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Grand Slam Hoodoo 500 KOM Challenge

 

Mulholland Challenge
April 14, 2012
New for 2010 and beyond! Finisher t-shirt for all riders
 who complete the course in under 16 hours!

CHANGE FOR 2011: Due to unsafe conditions on Deer Creek, we're re-routing to descend Yerba Buena to the coast instead.
The change takes out about 5 miles and 700' of climbing. This is NOT a permanent change. We'll revisit the route each year as conditions may change.
We've also taken out some "junk" miles through Simi Valley and will ride through Moorpark instead. This takes out another couple of miles; so
we're now right around 200 instead of 210. Even losing some miles and a teeny bit of climbing, the Mulholland Double is still one of the toughest doubles!


This epic 208 miler traverses over 18,000 of vertical gain from Agoura Hills through
Malibu to Camarillo and back via world famous Mulholland Highway and much more.
This route is for the adventurous road biker who loves to climb and to see a lot of
diverse terrain in the process.  A ride to remember!
The third toughest double century event in California
19 hour time limit!

   Registration is now open. If you choose the "pay by check" option, please mail a copy of the confirmation with your payment so we know which event the check is for! 

Click here to view the event roster

General Information and Ride Rules - Please Read!

Click here to view the 2011 Mulholland Double Century Results

Click here to view the results from previous years!

Entry Fees
Double Century - $105, HOWEVER, take advantage of our EARLY BIRD SPECIAL and save $15 by registering six weeks before the event! Online registration ends two weeks before the event. Thereafter, you may make an online reservation with a last minute registration code (which will be posted here when regular registration closes).

Start / Finish Location
Sheraton Hotel located at 30100 Agoura Rd in Agoura Hills. We've negotiated a great rate of $85 per night. To get our group rate, make your reservation online here. You MUST make your reservation by March 13 to guarantee the group rate.

How to Get There:
From the 101 heading north, exit Reyes Adobe. Turn left. Turn left on Agoura Rd. The hotel is on the right.
From the 101 heading south, exit Reyes Adobe. Turn right. Then left on Agoura Rd. The hotel is on the right. 

Parking
If you're staying at the hotel, by all means, park there! If you're driving in, you must park across Agoura Road in the THQ parking lot at 29903 Agoura Road. If you park at the hotel, or in any of the commercial shopping/dining parking areas, you will be towed away at your own expense.

Check In
Friday night from 6:30pm to 9pm at the Sheraton Hotel, location TBA. Saturday morning from 4:45am to 6am. PLEASE, if you plan on the early start or live within thirty minutes of the start, please make every effort to check-in on Friday night. Also, please BE QUIET in the morning, as there will be guests at the hotel who are not affiliated with the ride, and who will be very unhappy being awakened so early on a Saturday. BE COURTEOUS.

Start Time
"Mass" start at 6:15am. Riders who expect to take more than 14 hours may opt for the early start time at 5:30am*. This is not a starting window. Everyone must start at either 5:30am or 6:15am. No in-betweeners. You will be signed out at your designated start time. If you don't check out, you will not receive credit for the ride. If you plan to start early, please remember that the checkpoint opening and closing times are generally based on the "mass start" time and are calculated using an average speed range of 11 to 20 mph.
*If you start at 5:30am and finish the ride in under 14 hours - you will be listed as DQ in the results. We're serious folks - the early start time is for riders who really need it.

Come Prepared
Please be in shape for this event. If you cannot complete a moderately hilly century within 7 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.

Course Closes
Due to the amount of climbing, the time limit for this event is 19 hours, based on the earliest start time. The course closes at for everyone at 12:30am. No exceptions. Riders who fail to make the time cut-off will be listed as Unofficial Finishers.

Sticker Stops
There will be four locations on the course, indicated on the route sheet, where riders will receive a sticker as proof of completing that section of the course, and their ability to follow the rules of the event. Stickers will be placed on the rider's number, which must be on the rider, and visible, at all times. At the finish, riders will be asked to show their number to prove they finished the entire course. You will not receive credit for finishing the course if you don't have ALL of the stickers. NO exceptions.

Cut-Off Times - Strictly Enforced and Not Negotiable
Riders must leave the Decker CP no later than 7pm in order to receive a sticker. If you miss this time, you'll be asked to bail out off the course by descending Westlake and returning to the finish by turning right on Agoura Rd.
Riders must leave the Peter Stauss Ranch CP no later than 8:30pm in order to receive a sticker and continue on the Stunt Rd. loop. If you miss this time, you'll be asked to bail out off the course by heading back on either Cornell or Las Virgenes.
Riders must complete the course by midnight to be an official finisher for Grand Slam or California Triple Crown Credit.

Time Limit
19 hours, beginning at 5:30am. No exceptions.

Twilight
Twilight begins 6:00am; Twilight ends 19:51. Sunrise is 6:25: Sunset is 19:25.

Lights and Gear Drop
You are welcome to drop lights/gear at the start for pick-up at the Decker CP. 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.

If you start in the dark, plan on carrying your lights all day. 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!

It may be Dark and Foggy
You may really, really regret it if you don't have a good jacket or vest, long fingered gloves, and awesome lights for the last long ascent and descent. We can't over-emphasize this enough. It could be very foggy and this will increase as it gets later into the night.

Routing and Navigation
Planet Ultra route sheets include lots of useful information to help riders navigate the course. For example, we'll let you know if a turn is at a stop sign (SS), traffic light (TL) or T-intersection (T-int). We know that riders like to have the course marked. However, many of the towns/cities/counties specifically request that no markings are placed in the road. Our permits are contingent on NOT doing this. Further, Planet Ultra events are held way far away from where we live - and we travel to the destination the day before the event to make everything happen. We can't mark the course in advance. If we have the manpower to send someone out before the riders in the morning to mark the course, we'll do our best to make that happen (unless it's forbidden by our permits, otherwise illegal, somewhere that locals would be really upset about it, or the turn is at a place that's very obvious, like a big green highway sign). Our experience is that riders get lost whether the course is marked or not - because they're not paying attention. Fewer riders get lost when they're mindful of where they are on the route sheet. Please understand and take responsibility for navigation. Make it part of your experience.

Personal SAG Vehicles
Not allowed! If you bring one, you will be disqualified from the event without a warning. The definition of a personal SAG is any vehicle (motor or otherwise), anywhere on the route, operated by someone other than Planet Ultra staff, that is providing any type of aid, assistance, or motivation to any rider, or taking photographs, or simply out cheering. Please understand that our permits simply don't allow dozens of extra vehicles on the roads or at the checkpoint locations. Imagine the traffic from all those cars! If you're bringing someone with you who wants to be out on the course helping, please have them contact us and join our volunteer staff. We can always use extra help out on the course.

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.
Be ready for a course that is as scenic as it is challenging. This course can best be described as dramatic, epic, diverse, and beautiful. Spend the day riding 202 miles of Southern California's roads less traveled. Ride up, over, and along mountain peaks and ridges, and through a multitude of canyons and countrysides. Basically, this route is for the rider who loves to climb and to see a lot of diverse terrain in the process. It is one of the toughest double century events in California (#3 with respect to accumulated elevation gain). Bring gears! Some of the roads have steep sustained climbs of 12-14% with pitches up to 18%. Unless you're a super strong climber, we suggest a triple crank, or at least a 30 cog in the back.

The ride starts in Agoura Hills and heads to the coast on Las Virgenes/Malibu Canyon. Then you'll head south on Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). After the first major climb up Topanga Canyon and Old Topanga Canyon, you'll spend the morning ascending and descending the Santa Monica Mountains on Mulholland Hwy, Little Sycamore, and Cotharin, before hitting Ventura County and the beach at Deer Creek. After an easy, flat cruise to the base of Potrero, you'll start climbing again, up and over to Westlake, and through the Conejo Valley out to Simi Valley. Then you'll head up and over Grimes Canyon, enjoy the orange groves out in Fillmore, and then head back via the short, but very steep, Balcolm Canyon. Then, you have a very rewarding descent, and a flat shot back to PCH via Las Posas (but beware of headwinds!). Then, ride south on PCH, where finally you turn up again, to ride the extremely challenging Decker Canyon Rd. At the top, you'll hang a right on Lechusa and take Encinal Canyon until you meet up again with the majestic Mulholland Hwy, which you'll ride all the way to Cold Canyon Rd. Then you'll make your final climbs of the day - up Piuma and Schueren to the top of Stunt Road. After the four mile descent down Stunt it's pretty much an easy cruise back to Agoura Hills via Mulholland and Las Virgenes. Total climbing: 18,000 feet. Total distance: 209 miles. Click here to see the elevation profile created by Mike Sturgill using topo software.

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.

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