Heartbreak Double Century

Registration is now open on active.com. To save $$ on fees, pay by check using the mail-in form.

Start/Finish Hotel
TBA. We may have to make a change; so please hold off on making reservations. Our prior year hotel was the Holiday Inn Palmdale, 38630 5th St. West in Palmdale (Palmdale Blvd. exit off the 14 freeway). If we go back to the Holiday inn, make your reservation by calling (661) 947-8055 and asking for the Planet Ultra group rate of $??? for a single or double room. The hotel is a huge improvement over our prior host. It's new and clean and the staff is super nice. We have a big conference room for check-in. They have a heated swimming pool, hot tub, work-out room, on-site restaurant open until 10:00pm for dinner, wireless access and coffee maker in your room. Yes, there are surrounding hotels which are less expensive - but most of them are total dives.

Directions
From the South: Go north on Interstate 5 to Hwy 14. Follow the signs to Palmdale. Exit Palmdale Blvd. Make a left.

From the North: Take Interstate 5 to Hwy 138. Take Hwy 138 to Hwy 14 Go south. Follow the signs to Palmdale. Exit Palmdale Blvd. Make a right.

Check-In
Rider check-in will be Friday night from 8 to 9pm and Saturday morning from 4:45 to 5:15am. If you plan to take the early start, please check in Friday night.

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.

Start Time
"Mass" start at 5:15am. Due to the small number of participating riders, there is NO EARLIER START. *If you start before 5:15am you will be listed as DQ in the results.

Time Limit
The time limit for this event is 18 hours. The course closes at for everyone at 11:15pm. No exceptions. Riders who fail to make the time cut-off will be listed as Unofficial Finishers.

Twilight
Twilight begins 5:13; Twilight ends 20:27. Sunrise is 5:42; Sunset is 19:58.

Lights and Gear Drop
You are welcome to drop lights/gear at the start for pick-up at Lebec. Please bring your lights to rider check-in in a bag marked with your name. We do not provide bags. Please pick up your stuff at the checkpoint, as it will not be brought back to the finish until the course closes. The charge for mailing stuff back to you is $25. So pick up your stuff.

We do encourage you to carry your lights yourself. That way if you need them, you're guaranteed to have them. Rest assured that it is a MYTH that an extra pound on your bike will slow you down in any significant way for this type of riding.

If there is any chance that you’ll be out past sunset, you MUST have both a headlight and a taillight attached to your bicycle, and you MUST wear a reflective ankle band on both legs. Please do not under estimate the time you will need to complete this event. Come prepared with a very good light and backup bulbs and batteries, plus at least one non-blinking taillight and lots of reflective gear. We repeat: BRING LIGHTS. We're serious. Read the rules!

Bring a Camelbak!
Planet Ultra events are held in very remote locations and generally have the potential for major extremes in weather conditions, not to mention very challenging routes. This is especially true for Heartbreak, Eastern Sierra, and Tour of Two Forests. Mulholland, while not so remote, is very mountainous, as is the Angeles Crest Century. The only route we offer that's somewhat "easy" and not remote is Solvang.

So, all of that said, and despite the fact we offer rider support that is second to none, we absolutely, positively, strongly and most assuredly encourage every Planet Ultra cyclist to bring, wear, and use a Camelbak. Running out of water on any ride is a bummer at the very least. So, even though we do a great job of "taking care of you" at our events, you have to take care of yourself first and so we believe that every single rider in every single one of our events would be wise to bring a Camelbak with at least 70oz. of water, plus two full, full-size water bottles. Our two cents!

Ride Description - NOTE: Route sheets will be available 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.
The Heartbreak Double Century has about 15,500' of elevation gain. This spectacular course showcases some of the most quiet, beautiful, dramatic, and unknown regions of California. There is essentially no traffic and the route explores an area that most of the participants will never otherwise visit. There is less than one "junk mile" on the entire course. Veteran riders can attest to all of this, while rookies will take away that sentiment after completing this challenging and rewarding cycling adventure.

The early morning air in the high desert can be cold, but as you leave Palmdale and enter the Angeles National Forest, you'll warm up quickly. The first section of the course to Three Points is fast with a few humps and a few good descents. En route you will pass the towns of Lake Hughes and Elizabeth Lake while most are still sleeping.

Leaving checkpoint one at mile 30 in Three Points, you'll climb some more while cutting over to Highway 138 on Pine Canyon Rd and Ridge Route. The wind here generally blows from the west, and it is not uncommon to have a headwind on the way to Gorman and Lebec. Checkpoint two at mile 50 in Lebec is at the Best Rest Inn.

After Gorman, a short quick climb to Tejon Pass gives way to a short descent into Frazier Park. As you make the left turn at the Flying J, think back to the climbing you have already done this morning, then look up the road as the climbing begins in earnest. The next 30 miles are mostly uphill, though there are some very 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 and checkpoint three. As you refill and refuel, contemplate the fact that you have already accumulated about half of the 15,500' of climbing that you'll achieve this day.

After reaching Apache Saddle, prepare yourself for one of the most rewarding stretches of road in all of Southern California. You will primarily descend for 20 miles along the ridgeline 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 checkpoint four at "The Place" at mile 104 in "downtown" Ventucopa. The Place is a great for lunch and ice cream (just walk in and get an ice cream; Planet Ultra's buying!), plus they have real flush toilets inside.

Leaving The Place in Ventucopa, you will follow the beautiful Cuyama Valley and Cuyama River to a left turn at Lockwood Valley Road. Rookie or veteran, you are in for a treat. 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 hot afternoon sun you will learn why it got that name. There are no toilet facilities at checkpoint five at Heartbreak, however there are lots of big bushes that the native Brown Bears have fertilized for centuries.

Leaving Heartbreak Hill, you will descend and climb your way to Frazier Park and checkpoint six at the Best Rest Inn in Lebec. You will pick up any lights or gear that you sent there in a drop bag this morning. Leaving Lebec and Gorman, there is a short climb to the overview of Quail Lake and the California Aqueduct. As you descend to Quail Lake you should be greeted by a "world class" tailwind that has been known to blow riders all the way to the turn onto Ridge Route and then across on Pine Canyon to checkpoint seven at the Three Points Road House. (This new, hillier return route was introduced in 2003. Although it adds about 1,000' feet of climbing to this route, compared to the previous route, it's a much quieter and very fun, rollercoaster road.) At Three Points Road House, check out the his and hers outhouses. These relics are from a century that is long gone, but they still work well.

Leaving the Three Points checkpoint, there are two noticeable climbs as you otherwise descend towards the finish line in Palmdale. Upon your safe and timely arrival, you will be greeted by a Planet Ultra Ambassador. You will not soon forget this epic and challenging, but equally rewarding, ride!

Awesome Feedback
The ride was great. It's an amazing course ... some great climbs there. Still incredible how good the riding is on that course so close to L.A. ... so much of it on tree-lined roads. I was really dreading coming back on the "Highland Route" because of those climbs ... but I really had fun on the twisty roads with NO CARS before Three Points. Those are hard climbs but the downhills were really fun. Thanks for putting on another great event . - Chuck Bramwell

I must say that I only have one word for the Heartbreak Double held this past weekend and that is Perfect, Perfect, Perfect. The weather was absolutely perfect, cool in the morning and evening and warm in the afternoon. I don't see how a difficult course of this magnitude could be better balanced. The major hills were well spaced apart followed by long straight downhill giving you time to recover and speed to improve your average. The stops were right where they needed to be if you got into difficulty. It was so enjoyable returning to Palmdale on a long downhill with a tailwind that the ride ended on a high note and I soon forgot the strong headwinds in Gorman or the relentless climbs. I was thinking early in the ride while riding over the oak covered rollers of Pine Canyon Rd. that a combination of such vista, fine weather and great riding participants doesn't come together many times in one's cycling career. Riding with the leading peloton for the first 15 miles will probabley be the closest I will come to experience a real road race. The professionalism and skill of the 25 or so riders was a honor to watch. It was also fun watching as the lead rider would pull away a few 100 yards for the peloton to pick up speed to bring him back into the fold. I am sure the drama of the triple crown stage race must of been quite something to witness as it unfolded. I was glad to have the opportunity to have participated in such a well balanced and well supported course. I would not have you change anything; even leave the return climb up Ridge Route Rd. At that point what is one more major climb anyway and it is a far more interesting route. - Bruce Taylor

I really enjoyed the Heartbreak Double. This new / old course is by far the nicest and safest of the TOTF / Heartbreak versions I have done over the years (1984 to present). As always, you guys do a first rate job in planning, support and execution - Mike Chester

The area we rode in was beautiful. I can't believe I've never been out there before. It was another world back there. As usual the event was superb in every way. The rest stops were perfectly situated along the route and they were well stocked with friendly, enthusiastic volunteers. – Lorraine Gersitz

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.

2004 Show One, Miles 0-71: Palmdale start - Three Points - Lebec - Apache Saddle
2004 Show Two, Miles 71-201: Apache descent, Ventucopa, Lockwood Valley, Heartbreak, Lebec, Three Points, Finish
2004 results and ride report

2003 results