Tour de Palm Springs 2015

I finished the 17th Annual Tour de Palm Springs yesterday. It was a great ride. The sky was clear blue, warm and there was, blessedly, little wind. While it is an easy century, with very few hills, the wind can be a big challenge. This ride had around 7,000 riders as always. It is the one century ride that you don’t need the ride cue sheet because there is always someone in front of you and someone behind the entire way. You just follow the cyclists in front you. This is a great century ride to start the year. I think that is why so many people come out for this ride, it is relatively easy as most century rides in Southern California go, and of course, at the end of it, you’re in Palm Springs. This year I was able to stay at the Courtyard Marriott on E Tahquitz Canyon Way, just one mile from the start of the ride. I stayed in a Holiday Inn Express last year in Cathedral City, nine miles away, and I had to load up the bicycle and drive to the ride, find parking and then still ride down to the start. This year I simply rode down to the start this year, which was so much easier. The key was booking early. Since the ride was on Valentine’s Day weekend, the rooms in Palm Springs were going fast in December when I booked my room. The Hyatt was already sold out. The Hyatt is within sight of the start line of the ride. And since the ride was on Valentine’s Day, I brought my wife along. She does not ride, so after the ride I took her out to Johnny Costas for dinner and to Sherman's Delicatessen for brunch.
Dawn in downtown Palm Springs

An Early Start

The start of the ride was at 6:30, just at dawn. The sun was already showing on the top of San Jacinto Peak, the 10,000-foot mountain that shoots up to the sky right next to Palm Springs. It was a good landmark throughout the ride to see how far I had to go to get back to the start line. It was already 60 degrees at the start, so I had no need for anything extra to wear beyond arm warmers. I did not need extra gear, like jackets, that I would have to carry around during the ride. There was a staggered start this year, groups of a hundred or so would be allowed to surge through, then a pause for a few minutes then another group would be released. According to the organizers, this was to prevent having a horde trying to navigate the turns. One thing that I have learned in group rides of this size is to hold your line in a turn. Don’t drift out, no matter how fast you go. This rule, along with a general awareness of other riders is important. I had more close calls with other cyclists than with any car or truck that day.

Getting Past the Wind Farm before the Wind Knows We're Here

We rode into the San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm, just outside of Palm Springs, past the huge wind turbines, which year after year is very windy. In 2013, cyclists were blown off of the road and sand was blowing across the road. It is the one element that many cyclists who have done this ride talk about.This year the wind was light, only about 10 to 15 mph. Last year, it was 20 to 25 mph. One part of the route is hit by a crosswind and then a headwind for a few miles and then a crosswind again. After that, we move past the opening to the Coachella Valley, where the wind whips through and then the wind was not really a factor for a while. While the Strava statistics say that the elevation gain was over 3,400 feet for the course, it is a very gentle 3,400 feet. Most of the climbing comes in the first thirty miles, mostly from two Category 4 climbs, neither of which are very steep, just a little long. After that is was onto Dillon Road, a long stretch of 17+ miles, with mostly, has long  and not very steep rollers, each about a half-mile to a mile long. I would roll up at 15 mph and then roll down at 25 to 30 mph. I knew that the second rest stop was at the end of this stretch, and I was eager to get there and get some cool water and ice. It was getting warm and with the dry desert air, I was not sweating much but was thirsty, despite drinking water the whole way. I set my bike computer to alert me to take a drink every 15 minutes. I filled both of my water bottles with ice and water and dumped in my Skratch Labs powder. It was 10:30 in the morning. It seemed like 85 to 90 degrees already, but I didn't look it up on my bike computer, the number would have been in my head for the rest of the day. Pedaling was cooler than stopping. Stopping and standing still at a traffic light, you felt the heat. When I passed through any shade, the temperature was not bad, but out in the sun, you could feel it.

The Flat Part of a Flat Century

The next 50 miles, the terrain was flat. Except for the occasional overpass and small hill, the route was level and the light wind became more of a factor than the grades. Compared to last year, I was stronger during the first half of the ride and this year I faded slightly in the second half. I think a big factor was the wind. Last year, on Dillon Road, there was a tailwind. This year, on Dillon, there was a slight headwind coming up from the Salton Sea area and in Thermal, near the Thermal Airport. The heat and the slight headwind was a little discouraging. When I passed the intersection where La Vonne Koester was killed in last year’s ride, there was a ghost bike installed at the intersection of Avenue 60 and Harrison Street. A number of cyclists had stopped there as well. I remember seeing the EMTs working on her last year when I passed by.The ride organizers brought in more police, at intersections and on patrol. And there was a CHP at this intersection, unlike like year.
Passing through La Quinta and Rancho Mirage,  I saw golf course after golf course, beautiful homes and perfectly manicured grass along the side of the road. It is a gorgeous area and I could come back with or without cycling. The cities are small, the traffic was not that bad, there was plenty of restaurants and shopping. And nice hotels scattered about. I kept an eye on San Jacinto Peak as it slowly loomed larger and larger as I pedaled closer to downtown Palm Springs. Overall, I enjoy this ride and I will be back next year. The pluses; lots of riders, century rides with a couple of hundred riders can be fill empty, easy course, with very mild hills, bands at every rest stop, a nice touch, it’s a good start to the year, and it’s in Palm Springs, nice hotels, great restaurants, it’s a can’t miss location. The downside, lots of riders, you have to stay aware of riders around you for hours.

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