United StatesCalifornia Death Ride, Markleeville
Death Ride, Markleeville Bike Climb - PJAMM Cycling

123.9 mi
DISTANCE
16,133 ft
GAINED
0 %
AVG. GRADE
2.1 FIETS
FULL CLIMB STATS

INTRO

The Death Ride is a very well supported and challenging ride in the Northern Sierra Nevada Mountains approximately 30 miles southeast of South Lake Tahoe. Length: 123.8 miles Elevation Gain: 15,740' This is not a race and riders/climbers may climb as many or as few passes as they wish. The event is grueling, but the support exceptional and with 3,500 riders spread out over the course (many leaving before dawn), you are always around or near someone during the ride. The slideshow above, and links below, include the Climb Page for each of the 5 Death Ride climbs - we have provided detail for each of the 5 climbs and also charted courses for 10 variations of the ride on our Death Ride Climb Page also accessed above and linked below. The 10 routes give you the option of 2, 3, 4 or The Whole Shebang, together with the detail and statistics for each segment. Select "Routes in Area" from the climb card above or button below to see the routes for all 5 climbs on one map.

See more details and tools regarding this climb's grade via our interactive Profile Tool.
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ROUTE MAP
PROFILE TOOL

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CLIMB SUMMARY

 

PJAMM 2015 - Carson Pass - 5 for 5 - YEAH!

The Death Ride is an extremely challenging yet fun event.  It is extremely well organized and in our 3 times participating have never had any form of bad experience - it’s all good . . . well, except for 127 miles and 15,000’ of climbing in one day - OUCH!

HERE ARE YOUR OPTIONS

Climb

Distance

Elevation Gain

Average Grade

FIETS INDEX

Summit Elevation

Monitor West

8.2

2,636

6.2%

6.36

8,330

Monitor East

9.5

3,227

6.7%

7.91

8,330

Ebbetts East

11.4

2,954

5.2%

6.02

8,750

Ebbetts West

5.2

1,678

6.0%

4.78

8,750

Carson

14.7

2,980

3.7%

4.94

8,545

Routes

2 Passes - Ebbetts East and West

51.5

               6,110'

2 Passes - Monitor West Ebetts East

57.5

              7,078’

2 Passes - Monitor West and East

50.3

              7,176'

3 Passes - Monitor West, Ebbetts East/West

67.7

              8,789'

3 Passes - Monitor East/West, Ebbetts East

76

            10,284'

3 Passes - Monitor West, Ebbets East, Carson

95.3

            10,828'

4 Passes Monitor West/East, Ebbetts East/West

86.3

             11,988'

4 Passes: Monitor West, Ebbetts East/West, Carson

105

            12,555'

4 Passes: Monitor West/East, Ebbetts East, Carson

114

            14,055'

5 Passes: Monitor West/East, Ebbetts East/West, Carson

124

            15,740'

2020 Official Course Map

START

The ride begins at Turtle Rock - early!

Nice pancake and egg breakfast.

Bring your lights and a windvest/jacket.

MONITOR WEST

This will be the easiest of the day because it is first and fairly mild and consistent 6% average grade.

Start

Monitor Pass

MONITOR PASS EAST

This is the hardest climb of them all and a Top 100 US bike climb.  It is a grueling 9.5 miles at 6.7% average grade.  You will be ascending in the early morning so the temperatures, which can be stifling in the afternoon in the summer, will be mild and manageable.

 

Bottom of Monitor East - Start of Climb #2.

Monitor Pass . . . again . . .

EBBETTS PASS EAST

It’s starting to hurt now.  This is the longest climb and while only 5.2% has some steep segments to it (e.g. ½ mile at 9.9%).

The steepest segment (¼ mile at 10.9%)

Ebbetts Pass

EBBETTS PASS WEST

The fourth leg of the Death Ride is blessedly short at 5.2 miles (6% average grade).

Bottom of Ebbetts Pass West

 

CARSON PASS

First, there is the 10 mile grinder from the bottom of Ebbetts Pass East, past Markleeville, past Turtle Rock to the Woodfords Rest Stop (our favorite - although they are truly all great).  Then the brutal grinder begins.  Carson Pass is the longest (14.7 miles) and least scenic of the 5 Death Ride climbs, although it is only 3.7%.  However, that 3.7% seems more like 7 to 8 because of fatigue and the wind.  This is also the only climb of the 5 that has highway traffic on it (Monitor and Ebbetts are actually closed to vehicular traffic during the Death Ride which is a very nice feature).

Ice cream at the top!