Compare Century Rides

Ride Name	Distances	Elevation	Difficulty	Field Size	Weather
Stagecoach Last update 8-3-10	100 miles 90 miles 84 miles 73 miles 50 miles 26 miles Rider Option Distance: (out-and-back route) 4-Person Team Time Trial Option Individula Time Trial Option Tandem TTT Option 56-mile Option for Triathletes 112-mile Option for Ironman riders	4,685 Ft Using Garmin GPS	Moderately Difficult Difficulty dependent on weather conditions.	2005: 177 2006: 1,250 2007: 1,044 2008: 723 2009: 628 2010: 699	Desert Riding: Always respect Mother Nature in the desert. Prepare for a wide variety of conditions, even on a single ride. Always top off water bottles. Carry extra clothes such as arm warmers, full finger gloves, vest, and toe covers. Wind, heat, cold, rain, and sunny conditions can be present. When in doubt, prepare for the worst. Normal: Early morning winds neutral to frontal to 50-mile turnaround. Winds at your back on return. Temps 50's - 60's F. Unusual cold temps: 30's - 40's F Unusual hot temps: 70's - 90's F
	The original Stagecoach Century. Kick off your New Year with a flexible out-and-back route, allowing riders to select their own distance, based on weather conditions and fitness levels. Very low traffic on Route S2 offers miles of exceptional desert views with only one Stop Sign. Starting at 471 ft elevation and rising to 2,667 ft near the turn-around, the vistas are diverse all along the course. The return ride from Shelter Valley is mostly downhill and usually wind-aided for a speedy return to the Start/Finish in Ocotillo. This ride is fortunate to have outstanding community support from the residents of Ocotillo in the South and Shelter Valley in the North/turn-around. In between, Rest Stops are professionally staffed by veteran cyclists/volunteers from San Diego Knickerbikers & San Diego Century Riders, volunteers from area Optimists International, and great friends and family members of the Shadow Tour organizers.
Salton Sea Last update 8-3-10	100 miles 82 miles 72 miles 55 miles 45 miles 28 miles 17 miles 4-Person Team Time Trial Option Individual Time Trial Option Tandem Team Time Trial Option	4,400 Ft Using Garmin GPS	Easy to Average Difficulty Excellent beginner ride on shorter routes Difficulty dependent on weather conditions	2007: 354 2008: 176 2009: Retired 2010: Tba	Desert Riding: Always respect Mother Nature in the desert. Prepare for a wide variety of conditions, even on a single ride. Always top off water bottles. Use all rest stops to take on energy items, fluids, and sunblock. Wind, heat, cold, rain, and sunny conditions can be present. When in doubt, prepare for the worst. Normal: Expect wind and warmer temps to develop in the afternoon, otherwise, nice conditions. Unusual cold temps: 70's - 80's F Unusual hot temps: 90's - 100's F
	An ideal late season ride. Great prep ride for El Tour of Tucson. This ride is also an excellent choice for a first-ever century rider, with several shorter distance options available. For veterans, speedy individuals, tandems, and teams, consider the optional Time Trial. The Salton Sea Century offers several distance options with full support. A 28-mile warm-up lap heads up to the Yaqui Pass summit, then returns to the Start/Finish at Christmas Circle. Next, riders take a 17-mile lap around Borrego Springs, again returning to Christmas Circle at approximately 45 miles. The last lap, for century riders, heads out to Salton City, over a desert pass, with a one-of-a-kind journey below Sea Level, then returns to Christmas Circle for the century finish in Borrego Springs.
Other Centuries	Name of Ride	Climbing Elevation (ft)	Vehicle Traffic	Natural Scenery	Overall Difficulty
	Salton Sea Century	4,400	Minimal	Outstanding	Average to Difficult, highly weather dependent
	Stagecoach Century	4,685	Minimal	Outstanding	Moderately Difficult, highly weather dependent
	Solvang Century	3,501	Average	Very Good	Average
	Tour de Palm Springs	3,100	Minimal	Very Good	Easy to Average, weather dependent
	Death Ride	15,000+	Average	Outstanding	Very Difficult, weather dependent
	Breathless Agony	12,000+	Average	Outstanding	Very Difficult
	Tour de Poway	4,500	High	Good	Average
	San Diego Century	4,331	High	Good	Average
	San Diego Gran Fondo	5,500+	High	Very Good	Average to Difficult, weather dependent