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NEW for 2009 and beyond: Mindful of the current economic climate, this event
will be hosted brevet-style,
with a very low entry fee just to cover
insurance, any necessary permits, and the single
leap-frog support vehicle which will carry snacks and water and drop
bags along the route.
Riders should bring several lunch-size bags
with their special-needs foods,
which will be delivered up the
course to at least four locations.
Given the difficulty of the route, only
experienced double century riders will be permitted to ride
(meaning, you should have successfully completed in under 15 hours at least 3
doubles in the past year).
All riders must be willing and able to ride the entire distance with
minimal support. If a rider
falls too far off the back, they may not received support other than
their drop bags. There
will be no SAG drivers. If a rider has to quit, they must find their
own way back.
Perry Smith
descends off Pine Mountain towards Lockwood Valley in 2001
Registration
for the 2010 event will open in late February 2010.
General Information and Ride Rules - Please Read!
Click here to view the 2009 Results
Click here to view the results from previous years!
Click here for the Carpool and Room Share blog
Start/Finish Hotel
Hampton Inn, 25259 The Old Road, Santa Clarita, California 91381.
(661) 253-2400.
The hotel has a heated swimming pool and hot tub, fitness
center, and 24-hour coffee and tea service in the lobby. Great restaurants
nearby, including Chili's, Claim Jumper, Macaroni Grill, Olive Garden, Woodranch Steak House, and more!
Check-In
Saturday morning from 5:00 am to 5:30 am in the lobby of the
Hampton Inn. Please bring your lunch-bag size drop bags with your name
on each bag.
Start Time
5:45am or after if you're really fast!
Come
Prepared
Please be in shape for this event. Riders will be expected to be
primarily self-supporting/self-sufficient. There will be minimal support
and no roving SAG.
Time Limit
ToTF has traditionally had a 19 hour time limit, based on the earliest starting time.
We'll be a little flexible, as
we're mindful that less support might mean longer ride times.
Twilight, Sunrise, and Sunset
Twilight begins 5:36; Twilight ends 20:07. Sunrise is 6:04; Sunset is
19:39.
Lights
You are welcome to
drop lights/gear at the start for pick-up along the route at a point
designated by the support driver. Please bring your lights to rider
check-in in a bag marked with your name. We do not provide bags.
You must pick up your stuff at designated location, as it
will not be brought back to the finish. 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!
Tour of Two Forests is held on very remote roads and has the potential for major extremes in weather conditions, not to mention
the very challenging route. Since on-route support will be minimal,
we absolutely, positively, strongly and most assuredly encourage everyone to bring, wear, and use a Camelbak
with at least 50ox of water, plus two full-size water bottles. Running out of water is a bummer at the very least.
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.
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!
Click the profile!
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.
