Camino Real Double Century - 200 mile bicycle ride

Early registration is now closed - but there's still time to sign up! Until February 16th you may make an email reservation as follows: Send us your name, address, telephone number, email address, birthday, ride distance, and let us know if you want to receive our no-spam email newsletter. Once we receive ALL of this information, we’ll email you the registration form. We will not process your email reservation unless ALL of the requested information is included. There is NO day of event registration. If you're not on the roster, you will not be allowed to ride.

Riders exercising this email reservation option must arrive at check-in with their completed registration form and CASH ONLY entry fee of $120 (which includes the late fee).

Anyone who makes an email reservation and then fails to show loses the privilege of making such reservations. In addition, they will be denied entry to other Planet Ultra events until the no-show event registration fee is fully paid. Click here to make an email reservation.

Start/Finish Location
The La Quinta Inn, 14972 Sand Canyon Ave, Irvine, CA 92618; 949-551-0909. $62 per night, double occupancy or single king. Be sure and ask for the Planet Ultra group rate. Includes deluxe breakfast (Sunday only - as you'll be riding before breakfast begins Saturday), free high-speed internet, in-room coffee maker, mini fridge and microwave. You must make your reservations by February 5 to guarantee the discounted rate.
For post-ride meals, there's Denny's (open 24 hours) and Knollwood (open until 10pm) right next door. Tia Juana's is also within walking distance.

Check-In
Friday night from 7:30 to 9:00pm, and Saturday morning from 5:15 to 6:00am. If you're planning on starting at 5:30am, please make an effort to check in Friday night. We will be at the early start about 15 minutes early for roll call and to give pre-ride announcements; but there won't be a lot of time to check riders in.

Start Times
"Mass" start at 6:15am. Riders who expect to take more than 14 hours may opt for the early start at 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 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 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. The Time Limit is set in stone.

Time Limit - 17 hours
The course closes at for everyone at exactly 10:30pm. - Please read our policy about time limits. Riders who fail to make the time cut-off will be listed as Unofficial Finishers. Be sure and use the early start if you need to!

Twilight, Sunrise, and Sunset
Twilight begins at 6:09am; Twilight ends at 18:03. Sunrise is 6:34; Sunset is 17:38.

Lights and Gear Drop
You are welcome to drop lights/gear at the start for pick-up at CP#4. 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!

Route 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.
Caveat: This is a very urban route with lots of traffic lights, stop signs and sometimes heavy vehicle traffic. The locals love it -- but if you're from out of town and are expecting quiet roads and lots of amazing scenery, you might be disappointed. Just being honest.
Our new route is shaped like a dog bone, with loops on each end of an out-and-back course. Beginning at the La Quinta Inn, you'll head to the coast via the rolling hills of Irvine and Turtle Rock and get your first view of the Pacific Ocean as you blast down Newport Coast and hang a left on PCH. After riding through a bit of Newport Beach and Laguna Beach on PCH, you'll hang a left and head back inland, meandering up Laguna Canyon Road. Hang a right on El Toro, and make your way through Aliso Viejo and Laguna Niguel, then blast down Crown Valley to the Coast and Dana Point. From Dana Point you'll be on the coast through San Clemente, and along the bike path through San Onofre, all the way to Oceanside. From there, you'll head inland, heading towards Bonsall and lunch at the All Seasons Campground. The climbing starts again after lunch, with a beautiful loop out towards Fallbrook. You'll wind up back in Bonsall, and repeat the course back to the coast, and north through Dana Point again. The final leg is basically the reverse of the old Butterfield route: Up to Antonio Parkway, through Trabuco Canyon, across Santiago Canyon and then the mostly downhill finish on Jamboree to Portola and back to Sand Canyon. This route is a huge improvement, safety-wise! No more of that crazy traffic by the Pechanga Casino; no more drunken, bottle-throwing drivers in Lake Elsinore; and no more traffic lights on every corner through Temecula. It does remain, however, particularly urban - but in the best and safest parts of Orange and San Diego Counties. Please note that due to the urban nature of this route, it's impossible to provide checkpoint locations evenly spaced at perfect distances. That said, there are countless mini-marts and gas stations along the course where you may get water and snacks, if necessary. If you're running low, and find yourself a good distance from the next checkpoint, please stop at one of the many conveniences along the route and refuel/re-hydrate. 198 miles with about 8,000' of climbing. (Riders opting to go through Pendleton will climb a bit more, and end up with an additional 3.4 miles).

Elevation profile courtesy of Mike Sturgill - including detour through Pendleton in both directions

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.

2003 Slideshow by entrant Eric Norris of CampyOnly.com

2003 Results