11JUL
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Death Ride - Tour of the California Alps 2026
Death Ride - Tour of the California Alps 2026 is an iconic high-altitude road challenge on 11 July from Turtle Rock Park in Markleeville, California, covering about 103 miles (166 km) and over 14,000 feet (4,267 m) of climbing across six hors-categorie ascents of Monitor Pass, Ebbetts Pass and Pacific Grade on mostly closed roads.
Markleeville, California, United StatesOpen
- Dates
- Sat, Jul 11, 2026
- Type
- Road
- Routes
- 166 km
- elevation range
- 4,267–4,267 m
Requirements
[ 00 ]
The course
Track, profile and categorized climbs at a glance. The map and altimetry come from the real GPX track; tap a numbered climb for its detail.
Official profile
Official distance and elevation with a alpine profile. We estimate your times from those numbers.
Estimate by level
Without a GPX we still estimate your time from the official distance, elevation and terrain profile. We will refine it once the track is processed.
Map, point-to-point profile and categorized climbs will appear here once we process the GPX track for this route.
[ 01 ]
Can I do this?
How long you would be in the saddle at your level. Not one single time — the one that matches you.
Your level
A Intermediate rider (3.0 W/kg W/kg) would cross Death Ride (six climbs) in
8h30
regular group rides · 72 kg reference · no drafting · variable pacing
See all four levels
Beginnerfirst long rides
2.5 W/kg
10h01
Intermediateregular group rides
3.0 W/kg
8h30
Advancedstructured training
3.5 W/kg
7h26
Eliteamateur racer
4.0 W/kg
6h39
72 kg referencesurface-based bike and tiresno draftingvariable pacing
Calculate your exact timeEnter your FTP and weight in the simulator to see your time on every route.
[ 03 ]
Do I have time to get ready?
What each route demands versus the time left to the start.
17days to the start. Death Ride (six climbs) asks for ~16 weeks: for this edition you are fine-tuning, not building.
Compare what each route demands
Death Ride (six climbs)16 weeksExtreme
Make it your goalDeath Ride (six climbs) asks for ~16 weeks of specific preparation. Start your plan with margin and arrive ready.
Get ready for Death Ride (six climbs)[ 04 ]
What do I need to know?
Ridium's training read and the caveats before you trust the times.
Training read · Ridium AIThis 165.8 km alpine sportive packs about 4,267 m of climbing into six hors-categorie passes (Monitor, Ebbetts and Pacific Grade), topping out near 2,661 m. It is an extreme endurance day on closed roads rather than a timed race, so the demand is sustained high-altitude climbing paired with long aerobic durability and confident big-mountain descending.
- Climbing
With roughly 4,267 m of gain across six passes and gradients reaching about 12.5%, build deep climbing volume: stack repeated long sustained efforts and back-to-back climb days so the legs hold up through Monitor, Ebbetts and Pacific Grade. If you have around 16 weeks to prepare, progress climbing duration gradually rather than chasing single hard sessions.
- Altitude
Because the route tops out near 2,661 m, expect reduced power and faster breathing on the higher passes. If you can, ride at moderate elevation beforehand and plan to pace climbs conservatively at the top, since effort that feels easy at sea level can spike heart rate and fatigue at altitude.
- Endurance
This is an extreme-endurance, multi-hour day at 165.8 km, so anchor preparation in long aerobic rides that approach event duration. Practising steady fueling and pacing across these long rides helps you reach the final climbs with enough left to keep moving.
- Technical
The passes pair long climbs with extended alpine descents, so rehearse confident, controlled downhill riding and braking. Treat the descents off Monitor and Ebbetts as recovery and refuel windows rather than chances to chase time, and stay alert to other riders on the closed-road course.
Caveats
- No completed GPX analysis was available for this route at generation time.
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