# Sequoia Century Route comparison ?



## hdnoise (Apr 18, 2003)

Can any of you give me an ideal of this years proposed 100K hilly route compared to last years ie up Tunitas Creek Road? That was a grind I don't think I want to repeat a duplicate of. Just did Grizzley Peak if that helps as a reference alternative.

Thanks.


----------



## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

hdnoise said:


> Can any of you give me an ideal of this years proposed 100K hilly route compared to last years ie up Tunitas Creek Road? That was a grind I don't think I want to repeat a duplicate of. Just did Grizzley Peak if that helps as a reference alternative.
> 
> Thanks.


I'm not doing the ride, but I know these roads very well. Nice to see the finally got off the awful Hwy 92 routes they've done for years.

I checked the website, and basically it looks like you go up Hwy 9 via Redwood Gulch, which isn't the way I would do it. Redwood Gulch gets pretty steep in sections. I mean really steep! The steep sections are short, but they'll hurt. The whole thing is only a mile or so long, so think of it as a minature Tunitas. We prefer to go over Mt. Eden and Pierce to hit Hwy 9. Redwood Gulch is cool, though. Getting there is easy, and you are literally going right thru the San Andreas Fault. 

Hwy 9 is a decent climb, somewhere in the 6-7% range. From Redwood Gulch you probably have 3 miles to the top. Not too bad.

At the top it looks like you go left down Skyline to Bear Creek Road. You'll do more climbing to get there, but it's not bad at all. You also get some good downhills. The last couple of miles are a very cool one lane road that goes up and down the whole way. Then you break out at Bear Creek Road. A final bump to get over, then you get an 11-mile downhill into Boulder Creek. Fun, fun, fun.

From there, you head back up to the top, probably via Hwy 9. It would be cool if they ran you up Hwy 236 thru Big Basin State Park, but I think would have mentioned that. Hwy 9 out of Boulder Creek is rolling for about 7 miles, then it goes up for about another 7 miles. The climb starts at a decent pitch, but it quickly falls off. The gradient isn't as steep as the other side, and the last mile or two is pretty flat.

Then it appears you turn left and go down Skyline the other way. This is a rolling section, a net downhill, with a number of fast downhills to help you along the way. After a final bump on Skyline, you get to Page Mill, which you descend to get back to the start. Page Mill actually goes up at first, but then it turns into a great descent if you have the skills. The further down you go, the tighter the turns and the worse the pavement.

I just did the Grizzly myself, and this ride compares pretty well with the first loop of Grizzly. The climbs are definitely longer and more sustained on this ride, but the elevation gain is pretty close.


----------



## johnny99 (Apr 2, 2004)

*Redwood Gulch*

I love Redwood Gulch. You start by riding up the shaded Stevens Canyon, along the bank of Stevens Creek. Shortly after you turn on to Redwood Gulch, there is a very steep stretch (maybe 15% for a quarter mile), but the upper half of Redwood Gulch is much easier. When you get to Hwy 9, you have by-passed the lower 3 miles of the hill (and its traffic). You climb another 3 miles (similar grade to Old La Honda). Skyline has a slight incline, but I would call it rolling, not hilly. Bear Creek is a fast downhill to west Hwy 9.

When you get to the west side of Hwy 9, you have a long (maybe 7 miles) stretch of flat to rolling terrain. Then there's another 7 miles uphill, but at a very mild grade (less than 5%). The rest of the route is rolling or downhill. Page Mill is a nice long downhill, but parts are steep and/or bumpy so you need to pay attention.

Hwy 9 does get less (and slower) traffic than Hwy 92, but you should still expect a fair amount of cars on the weekends.


----------



## hdnoise (Apr 18, 2003)

*Thanks for the insights*

I will be there in lieu of Sierra, which is also a good one but can be HOT....


----------



## johnny99 (Apr 2, 2004)

*Sunday June 6*

For more info on the Sequoia Century, see http://www.westernwheelers.org/main/sequoia/ . This is a very well run century in the Silicon Valley area. Price is only $27, compared to the $35-$40 that most other groups charge for their rides. The 100k route has 3300 or 6200 feet of climbing (2 different routes). 100 miles has 8900 feet. 200k has 10,000 feet of climbing.


----------



## johnny99 (Apr 2, 2004)

Weather should be great on Sunday. Redwood Gulch, here I come.


----------

