20,300 feet of climbing with half of the course above 7000 feet of elevation.
You'll experience the breathtaking scenic beauty of eight classic sierra climbs plus panoramas
of Diamond Valley and Carson Valley on a course that features some of the best pavement you'll
find on any organized ride. But be cautious, there are some rough areas and attention is
required at all times on these steep and windy roads.
The course is in a remote and rugged area-- there are no traffic lights and there are just a dozen
or so stop signs.
From the start at Turtle Rock Park (on CA 89 near Markleeville), riders head south on CA 89
and turn onto Diamond Valley Rd. This is a beautiful rolling road with great views of the
foothills. Riders descend into the Carson Valley and take Foothill Road along its perimeter
to the base of the first pass: Kingsbury grade. This stretch gives everyone a good warm up
before the climbing begins.
Kingsbury grade is the perfect pass to begin the ride because it offers very wide shoulders,
a steady easy grade all the way to the top, and very little wind in the morning.
It's broad sweeping turns give riders an awesome view of the Carson Valley and the
Pinenut Mountains and a fun descent. Watch out for cars on this sometimes busy grade!
After refueling at the rest stop on the summit and enjoying a well- earned descent back down
Kingsbury grade, riders return along Foothill and turn right on Emigrant Trail.
This short and easy climb doesn't count as a pass, but it's a good warmup for the pass to
come, and fortunately there is a rest stop at the top.
Continuing from Emigrant trail, riders pass through the historic town of Woodfords and up
scenic Woodfords Canyon, following the route of the Pony Express trail.
Turning right at Picketts Junction, riders will complete a climb to the summit of
Luther Pass where they will be rewarded with another rest stop.
Descending Luther pass back into Hope Valley, riders will turn right, and begin their
ascent of Carson Pass taking in views of Red Lake and high alpine terrain.
After the Carson Pass rest stop, riders will enjoy the fun descent back down into Hope Valley,
turning right onto Blue Lakes Rd.--one of the best kept secrets in all of Alpine County.
Blue Lakes Road will take riders over a series of climbs and through valleys with
breathtaking scenery to the next rest stop at the end of the road.
A little bit of climbing and a rolling descent takes riders back out to Hope Valley and
then down Woodfords Canyon. Turning right towards Markleeville brings riders back to the
start where lunch awaits.
The course continues down to the town of Markleeville and out to the intersection of CA 89
and CA 4 where riders will begin the beautiful climb of the heavily forested Ebbetts Pass.
A rest stop is located at the summit of Ebbetts Pass before the descent on the back side to
Hermit Valley where yet another rest stop is located at the turn- around.
Riders then climb the backside of Ebbetts and return to the base of Monitor after a fun
descent.
Climbing the front side of Monitor offers riders a few challenging steep grades and sweeping
views of alpine meadows and Lake Heenan. A rest stop at the top of the pass marks completion
of the second-to- last pass of the day.
The descent to Topaz on the east side of Monitor is a thrill. The road surface is excellent,
the grade is sweet, and the turns are fun. Riders must observe turn around times and cut-offs.
Refuel at the Topaz rest stop for the last pass of the day. The climb is long but the grade
is steady and this climb is a pleasure. Like the backside of Monitor,
the descent on the frontside is fun, but caution is required. From the base of Monitor riders
return to the start through the Carson River Canyon on CA 89.
The eight pass course represents the ultimate challenge for a single- day event.
Riding any of these passes is a significant accomplishment and riders may choose to ride
or skip any of the passes to customize the ride to fit their own needs:
- After descending Diamond Valley Road and crossing Highway 88, riders can turn left onto Emigrant Trail to skip the Kingsbury climb.
- In Woodfords, after climbing Emigrant Trail, riders can turn left to cross 88 and return to the start on Highway 89 to skip Luther, Carson, and Blue Lakes passes.
- At Pickett's Junction riders can continue on to Carson Pass without climbing the two miles to the summit of Luther pass (though we don't expect many riders to skip Luther)
- On the descent from Carson Pass, riders can skip the turn onto Blue Lakes Rd.
- Lunch is at the start/finish so for those riding only one or more of Kingsbury, Luther, Carson, and Blue Lakes, lunch will be their last stop.
- Riders continuing after the lunch stop will climb Ebbetts if they plan to ride seven or eight passes (and those who do may skip the back side of Ebbetts by turning back at the top). Those planning to ride fewer passes will turn left at the base of Monitor. Everyone climbing Monitor may choose to skip the backside by turning around at the summit.
All riders must observe cut-off times, riders must turn around if cut-off times are not met.
The Start/Finish is at Alpine County's Turtle Rock Park on CA 89 between Woodfords and
Markleeville. We expect great weather, but this ride covers a lot of remote, high altitude
terrain. Everyone should be prepared for any kind of weather at any time.
Time Limit: You may choose to start during one of eight start time windows: 3:30am-3:44am (with lights),
3:45am-3:59am (with lights), 4:00am-4:14am (with lights), 4:15am-4:29am (with lights), 4:30am-4:44am (with lights),
4:45am-5:01am (with lights), 5:02am-5:14am (lights not required), 5:15am-5:30am (lights not required).
There are 9 rest stops on the course plus a lunch stop and two checkpoints. You must reach each rest stop
and checkpoint before its listed cut-off time in order to collect 8 pass stickers.
Riders headed towards a closed location will be turned around and directed to the next open
stop. The course will be open for 18 hours and 30 minutes. All riders must be off the course by 10:00pm.
California Triple Crown: You must collect all 8 pass stickers
and reach the finish on your bicycle in order to receive California Triple Crown credit for
completing the full Double Century. If you are sagged to the start you will lose your last sticker.
If you collect less than 8 pass stickers, you will not receive California Triple Crown
credit for this Double Century but you will be listed as having finished the number of passes indicated by the stickers collected.
This is the world's toughest double century so every pass completed is a huge accomplishment.
Anyone who refuses to abide by the rules or the instructions of CHP, County Sheriff, or ride officials
will lose all their stickers and be listed as DQ. These rules are in place to ensure the
safety of all participants and to satisfy the requirements of county and state agencies.
