Pre-Ride Guide- September 2023

RIDE GUIDE

This monthly newsletter will contain information and tidbits to help you prepare for the 2023 Tour des Trees. For more information, visit www.treefund.org.

It's time for the Tour des Trees!

We can't wait to see you all in just a few days. Paul, Thom, and Jonathan (along with a little help from Randy Hopp and Mark Crane), had a recon trip of the course last week and it is beautiful, challenging, and certainly one you will remember forever. Everyone we spoke to is very excited for our riders to be coming through and we hope you are looking forward to meeting some great people as we ride.

A few reminders:

Be sure to check out our Participant Resources page to get addresses, timelines, daily itineraries, and route information. The final itinerary has been posted with all the up-to-date timelines, locations, and mile marks.
All your Voler ordered items will be available in Reno when you check in. You'll also receive your name tags, shirts, caps, helmet, water bottles, and other items at that time.
In Paul's note below, he has provided information on how to link to the RidewithGPS navigation system you'll need to get yourself from place to place. Please try to download the app and get your information set up ahead of time.
For those that are shipping their bikes home, be sure to have your shipping label printed ahead of time. The hotel in Half Moon Bay does not have a regular pick-up, but we have arranged to have those boxes shipped back from HMB or Reno.
Important: Most of the hotels we are staying at have bottles of water in the rooms. All of those need to be paid for if used, so do not drink the bottles of water in the rooms unless you want to pay for it.
We have our list of everyone that needs the shuttles to Reno or San Francisco airport. The SFO shuttle will leave at 7am SHARP or earlier, if needed. If your plans change, please let us know. We'll double check with you when you check-in.
If you have not yet joined, be sure to join the Tour des Trees Strava page and Facebook page to stay engaged with other riders.
We are currently over $230,000 raised so far for our fundraising for the year. Great job so far! Remember, the fundraising deadline is October 2 but the campaign won't end until October 18. We'll have a few incentives during the week for those that receive donations while we riding, so keep plugging away and share our ride's story!

Friday night in Modesto is our "On Your Own Night" for dinner. There are several restaurants within walking distance of the hotel and Randy Hopp was nice enough to help compile a couple of lists of options.

Guest Meal Information:

If you plan on bringing a friend or family member along to one of our meals, that's great! We just need to know ahead of time which meal they will be attending and if they have any dietary restrictions. Please email Jonathan ASAP if you will be bringing a guest to one of the meals. If you have not pre-paid, payment for those can be taken on site that day via credit card. $25 for breakfast or lunch, $50 for dinner.

Reno Shipping/Parking Info

The host hotel in Reno (the Whitney Peak Hotel) has asked us to collect the names of anyone that will be shipping their bikes to the hotel and anyone that plans on parking their car at the hotel.

If you are planning on shipping your bike or parking at the hotel, please reply to this email and let Jonathan know so he can get you on their list. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

The address for the Whitney Peak Hotel is 255 N. Virginia Street, Reno, NV 89501. Anyone shipping their bikes should make sure to put ATTN: Tour des Trees on the label so that it ends up with our collection.

A Note From Paul W.:

Hello Riders,

Thom, Jonathan and I have just returned from doing a final review of the 2023 Tour des Trees route and logistics. Getting a chance to cycle most of the critical sections of the route has provided me with a better perspective of the challenges of this year's route. I’ll speak to those a bit more further down, but first...

The routes have been finalized and can be found here. If you have already joined the event and are planning on downloading the files to your favorite navigational device, it is safe to do so now.

If you haven’t already joined my RidewithGPS event account, you can do so by following this link. This link will take you to the Event Page I have set up. You will be able to take full advantage of all of the features of RidewithGPS so that you can 1) navigate the route efficiently to ensure you stay on course and 2) print whichever maps and cue sheets you would like.

As a reminder to our Tour veterans and a note to our new riders, the Tour des Trees route is not marked, you will need to be able to navigate it yourself by downloading the files to your bike computer, using the RidewithGPS app, and/or finding a pack so that you can collaboratively navigate.

Ok, a few quick notes about the climbing experience while cycling the route these past few days. As I’ve stated before, this year's event will be remembered for big climbs, long steep winding descents, and spectacular natural beauty.

Day 1 - After you navigate your way through the city and onto Mt. Rose Hwy, you will climb for almost 14 miles and gain over 3,700 ft. It is a long grind to the top and took me a little under 2 hrs at a VAM of 600 to complete. Settle in, pace yourself, and remember it is Day 1 and there is lots climbing ahead in the days to come.
Day 2 - You will encounter the first climb of the day, Luther Pass, shortly after leaving South Lake Tahoe. It is a little over 4 miles and gains over 1300 feet, it is a proper warm up for the big climb ahead. It took me close to 38 mins, with a VAM of 637, to complete. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to cycle up and over Ebbetts Pass due to road construction, but it will most certainly be a memorable climb, at 13 miles and over 3,000 feet of climbing. Since the steepest pitches are near the top it will most certainly be a climb where pacing is critical.
Day 3 - Climbing a “mere” 3400 feet of climbing will actually feel like a respite from the previous two days. And after getting the chance to ride most of the course this year I can attest that you should take this day to be recovery from the previous two days and ready yourself for the two days ahead.
Day 4 - The course starts out flat through the orchards between Modesto and Patterson, but then gently begins to ascend to lunch. It starts with a easy ascent through Del Puerto Canyon to our first Aid Station (16 miles & 900 feet of climbing) before picking up from there to lunch at the Junction. Those next 8 miles gain over 1200 feet with a final push up the “wall”, which ascends 764 feet in only 1.5 miles. This final push took me 17:42 at a VAM of 764. But the real climbing of the day is reserved for our ascent up Mt. Hamilton. While it starts out gentle enough the final push is very difficult! The back side of Mt. Hamilton climbs 1900 feet in 4.29 miles and the grade never relents, it took me 53 minutes which equates to a VAM of 656.
Day 5 - Although there is a significant climb on today's stage, it is considerably less taxing than yesterday's steep efforts. The climb up CA-9, from Saratoga to Skyline Blvd, ascends a bit over 2000 feet in 6.7 miles. It took me, with weary legs, 58 mins at a VAM of 622.

Additional Key Notes:

The weather we experienced was "chamber of commerce" perfect. The mornings started out cool but quickly warmed up, the sun was bright and strong each day.
I started out with arm warmers and a vest most mornings but quickly shed both as the early climbing began.
I put both back on when descending the big climbs the first couple of days due to high elevation.
Speaking of the sun, it can feel a bit more intense in the dry air of NV & CA, since there is less moisture to absorb the radiation, so making sure to generously apply sunscreen will be very important.
There is guest laundry in Modesto at the end of Day 3. It takes coins, but can also be operated by downloading an app at the hotel.

I look forward to seeing everyone in Reno next week!

Paul Wood- Tour Director

Black Bear Adventures bicycle tours

pwoodbba@gmail.com