| May 17, 2008--Once again, the
weather played a major role in the annual Davis Double Century.
This time, an unusual high pressure system positioned itself over
Northern California, driving temperatures to record highs. On ride
day, temps peaked over 100 degrees (F), prompting the delivery of
thousands of pounds of ice to the latter rest stops and forcing dozens,
perhaps hundreds of riders to sag in from the hottest parts of the
course. It's been hotter on ride day (we recall pulling into a
rest stop on the second half in the early 90s and seeing a thermometer
reading of 114 degrees), but this year's heat spell came suddenly,
giving no time at all to acclimate to warm weather riding. (Note:
Just a few days after the ride, temperatures were unnaturally low--as
we write this seven days after the DC, it's 75 outside--about 25 degrees
cooler than a week ago.)
Once again, the Davis Bike Club provided stellar support to the riders. New idea for this year: ice-filled tube socks, which were handed out at the lunch stop in Lower Lake. These cold, wet socks, worn around the neck, helped many riders make it back to Davis. The 2008 Davis DC marked a personal milestone for Campy Only: our 25th time around the course. We first did Davis in 1983 (our very first double century), missed it in 1984, and have finished every DC since then. Our DC streak is: 1983 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987
| 1988 | 1989 As we have for the past several years, we rode this year's DC on a fixed gear bike (see the photo below). Despite the heat, we felt great, and finished feeling strong. And now, the photos. Email us if you would like a higher res version of any photo or have any additional caption info. For our tips on taking ride photos (assuming you like some of these) click here. Captions coming soon!
More Ride Photos | Last Year's DC | 2006 DC |
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