Tour of Two Forests Double Century

Start/Finish Hotel
Hampton Inn, 25259 The Old Road, Santa Clarita, California 91381. (661) 253-2400. Be sure and ask for the Planet Ultra special rate of $109 for a king (and a sofa sleeper by request) or $119 for two queens. The hotel is a huge improvement over our prior host. It's newer, cleaner and quieter, and the staff is super nice. We'll have a nice conference room for rider check-in. The hotel has a heated swimming pool and hot tub, fitness center, and 24-hour coffee and tea service in the lobby. The nightly rate also includes a complimentary hot breakfast. Great restaurants nearby, including Chili's, Claim Jumper, Macaroni Grill, Olive Garden, Woodranch Steak House, and more! Please don't delay in making your reservations, as the blocked rooms will be released at the end of August.

Check-In
Friday evening from 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm. and Saturday morning from 5:30 am to 6:00 am. Please make a huge effort to check in on Friday evening.

Start Time
"Mass" start at 6:30am. Riders who expect to take more than 14 hours may opt for the early start time of 5:30am. 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 11.5 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 7-8 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.

Time Limit
ToTF has a 19 hour time limit, based on the earliest starting time. The course closes at 12:30am. No exceptions. Riders who fail to make the time cut-off will be listed as Unofficial Finishers.

Twilight, Sunrise, and Sunset
Twilight begins 6:21; Twilight ends 19:08. Sunrise is 6:46; Sunset is 18:43.

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

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!

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 this 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 50oz. of water, plus two full, full-size water bottles. Our two cents!

Ride Description - NOTE: Route sheets are not available prior to rider check-in; so please, please don't ask us to send you one.
Classic Doubles are more than challenging alone. They are "tours" in the true sense, an opportunity for discovery and adventure in an area not often ridden.

The Tour of Two Forests has been such a classic since its first edition in 1980. It starts and ends in Santa Clarita and traverses parts of L.A., Ventura, and Kern Counties, plus the name-giving Angeles National Forest and Los Padres National Forest. It begins with an easy cruise through Piru and down South Mountain to Santa Paula and then the easy climb up into Ventura County’s sleepy hideaway of Ojai. Next you’ll ascend 30 mile Pine Mountain and enter the heart of the ride: rugged and beautiful mountain country where a lone cyclist feels very small. Next comes Lockwood Valley (home of the "Heartbreak Hill") to Gorman and then a rolling finish through Pine Canyon, Three Points, Elizabeth Lake, Leona Valley, and down, down, down Bouquet Canyon to the finish back in Santa Clarita.

This is a big ride in more ways than one: It has at least 13,220 feet of elevation gain and is 193.5 miles long.

It's one of the most scenic courses in Southern California and is almost free of traffic lights. The logistics are easy since it starts just 30 miles north of Los Angeles.

This is a great event with a whole lot of history in the California cycling scene. We really encourage you to ride this classic event!

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.