Race - Bike

The Grand Tour

GRAND TOUR Los Angeles Wheelmen Double Metric Double Century Triple Century Quadruple Century 124 miles 200 miles 300 miles 400 miles

Saturday, June 27, 2015 Registration begins April 1st, 2015

America’s oldest Double Century, since 1959, the Grand Tour offers cyclists a rare opportunity to choose from among five fully supported distances: Double Metric, Lowland and Highland Double Century, Triple Century and Quadruple Century. Each year nearly 500 cyclists make the “grand tour” round trip from Malibu to Carpinteria and Santa Barbara to enjoy the challenge, the scenery and the Los Angeles Wheelmen hospitality.

All routes offer the best of scenic Southern California: beaches, valleys, mountains, luxury homes, orange groves, ranches, farms…

The Lowland Double Century is ideal double for a first-timer. It has fewer hills than the Highland route and more urban riding. From Malibu to Port Hueneme-Oxnard, Moorpark, Ventura, and Ojai for lunch. Continue to Rincon-Carpinteria, turn around and head for Port Hueneme, then back to Malibu with a tailwind on Pacific Coast Highway.

The Highland Double Century takes riders from Port Hueneme into the hills of Potrero in Thousand Oaks featuring a muscle-screaming one-mile climb. Then on to refreshments in Moorpark and the Grand Tour Café in Ojai. The route to Rincon-Carpinteria takes in more scenery, less traffic and sometimes more favorable winds circling Lake Casitas. Then homeward with a final stop in Port Hueneme before the last 37 miles to Malibu.

Triple and Quad Century riders follow the Lowland or Highland routes. From Rincon-Carpinteria, they continue north through Santa Barbara to the turnaround in Gaviota. Then straight down the coast to Malibu. Triple riders are home and can celebrate! Quad riders have one more century to complete.

The Quadruple Century is the ultimate 24-hour challenge for ultra-distance cyclists! From Malibu after a Lowland or Highland Triple, quad riders put their extra energy into a final 100-mile ride to Ventura and back.

The Double Metric Century Challenge is a shortened version of the Double Century that cuts the distance to 125 miles, but keeps the best scenery. This is a hilly, very demanding ride. From Malibu, the route begins climbing quickly at Latigo Canyon. Then on to Westlake, Lake Sherwood, and Moorpark for lunch. Century Challenge riders mix with Double riders in Port Hueneme-Oxnard and homeward along Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu.

The Grand Tour is always fully supported with frequent rest/food/water stops, sag vehicles, full lunch. Triple and Quad riders may be accompanied by registered private sag support in addition to full support from the Grand Tour. Double riders can rely on the Grand Tour for all their needs.

The Grand Tour is known for its great support – and for that we need grand volunteers. In fact, we need more than a century’s worth! Veteran Vols agree that the Grand Tour offers a great day of action-packed activity along with enormous fulfillment from helping bicyclists reach their long-distance goals. The Los Angeles Wheelmen invites friends and family of Grand Tour riders and the Grand Tour ride itself to join the corps of volunteers from Malibu to Goleta, from Friday evening before the Saturday ride until the last riders return in pre-dawn Sunday. For information, email grandtourvol@lawheelmen.org

The Grand Tour is one of the most popular rides in the California Triple Crown.

Webster Elementary School, 3602 Winter Canyon Road, Malibu 90265. From Malibu Cyn., ¼ mile inland from Pacific Coast Hwy., turn south on Civic Center Dr., left on Winter Cyn. Rd., to parking and the school auditorium on the right side of the road. <p> LOWLAND DOUBLE CENTURY: <p> The Lowland double century (200 miles) spends the most time along the comfortably cool coast. It travels up Pacific Coast Highway to Port Hueneme in Ventura County, inland to Moorpark, back out to the coast at Ventura, inland to Ojai for lunch, back to the coast at Rincon point at the very southwestern point in Santa Barbara County, south along PCH back to Port Hueneme rest stop, then back to the Start/Finish at Malibu. Total elevation gain is about 5,000 feet. <p> HIGHLAND DOUBLE CENTURY: <p> The Highland double century (200 miles) starts out the same as the lowland, but after the rest stop at Port Hueneme it heads inland to more rural, quieter and hillier back roads in Ventura County.The first challenge is riding up Potrero Road. Eventually it arrives in Ojai for lunch, after which it heads directly out to Rincon point via scenic Lake Casitas, then south along the same route as the lowland double. Total elevation gain is about 8,000-8500 feet. At the end of June, the weather can be very hot inland, so riders should be prepared with adequate hydration and electrolytes. The route sheets note extra rest stops where water is available. <p> TRIPLE AND QUADRUPLE CENTURIES: <p> The Triple century (300 miles) (lowland or highland) follows the same route as the lowland or highland double century with a 100-mile extra loop in the middle. This loop starts at the Rincon checkpoint (140-mile mark) and travels northwest to Gaviota State Park in Santa Barbara County, with one midway rest stop in Goleta which riders encounter both outbound and returning. This loop is relatively flat, closely following the coast. Riders should be prepared for cool and possibly damp or foggy conditions at night. The Rincon and Hueneme rest stops feature hot soup. Below is the map of the 100-mile Rincon-Gaviota loop. <p> The Quadruple Century is the lowland triple century plus an extra loop of 100 miles from the start/finish in Malibu up to Ventura and back. Quad riders may have private SAG vehicles whose drivers are welcome to use our regular rest stops for a modest $5 extra fee. <p> CENTURY CHALLENGE (DOUBLE METRIC CENTURY): <p> The Double Metric Century (200 km or about 126 miles) takes a completely different and challenging route from the other centuries. Total elevation gain is about 7,900 feet.
  • Race - Bike
  • Date:
    June 27, 2015
  • Add to Calendar:

    iCal®
  • Frequency:
    1-time event (non-weekly)
  • Start Time:
    04:00am
  • Level:
    Beginner Intermediate Advanced
  • Where:
    Malibu
  • 5 Attendees
  • Everyone