The Friday pre-ride warmup was along the Lakes Basin Trail.
Twenty-six BCI members with other friends and family traveled to Mammoth Lakes, CA for the Sept 7th Mammoth Gran Fondo 2023. Some arrived earlier in the week in order to acclimate to the 8000’ elevation but the majority drove up from sea level on Thursday. We had a meet-and-greet BBQ dinner poolside at the Mammoth Village Lodge where most of us were staying for the weekend. This was to be the start/finish point for the Gran Fondo event on Saturday.
Friday morning we rode the beautiful Twin Lakes Basin trail for a warm-up acclimation ride. A slight breeze and clear blue sky welcomed us, and we started climbing. The temperature was comfortably in the mid 70’s. In short—a beautiful day in the mountains. We spit into various groups for lunch. Some opted for an afternoon excursion to Devils Postpile. For others it was nighttime stargazing at Minaret Summit.
Race day. Saturday we woke up to rain. Everyone’s weather apps on their phones contradicted each other. One app was certain the rain would stop in a half hour. Another showed no rain at all. With a mass start of 1,500 people (split into three categories), we were caught up in the excitement and decided to brave the elements. Most of us were not dressed for the rain, wind, and 45 degree temperatures.
Sorry to report that only half of our BCI riders finished the ride. The other half of us, fearing hypothermia, decided to head back to the village finish line early. Out of 26 of us, there was only one flat tire. And four people got rescued by cars. At the end when the sun came out and the temperature warmed up in time for the big after-party, we were all smiles and feeling great about ourselves and our decisions to either abort the ride or persevere.
A rainy race day at the start line
and the clouds continued to loom.
Ah, the agony and the defeat!
But we all got medals.
