205 miles with 18,000 feet of elevation gain*
Locate ride on interactive map.
[Interactive Course | enlarge]
[Route Profile]
Devil Mountain Double Century - Counties Visited:
Contra Costa County, Alameda County, and Santa Clara County
Devil Mountain Double Century - Cities/Towns Visited:
San Ramon, Walnut Creek, Clayton, Livermore, San Jose, Sunol, and Castro Valley
Devil Mountain Double Century - Climbs:
Mile 9 (cat. 2), 33 (cat. 4), 39 (cat. 4), 46 (cat. 3), 77 (cat. 3), 91 (cat. 2), 120 (cat. 4), 126 (cat. 2), 144 (cat. 4), 155 (cat. 2), 185 (cat. 3), 200 (cat. 4)
Devil Mountain Double Century - Stops:
Mile 20 (Mount Diablo), 53 (Morgan Territory), 81 (Patterson Pass), 91 (Mines Road), 115 (Junction), 150 (Crothers Road), 160 (Sierra Road), and 180 (Sunol)
Devil Mountain Double Century - Description:
The Devil Mountain Double Century is a very difficult and scenic double century through the hills and mountains bordering Silicon Valley.
The ride starts early in the darkness in San Ramon. After some rolling hills, the first major climb approaches. Mount Diablo, after which the ride is named, is a beautiful state park with great views of the surrounding areas. The very top of the climb is known as «the wall», for its steepness.
After a fun descent and some more rolling hills, the next climb winds up Morgan Territory, protected under the cover of trees, but on an occasionally rough road. Another fast descent leads to an area of big hills, covered with wind turbines and home to lots of cows. Next, Altamont Pass and Patterson Pass are climbed and descended.
Mines Road is a long stretch that winds up the backside of Mount Hamilton, mainly ascending, but with some flats and descends in between. The last five miles before the summit are the steepest. At an altitude of 4,360 feet, Mount Hamilton with its observatory is the highest point of the ride and offers beautiful views.
A long descent, interrupted by two short climbs, leads into San Jose. After a few miles of urban riding, the most difficult climb goes up Sierra Road - with an over 10 percent average grade for over three and a half miles. Sierra Road was featured in both this year's and last year's Amgen Tour of California.
Another gradual descent with a few short hills eventually leads into Sunol, the next town. From here, two more climbs need to be mastered, Palomares Road and Norris Canyon, before a fast finish into San Ramon.
Devil Mountain Double Century - Pictures:
[Mount Diablo Tower]
[Mount Hamilton]
[Alto the Goat]
Devil Mountain Double Century - Personal Notes:
The Devil Mountain Double Century is the hardest double century in terms of elevation gain. This year, the unusually hot weather added to the difficulty, which was reflected in a DNF (did not finish) rate of 28 percent - the highest in the history of the ride.
Some of the highlights included Mount Diablo and Mount Hamilton, the two highest peaks in the San Francisco Bay Area. Another highlight, after 150 miles into the ride, was Sierra Road and the famous «pet the goat» rest stop at its top, where we received a pin and got to meet Alto the goat.
I met Tony M. from Cherry Valley, and ran into a few people I knew from the Mulholland Double Century, who had a similar pace. However, most of the ride I rode by myself, including several hours at night. It was an interesting experience, alone in the darkness, in canyons miles away from other humans, and with different kinds of animals around.
Devil Mountain Double Century - Current Weather:
See also California Triple Crown.