So that his rookie teammate/coach on Team St. Louis would not to be confused, Rodger Brand, a veteran of five JDRF Rides to Cure Diabetes in Death Valley, brought out a map and showed that the route of the 100-mile ride rolls through the actual Death Valley part of the Death Valley National Park.

“Just in case you were wondering whether we’re going through the worst part,” he quipped.

Just great.

And just in case any of the 275 riders didn’t understand the importance of hydration for the ride Saturday, ride director Chris Kostman, ride medical director Brock Ryan and JDRF national coach Tim St. Clair reminded us at the MANDATORY “Expectations of Your Ride” meeting Friday morning about the importance of proper hydration, beginning NOW because if you wait until Saturday to consume vast quantities of water, well, you’ll be cooked.

And so no one had any excuses, there were a dozen pallets stacked four feet high with cases of water available for the hydration fest.

Fortunately, the weather appears to be on our side. The forecast for Saturday is for temperature in the low to mid-80s, but we’re supposed to expect headwind on the return of the out-and-back ride. Oh, and the last 18 miles will be uphill - from  282 feet below sea level to sea level — before the ride concludes where it begins, at the oasis known as Furnace Creek Ranch.

To give the riders a taste of what’s to come Saturday, the 10-mile “tune-up ride” Friday was a 5-mile uphill trek to Zabriskie Point, which has something to do with some relative of American cyclist David Zabriskie, so it was an appropriate destination with a breathtaking climb … er, view of the actual Death Valley.

The highlight of the tune-up for Team St. Louis was young Turner Rapp riding in Tom Kissinger’s slipstream as they flew down the hill.

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