MARCH 7, 2010

A WONDERFULLY DIVERSE ROUTE,
this century begins in Willows, taking old Hwy 99 south to Maxwell along the Sacramento Wildlife Refuge, where the Metric Century starts/finishes. All riders zigzag south & west on farm roads toward the Coast Range. There are some short gravel* sections.
The riders, metric and full century, climb the serpentine switch backs of the Leesville Grade, hitting elevation at Windy Point Summit, 1,700' continuing north to Lodoga, 1,280'.

The ride from Leesville to Lodoga is the true Unknown Valley. It runs up the Bear Valley to Indian Valley to The Stony Creek drainage. At Lodoga the full and metric century routes split. 100 milers head north towards Stonyford and the Elk Creek rest stop. Riding on picturesque roads you skirt by Snow Mtn. Wilderness and Stony Gorge Reservoir on your way to Elk Creek. From Elk Creek you turn east onto Hwy 162 for the ride down to Willows. Don't miss the turn or you end up in a very pretty part of the Unknown Valley to Chrome and Burrows Gap.The last leg takes you back to the valley flatlands and Willows. There is also a 65 mile loop beginning in Maxwell, which follows the century route over Leesville, then splits off at Lodoga and returns to Maxwell via Grapevine Summit and Sites. Helmets are REQUIRED!
Registration & start between 7 am - 9 am. 100 miler starts at the Willows Fire Dept., 445 S. Butte. Take I-5 to Willows. The Metric Century option will register & start in Maxwell at junction of Business I-5 and Maxwell-Sites Rd.

*Note: This ride contains some gravel and dirt sections between Maxwell and Ladoga. In addition, there are sections of road that are VERY rough on this Century, so STRONG WHEELS and good tires are highly recommended (in other words, leave your 700x20s at home). Finally, the climbs up Leesville Grade and Grapevine Summit are not for the faint of heart - if you haven't been riding, don't make this ride your first one of the year! A sag vehicle WILL be present on this ride.....but the wait could take some time....so come prepared! Riders should be prepared for a variety of conditions - from wind to rain to heat.

You can download a detailed map (71K) of this ride in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format by clicking on the button below. However, because there might be minor routes changes from year to year, do NOT rely on this map for ride day -- always get a current map at registration.