Monster Climbs XVI Trip Ride Report
19-22 September 2024 Kernville, CA
by Rob Verfurth
Riders: Dave Voris, Mike Hodges, Oleg Shpyrko, John Serences, Neil Rintoul, Larry Murray, John Abcarius, Choon Leong, Bob Proulx, Rob Verfurth, Jeff Cresap, Quoc Vo, John Moran and Tim Hughes
The 16th edition of the Monster Climbs trip was a success. We had 14 riders meet in Kernville for three days of epic rides. The Descenders had based the trip out of Kernville in three previous editions: 2012, 2015 and 2018. We have stayed in both the Kern Lodge and the Kernville Inn in earlier trips. Hodges liked the bed mattresses better at the Kernville Inn so we bunked there for this year’s trip.
Due to recent fires in the local area we had to change the planned Day 3 ride of Breckenridge East and move it to a ride to the Trail of the 100 Giants just north of Kernville. Dave Voris found the route and mapped out a nice Day 3 ride for the trip. Our planned three days of riding looked like this:
Day 1–Shirley Meadows to Woody–78 miles and 11,800 feet of climbing
Day 2–Sherman Pass–40 miles and 5,600 feet of climbing
Day 3–Trail of 100 Giants–37 miles and 3,700 feet of climbing
There were options to add-on miles or turn around early for each day of riding. The three days served up rides totalling about 155 miles and 21,100 feet of elevation gain.
Everyone arrived in Kernville in the afternoon and early evening of Thursday, 19 September. I had driven down from Incline Village, NV and arrived just after Bob P and Tim Hughes made it to town. Bob and I got all the room keys and handed them out to riders as they arrived. Guys headed up to the Kern River Brewery for beers and burgers, a casual place with nice views of the Kern River. After beers on the deck everyone moved inside for burgers. We had a big weekend of riding ahead so everyone went back to the Kernville Inn to make sure bikes and gear were ready for the big day 1 ride.
Bob P and I got up early on Friday morning and drove two cars to the top of Hwy 155 and left his car as our support vehicle. We had both ridden up the nasty almost 8 mile ascent from Wofford Heights in the past. Unfortunately the drive up reinforced how difficult the climb ahead was going to be for us. We got back to the hotel and after a few logistics challenges, the group was ready to ride. We took a few photos in front of the hotel and rolled a bit after 9 am from Kernville. It was a pleasant 5 mile roller ride to Wofford Heights to start the climb. Everyone quickly spread out as the pitches started at 7% and increased to almost 20% in spots along the climb. Traffic was light and I was near the back but kept most guys in view. Neil and Larry were on point and quickly out of sight. Hodges and Quoc were a bit behind me. I tried to keep Bob P and Tim in view, but they slowly moved away through the curves of the difficult ascent. The weather was cool but the sun was out. That changed as we hit the top of the climb.
I turned onto the forest road for the two mile slight climb to the Alta Sierra Ski Resort. Hodges spun by me and quickly went off into the distance. As I climbed, it got cooler. Guys were starting to come back down from the out-n-back ride. Road construction at the top and a fire helicopter landing pad stopped us just short of the ski lifts. I returned back to the top of Highway 155 to find guys huddled inside and around Bob’s car. The temperatures had dropped more, the winds were picking up and the rain started to fall. Hodges and I voiced our desires for a June Monster Climbs trip, we were in the minority. Most guys did not hang around the car long. I quickly grabbed the vest I had put into the car and started the descent towards Glennville and Woody.
We had a small group of riders taking the steep turns cautiously. Voris, Cresap, Neil, Hodges and myself all rolled together for the first few miles down. Others were still leaving the car for the descent. We saw John M already climbing back up within the first mile; shaking his head. The winds, rain and steep pitch were a bit scary. All of a sudden everyone stopped except for me and Mike. We trudged forward, hopeful that as we got lower in elevation the weather would improve. It did, somewhat. Mike and I were almost to Glennville when Oleg sped up to us. The three of us descended the last mile to Glennville. John S was climbing back up from Glennville. He must have been the first to descend and he was now on the long climb back to the car. Bob P told me earlier that John S was going to drive the support car back to the hotel.
As Mike, Oleg and I got to the Saddle Sore Saloon in Glenville, I stopped. I knew every mile west towards Woody was going to be a difficult return ride for me. It was almost 10 miles to Woody and I already knew I had to climb 12 miles back to the support car. I hoped to see more riders coming down the road. Oleg & Mike spun off towards Woody and a few minutes later Larry rolled up. I told him to chase the guys and asked if others were descending. Larry said everyone else turned around. It was dry and sunny in Glennville. I relaxed for a bit and sat in front of the saloon hoping someone else would come. Eventually, I slowly headed back up the long climb. The clouds rolled in and thickened as I climbed up. With about 2 miles to go, it started to rain again but quickly stopped. No wind, no rain and the top was in sight. The best news of the day was that the support car was still parked where Bob left it earlier in the morning. I grabbed a few bags of chips and two cokes from the cooler in the back, then jumped into the front seat to get warm. After a bit I noticed John S about 100 yards up the road towards the ski resort. He pedaled back to the car and said he was getting cell service to track Oleg. They were on the climb back up from Woody. I climbed back up towards the ski resort. It was now early afternoon on Friday, so all the workers were leaving for the day. The helicopter was gone and I rode just past the ski lift to the end of the road. I headed back towards the car to thank John S for driving it back to Kernville. I then descended fast back to Wofford Heights and made my way back to Kernville. I had ridden 60 miles with 8,500 feet of climbing. The Woody boys got 20 miles more and 2,000 additional feet of elevation. Great Day 1 ride.
We had pizza and salads ordered at the Pizza Barn planned for dinner at 6:30 pm. All the riders made it back to the hotel in time for Oleg to break out his beer selection for a nice happy hour on the front porch area before walking to dinner.. He makes great beers and created one special for Tony O’Gorman. It was an Irish-Ukrainian Stout. Oleg toasted Tony and we all remembered what a great guy and tough warrior Tony was, an example for us all. Hodges decided to hang his laundry out on the trees by the porch. He regaled us with his hirsute body wrapped in his shower towel. Fortunately we were drinking great tasting beer so he did not bother us for long. We all eventually strolled over to the Pizza Barn and sat at tables on the outside deck. The pizzas, salads and pitchers of beer went fast. On the way back to the hotel, a number of guys stopped for some ice cream in town. Bed came early and was needed; at least by me.
Day 2 started early again as the body felt the effects of the hard ride from yesterday. We loaded bikes and cars at 8:30 am and drove north from Kernville to McNally’s General Store, about 15 miles up the Kern River from town. This has been our usual starting spot for the Sherman Pass ride. I quickly got ready and pedaled out before any of the other riders as I knew my barking hip was going to have me at the back of the pack on the climb. I spun the five miles along Highway 99 to the turn to Sherman Pass. Pretty quickly on the start of the 15 mile ascent I heard Neil yell behind me. I stopped but he was going so fast I did not get the chance to take his photo. The rest of the boys were coming up so I took the opportunity to take a number of photos as they all passed me. Quoc was still a bit farther back. I continued on the ascent and saw Quoc on a switchback below me, taking his photo as well. The views were beautiful and the pitch was nothing like the climb from the previous day. I spun along making my way towards the top. A few miles before the summit guys were starting to come back towards me. Neil and Larry first, then Oleg & John S. Many others followed as I continued towards the top. All offered encouragement and said I was getting close. As I finally got to the summit parking lot, I saw Dave Voris returning from the Kennedy Meadows direction. He had gone over the top of the summit a few miles. Hodges, John M, John A and Choon were still out, having gone farther than Dave.
Voris headed down after we took a couple of pictures. Awesome views, you can see the backside of Mt Whitney and other Eastern Sierra peaks. I took a quick nature break and started my descent. Voris had stopped for another photo when I passed him. He caught me and then we traded turns carefully descending down the curvy road that had lots of bumps, holes and debris. Voris pulled me fast along the five miles back to McNally’s and the cars. We ate some chips and cokes before continuing on to ride the 15 miles back to Kernville. We had a pretty good headwind that Dave took the entire distance back to town. Love to get towed, even if it is a very short paceline. Thanks Dave for the pull! I had ridden 55 miles with 5,200 feet of climbing. Great Day 2 ride.
Bob P and Tim were lounging by the pool when I rode back to the Kernville Inn. I quickly changed into my suit and took a cold plunge into the nice pool. The sun was out and it was nice and warm in Kernville. The pool was quite refreshing. Oleg had another beer sample Happy Hour before our planned dinner. We finished off most of what he brought. Thanks Oleg for serving up some great beers. We were still missing two riders: John A and his friend, Choon. They had gone over the top of Sherman Pass towards Kennedy Meadows but had not returned to McNally’s or the hotel. There is no cell service in the high passes so we had no way to communicate with them. Bob P led a search party by driving back up towards McNally’s. The rest of us headed towards Ewings for our 6:30 pm dinner.
All turned out ok as Bob saw John A driving back towards Kernville. He and Choon went back to their room to get cleaned up for dinner. They had bonked on top of Sherman Pass and ran out of water. They managed to get some supplies from folks who had driven up and slowly rode back to their car, quite an adventure. We all sat at one long table at Ewings with great views of the Kern River. Everyone enjoyed a nice dinner and a couple of bottles of red wine. It was now time to get some much needed sleep.
Sunday morning was hectic as everyone was up and packing all their gear before the ride. Voris left by 7:30 am to park his car at the top of the climb. His plan was to continue north towards his home after the ride since we all were riding to the Trail of the 100 Giants. The rest of us drove to McNally’s again to start the new Day 3 ride. Quoc and Cresap drove past McNally’s and parked where the climb started. Everyone else rode together for the first 5 miles until the road turned up. I was quickly again at the back, slowly making my way up the 13 mile ascent. There had been fires earlier in the year and lots of damaged forests were in view along the climb. It was still a pretty ride and I made my way to the final intersection before a final two mile push to the trail. John S was just coming back up to the intersection. He said guys were coming and he was on his way back to the cars. I pedaled on and saw all the other riders coming towards me. I made it to Voris’s car and we chatted a bit before I looked briefly at the beautiful Sequoia Giant trees and made my way back to McNally’s. John A and Choon were taking photos as I passed them on the descent. I got back to the start with only 37 miles and 3,500 feet of climbing; a fairly short Day 3 ride. Guys were changing clothes and buying burgers before driving home. I loaded my bike and drove back past Kernville to Bakersfield and fought I-5 traffic back to San Diego.
The Monster Climbs XVI trip was in the books. Everyone had a great time riding awesome roads and mountain passes near Kernville. I managed to get in 152 miles and 18,000 feet of climbing. Others got more but all safely returned home with a happy smile of accomplishment. Congrats to Dave Voris for continuing his perfect record of MC trip attendance. Hodges and I are one behind him, nipping at his heels. Thanks to Voris and Bob P for all the trip planning. There is already talk of having the next Monster Climbs trip at a new location in NorCal. Bob P is investigating the possibility of basing the trip out of Tahoe City, CA with rides around and near Lake Tahoe. More details for MC 2025 in the near future. Thanks to Oleg and others who took photos during the weekend. The link below is full of great shots of every rider.
San Diego Descenders Cycling Club 