Death Ride 2026 -- The Legendary Tour of the California Alps. 103 miles and 14,000 ft of climbing

103 miles. 6 steep & brutal mountain passes. 14,000 feet of climbing. The Death Ride, tour of the California Alps is a legendary cycling event, the toughest and most iconic century ride in the Sierra-Nevada. This is the 45th anniversary since its opening in 1981 with only two years canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the Tamarack Fire in 2021 and we were here too. ... So, why is hanging out at the rest stops a bad idea? It’s about the weather. The heat was intense in the early afternoon. After 3:30 PM, the wind changes direction and picks up speed as the temperature started to drop. As the temperature dropped sharply, and that tailwind turned into a fierce headwind. I hate descending into a headwind—it makes the bike feel unstable.