Terrible Two Double Century

June 15 2024

Sebastopol California USA

Unconfirmed

Distances: 200 miles, 18,500 feet

Difficulty: Ultra Distance and Climbing for events well over 100 miles

Limited to: 300 Participants

The Terrible Two Double Century is one of the most challenging 200-mile rides in the United States. It follows a steeply hilly route around Napa and Sonoma Counties, passing through the vineyards of Northern California's most famous wine regions. It also explores many stretches of remote back-country and offers a long run down the rugged cliffs of the Sonoma coast. Scheduled for the weekend nearest Summer Solstice each year, it is notorious for the bake-oven heat that often occurs at that time of year. (In 2012, with an official high of 111°, bike thermometers were flirting with 130° in the afternoon. Only a third of the entrants finished that year.)

While the event has a well-earned reputation for being a brute, it also is highly regarded for the level of support provided by the sponsoring Santa Rosa Cycling Club. Because of the challenging but beautiful course and the great support staff, the Terrible Two has been voted Number 1 in rider satisfaction by the participants in the California Triple Crown Double Century Series.

If the full 200-mile Terrible Two is more than you want this year, consider the Terrible 200-K: 121 miles and somewhere over 10,000' of ruggedly steep elevation gain. The route follows the infamous second half of the Terrible Two (“where the Terrible Two gets truly terrible”). We will use an attractive, rolling section of our popular Wine Country Century course to travel from the start (in Sebastopol) to the point where we pick up the TT course (the lunch stop at Warm Springs Dam Visitor Center).

This is an opportunity for riders new to the TT to familiarize themselves with the harder half of the course under “game day” conditions, with the full support for which the TT is known. Some may choose to do it as a test drive before tackling the full TT in a future year. For others, it may be a worthy goal all by itself. Make no mistake: this will be a very challenging 200-K. It may be the hardest 200-K you ever do. With that thought in mind, we urge you to consider carefully before signing up for this event. We offer the same disclaimers for this ride as we do for the full Terrible Two: we want only experienced, fit riders who understand what they’re taking on. Read the description of the second half of the TT course--at the club website--for a fuller picture of what this course holds in store.

Terrible Two Double Century