Hollywood SR-2 Bolt On Spare Tire Rack
* now available at your favorite Hollywood Racks Dealer *
Features:
• Installs directly on spare tire’s mounting bolts.
• Fits both centered and sidemounted tires.
• Includes universal mounting plate and extension
bracket to fit most lug patterns and tire widths.
• Includes locking knob to secure rack to the spare
tire.
• Support arms fold when not in use.
Whenever the calendar works it’s way around to autumn, I always think of the Knoxville Double Century and in fact I’ve ridden this double eight times now; I do consider it my favorite of all the California Doubles I’ve ridden. Total mileage this year was 202 miles with 12,800 feet of climbing, so not a really tough one, nor is it really super-easy either. Not that any double is super-easy, I guess, but Knoxville falls nicely in the middle of the difficulty ratings. This double is named after the famous (locally anyway) Knoxville Grade, one of the most challenging climbs of the ride, and is in no way related or referenced to the more famous (nationally) Knoxville in Tennessee.
This year the adventure really started the day before, as I car-pooled up to Vacaville with Chris Hedberg, who would be working the ride. I had met Chris on several double centuries in the past, but never really gotten to know her. First time was probably when I loaned her a jacket for the last stage of the Solvang Autumn Double, next time most likely on Tour of Two Forests, when she was working the final checkpoint on Sanfrancisquito Canyon Road, after that . . . too many times to mention or even remember. So many times though, that whenever I’d see her, I’d say, “How is my favorite checkpoint worker?” Which became kind of a joke, since the only time we’d see each other was when she was working a double that I was riding. On the Grand Tour Double, back in June, she had been working the lunch checkpoint with my wife, Jackie, and at that time asked if it would be okay if she and I car-pooled up to Vacaville together. Jackie was okay with it, so it was done!
It’s about a seven-hour drive from SoCal up to Vacaville, which is inland several miles from San Francisco. We basically talked the whole way up, sharing the stories of our lives, so that by the time we’d reached Pena Adobe park, just outside Vacaville and the headquarters for the double. . . we knew each other fairly well! Once there we hooked up with my friend David Slaton (with whom I’ve ridden many doubles), plus saw Terri Boykins (I’ve ridden several doubles with her too!). Also at the park were the usual lot of Quacks (the Quackcyclists are the ones who put on this double) including the Head Quack (who has to be in the running for one of the nicest guys on the planet), Scott Halverson.
David, Terri and I picked up our registration from helpful Quack volunteers, including the route sheet, and my number for the event, in this case #26. The Quacks put each rider’s name just below their number (handy when coming up on someone during the ride), and the rider’s emergency contact info on the back of the number, should something unfortunate befall a rider during the event. Registration done it was checking into the Motel (Quacks provided a room for Chris, David and I roomed together at Motel 6) followed by a wonderful Italian dinner at Pietro’s in Vacaville, with Chris and David.
Quite fortunately I was able to get an excellent night’s sleep (sometimes not so easy before a double), and we awoke at 3:00AM in hopes of getting on course by 4:00AM. For whatever series of reasons, that didn’t quite happen, yet we found ourselves setting off in (pretty much) absolute darkness at 4:10AM, along with another rider (I’ve forgotten his name) who was on a vintage steel Bianchi. Right out of the gate we felt some raindrops, but that only lasted for maybe a mile, and nothing to worry about, since the skies stayed dry for the rest of the ride. David referred to our new companion as the “Steel riding man,” which I noted should be sung to the tune of the Rolling Stones “Street Fighting Man.” Funny (odd) things happen on doubles! Also, in terms of bicycle variation, David was riding a titanium Merlin equipped with Shimano, our Bianchi friend was on a steel bike equipped with Campagnolo, whereas I was on a carbon bike (Guru) fitted with SRAM Red. Odd how that worked out! Bike spec aside, and back to our story: After a bit of riding around some well-lit communities in the suburbs of Vacaville, following the “KX” signs painted on the pavement by the Quacks, we began our first climb, this one up Mount George.
Well beyond the streetlights now, we were on our own with bicycle lights, but that’s not such a bad thing anymore, since bicycle lights have come a long way (brightness and longevity wise) in the past several years. Plus, Mount George is not a really steep climb (3 and 4% mostly), so overall a good way to start a climbing day that would end with 12,800 feet of elevation gain. Our steel riding man stayed with us for most of the climb, and we only dropped him on the last bit, three or four miles to the summit, which do get considerably steeper than the lower slopes of Mount George. Over the summit then, it’s a twisty-turnery decent into the beautiful grape growing landscape of Napa Valley, CA. Lovely views along here are accented by the sight of several hot-are balloons lifting off, giving the whole of the cyclist’s view a rather picture-postcard-like look, but in a good way, of course! Blue sky (by this time), miles and miles of green grapes, accented by multi-colored balloons; quite nice actually. After several miles of relatively flat cycling we came across the first checkpoint of the day, at the Napa River Ecological Reserve, and mile 36.5. Seems we were a tad faster than we should have been; the workers were still finishing off the fine points of checkpoint readiness, but no worries, really, as it was mostly done. The Quacks had thoughtfully provided “Drop Bags” so we could have our lights, jackets, and whatever else we wouldn’t need until this evening, transferred up the course to either checkpoint 5 or checkpoint 6. I opted for checkpoint 5, placing my jacket, headlight, battery and rear flasher in a bag, then using the Quack’s marker to add my name and number 26. I remember thinking, “Wow, I will ride 130 miles before I see that bag again!
Back on the bike then, rolling along roads I was familiar with from previous Knoxville Doubles, yet this year we were to pass by our usual exit to climb Howell Mountain. It seems that this road (never in very good repair anyway) was now said to feature a “crater” making it impassible, even by bike. This sad state of affairs really worked out in our favor as the Quacks routed us up a (mostly) parallel road known as Deer Park road. We had been warned that there would be more traffic on Deer Park, and there was, but no problem! The surface was wonderful, there was a wide enough shoulder to act as a bike lane, and the climb (while 2 miles longer) was not nearly as steep as the road used previously. So, a wonderful climb, really! We caught up to and passed our steel riding man (who had spent less time at the checkpoint!) then passed John Long (who also rides with OCRR), eventually passing my friend Ron Ng who caught me passing him on his helmet cam, a video he later posted on facebook. What a (digital) world we live in! That said, I told Ron he had turned into a “Mountain Goat,” as indeed, his climbing had improved dramatically since the Bass Lake Double last year.
Eventually the Howell Mountain climb intersected with the road used on previous years, but by that time we had almost hit the summit, and a few miles later started the plummet which the route sheet advised as an “Extremely Wicked Descent.” That’s in italic with a bright red background on the route sheet, so you can’t miss the warning. I’ve always found the bark worse than the bite, however, and while there are two steep decreasing radius turns, overall it’s not bad, and kind of fun to me, as a bit of a descending enthusiast. From the conclusion of this plummet it’s mostly flat for a few miles, then some easy climbs and descents until you start the descent to the Lake Barryessa checkpoint. We were riding a pace-line along here, maybe five or six riders, when Ron (in the lead) rode us right over a bit of road-kill (either a coyote or fox cub), which caused a lot of bouncing and swerving as other riders advised Ron (in a less-than-polite tone of voice) “Watch where you’re going!” Yet, fortunately, no harm done (except to the cub, of course) as we descended without further incident into Checkpoint 2, on the shores of Lake Berryessa, and mile 72.0.
This is a really beautiful setting for a Checkpoint, and David and I probably spent twenty minutes here, sampling the food, talking to friends, and otherwise dawdling about and procrastinating getting back on the bikes . . . knowing what was to come next. Still, as David says, he’s not a sprinter, a climber nor racer, yet he really excels at hanging out at the checkpoints! That’s his real gift as a cyclist, you see. He’s even been known to fall asleep sitting in one of the (very comfortable!) checkpoint chairs. All that aside, fueled up, water bottles topped off, we were finally back on the bikes and headed up the Dreaded Knoxville Grade. Without putting too fine a point on it, this is a Quite Brutal Climb. And, it goes on (more of less) for thirty miles. The road condition goes from terrible to awful, to not that bad and back to terrible again as the climb goes on. The worst part, though, begins about mile 85 as the road tilts ever-more upward, eventually reaching 14% for a couple of miles, then “flattening out” to a mere 10% for a mile or two before ramping up to 17% at it’s most “inspirational.” Not fun, plus it was getting hot along here, about 96 deg.F according to my Garmin. Fortunately, I had my bike set up with a mountain bike rear derailluer (SRAM XX for you techies out there) and an 11-32t cassette. So, while others were trudging up the climb I was (relatively speaking) spinning up. After several miles of this torture, riders reach the tunnel and it’s 50 feet or so of cooling shade. It’s still climbing, but at least it’s a bit cooler climbing. After tunnel, there’s a slight let-up in the grade, but it continues to be a bit of a slog (to put it politely) up a couple more long hot climbs before the much relieved cyclist finds his or her way to the Mini-Stop. Note: This is not a Full Service Checkpoint, but it is at the summit of the Knoxville Grade, at mile 93.8. And a welcome site it is!
I found Chris (my favorite checkpoint worker!) working this site, and as I settled into a way-too-comfortable chair, she handed me cold Pepsi. Wonderful, yes it was, and it was followed by a V8 and a Sprite in an attempt to get my hydration level somewhat near normal. The worrying thing, though, was that David had yet to appear. Overall, I’m guessing he was between fifteen and twenty minutes behind me to this stop, yet we had started the climb together. And yes, it is a Brutal Climb, but still, that’s along time to wait. When he got there he admitted he wasn’t feeling well. Not sick, but just not having his usual energy when doing the climb. We both sat there for another twenty minutes, as Chris brought David a succession of drinks, before taking off for lunch (“Only 1,000 feet of climbing till lunch!” one volunteer advised us).
Back on the bike, David was feeling better, so I was a bit more optimistic about his condition as we pedaled the remaining miles to lunch, at Lower Lake County Park and mile 108.9. I arrived at Lunch a few minutes ahead of David but few enough that I thought his recovery was coming along well.
At lunch, I learned it was not quite as I had hoped. After the wonderful Quack Ladies had made custom sandwiches (or burritos, your choice!) and we had consumed same (along with a Mountain Dew and a Pepsi in my case) David was definitely not ready to get back on the road. Eventually (I learned later) he spent about two hours at the Lunch stop, having his legs massaged (another fine service provided by the Quacks!) and resting a bit. David advised me to go on, so I did, riding off into the heat and eventually catching my friends Lisa and Tony Johnson, from Northern CA. The road out of lunch had a bit of motor traffic on it, at least until we made the left turn onto Siegler Canyon Road (mile 110.6) and began what would be the most difficult climb of the day. Several miles on we came across a couple of women who were friends of Lisa and Tony, unfortunately stopped by a broken spoke on a back wheel. I continued on up the climb and I later heard that the Quacks had loaned the unfortunate (broken spoke) cyclist a new wheel, and she had continued on and finished the double. Good job Quacks!
The route was Siegler Canyon to a right turn onto Loch Lomand Road and there the climbing began in earnest. There was a wee bit of shade; thankfully, yet the heat seemed to penetrate even the shade as the climb got progressively more steep. Sweat was rolling off my helmet, arms and legs, as I geared down (lovin’ that 32t on the back!) struggling up consistent 15% grades, topping out right at 18% and having the audacity to stay there for what felt like several miles. I rode with Chuck Bramwell (Executive Director of the California Triple Crown, the infrastructure that supports the Double Century Community) for awhile, eventually dropping him as we climbed up toward the summit. A very slow process, replete with much suffering (but in a good way!), sweating still, punctuated by the occasional muttered curse. I came across a young lady who had resorted to walking up the climb (this was the 15% section) and really, she wasn’t going that much slower than I was . . . and I was still on the bike! Looking on the bright side, I was feeling okay, no cramping, drinking lots to stay hydrated, and it was actually getting noticeably cooler as I gained altitude. Maybe the shade was a bit denser as well, with the road now canopied by the leaves of many trees.
The summit, then, was really a bit of a false summit since there were may small climbs to follow, but still, nothing like the worst of it, and much cooler now at altitude, lots of shade and even a cool breeze blowing through the trees. It was early afternoon through here, probably about 2:00 PM, so about ten hours of cycling gone, but still . . . feeling pretty good, no back pain (a constant fear for me), getting my sense of humor back, really feeling pretty good after that Loch Lomand climb. Which, I knew, with Mt. George, Howell, Knoxville and now Loch Lomand behind me, I was heading into the “easy” part of the double. A wonderful descent follows this climb, very fast with a half-decent road surface, yet Cal-Trans was doing some work on this section and had “diamond cut” some areas before and after bridge crossings, in anticipation of doing some much needed repaving. Unfortunately, and really quite stupid on my part, I hammered down these cut-up sections with no reduction of speed (maybe 35 – 40 mph along here) which eventually led to my down-tube water bottle launching out of it’s cage into the vastness of the surrounding forest. Even less fortunate (for me) water bottles roll quite well when they eventually intersect with Planet Earth, so my chances of recovering said bottle (a fairly new Polar one at that) fell somewhere between “Slim to None.”
One Bottle Gone, We Must Still Carry On . . .
Especially not good since I wasn’t wearing a Camelback (on advice from my chiropractor, see earlier reference to my bad back) leaving me one bottle for the balance of the ride, on a still very warm day. Not a good turn of events, thought I, but still probably not tragic since there was a Checkpoint coming up and surely (I hoped) they would have a spare bottle or two . . . or not? I remember thinking of the World War II flight-song “One Motor Gone (Coming Home on a Wing and a Prayer)” along here! No choice but to carry on, really, and fortunately the afore-noted Chuck Bramwell caught up to me at about this point, and I was able to ride his wheel into Checkpoint #4, at Detert Reservoir / Pelican Lake at mile 135.9. I hoped to be in and out of this Checkpoint relatively quickly, but it sure didn’t work out that way. First, my requests for a spare bottle just got me a lot of “Sorry, no.” responses. Then the friendly checkpoint worker who volunteered to park my bike for me said, “Do you realize your headset is really loose?” Well, yes, I had noticed that, especially on the bumpy diamond-cut bits, but since the loss of my bottle, the headset issue hadn’t really come back up on my mental radar. He volunteered to fix it, so I said, “Sure, yes, thanks!” as I went off to graze on the assorted food choices spread about before me.
Sitting in one of the way-too-comfortable chairs, talking with assorted cyclists, drinking lots to (hopefully) make up for that lost bottle, I contemplated my fate. On one hand, it was getting later in the day, so cooler, so maybe I could get by with one bottle. One the other hand, hydration is absolutely critical, as I had (painfully) learned by DNF-ing two doubles due to dehydration. So, overall, I decided “Not Tragic” and I would just have to drink moderately and conserve to make that one bottle last. That decided, one of the SAG vans rolled in, containing my friend Paul DeVoe, who had DNF’d (never did hear why) and who offered me one of his (used, but whatever!) bottles, before the SAG driver pulled out an absolutely new bottle and handed it to me! Once again, the Quacks rock! My life was saved, metaphorically anyway! I filled both my old Polar and my new Specialized bottle, retrieved my bike (with its newly adjusted headset) and noticed my Garmin was missing. A little checking about with various workers, my Garmin was found (they had to remove it adjust the headset) and I was on my way again!
Okay, so that Checkpoint stop took a little too long, but overall, big picture, it was worth the wait. I remembered this next stage as a relatively flat road (one big and two small climbs), so rolling along well in the mid to late afternoon, tying to keep a good pace so that I’d definitely make it the next Checkpoint before nightfall. I was riding pretty much by myself here, but feeling good and really, no worries. One rider passed me, pulled out a bit of a lead, then I gained on him, but just after I passed him I dropped my chain . . And couldn’t coax it back on without stopping. So, he rode away and this time I wasn’t able to close up on him. Not that I was too bothered, since by this time I had started the final long (three mile) descent into the Lake Hennessey Checkpoint at mile 161.5. A lovely setting for this checkpoint too (okay, I’m a sucker for lakeside settings!), plus this was the checkpoint for chili-dogs and Cup-O-Noodles, neither of which I was particularly in the mood for. I saw Lisa and Tony again here, both of them settled into the way-too-comfortable chairs, supping on Cups-O-Noodles, yet I was really not wanting to join them there . . . thinking “Beware the Chair” as David had taught me long ago. I just grabbed a couple of Fig Newtons, filled my Polar bottle with Café Latte Perpetuem, plus a dollop of Hammer Gel Espresso, a hand-full of ice, filling the spaces between the ice cubes with cold water. Ready to go I rode off into the sunset . . . then I remembered . . . this was the Light-Drop and I’d totally forgotten up find my bag, re-fit my lights and collect my jacket!
Feeling a bit stupid, but whatever, I found my bag, stuffed the jacket into the center back pocket of my jersey, re-fitted the light to my handlebar and the battery to my top tube, nothing else in the bag, throw in trash, head out again . . . with everything on board this time! Once again it was time to climb, but it was getting on toward evening now and the temperature had come down from downright hot to mostly quite comfortable. I was happy that I was still climbing well, totally in control on the descents, and no problems to deal with. All was good. I caught up to Chuck Bramwell and his riding partner. I passed them and rode up to another group of cyclists (one man, three women). I passed them and eventually caught up to John Claire (he of 150 double centuries done); passed him and he hooked onto my wheel. No problem, glad to give John a bit of a pull! Unfortunately it was too good to last. A few miles later Chuck and his friend caught onto the back of John’s wheel, and I was pulling a paceline of four riders! Several more miles on, Chuck rode to the front, saying, “Rick, I’ll give you a break and pull for awhile.” I was thinking that was a good thing, except . . .when Chuck started pulling I was too used up to catch on to the last wheel. I gave it a burst of speed (or what passed for a burst of speed at that point), but I wasn’t able to catch up. Several minutes later the previous group (one man, three women) passed me back as well! Okay, no worries (I reassured myself), just keep going at my own pace, I’ll get there!
All by myself again, but still feeling pretty good, or at least not bad. I stopped at the intersection of Hwy 128 to turn on my rear flasher, then again several miles later to turn on my headlight, eventually catching one of the women who had been dropped from the previous group (Veronica, I learned, from San Francisco area). I rode with her (totally dark by now) conversing a bit, before dropping her on the way to the final Checkpoint, Pardehsa Store and mile 189.1. The only worrying thing at this point was that the indicator light on my battery (for my lights) had gone from green to amber. Wishing I’d read the instructions more carefully, I concluded that this meant it was on its last electrical legs and I was shortly to be plunged into darkness. Definitely not good! What else, I asked myself rhetorically, could go wrong on this ride? Nothing I could do about it though, so I grabbed a Mountain Dew and some cookies and dropped my tired self into yet another way-too-comfortable chair. A few minutes later, Veronica settled into the way-too-comfortable chair next to me. “Sorry about dropping you back there,” I offered. “No problem,” she replied, “We all have to ride at our own speed.” True enough, I thought. Good to hear she didn’t think I was a rude cyclist, anyway! A few minutes later Lisa settled into the chain on the opposite side. “That Porta-Potty is really dark,” she frowned, “It took me awhile to settle in!” I shook my head, not really knowing how to reply. “Easy for you,” I finally said, “At least you don’t have to aim!” She laughed, I laughed. “Yeah, true, huh?” She replied. “I hadn’t though about that.”
Then I told her about my light situation, that I wasn’t sure if it would last the final miles to the finish. I was surprised when Tony replied, “Just stay with us to the finish, Lisa and I both have really good lights.” Which solved my final problem of the day. The finish was only 13 miles away, and only (I was advised) 200 more feet of climbing. I’d always thought it was mostly uphill to the finish from Pardehsa; good to know that I was wrong! A few minutes later a tandem couple rolled in, also friends of Tony and Lisa, so they joined us on the final miles. Tony and Lisa traded off pulls at the front, but both of them were obviously feeling a lot spunkier than I was! I wasn’t feeling bad, of course, yet neither was I feeling quite that good. I settled in behind the tandem and had a pretty painless ride back into the finish. Okay, there were a few times when (it felt like) Lisa sprinted, and I had to dig deep to stay on, but overall, not too bad. Plus, my light (on amber, remember) was fine all the way in. So, if I’d had to ride in alone, it would have been okay.
Rolling into Pena Adobe Park at 9:45PM, I felt as if I’d had a full day of cycling. Lots of riders had already finished and were enjoying the full course meal that Quacks had provided. I went back to David’s SUV (he’d given me a key before the start) and changed clothes before joining Lisa, Tony, and a friend of theirs (I’ve forgotten his name) at dinner. Dinner was baked chicken, tortellini in Alfredo sauce, and a wonderful multi-veggie salad with carrot cake for desert. Not a bad little dinner after riding a couple of hundred miles! After dinner I amused myself by talking with the assembled multitudes of riders and volunteers. I got a phone call from David about this time, telling me he was at the final checkpoint. He suggested that I drive back to Motel 6, take a shower and wait for him to phone me when he finished. That sounded good, but I knew how hard it would be to drive back to the park after a warm shower . . . so I didn’t. I went back to David’s SUV, tilted the passenger seat all the way back, and conked out until David finished, long about midnight. But yes, he did finish! So overall, it was a good day on the bike, even if it was a bit more difficult for him than it was for me.
The next morning after a well-deserved sleep at Motel 6, David and I drove back to Pena Adobe Park for the California Triple Crown breakfast; always held on the Sunday morning following the Knoxville Classic Double Century. This one was particularly fun for me, since I was inducted into the Triple Crown Hall of Fame for having completed 50 California Double Centuries (this Knoxville was number 52). I was inducted as one of twelve for 2011, yet on a higher level, Chuck Bramwell, Richard Hoff and Steve Meichtry were inducted at the 100 doubles level, while John Claire and Charley Griffice have reached the 150 doubles level. At this time, I’m sure not inclined to try for the 100 Doubles level!
Again, a great job by the Quackcyclists on both the Knoxville Classic Double and on the Awards Breakfast on Sunday! Quacks rock! For more Quack information, their website is: http://www.quackcyclists.com/
I don’t remember much about the drive home on Sunday. I slept most of the way, for some reason. I know we stopped for lunch at the Black Bear Diner in Tulare, CA and we stopped for gas in Castaic, but other than that, it’s all kind of fuzzy. The good news is that I made it home from Chris’s house in Pasadena, and I was at work on time (and mostly alert) on Monday morning!
Rick / OCRR
It is here!
The BA-PRO-XL
For those bikes with a huge cockpit, we now have our super long top tube adapter. With 4 inches of added length, the BA-PRO-XL will accomadate a top tube opening of 32.8″ from the front of the headtube stem to the rear of the seat post. See it here:
http://hollywoodracks.com/parts-accessories/bike-adapter.htm
Posted in **BA-PRO
Stay Tuned for several exciting new products from Hollywood Racks! We will be introducing racks in several categories including hitch, spare tire and trunk racks.
Follow the link below to Hollywood Racks in Peru on Facebook.
Posted in General
ANNOUNCEMENT: Michael Hardison is the winner of the March 2011 Hollywood Racks drawing. Congratulation Michael!
The Mt. Tam Double Century – 200 miles
There is a HARD Cut Off time for the DC riders of 10:30PM. Anyone on course at that time will receive a DNF and be asked to be SAG’ed in.The Maiden voyage of the Mt. Tam Double Century was August 7, 2004 and received rave reviews. This is part of the prestigious California Triple Crown Series of Double Centuries. Not sure if you can ride it? There are those of you that know you can ride 200 miles with 15,000 feet of climbing and then there are most of you that question such a challenge. While the Mt. Tam Double is not an easy double century and will challenge even the experienced veteran riders, do not be too intimidated.
The course has 1 cutoff point and 2 “bailout” options where you can decide to shorten your ride distance. Of course this will come at the price of not being credited for completing the Double Century course, but it does give you an excellent opportunity to challenge yourself to your maximum and yet still ride into the finish line under your own power. You may just find that you can dig deep enough to find that “extra reserve” and complete the course. Everyone that sets out to ride a double for the first time questions himself or herself, yet many people finish all the time. You may just find out it is not as difficult as you think. The California Triple Crown series of double centuries are all remarkable achievements. The Mt. Tam Double will qualify as one of the three doubles you need to complete in one calendar year to qualify for your California Triple Crown… http://www.caltriplecrown.com/index.htm . This difficult double has become a Northern California Classic. Climb beautiful canyons and challenging ridges up Mt Tam (birthplace of mountain biking) with stunning views of the Pacific Coast, the San Francisco Bay and all the mountains in between. This ride has lots of fast technical riding and descents to challenge the most experienced riders yet offers bailout options for those that want to give it a try but are not quite sure. Most of the steep climbing is over by mile 130 but there are plenty of rollers to challenge you on your way back to the Finish!
OPTIONS: This course is very challenging but certainly a step below the “most” challenging doubles such as the Devil Mountain Double and the Terrible Two. In fact, it might be the ideal test piece if you are not sure you are ready for the most difficult doubles out there. The Mt Tam Double has 15,000 ft. of climbing but the grades are not consistently that steep. The steepest grades are found at mile 130 on the Coleman Valley climb where grades will be as high as 16%.
Because we run the Mt Tam Double in conjunction with our Marin Century, there are 2 bailout options available if the course just proves too much or you are just having a bad day. Both options allow a rider to finish under your own power and the bailout routes are fully supported.
Option #1
At mile 87 you can turn towards Petaluma and finish the ride on the Metric Century course. Total distance would be 127 Miles.
Option #2
At mile 114 you can turn towards Petaluma and finish the ride on the Century course. Total distance would be 169 Miles.
If you bail out, or are Sagged in, even though you DNF, you must check in at the finish so we know you are no longer on the course.
The Mt Tam Double Century course starts on flat to rolling terrain before you are greeted with your first challenge of the day, a 1.5 mile and 430 foot climb to the Big Rock summit of Lucas Valley. This is followed by a thrilling descent through the redwoods into the ranches and grasslands of West Marin. The route then departs from the other courses as you head for the “sleeping beauty”, Mt Tamalpais. The route winds south and east with a couple small climbs and descents until you reach the town of Fairfax. Fairfax is one end of the famous Bolinas Fairfax Rd., which is the epitome of Marin Road rides. Within sight of town center, the road begins to wind up into the hills of the lake country on the north side of Mt. Tam. The road is narrow and twisting but relatively un-traveled. There is a brief respite at the golf course and then you climb again to the top of Pine Mountain and your 1st Rest Stop at mile 25. This is a popular mountain bike jump off point but you will have to return for that another day. There is NO CHECKPOINT at Pine Mountain Rest Stop. This is the only rest stop on the course without a checkpoint.
The descent down to the lakes is very fast in a series of tight left turns with a decreasing radius. BE CAREFUL, GO SLOW INTO THE TURNS! The entire road twists with lots of technical turns and small fun rollers for 4 miles. You will love this road. All this ends at Alpine Dam. You ride across the dam and climb, and climb and climb. You reach the ridge; turn left off the Bolinas Fairfax Rd onto Ridgecrest and climb some more, and more. Welcome to Mt Tam.
If the Bo Fax Rd. is beautiful (and it is), West Ridgecrest is stunning. You have seen this before. Either in half the car commercials ever made or maybe in a Lance commercial. Yep – this is the place. In the early morning light, you will have a grand sweeping view of the Pacific, the coastal mountains and inland lakes. Coastal oaks, evergreens and redwoods will contrast with the golden grass hillsides and deep blue ocean waters. All this is, of course, assuming it is clear. It can be fog, raining, blowing 50 and you might as well be in Siberia!
West Ridgecrest climbs in a great series of rollers turning into East Ridgecrest that climbs in another set of giant rollers for the remaining 3 miles to East Peak and the top of the mountain. At the very top is a checkpoint and the turnaround. FAILURE TO CHECK IN HERE RESULTS IN A DNF!!!
Be careful on the descent. It is very easy to go too fast and other riders will still be riding up. This is an out and back scenario. The descent has almost 300 feet of climbing in it before turning south to Pan-toll and onto the Panoramic Hwy. All these roads are twisting with sharp technical turns that require extreme caution. If these roads are wet from morning fog, they will be very slippery. PLEASE EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION.
From Panoramic, you drop steeply to Muir Woods and on to your 2nd Rest Stop at Santos Meadows at mile 50 just before reaching Hwy 1.
Several good climbs wait as you turn north on Hwy 1 from Muir Beach and again as the course passes the Bolinas Lagoon toward Olema and Pt. Reyes Station. Our course turns off Hwy 1 at the north end of Pt Reyes Station. The 2007 route will bypass the main section through town on Mesa Road to the far side of town and back to Hwy 1. The route continues traveling the flat creek bed inland to Nicasio Reservoir where you are greeted by a short climb (1.4 miles and 380 foot gain). Over a summit and past the Nicasio Cheese Factory before reaching your 3rd Rest Stop at the Lincoln Valley School at mile 84. From this point on, the Mt. Tam Double joins the same route as the Marin Metric Double.
The ride continues out Hicks Valley Rd. This is remote west Marin at its best. Rolling hills and sparsely traveled roads bring you through ranch country and open space before the route turns west and heads past the Walker Ranch to the infamous “Marshall Wall”. This climb is steep, 700’ high and has a false summit. From the ridge you will be treated to spectacular views back down into the sweeping grassland hills of Marin. Ahead to the west, the world drops away to Tomales Bay, Pt. Reyes National Seashore and the Pacific Ocean. The descent down the west side of the Marshall Wall to Hwy 1 is steep and exhilarating.
THERE IS A STOP SIGN AND SHARP RIGHT TURN AT THE BOTTOM OF THE DESCENT – PLEASE EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION! Sections of Hwy 1 to Tomales have no shoulder and traffic can be an issue. Please ride single file!
The route on Hwy 1 rolls north over a series of rollers along Tomales Bay where you cross Walker Creek and the course turns inland to the small quaint town of Tomales. Here, the course turns west from Hwy. 1 and you ride the remote Franklin School – Valley Ford Rd. up and over one last ridge north to your 4th Rest Stop at Valley Ford at mile 114 and just past the halfway point for the day. The Valley Ford Rest Stop is well stocked to sate your hunger and quench your thirst.
While the century riders are starting to head back south, you are about to taste some of the best hill climbs anywhere. The climb up Bay Hill Rd. is beautiful with grand vistas of the Pacific once you have earned the crest. It is a quick descent (rough road) to Hwy 1 for some very scenic miles of coastline before turning onto Coleman Valley Rd. Coleman Valley Rd. is the last big climb of the double century course. With 130 miles on your legs, the climb is long and steep with false summits and huge views. Be sure to look south from the top. At the edge of the horizon you will see Mt Tam! This is one for the books. Remember to smile! This will forever be one of your favorites!
Relax and hydrate up at the top of the Coleman Valley Loop. This 5th Rest Stop at Coleman Valley is at about mile 130 and is a checkpoint. The stop will be stocked with water, Gatorade and energy supplements (gels, bars, etc). This stop will not have the usual array of fruit and other foods you may be used to but you will find those down the road a few more miles at Valley Ford.
The top of the Coleman Valley Loop undulates with a 400 ft descent in the middle before climbing right back up (gotta love that!). The final descent on Joy Rd is very big and long. Wide shouldered roads take you back to your 6th Rest Stop in Valley Ford (Déjà vu) at mile 143.
The course to Petaluma travels back south on Middle Rd and Fallon – Two Rocks Rd. for several miles before turning south on Chilleno Valley Rd. This road is one of the club favorites. The remote terrain is great for pace lines too. Ride on through relatively flat terrain (ok, it’s really more rollers…) into the outskirts of Petaluma to your 7th Rest Stop in Petaluma at mile 170.
Hydrate and calorie up at this rest stop. After resting your bones on the sunny grass of the park, you will rise to the final challenges of the day. You will exit Petaluma on “I” Street, a back road with a few scenic rollers. This will land you at the foot of “Red Hill” on the Pt. Reyes – Petaluma Rd. This hill can heat up in the afternoon. Be sure to hydrate well in Petaluma and top off both your water bottles (2). You will need them.
You climb up “Red Hill” followed by another slight climb past the Cheese Factory and then a very fast descent to Nicasio Reservoir and Nicasio Valley Rd. This relatively flat stretch will lead you a couple more miles to your 8th and final rest stop in the town of Nicasio at mile 186.
The course finishes by reversing Lucas Valley Rd (it is an easier climb this direction). BE VERY CAREFUL DESCENDING FROM BIG ROCK AT LUCAS VALLEY ROAD. THIS DESCENT HAS SEVERAL SHARP LEFT HAND TURNS WITH A DECREASING RADIUS – GO VERY SLOWLY!! It is almost all downhill from there until you arrive back at the Start/Finish at the VALLECITO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
Safety / Rules of the Road
• This is not a race and there is no winner.
• ANSI/Snell-approved helmets must be worn at all times during the ride.
• All riders must carry a driver’s license or other form of ID.
• All riders are responsible for the safety and condition of your bicycle and its equipment
• Riders must carry a • Spare tube • Patch kit • Pump • Tire levers • Tools • water bottles
• Telephone money • Medical identification • Personal clothing
• All riders must check-in at start.
• Double Century riders must check-in at start, at checkpoints along the course and at the finish for CTC credit.
• All riders must sign the release form before starting the ride.
• All riders under 18 years of age must have the form signed by a parent or guardian and carry the medical release authorizing any needed treatment.
• Please be courteous to local drivers and respectful of traffic.
• Bicyclists must obey all California Vehicle code laws, including all stop signs and signals. Local authorities may cite violators.
• Ride single file and stay right.
• Pace lines
• All pace line leaders should announce “on your left” to all riders being passed.
• Riding in a pace line is inherently dangerous. You assume all liabilities for riding in a pace line.
• Exercise extreme caution near all pace lines.
• Riders impeding other riders shall safely stay as far right as possible or pull off the road if necessary allowing faster riders to pass.
• You must wear your assigned rider bib number on your back so it can be seen from cars behind you. You may not be allowed into Rest Stops without your bib number visible.
• Your bib number is the same color as your course arrows.
• Private sag vehicles are prohibited. Riders with private sags will be disqualified.
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