Devil Mountain Double Century

Devil Mountain Double Century

April 26 2025

San Jose CA

Unconfirmed

Distances: 206 miles, 18,000 feet

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

Limited to: 200 riders Participants

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".

The course starts and ends at the San Ramon Marriott Hotel. Two miles into the ride you will encounter some small hills and large rollers that take you to the base of Mt. Diablo. The mountain rises 3200 feet in 10.5 miles to a height of 3849 feet. The last two tenths of a mile are known as "THE WALL". It's only twenty miles into the ride, but this will already by testing your strength. The first rest stop is at the summit, and the view is spectacular on a clear day. The descent is some of the most fun you can have on a bike, but be careful; it's technical with lots of blind corners.

After leaving Mt. Diablo it will be a few miles and some minor climbs before you reach your next major challenge. The Morgan Territory Road climb is mostly tree covered and quite beautiful, following beside a natural creek that should be flowing strongly as you pass by. This part of the ride will likely be a little chilly due to the abundance of trees covering the road. The road rises 1500 feet in 7.4 miles and is VERY steep in a few spots. Just shy of the summit, you will find the second rest stop at mile 53. Going down the backside of Morgan Territory, known as "The Plunge", is fast and major fun!

Now you will start to work your way over the Altamont to Altamont Raceway, and then back over Patterson Pass Road. One mile below Patterson Pass, will be a mini-stop/checkpoint, from which you can look up to the famous "Oh-My-Gosh" summit. Along the way you'll see many cows and a lot of windmills, before coming to rest stop number 3 at Mines Road. At this point, you have covered a little over 91 miles. Shortly after leaving rest stop number 3, you'll begin the long gradual climb up Mines Road towards the backside of Mt. Hamilton. This climb takes 25 miles to rise above 2000 feet through some beautiful country. If the rains have been on schedule, there will be many wildflowers and flowing streams along the way. Then it's a nice and easy 5-mile descent into "The Junction" and lunch at mile 116.

After a great lunch, you can warm back up with 14 miles of mostly flat and occasionally descending road before beginning your assault on the eastern side of Mt. Hamilton. In just 5 miles, you will rise over 2,100 feet to the 4209-foot summit. Be sure to enjoy the far-ranging view of the Silicon Valley while you are at the top of its highest peak. Now you will be descending almost constantly for over 16 miles (watch out for cows standing in blind corners) to the next rest stop. As in 2008, the rest stop will be staged at the legendary Crothers Road venue. Just beyond Joseph Grant County Park, you will climb about 2 miles, then be rewarded with a fast descent to Crothers Road at the base of Mt. Hamilton, around mile 150.

You will definitely want to refuel and take full advantage of this rest stop because in just five quick miles you are going to hit "SIERRA ROAD"! This sucker's a beast! In only 3.2 miles it shoots up 1800 feet! This will be your biggest test; not only is it incredibly steep, but you will already have over 155 miles in your legs! Once you have tackled this monster, you will face a rapid descent of about 1000 feet over 4 miles at which point you will skirt the Calaveras Reservoir while riding on primarily flat to descending roads into the next rest stop in the small town of Sunol, at mile 181.

After leaving Sunol you will descend Niles Canyon, turn right under an old railroad bridge and begin your climb up Palomares Canyon. You will climb a little over 1000 feet in about 4.5 miles and descend almost the same amount in the next 7 miles before turning right and beginning your climb up Crow Canyon, which leads you to your last tough (but short) climb over Norris Canyon Road. The Norris Canyon climb rises 530 feet in 2.1 miles to the summit at 910 feet. From there, it's just 3 miles of descending and flats back to a triumphant finish at the San Ramon Marriott! That is 206 miles and over 20,000 feet (Cateye accuracy) of elevation gain in one day!