them both volunteer shirts for SAGging the SAG.

I jumped in my truck, and after a few hours, was able to get back on the course, helping the riders.  I forgot my camera in the transfer from bike to truck though.

As for the GS, it ended up being the return spring on the toe shifter.  A $14 part.  However, it's located inside the transmission housing.  Labor was $1200 for the install.  Ouch.

Early in the morning, between 5:00-5:15am.  If I'd have known what lay ahead for me, I probably would have stayed home.