# Toughest Centuries?



## DesnaePhoto

I'm wondering what the toughest road centuries are in the US. 

Ride Around the Bear is supposed to be one of the top 10. There is supposed to be one around Virginia with something like 22,000 feet of climbing. 

Curious how the 3-State, 3-Mountain ride goes. 

A secondary note: I'm in Indiana, so I'm definitely interested in those from the Midwest and East. Just don't leave out the California and other rides... 

Thanks!


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## Jwiffle

There are a few in Virginia with 10,000 feet or more of climbing. I did the Mountain Mama century in August. That was a beautiful ride, around 10,000 feet, and some really fun roads. I haven't done some of the other centuries that are billed as pretty tough like the Blue Ridge Extreme or the Cheat Mountain Challenge, but I've heard they're good.

I had heard of one with 22,000 feet of climbing, and while I do enjoy a good climb, I'm not sure even I would appreciate THAT much climbing.


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## ericm979

Leaving out double centuries (there's some here in NorCal with 20k' of climbing):
"son of death ride": 138 miles, 17,000'.
Breathless Agony: 112 miles, 11,000' (by mile 75! the rest is descent)
Death Ride: 129 miles, 14,500'
day 1 of Everest Challenge: 120 miles, 16,500' (by mile 100 where the finish line is).

I've done the last three many times. They're all good. Breathless isn't a race but they track and publish times. EC is a race but there's also a non-competitive "tourist" class. It's the hardest and most extreme climbing race/ride I've done... much harder than the Death Ride, and that's not an easy ride.


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## Sojourneyman

Tour das Hugel, Austin, TX 110 miles with a large amount of climbing depending on what stats you look at. A bunch of it is short and steep; really saps it out of the legs.


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## fontarin

You do that today, Soj? I did the first 60ish miles then called it quits - didn't have enough distance training lately to make it all the way through.


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## husonfirst

The tough ones all involve climbing so you'd be looking on either coast. I've done the Death Ride once.


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## Big-foot

Tour of the Unknown Coast, Ferndale, CA.
10,000' with 3,500' of that coming AFTER mile 80!

Beautiful ride too! It goes along the Avenue of the Giants (old-growth redwoods) and along the "Lost Coast," the last stretch of undeveloped coastline in Cali.
www.tuccycling.org


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## Sojourneyman

fontarin said:


> You do that today, Soj? I did the first 60ish miles then called it quits - didn't have enough distance training lately to make it all the way through.


Yup. I went out a bit too quick and payed for it on the second loop. Glad I can say I've done it though; glad it's done.


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## dualpivot

D2R2 in Massachusetts. 112 miles with 16,500 feet of climbing, 70% on dirt. Best done with wider (~32mm) tires and v. low gearing.


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## orangeclymer

Ebbetts pass in Nor calif.


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## JCavilia

Not a century (though I rode about 90 the day I did it), but the road up the Mt. Haleakala volcano on Maui climbs 10,000 feet in one continuous climb, from sea level to the top in 38 miles with essentially no break.


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## tconrady

I don't know about the rides out west but in the Southeast here are some of my favs...

6 Gap (Dahlonega, GA) - 103 miles, 11,700' of climbing
Cherohala Challenge (Tellico Plains, TN) - 115 Miles, I think about 9000' of climbing...but most of that is an 11 mile climb at about 9% and starts at mile 85.
Blood, Sweat and Gears (Valle Crucis, NC) - 103 miles, and I want to say 12-13k' of climbing.

3 State 3 Mounain isn't that hard...or as hard as the others above. Usually the worst thing about 3S3M is the sketchy weather that time of year. The first two mountains are pretty tame but the last one is tough. Inbetween those climbs, it's not all that hard of a ride. Nice easy rollers and some flat areas....unlike some in the mountains of NC and TN where you're either going up slowly or down quickly with very few flat areas.


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## Morison

*In the midwest...*

One of my favorites is the Horribly Hilly Hundreds. http://www.horriblyhilly.com/home.html The 200K route sends you over 10,700 vertical feet and finishes with 124.2 miles under your wheels. It is a well run event in a beautiful part of the country. The only problem is that due to those things, it fills up fast. I think this year the registration closed with the maxiumum number of participants less than 10 minutes after it opened on active.com If you get in, I highly recommend it.


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## parity

Climb to Kaiser - 155 miles with 13500 feet of climbing


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## 45K10

+1 for Six Gap and the dreaded Hogpen 

I've done Blood Sweat and Gears as well but I still think 6 gap is harder just because of Hogpen.


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## masfish1967

+1 for 6 GAP - it is a beast


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## WaynefromOrlando

The Assault on Mt. Mitchell has 11,000+ of total climbing with a big portion of that in the last half, finishing with the direct climb to the peak of Mt. Mitchell in the last 5 miles of the 102 distance. The last 25 miles or so goes from an elevation of less than 1,000 ft to more than 6,500 ft with several intermediate peaks along the way.

http://www.freewheelers.info/aomm/index.html


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## Gnarly 928

*Everest Challenge Race..toughest I have done, by far*

Ok, not a true "Century" the way most rec. cyclists think of them now, but certainly an "Endurance Ride" for this forum to contemplate. Of all the rides and races I have done, this one really kicked my butt, bigtime. 

http://www.everestchallenge.com/page1.ihtml?id=10

A couple of factors put this 'two-dayer' into the 'beyond category' category. 

One: It's a race. Or at least it is for most of the participants. Being a race makes it harder. Almost anyone who's reasonably fit can 'complete' an epic ride, if they select a really low gear and grind it out, no matter how long it takes..Riding it with beating everyone else at the end....that's different.

Two: The elevation. Both days, you are ending at least one climb at over 10,000' above sea level. The lowest elevation is around 4,000'...so the air is thin.

Three: These Eastern Sierra climbs are steep. There aren't many false flats. The first climb of the second day was especially brutal for me. Glacier Lodge from Big Pine gains 4000' of elevation in just 9 miles. This is the day after you have already climbed 15,500' and ridden 102 miles at race pace.

To put some perspective on this...L' Alpe D' Huez is about 3350' in 8 miles. That is just over half of the climbing ito the first of three summits on the first day of the Everest Challenge. Imaging descending the Alpe D Huez then turning around and racing back up it, four more times! That would be the first day of the EC race...that and being at about 4000' higher up in elevation.

This year the fastest guys did both days in a total time of 10:39mins with about 8 mins between the winner and second. The 60+ Masters category, my group if I'd raced it this year, they finished in around 14hrs. The Public...non-race...fastest time guy was 14:30. There were 20 finishers in the Public Non-race category..slowest was 21 hrs total.

I tried this race a few years back during what was the worst ever weather for the event. I quit before the last climb of the first day due to hypothermia..but I went ahead and rode the next day, as is acceptable to the organizers, and finished up in somewhat nicer weather.

The toughest ride I have every attempted...

Don Hanson


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## pigpen

6 Gap was the hardest one day on a bike in my 30+ years of riding.
Followed up attempting the Blue Ridge Parkway in 5 days. By the third day I was shot but nothing like the Gap.


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## rcnute

There was a ride near Portland OR called the Torture 10,000. It was more like 13,000 feet of climbing. I think they call it something else now.


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## kg1

*Madison, Wisconsin*

If you are in Indiana, there are several really nice rides around Madison, Wisconsin that involve a lot of climbing -- the Horribly Hilly Hundreds and the Dairyland Double Dare are two of my favorites. These are both 200k rides ( the DDD has a 300k option) on great roads with fabulous scenery, and I don't know where you'd find harder riders in the upper Midwest. The HHH is the hardest in my opinion, because you climb one of the highest hills in southern Wisconsin at the very end of the ride. The DDD is very well run, and that one is my personal favorite.

Thanks.

kg1


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## michaelrm69

dualpivot said:


> D2R2 in Massachusetts. 112 miles with 16,500 feet of climbing, 70% on dirt. Best done with wider (~32mm) tires and v. low gearing.


This looks sweet:thumbsup: And right around the corner. Thanks for mentioning it!


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## colinmcnamara

*+1 on climb to kaiser*



parity said:


> Climb to Kaiser - 155 miles with 13500 feet of climbing


For me Climb to Kaiser was harder then the Death Ride (and MUCH better supported) as well as harder then some doubles I have done.

--Colin


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## parity

colinmcnamara said:


> For me Climb to Kaiser was harder then the Death Ride (and MUCH better supported) as well as harder then some doubles I have done.
> 
> --Colin


I would agree. Climb to Kaiser has steeper grades the Death Ride. The majority of the climbing is in the first half. So when you get to the top of Kaiser peak, its really just the half way point and while you get to descend, it rolls and there are many hills to get over on the way back. Also the heat is brutal once you get back close to sea level. I saw so many riders just sitting at the side of the road, under shade. The Death Ride in comparison for me is a lot easier. I can just turn the pedals at a nice cadence and enjoy the long climbs. Due to the heat, in the last 15 miles of Climb to Kaiser, I seriously considered abandoning. And from what I read a lot of people do. I have never done a double, and doing 155 miles is enough for me.


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## MarkS

The Mountains of Misery, which is held in southwestern Virginia on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, is pretty tough. http://www.cyclingdoubleheader.com/mountains-of-misery The weather can make a big difference in how hard this ride is -- the final climb has very little shade and more than one rider, including one of my friends who has been among the top finishers in other years, has had problems when the weather has been hot. The ride is incredibly well organized and supported. I have done it every year since 2002 (although I did not do the final climb in 2010). I recommend it highly.


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## Keeping up with Junior

*Timing*

Timing is everything. The middle 100 miles of a double century sucks.

Day five of Hell Week sucks. Far enough in that your entire body is sore and recovery is not complete. Too far from the end of the week to see the light at the end of the tunnel.



tconrady said:


> 3 State 3 Mounain isn't that hard...or as hard as the others above. Usually the worst thing about 3S3M is the sketchy weather that time of year. The first two mountains are pretty tame but the last one is tough. Inbetween those climbs, it's not all that hard of a ride. Nice easy rollers and some flat areas....unlike some in the mountains of NC and TN where you're either going up slowly or down quickly with very few flat areas.


Easy Peasy. A fun ride but hardly close to one of the toughest. You are either riding in a valley or on a ridgeline except for the three climbs. The first climb is easy, the second climb is a climb but not hard and the last one is tough.


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## Hairy Palms

If you take into consideration the grade then there is nothing tougher then the Everest Challenge. Most everything else is for the most part is a 6% climb. But EC has sustained climbing in the 10% range. Brutal. I haven't done it myself but some of the strongest riders in the country will verify this. Breathless Agony will always hold a special place in my psyche too. That one hurt! (all 3 times)


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## bikemanMD

*Brasstown Bald Buster*

What about Brasstown Bald Buster? Never done it, but includes Hogpen and Brasstown Bald...of Tour de Georgia infamy. 102 miles, over 14000 ft climbing. Brasstown has 20% sections.


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## poff

On Everest Challenge grades get steeper the higher you are - you are hitting 10% around 8500ft. Everything around Bishop is tough - Onion Valley, Horseshoe Meadow, Lake Sabrina, Whitney Portal. Bishop has at least 15 climbs with more than 4000ft of climbing. Any century there would be long up and fast down. You do not get anything like that anywhere in the CUS. Mt. Washington is brutal - 4600ft at average 12% grade.


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## bas

DesnaePhoto said:


> I'm wondering what the toughest road centuries are in the US.
> 
> Ride Around the Bear is supposed to be one of the top 10. There is supposed to be one around Virginia with something like 22,000 feet of climbing.
> 
> Curious how the 3-State, 3-Mountain ride goes.
> 
> A secondary note: I'm in Indiana, so I'm definitely interested in those from the Midwest and East. Just don't leave out the California and other rides...
> 
> Thanks!


probably the sierra nevada 2 day challenge.

don't forget mountains of misery. the final climb is KILLER. Cramp heaven


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## orangeclymer

poff said:


> On Everest Challenge grades get steeper the higher you are - you are hitting 10% around 8500ft. Everything around Bishop is tough - Onion Valley, Horseshoe Meadow, Lake Sabrina, Whitney Portal. Bishop has at least 15 climbs with more than 4000ft of climbing. Any century there would be long up and fast down. You do not get anything like that anywhere in the CUS. Mt. Washington is brutal - 4600ft at average 12% grade.



I hiked to the top of Mt Whitney does that count for anything??


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## roadie01

Come on out to Utah and try these:
Tour of Utah Ultimate challenge: 96 Miles, 10,888 feet of climbing, this is the same route the pros take on the final stage. With the finish at Snowbird resort, a decent climb on it's own.

Tour de Park City Super Century: 150 miles, 10,700 feet of climbing. 

Lotoja: Not a century but a double at 206 miles, through 3 states, over two mountain passes, total climbing is 9,738. If the mountain passes don't get you the head winds might. You have to love Wyoming. Oh and register early, this is limited to 1,000, and before the current system allowing previous finishers first entries, has sold out in 24 hours.


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## Topher

The Highlander in the Fingerlakes region of upstate NY is a great ride... lots of steep stuff, and just relentless.


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## poff

Here is the toughest one but on dirt bike - 101mi at Henry Coe park. 20K of climbing!
http://www.mtbguru.com/trip/show_static/15806-henry-coe-hard-coere-100-2010-11-13


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## cycleaddict

*Lots of tough rides and I have another to add....*

It's a double but it's a toughie. The Terrible Two Double Century. I did it in 2005 and finished five minutes before the cut off. 208 miles and 17000 ft of climbing. That year the course was a little different from the usual course because of road construction. I was lucky because the temps were reasonable. The year before many of the best did not finish because of the 118F heat!


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## ptfmb71

The Mulholland Challenge - 117mi 14,000ft
Breathless Agony - 112mi 11,000ft 
These are all part of the King of the Mountain centuries in So Cal
not a Century but the Vision Quest mountain bike race is 56mi with 12,000ft and some technical downhill (I found it harder than the above two centuries)


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## bigbill

I have done Mt Mitchell several times. 106 miles and 14K of climbing. 
The most recent hard century has been the Peninsula Century in Gig Harbor WA. It has two starting points, either in Gig Harbor or at the Southworth Ferry. It is 103 miles with 7700 feet of climbing. The hard part about it is that the climbs are short and steep. There are very few longer climbs in the 4-5% range. Most of the climbs are 8-14% and they really add up after a while. Factor in the early season date and the weather, it can quickly become epic. 

If you're interested in a hard non-stop ride, enter the D!ck Evans Memorial Road Race on Oahu. It is 112 miles with no stops, you have to leave with all your food and get water handoffs at designated spots. The route circles the island and is the original Ironman course, hence the standard 112 mile distance. Technically it's a race but only for the 30-40 that make the split over Pineapple Hill.


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## SinnerDC2

There is texas's HHH


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## kbwh

Come to Norway and try what is a triple and a third:
http://www.styrkeproven.no/en


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## Blue CheeseHead

Morison said:


> One of my favorites is the Horribly Hilly Hundreds. http://www.horriblyhilly.com/home.html The 200K route sends you over 10,700 vertical feet and finishes with 124.2 miles under your wheels. It is a well run event in a beautiful part of the country. The only problem is that due to those things, it fills up fast. I think this year the registration closed with the maxiumum number of participants less than 10 minutes after it opened on active.com If you get in, I highly recommend it.


+1 on HHH. This year the HHH is adding a 100 mile option to go with the 100 and 200k routes. Wisconsin also offers the Dairyland Dare with 100, 200 and 300k options and the Wright Stuff.

There is a newish ride near Traverse City, MI run by a RBR'r and I recall reading about a hilly ride in Ohio, but cannot recall the name.

A small group of us go to NorCal every year and ride in the Russian River area. A loop from Lake Sonoma on Skaggs Spring Road over to Jenner and back through Guernville offers about 10,000 ft of climbing with about 8,000 in the first 40 miles.


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## Hairy Palms

All these rides are tough but rating one the toughest will be near impossible. It's subjective and some folks can do better on a 6% grade where others can handle a 14% better. Still my legs just ache reading about these.

The hardest ride I did was the Brian Head 100 mountain bike race (all over 8000' with 13,000' of climbing.

I've done 2 triple centuries both at 21 hours but with only 9500' of climbing. Brian Head was much more difficult for me.


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## cogtooth

Having ridden Assault on Mount Mitchell, Blood Sweat and Gears, Mountains of Misery, and Mountain Mama, I felt that Mountains of Misery is the hardest. Mountain Mama is the most fun since you get to descend down all different kinds of mountains after climbing them. Most of the climbing rides want to list their hills as the hardest, and therefore tend to lie about the elevation, especially Blood Sweat and Gears.


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## crj

45K10 said:


> +1 for Six Gap and the dreaded Hogpen
> 
> I've done Blood Sweat and Gears as well but I still think 6 gap is harder just because of Hogpen.


+2 on 6 Gap and Hogpen. We did some training this past summer for 6 Gap and got a late start on a 90+ degree day on Hogpen. Wow very very tuff with all the humidity around here too.


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## Jwiffle

cogtooth said:


> Most of the climbing rides want to list their hills as the hardest, and therefore tend to lie about the elevation, especially Blood Sweat and Gears.


Boy, was I glad Mountain Mama had lied about the amount of elevation gain when I got to near mile 70. The website had stated 13,700 feet of elevation gain, and at almost 70 miles in, my Garmin showed less than 7,000 feet gained so far. I was already starting to suffer, having started off too hard. Another rider, when I bewailed the amount of climbing left, told me his Garmin had never registered more than 10,000 feet having ridden the ride several times. Thankfully, he was correct, and my Garmin showed only about 9,500 feet total by the end of the ride. I later noticed others wearing shirts from previous years that stated 10,000 feet of elevation gain.


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## danieljmaguire

I don't know the exact milage but the sea to summit is a pretty hard one as well. Its a charity ride in ventura california for Habitat for Humanity


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## coachboyd

I'm probably partial to this one as I run it (small plug, haha). But the Caesars Head challenge goes over just about every major climb in the upstate of South Carolina and finishes on top of Caesars Head. Plus it benefits and awesome organization.

http://www.caesarsheadchallenge.com/


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## coachboyd

sorry, double post


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## Bob4Aplz

And Climb to Kaiser out of Fresno in massive heat and from mile 20 to mile 80 11,000 feet of climbing. All told 155 miles and 14,500 feet.


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## providince

Has anyone done Rouge Roubaix? I have heard that is one of the tougher ones. The climbing is tough but the combined with the terrain that is supposed to simulate Paris Roubaix makes it tough.


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## [email protected]

I've done Assault on Mt. Mitchell, Blood, Sweat, and Gears, Mountain Mama, Mountains of Misery, and the (now defunct) Blue Ridge Extreme (including the BRE's last year, with the finish at Wintergreen). Like several posters have said, the weather can have a big impact on what's toughest. I'd have to say, however, that the Mountains of Misery is the toughest of the lot. The last climb up Salt Pond Mountain to Mountain Lake is brutal, and just seems steeper every year. Throw in that there's no shade the last two miles, and if its hot and humid, there's a recipe for misery for sure!


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## coachstevo

+1 on Climb to Kaiser
far more effort required than death ride. basically 80 miles up, then back...but those rollers in 105+ degree heat at the end are NASTY.
I was nearly two hours longer on C2K than death ride...and its only 20 miles further. Most of that time was spent hiding from the heat on the last 20ish miles.


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## JoeOxfordCT

Is Six Gaps in Vermont an official organized ride ? I've read information about the various climbs but I yet to come across an organizer's website ??

I've done the Great River Ride in MA. and there are some good hills in that one. I remember East River Hill as being particularly memorable.


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## OnTheRivet

Everest challenge is the crusher, period. Son of Deathride (ride of the immortals) is hard because you spend 80% of the ride above 7000ft. Great write up of Son Of Deathride. 

http://redkiteprayer.com/?tag=son-of-the-death-ride


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## TarmacTodd

Blue Ridge Extreme and Assault on Mt Mitchell are definately in this group for sure. Did BRE back in 2008 and it just hurt, especially the last 7 miles up Wintergreen.


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## Hairy Palms

I new I should of never opened this thread but it's to late now. We started training for Breathless Agony a few weeks ago. So far we have had a couple 7,000' days but the mileage has only been 53 and 65 miles. We haven't decided what to do next weekend but I know it's going to hurt. I'll probably go for the KOM series again this year:

Mulholland Challenge 113 miles, 14,000' climbing
Breathless Agony 114 miles 12,000' climbing
Heartbreak 100 101 miles 9500' climbing

and I might through in a few more.


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## legsoledd

rcnute said:


> There was a ride near Portland OR called the Torture 10,000. It was more like 13,000 feet of climbing. I think they call it something else now.


 Tourture 10k was a great ride! The Portland Wheelmen quit hosting the T10k due to high traffic and no shoulders through Gordon Creek Rd and Bull Run area. I did the Tourture 10k in 2003 and again last year on my own. I have read in other places that it has 13k of climbing but I find that hard to believe. 10k? Yes. 13k? Unlikely in my opinion. The hills never get steep enough I never used a GPS on the route though.

In 2007 they had a 70 mile ride with about 5k feet of climbing that started in Estacada and went to High Rocks area on Mt Hood. That ride had better scenery and less cars and I wish they would do it again.


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## Jwiffle

I just signed up for the Garrett County Gran Fondo, the "Diabolical Double" option. Listed as 125 miles, 16,000 feet of climbing. Should be pretty tough.


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## brewster

I've done HHH and Dairyland Dare, both in WI. Both hideous. Both over similar terrain...freaking hilly. I remember HHH as being worse, however I was in worse shape than when I did DLD, so it may have been just as bad. I'd like to do them again. It takes a little insanity to do this to yourself in the first place.


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## Morison

*Yes*



brewster said:


> I've done HHH and Dairyland Dare, both in WI. Both hideous. Both over similar terrain...freaking hilly. I remember HHH as being worse, however I was in worse shape than when I did DLD, so it may have been just as bad. I'd like to do them again. It takes a little insanity to do this to yourself in the first place.


Hey brewster,
You should do it again this year, but change it up a bit. The organizers of the Dairyland Dare and Arcadia's Brute have gotten together to create the Wisconsin Triple Crown http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wisconsin-Triple-Crown-Endurance-Cycling-Series/125659100837477 that includes the Brute, the Kickapoo Kicker, and the Dairyland Dare with a custom finishers jersey awarded to anyone that completes all three events. All three are a challenge in and of themselves.

Individual events here:
Arcadia's Brute http://spreetouring.com/
Kickapoo Kicker http://www.kickapookicker.com/
Dairyland Dare http://www.dairylanddare.com/


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## campy4eva

I read through this thread, so I apologize in advance if I ask someting that has already been answered. Is there a tough century that is considered tough because of rough road conditions (i.e. gravel climbs, cobbles, etc.). Obviously the climbing is considered tough, I was thinking of maybe the actual rough roads could just be as fun and challenging and not just the climbs. Are there any century rides that are like that? Thanks everyone in advance.


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## tburgesscsp

Great list of rides.

Check out the "Hiller than Thou" in NJ . Great scenic route on nice low traffic roads in more rural and hilly northwest NJ. 2010 route looped across the Delaware River into PA for a few miles. 10,000+ ft of climbing including the 20%+ climb up steepest road in NJ.


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## ACree

campy4eva said:


> I read through this thread, so I apologize in advance if I ask someting that has already been answered. Is there a tough century that is considered tough because of rough road conditions (i.e. gravel climbs, cobbles, etc.). Obviously the climbing is considered tough, I was thinking of maybe the actual rough roads could just be as fun and challenging and not just the climbs. Are there any century rides that are like that? Thanks everyone in advance.


It's not a full century, but the Ephrata Gran Fondo in Central WA is like that. 79 miles, with 30 or so on gravel, including most of the climbing and one long, rolly descent. Not super hilly, but enough for early in the year.


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## cinelliguy

Sounds like L'Eroica of Gaiole in Chianti
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PjXaiJ25Ks


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## cinelliguy

Sounds like L'Eroica of Gaiole in Chianti
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PjXaiJ25Ks


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## defmut

Not a century but Ride the Divide.


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## mtrider05

Hairy Palms said:


> I new I should of never opened this thread but it's to late now. We started training for Breathless Agony a few weeks ago. So far we have had a couple 7,000' days but the mileage has only been 53 and 65 miles. We haven't decided what to do next weekend but I know it's going to hurt. I'll probably go for the KOM series again this year:
> 
> Mulholland Challenge 113 miles, 14,000' climbing
> Breathless Agony 114 miles 12,000' climbing
> Heartbreak 100 101 miles 9500' climbing
> 
> and I might through in a few more.


I'm doing the Heartbreak, safe to say I'm unprepared. I have 200 miles under my belt since January and my longest ride was 35 miles. It's all been at altitude with 500-4kft of climbing depending on distance but still lacking in endurance. I'm doing a metric Saturday and flat century the following week, and maybe a climbing century the following weekend. Maybe that will be enough to get into a form to survive Heartbreak, doubtful but we'll see.


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## honkinunit

There are many MTB 100 milers in the west that are tougher than just about any road "century". The Leadville Trail 100 is now considered one of the easier 100 mile rides and it is 12,600 feet of climbing in 100 miles, nearly all of it above 10,000 feet in elevation with a peak elevation of 12,400.


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## steelrpm

Sojourneyman said:


> Tour das Hugel, Austin, TX 110 miles with a large amount of climbing depending on what stats you look at. A bunch of it is short and steep; really saps it out of the legs.


I did the first loop today (40 or so miles) not knowing what to expect and that ride is sadistic. I'm pretty new to road cycling but I'll have to make this one of my goals next year.


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## 2silent

The Dairyland Dare is a ton of fun!

What makes a ride hard though? If you want midwestern centuries and RACING check out almanzo 100/162 and the rest of the Almanzo Gravel Racing Series races. They only have reasonable climbing, but you'll have a solid day if you stay up front...


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## smittyjs

Rides in Wisconsin .... Horribly Hilly 100's 100k with 5700 feet in 67 miles, 200k with 10700 ft elevation.
Kickapoo Kicker 100K: 6,739 feet of Climbing, 150K: 10,394 feet of Climbing, 200K: 13,911 feet of Climbing. 
Dairyland Dare, 50K Route Info Elevation Gain: 3,278 ft Total Distance: 32.6 miles. 100K Route Info
Elevation Gain: 6,663 ft. Total Distance: 65.7 miles. 150K Route Elevation Gain: 10,341 ft
Total Distance: 97.6 miles. 200K Route Info Elevation Gain: 12,369 ft Total Distance: 120.2 miles. Grades for the DD can exceed 21%.... 

I have a map for a ride called the Grand Prix de Coulee which is mostly in LaCrosse County, Wi that has 9700+ feet of elevation in 107 miles. The last 7 miles with 2 climbs (1/2 is descending or flats) has 1100 ft elevation. The Coulee region of Western Wisconsin has incredible bike routes, few cars and if you want climbs that are as steep as 24.5% grade.


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## poff

Double this up:
Bike Ride Profile | Col de la Croix de Fer and Alp D'Huez near Saint Jean De Maurienne | Times and Records | Strava


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## rensselaer80

steelrpm said:


> I did the first loop today (40 or so miles) not knowing what to expect and that ride is sadistic. I'm pretty new to road cycling but I'll have to make this one of my goals next year.


If you think the first loop is bad.... The second is worse, more than twice as worse, 2x the distance but with all the hardest hills. :yikes: I'm of two minds here, one, go out and do some of the hills on the 2nd loop to prepare yourself for next year (in particular, go find Smokey Valley, Beauford Dr, and Big View), or two, under no circumstance go out and do the hills to prepare -- you're better off not knowing what you're in for....:eek6: 

If you do the ride next year, your range of emotions will vary somewhere between :cryin: and :mad2: Enjoy!!


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## nyvram

6 gap isn't that bad although i was definitely tired by the end.

now 10 gap (which i hope to do this year) is around 125 miles and includes all the 6 gap climbs as well as brasstown bald among others for well over 16k ft of climbing.

several of my friends have done it and say its alot of fun; but you're not going for time (I was trying to finish 6gap in under 6 hours..missed it by 12 minutes) but its more a matter of surviving.

here's my buddy robert's thoughts on it from riding it in 2008 with some great comparions to 'death ride' (which he's also done)

The Adventures of RandoBoy: The Hardest Ride in America


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