Mulholland Double Century

REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED. THERE IS NO DAY OF EVENT REGISTRATION. IF YOU'RE NAME IS NOT ON THE ROSTER - SEE YOU IN 2009!!!

Start / Finish Location
Good Nite Inn, 26557 Agoura Road in Calabasas. The hotel is located just off the 101 freeway at Las Virgenes exit. Phone (818) 880-6000 for reservations. To get the special rate of $60.95 for one queen or $69.95 for two queens, let them know you're with Planet Ultra, and use the confirmation number 43089. Please don't wait to make your reservations. The discounted rate expires on March 31st.

If the Good Nite Inn is sold out, try the Renaissance Hotel, 30100 Agoura Road in Agoura Hills. It's about 4 miles from the start. Call (800) 468-3571 and tell them you're with Planet Ultra to receive the discounted rate of $109. Yes, it's more expensive than the Good Nite Inn; but it's also a bit more upscale. It's a Marriott Hotel, so you can earn points for frequent travelers.

How to Get There:
From the 101 heading north, exit Las Virgenes. Turn left. Turn right on Agoura Rd. The hotel is on the right, past the Albertson's shopping center.
From the 101 heading south, exit Lost Hills Rd. Turn right. Then left on Agoura Rd. The hotel will be on the left.

Parking (New! Please read!):
If you're staying at the hotel, by all means, park there! If you're driving in, please do not use the hotel parking lot. We have permission to park in the lots of the office buildings located adjacent to the hotel - the Malibu Canyon Corporate Center parking lots. The address range is 26565 through 26709 W. Agoura Rd. If the first driveway has a chain across it, go to the third driveway to enter and then drive along back. Do NOT, under any circumstances, park in the Albertsons/Starbucks parking lot, or any other office building lots on Agoura Rd. If you do, you may get towed away..

Check In
Friday night from 7pm to 9pm at the Good Nite Inn. Saturday morning from 4:45am to 5:45am. PLEASE, if you plan on starting early, or if you're a local (meaning an hour or less drive to the start) please check in Friday night. Also, please be super quiet in the morning, as there will be guests at the hotel who are not affiliated with our event, and who may be unhappy being awakened so early in the morning.

Start Time
"Mass" start at 6:15am. Riders who expect to take more than 14 hours may opt for the early start time at 5:00am*. This is not a starting window. Everyone must start at either 5:00am or 6:15am. No in-betweeners. You'll be given a chip at check in which you must turn in at your designated start time. If we don't have your chip at the start, 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 5:00am 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 midnight. 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.

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 5am. 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.

Ride Description - NOTE: Route sheets are not available prior to rider check-in; so please, please don't ask us to send you one.
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 Calabasas 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 Calabasas via Mulholland and Las Virgenes. Total climbing: 16,500 feet. Total distance: 202 miles.

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.