Help me pick a northern California century ride

Triathlon Forum
1

Ah, I’m feeling motivated to keep biking this year so I’d like to pick a great 100-miler for the fall.

Criteria:

  • Scenic! (most important)
  • Not likely to get outrageously hot
  • Safe (sparsely traveled roads or courteous drivers)
  • Neither too flat nor ridiculously hilly

(Food, swag etc. are less important to me)

Some of the ones on my radar:

9/8 High Sierra Fall Century (Mammoth)
9/15 Auburn Century (this looks extremely hilly so I could opt for the 80-miler)
9/23 Tahoe Sierra Century (Donner Lake area)
9/29 Moonlight Magic Ride, Lone Pine (long drive for me but certainly sounds scenic)
10/6 Konocti Challenge (Clear Lake)
10/6 Grizzly Challenge (North Fork) (extremely hilly so might choose 80-miler)
10/6 BORP Revolution Ride (Sonoma County)
10/7 Harvest Ride (Hopland)
10/13-10/14 Quincy Weekend (Feather River canyons) (not a century, but a sweet alternative)
10/20 Foxy’s Fall Century (Davis). Is this one too flat?

An embarrassment of riches, really.

3

Auburn century (70 mile) is way, way harder than any century I’ve ever done. Probably the hardest ride I’ve ever done.

Foxy’s was a fun one. Fast at the beginning and end (and I was on the tri bike and did the whole thing as a personal ITT). Middle is hilly. Nice course. Yes, wind.

Having ridden up there a little spectating Tri 101, I’d pick this one: 10/6 Konocti Challenge (Clear Lake).

clm

5

I’ll be at the Grizzly. Weather is cool, nothing gets more scenic, well supported and no cars. Ridiculous climb, though.

6

I did the 50-mile version of the Sierra Century, with 5400 feet of climbing, this June, and I’m trained for hills right now.

Maybe I’ll pick TWO centuries: a hilly 70-miler, and a somewhat easier 100-miler.

7

Unfortunately I’ll be out of town during the Holstein 100. Yes I heard that one has terrific scenery.

9

What is the route of that?

11

http://quackcyclists.com/.../KnoxvilleDC2007.htm
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