ZippyThePinhead

I'm thinking about doing the century with the group I ride with. It would be my first.

I'm sitting on the fence with regard to whether to drive out there (I'd probably have to leave around 4:00 a.m. to 4:30 a.m., making for a long day) or to get a hotel/motel room somewhere convenient.

Anyone have experience with this ride and/or advice regarding where to stay?

TJClay

We rode it last year and went there friday and stayed in a hotel and then came home sat afternoon. We'll be doing the century, my 2nd and for my wife it will be her first. Its a great ride as long as the wind doesnt come up. This year we're going to stay over saturday and come home sunday morning.

robertkat

The roads are rough and the last 12 miles are stop lights. Expect to catch every light.

jmX

Man, sure are a lot of turns. I feel like I'd have a bit of anxiety with that cue sheet. I'm strange like that I guess.

Also I saw no elevation gain listed. Anybody have an approximate guess?

Rumpled

I'm thinking about it. Not sure I'll be ready for a century yet. I have a free place to camp that I think is almost right on course. That's where I'll park my trailer for the weekend if I go.

Mr. Beanz

There are so many riders that you "might" need the cue sheet for 5 turns max!

nvrlnd7

I'm thinking about the century

ZippyThePinhead

Around 3000 feet, according to this map.

Mr. Beanz

As far as notes for the ride. advertised as a flat ride but the climb up Worsley can affect alot of riders (heading up along the 62 near the start of the ride).

Then Dillon seemed to slow down a ton of riders with it's rollers. These two roads, although not steep or tough, you will see who did their hilly homework and who didn't!

Near the 50 mile marker, SLOW DOWN. You might not want to be in a place line here. Couple miles before hitting the 10 fwy, the road is usually To' up! Some riders go down here. Right before the lunchstop (big rest stop at the truckstop)

After this point, it's mostly flat. But the pavement in several sections was terrible when I did the rides (4 times, last beignin 2005) Who knows, maybe the road is better now, prolly not!

mkadam68

This looks alot worse than it is:



Also, when I did it (2008), signage was terrible. Just after coming out of the lunch stop, there was nothing at the next intersection, a busy one, too. We were supposed to turn left, but didn't see anything telling us. Finally, another rider who had done it before caught up and told us.

I hated the start. You'd think that with 10,000 people coming to town & spending money, the local cops would be nice to everyone. Heck, they might even shut down the one-way street for us as we leave town. But, nope. We all were herded behind cones into one car lane for the first 5 miles or so. That's why the start is in waves.

And I was just hysterical from a local school's cheerleaders cheering us on at the lunch stop with that oldie but a favorite: "Go bi-kers! Go bi-kers! Go bi-kers!"

Reasonably nice route & awesome views. Alot of chipseal, and some uneven pavement due to heavy trucks as you approach the lunch stop, as Beanz mentioned (a bad combination with n00B riders who can't ride, hence the crashing).

calamarichris

+1 on the red light district. I would estimate that we were stopped by about 75% of the archaic, sensorless stoplights when returning back through town. I learned a new word from Robertkat after doing it this year: lamesauce.
Probably skip it next year and do a local, solo century through Pendleton to avoid the &$^*% redlights & rough roads.

EvilEuro

I believe that I'm going to be doing the Tour de Palm Springs with a few buddies this year after not doing it last year due to time constraints. Hopefully we'll have a time share to stay in for it so we don't have to monkey around getting hotel rooms.

I have learned from doing the two Levi's Gran Fondo rides... line up early and lie about your speed so you can avoid the traffic in the back of the pack. I'd rather have faster riders passing me while I hold a straight line than me having to negotiate through the bobbers, weavers, scaredy cats and nervous wrecks who ride uneasily in a group. Damned nervous wrecks.

mkadam68

Palm Springs won't check your speed. Lining up early won't necessarily mitigate poor riders, as riders line-up first-come, first-serve.

Nachoman

The last few times I've done this ride, I did the 50 miler, with my wife and two kids (one was on the back of a tandem).
We spent one day cycling and hanging by the pool and jacuzzi and the other day we trammed up to San Jacinto and went hiking.
It was a blast!

robertkat

No way, do it again. Sub 5 hours. On your new Globe. With your dog. That would be epic.

Cleave

Hi,

I've done Palm Springs twice. First time was several years ago and then I did it this year. The reason why I had such a large time gap between rides was I really didn't enjoy it much the first time. The roads coming down the hill towards lunch and in the last half were very bad. The pavement was much better this year. My biggest problem this year was that we started pretty close to the official start time and the road was packed all the way to the first rest stop at the top of the climb. People were stopped all the way across the road and you couldn't ride past it. With all of the delays that we had with the crowd at the start we might as well have just started an hour late. We would have finished at the same time.

Depending on what is happening with my clubmates this year, I may do it again.

Mr. Beanz

I've done it 4 times, last time (05) crowd was terrible. I tried to skip the first rest stop. Couldn't, so crowded I couldn't walk my bike through the crowd.. It was like being forced to take a 10 minute break making my way through the wall to wall riders.

Also did it the first year it was held. It was a tougher ride, 3rd loop made it's way up the first climb in the opposite direction. I guess they've made it easier to attract more riders. There were only about 200 century riders. About 70% called it quits at the "cut it short" alternate route Strange feeling when there are 100 riders around, hit the hill and then there are 3!

I have yet to do a ride in PS with good roads.

calamarichris

There's another reason I'll be skipping PS. Everyone lies about their anticipated finish time, so for the first 30 miles, you're stuck dawdling behind large packs of slower riders, or forced to cross the double-yellow to get around them.

(And Robkat--my dog isn't very patient; she's liable to spring from her seat and rip out some fibbing slowpoke's jugular.)

jamboo

I'm going this year. First time for PS.

Getting in there early Friday to take it easy, doing the century, and then hang around the pool and such before heading back to Colorado on Sunday.

Hope this to be a great way to kick off the 2011 season.

Lesper4

I will be there this year along with a few friends (for the century) and family. Family will proabbely do the 25 mile route.

knowledgdropper

Thinking about doing the 50 mile ride with some friends. Mostly, the ride would just be an excuse to have a big-ass bbq at my buddy's place, in Palm Desert, afterwards.

pmcq

I'll be doing the century - my first. I did the 50 mile version last year and had a good time. A group of us stayed in a hotel on Friday and Saturday night and enjoyed the time in Palm Springs.

rdtompki

Well, the reviews seem a bit mixed, but we're signed up nevertheless to do the century on our tandem. We'll be in the middle of the masses, not doing the very gradual starting climb at a great speed, but we promise not to wobble. Would be nice if the singles would keep to the right on downhills and avoid wobbling as well 'cause it's darn nerve wracking passing two wobbly, chatty singles taking up the whole lane

Lesper4

Lie about your speed? I just show up and take off when they let the crowds go for the century, I have never been asked how fast I go. There are of course stage released but i try to get as close to the front as possible.

Lesper4

Sign up early, registers increase $15 on the 1st.