May 28, 2011
Event #3 in the King of the Mountains Century Challenge

 

General Information and Ride Rules - Please read!

Click here to see results from prior years!

For information on the Heartbreak Double Century, click here

Start/Finish Hotel
Our 2010 start/finish will once again be the Best Rest Inn, located at 51541 N. Peace Valley Road in Frazier Park; (661) 248-2700. Be sure and tell them you're with Planet Ultra to receive our discounted rate of $79.99 per night.

Directions
The Best Rest Inn is located right off I-5 in the Grapevine area. Take the exit for Frazier Park. You can see the hotel, and the adjacent Flying J Truck stop, from the freeway.

Come Prepared
Please be in shape for this event. If you cannot complete a moderately hilly century in 7-8 hours, you'll struggle finishing this ride within the time limit. An "I can do it" attitude is a wonderful plus, but only if you're already conditioned for this type of challenge.

Check-In
Rider check-in will be Friday night from 7pm to 10pm and Saturday morning from 6:30am to 8:30am.

Start Times
Century riders may start between 8:00am and 9:00am after checking out with the timekeeper. This may seem late in the day for some of you, but it's a must-do since this event is being held in conjunction with the Heartbreak Double Century, which starts 50 miles away at 5:30 am on the same morning and heads this direction. You must choose your start time based on your expected finishing time. The finish line opens at 2pm - and not one minute sooner - so plan accordingly. Here are the guidelines:

• 10-12 hours:  Please start between 8am and 8:15am
• 9-10 hours:  Please start between 8:15am and 8:30am
• 8-9 hours:  Please start between 8:30am and 8:45am
• Under 6:  Please start between 8:45am and 9:00am
• 5 hours to 5:15:  Please start at 9:00am

Please note:  If you start too early, you may reach the finish line before it opens at 2pm. If you do, your finish time will be calculated based on a 2pm finish. Under no circumstances will the finish line open before 2pm. If you think that starting early will help you “beat the heat,” forget it… everyone will be on the road in the noontime hours, no matter what. So please folks, let the riders who need the time get a little head start.

Timed Event
This is not a race, but it is a timed event. If you fail to wear your timing chip, or do not pass under the start/finish, you will be listed as DNF in the results.

Time Limit
All century riders must be off the course before dark.

Twilight
Twilight begins 5:12; Twilight ends 20:28. Sunrise is 5:42; Sunset is 19:58.

Ride Description - NOTE: Route sheets will be available as an excel file to registered riders if so requested via email between two weeks and four days before the event. However, we cannot guarantee that the route sheet will be 100% accurate. Though not anticipated, last-minute routing changes may be required.
Leaving the start line, a short quick climb to Tejon Pass gives way to a short descent into Frazier Park. Relish that warm up, for now the climbing begins in earnest. The next 30 miles are mostly uphill, though there are a few nice descents along the way. As you climb toward the summit of Mt. Pinos, take time to look around; the scenery here is truly beautiful, as the high desert gives way to alpine forests and gently sloping mountain meadows. Look to your left at Lake of the Woods and see the road you will be descending later in the afternoon, then look ahead at the road that will take you higher into the mountains.

Deep in the mountains you will reach the private community of Pine Mountain Club, a flat spot on the road, and a checkpoint break at mile 17 before the climb up to Apache Saddle.

After reaching Apache Saddle, prepare yourself for one of the most rewarding descents in all of Southern California. You will roll and then descend for 20 miles along the ridge line that divides the Lockwood Valley on your left from the huge Central Valley on your right. Look around for wildlife as you ride through the Los Padres National Forest and the Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge.

The downhill continues at Highway 166. A left here and another onto Highway 33, and then you will be a few miles from our second checkpoint at "The Place" at mile 54 in downtown Ventucopa.

Leaving "The Place" in Ventucopa you will follow the beautiful Cuyama Valley and Cuyama River to a left turn at Lockwood Valley Road.  As you enter Lockwood Valley you will encounter a gradual climb that just keeps getting steeper. As you reach the infamous Heartbreak Hill in the afternoon sun you will learn whey "Heartbreak Hill" got that name.

Leaving Heartbreak Hill, you will descend and climb your way to Frazier Park and eventually return to the start/finish at the Best Rest Inn in Lebec.  This 100 mile event has just shy of 8,500' of total elevation gain, which is a lot!

Volunteers
We always need volunteers!!! We can only put these events on with the help of loyal, trustworthy, motivated individuals running the checkpoints along the way. To provide a little incentive, we offer one free entry into any Planet Ultra event for each time you volunteer at a Planet Ultra event. It's a simple formula: "work one, ride one free!" So please contact us to let us know when and where you'd like to help. Please note that the intent of the "work one, ride one free" offer is to encourage riders themselves to give something back to the sport they love. However, we also appreciate when riders bring along family and friends who they've recruited to help out, so we're offering a one-half ride credit to the recruiter if the volunteer doesn't want the ride credit. Ride credits must be used within a year of the date of volunteering.