Sierra Spring Tour

wrote:
Perry Stout writes:

No one doubts that you called your heroic 1957 adventure a Death Ride.

I never called my ride a death ride. Don't put words in my text. I
clearly stated that riders who crossed the Sierra over unplowed
Ebbetts Pass with me returned to Palo Alto and told tales of a death
march from that ride. to my dismay sponsors of organized rides soon
touted their tour as a death ride. Talk of a "Death Ride" was rife in
the years after our ride.

The question before us is, what inspired the current Markleeville
Death Ride? The answer is easy to ascertain, since the participants
are alive and well and all within range of a computer with email.
Wayne Martin was 11 or 12 years old when you did your famous ride--I
cannot imagine that an event that occured before he (probably) took
up cycling inspired him to start the Death Ride--especially when you
ask Wayne "What inspired you to start the Death Ride?" his answer is
always "That awful day 5 on the 1976 SuperTour."

You can call it what you want, but the term of "Death Ride" took
shape immediately after our ride with the hike over unplowed Ebbetts
Pass starting from Markleeville. This sounds much like the claims of
who started the Mountain Bike. You might want to argue that one as
well:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/brandt/mtb-history.html

As to the broader notion that you can "invent" the Death Ride concept,
which gives you some sort of (I guess) trademark rights, I disagree as
well.

Whoa! What's with rights and trade mark? Get off it! I ride bike
for the fun of it and not for any other reason. I don't care what
people call their ride. My point is that the idea arose from a ride
that I recall clearly and the riders comments afterward.

Cycling has been big since the mid 1880s, and there have been
cyclists doing the absolutely impossible for over 120 years. Would
not 6 Day Racing in its original format (12 hours a day for 6 days)
qualify as a Death Ride? Or the original Tour de France courses?
Or Paris-Brest-Paris, for goodness sakes? "Death Ride" is a natural
appellation for any tour of extraordinary difficulty; I cannot
accept your "trademark" claim.

I think you have a peculiar perspective of bicycling.

Jobst Brandt

A comment here - I grew up in Oakland and NEVER saw a high quality bike
nor a single person that I would think of as a "bicyclist" in the
entire time I was growing up. We had three speeds and such and did
rides in the Oakland hills which would have been more hike than ride.

If there HAD been evidence of such recreational cycling anywhere I'd
probably have started cycling seriously then. The fact is that I was
essentially unaware of serious recreational cycling until the mid-80's.
It only required a couple of years of exposure for me to have dropped
all my other sports in favor of cycling.

Ron Wallenfang wrote:

Do you ever ride on flat roads?

That's a silly thing to say to a man who climbs Kings Mountain Road in
a 48-19 or so.

"Tom" wrote in message
oups.com...
Ron Wallenfang wrote:

Do you ever ride on flat roads?

That's a silly thing to say to a man who climbs Kings Mountain Road in
a 48-19 or so.


You're right, of course. Whether or not Jobst inspired the "death ride", he
is unquestionably the "patron" of this NG.

Nice report, Jobst. You have me looking forward to our trip this
coming weekend (our fourth annual Kiss of Death).

I was wondering if you ever stay at the Meadowcliff, just outside of
Coleville:

http://www.meadowcliff.com/

We usually stop in there for an early lunch on the way from
Markleeville to Sonora Pass. Good food, speedy service. It looks
like a nice spot to stay, as well.
--
terry morse - Undiscovered Country Tours - http://udctours.com

Terry Morse writes:

Nice report, Jobst. You have me looking forward to our trip this
coming weekend (our fourth annual Kiss of Death).

I wish you cool tailwinds. The ride I took with your group brings
good memories of Markleeville.

I was wondering if you ever stay at the Meadowcliff, just outside of
Coleville:

http://www.meadowcliff.com/


We usually stop in there for an early lunch on the way from
Markleeville to Sonora Pass. Good food, speedy service. It looks
like a nice spot to stay, as well.

I've never tried it and usually think of Coleville as the local high
school and marine base civilian residence enclave. Somehow Walker has
all the restaurants, motels and general store that fills my bill. Not
riding with a big group, I can stay at the comfortable Toiyabe motel
that has only 11 units.

Jobst Brandt

Jobst Brandt wrote:

Tery Morse wrote:
I was wondering if you ever stay at the Meadowcliff, just outside of
Coleville:

http://www.meadowcliff.com/

I've never tried it and usually think of Coleville as the local high
school and marine base civilian residence enclave.

That's a good description of Coleville, not much else there. I know
the high school for its big red water spigot at the road's edge,
very handy for a fill up or to wash the salt off your head. The
Meadowcliff serves a good breakfast, it reminds me a bit of Nicely's
in Lee Vining.

Somehow Walker has all the restaurants, motels and general store
that fills my bill.

For sure, Walker has the first store of any kind after leaving
Markleeville. A welcome sight.
--
terry morse - Undiscovered Country Tours - http://udctours.com

Great ride report! Brought back lots of nice memories of
rides on those Sierra roads. Thanks, Jobst!

I have to call b#llsh*t on one teensy, trivial thing, though.

On Fri, 02 Jun 2006 21:55:34 +0000, jobst.brandt wrote:

Spring Tour in the Sierra 05-06 June 2006

We descended along the now docile Silver Creek to its confluence with
the East Fork Carson River, that like all major rivers in Nevada,
flows into the desert to evaporate.

Off the top of my head, I can think of two major rivers that
originate in Nevada and flow to the Pacific, via the Snake and
Columbia River Gorge. One is the mighty Bruno, near Jarbidge,
the other is the Owyhee. I imagine there may be others, as not
all of Nevada lies within the "Great Basin," in which all
the rivers do sink in.

-Henry

Henry Kingman writes:

Great ride report! Brought back lots of nice memories of rides on
those Sierra roads. Thanks, Jobst!

I have to call b#llsh*t on one teensy, trivial thing, though.

Spring Tour in the Sierra 05-06 June 2006

We descended along the now docile Silver Creek to its confluence
with the East Fork Carson River, that like all major rivers in
Nevada, flows into the desert to evaporate.

Off the top of my head, I can think of two major rivers that
originate in Nevada and flow to the Pacific, via the Snake and
Columbia River Gorge. One is the mighty Bruno, near Jarbidge, the
other is the Owyhee. I imagine there may be others, as not all of
Nevada lies within the "Great Basin," in which all the rivers do
sink in.

http://tinyurl.com/z9uu7
http://tinyurl.com/f6n2g

I guess you mean the Jarbridge river that flows into the Bruneau River
which joins the Snake at J-Strike Reservoir. I should have said
"most" major rivers. Typically the Carson, Walker, Truckee and the
like.

The Owyhee seems to take forever to get out of the state into Oregon and
makes me wonder how much water is allowed to exit Lake Owyhee.

http://tinyurl.com/glzqd
http://tinyurl.com/hldya

Jobst Brandt