Northern California - Copperopolis RR

How hard is it? Are the roads really that bad or nonexistent? Does anyone have a map of the course? I'm a glutton for punishment, so I signed up.:thumb:

How hard is it?

Hard

Are the roads really that bad?

Yes, bike sized craters on the downhill

Does anyone have a map of the course?
Where your going you don't need roads.

Seriously, it is rough but fun for a couple laps. 5 laps and 105 miles I will pass though.

I rode it last year and the course was pretty rough. The worst bit was the downhill before the finish which was just plain nasty rough at high speed. I rode my cross bike so I could run fatter tyres which was a bit of a mistake as there is a significant climb on the course and a lighter bike would have been nice.
The first section after the start had bottles flying everywhere and was a bit dicey. After the first time up the climb things had changed into more manageable groups.
The wind can be a factor on this course too. I dont think I will ride it this year.

This is one of my favorite races and will definitely be an A race for me this year.

I actually videod most of the course with my camera phone last year on a pre-ride the day before. I should try and figure out how to put the clips together and post it on youtube.

Here is the best description I have seen of the course from Kevin Metcalfe of Team Specialized, copied from their team site.

http://www.teamspecializedracing.com/event.php?id=7307

Course: A rough, hilly and windy 22 mile loop of rural country roads. Don't believe the race add that says the course is a 20 mile loop!


Course Description: All roads have rough surfaces unless otherwise noted. The start is in downtown Milton. Don't blink. The course goes about a quarter mile and turns left onto Rock Creek Road. Rock Creek descends slightly, crosses a creek and then starts slowly climbing up to the feed zone. After the feed zone the course continues gradually climbing for approximately two miles where you come to the steepest climb on the course. This climb is only about a quarter mile long, but it is brutal. At least it will be by the end of the race. Before the steep section there is a stretch of road that has been repaved. The difference between the rough road and smooth road is amazing. I found myself shifting up a gear, going faster and finding it easier on the smooth section. Quite a nice respite.



At the top of the climb, the course continues undulating gradually upwards until you come to Salt Springs Reservoir. The course goes past a trailer park where the road changes to a wonderfully smooth surface for the next three or four miles. This section along the reservoir is mostly flat with a few rolling hills thrown in. Now comes the strange part. Rock Creek Road turns off and now the course is on Valley Road. Valley Road goes through what looks like some farmer's driveway, takes a short twisty dip, crosses a cattle guard and puts you on Salt Springs Road. Salt Springs Road is flat, but very exposed to the usual cross wind. After crossing another cattle guard or two, Salt Springs Road tilts up ever so slightly to the intersection with Hunt Road where you will turn left into the usual head wind. Hunt Road is flat for about four miles and then crosses a series of short fairly steep rollers. After a couple of miles of that, Hunt Road starts climbing back over the ridge that you crossed on the way out on Rock Creek. This climb isn't very steep, but on the last lap you'll think it's L'Alpe d'Huez. The descent is fast, rough, and twisty. Be careful through here. At the bottom it is about two miles to the finish over some more rolling hills. The finish itself is at the top of a small hill. After the finish there is another section of smooth road for about a mile and a half back to Milton Road and the start area.


Distances: Five laps and 110 miles for the Sr. 1/2/Pro's. Catagory 3's do four laps for 88 miles, and Sr. Women 1/2/3 and most other senior groups do three laps for 66 miles.


Road Surface: Mostly poor narrow roads with lots of patches. There is one stretch of excellent pavement by the lake that is about three miles long.


Gearing: If you don't bring a 39x23 or lower you will most likely die!


Facilities: There are plenty of portable rest rooms. Please use them! This and other races are always under threat of being cancelled because of riders relieving themselves in inappropriate places. There is NO food or water in Milton. The nearest store is in Farmington which is fifteen miles away towards Stockton on Highway 4.


Weather: In early April the weather can be quite nice, though cool in the morning. It can also pour down rain, so come prepared. The wind usually blows from the west and picks up as the day goes on. This means that there will be a fairly strong cross wind on Salt Spring Road. It also means that there will be a head wind coming back on Hunt Road to the finish.



If you suffer from allergies, this is prime pollen country with all the grass. From experience, I would recommend that you take your allergy medicine BEFORE the race. If you take it afterwards, you're pretty much wasting your time. Of course, be sure to use a USOC approved medicine so you don't get tagged for drug control. :)


Feeding: The feed zone is on Rock Creek Road about two miles from the start area. It is on a gradual hill with plenty of parking. I usually start the race with three bottles and skip the first two opportunities for feeding at two and twenty-four miles covered and get feeds at forty-six, sixty-eight, and ninety miles. Using this method, the feed zone is usually pretty calm by the time I need a feed as a lot of riders have dropped out by that time.


Rules Specific to this race: Don't bring your ultra light equipment to this race. If you have carbon fiber water bottle cages, put on some aluminum or steel cages for this race. If you don't you will probably lose a water bottle on the rough roads. Tubulars are probably better than clinchers for this race because the clinchers can get pinch flats from the pot holed roads.


Race Advice: Remember, just because you can get up a steep hill in a certain gear doesn't mean it's a good idea. Save your legs and use an easy gear as much as possible. This race is won AND lost by slowly beating the riders into submission. Save everything you can for later in the race when you'll need it.



It is not uncommon for a break to go in the first few miles of this race. Other riders will join in the following couple of laps and the winner of the race will be gone before half distance almost every time. It seems like this would be a race to be patient in and perhaps that is why the early break almost always succeeds. It should be noted that a number of those riders in the early break will get dropped , but not all of them.

A good place to make things happen is either on or just after the steep section of Rock Creek Road. Another good place to go is in the cross wind on Salt Spring Road.

It is not uncommon for less than twenty of the 100+ starters to finish the Sr. 1/2/Pro race.

Thanks Chris, as if I wasn't afraid enough ;)

Not sure if I'll be bringing my blingers with tubulars though.

I'm glad I saw this and signed up. The M35 4/5 A group already filled up. I'm going to race the straight 4's.

I've only done it once but I can concur that it's a dang hard course. This year my goal is to everything I can to stay with the front group on the climb. Last year I allowed myself to get dropped off the back on the steep part of the first climb. Another rider and I TTT'd all the way through the crosswind section on the back of the reservoir. We finally caught the group just in time for the second climb and I was toast. Got dropped again, that was pretty much my race.

So this year I'm going to try to get up front and if I have to, drift back through the pack, to time it so I'm still in the group as we crest.

This is a bit off topic, but I used to live in the area for 6 years. I had NO CLUE, there was a race there until few years later when I got really in to racing and did it. Promoters really should do a better job advertising races in the areas they are held. It might get more local sponsors on board.

UD

OK, I've learned to do a lot tonight.

1) Post text and pics to my blog from my iPhone
2) Post videos to my blog
3) Post videos to youtube.

Here's my first & second videos, a couple short samples from the Copperopolis course.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIPqo7BbzEw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOp2Pp_Jtoo


I will post more (if anybody cares)

After watching video #1: :eek:

There's some sketchy looking roads there.
The narration was pretty helpful.
Did you get any video of the killer potholes?

There's some sketchy looking roads there.
The narration was pretty helpful.
Did you get any video of the killer potholes?

Sorry, but I had the camera in the pocket and both hands on the bars for the worst sections.

Looks like I'm in for one heck of a ride.

Sorry, but I had the camera in the pocket and both hands on the bars for the worst sections.

:eek::twitchy:

I've only done it once but here's what I remember. That long straightaway is decent pavement but it's totally exposed to the wind from the left (west). When it turns back west towards Milton, it will go past some cattle ranches and there are huge potholes. And the ones that have been filled weren't rolled flat. It's like they just dumped a shovelful of asphalt in the hole and assumed that the truck tires would smash them down. So even the filled potholes are hazardous bumps in the road.

I still think Leesville is worse. Copperopolis is really only terrible on the descent which has gotten better over the years(I'm told) as they fill in the crater and transform into speedbump instead.

I still think Leesville is worse. Copperopolis is really only terrible on the descent which has gotten better over the years(I'm told) as they fill in the crater and transform into speedbump instead.

I wonder how Velopromo manages to find the absolutely crappiest roads in California to run their races. They must have survey teams.

I still think Leesville is worse. Copperopolis is really only terrible on the descent which has gotten better over the years(I'm told) as they fill in the crater and transform into speedbump instead.

I agree. I've done Copperopolis for the last 3 years and my parents live only about 10 miles from the course so my dad rides out there quite a bit. The descent was definitely in better shape last year than it was 3 years ago.

I plan to do a pre-ride of the course the day before like I have the last 2 years, I find it really helps.