Crater Lake Century Anyone?

[Jow28]

I am signed up to ride Crater Lake this summer in August. Has anyone completed this event? I am doing the Metric Century version. Would appreciate any information.

http://www.craterlakecentury.com/

Joanne

[Susan126]

Joanne . . . I signed up to do it too. This will also be my first time riding the Crater Lake Century. I've been wanting to do it for a few years now and I finally signed up this year. I signed up to ride the century.

You and I need to get some high elevation training in. I live pretty much at sea level. I know the ride starts at an elevation of 4,099 feet and we will be climbing an additional 3,000 - 4,000 feet! I think that will be the hardest part of this ride for me, the elevation!

[GLC1968]

I'm signed up too!

And let me just 'ditto' Susan's whole post - word for word.

We've been wanting to do this one for years and this is the first year we can swing it! And yes, elevation is going to be our biggest challenge, too.

I'm signed up for the century, but I don't know that I care if I do 100 miles or not. I just want to do the whole rim, so I thought I needed the century to do so...I see now that I was wrong. Oops.

[Jow28]

Well I am doing some hill training so my legs are good but the elevation will get to my lungs. I'm taking an inhaler before I start the ride. Where do you go girlies live? I have a few good elevation training rides in my area if you are interested...I'm only doing the Metric Century for Crater Lake.

[Veronica]

A group of us did it last year. The route up and around the lake is beautiful. My friends who rode the out and back to make the century said that section is just blah. The consensus seemed to be that unless you wanted that 100 miles, it wasn't worth the effort.

Veronica

[jobob]

Right. You can follow the metric century route which goes from the Ft. Klamath Museum directly up to the rim, then follow the century route which takes you all the way around the rim and back to the Museum.

That way you miss out on the 20 miles or so of relatively boring flatland on the first part of century route.

[Tater]

That way you miss out on the 20 miles or so of relatively boring flatland on the first part of century route.

Some of us almost missed the turn around cone to boot! If one has to have the miles to make it a century, then do it. That's why I did it last year. That and it was a nice warm up in the cool air! Other than that, I echo what Jobob said.

[GLC1968]

I believe that they changed the routes this year. The metric takes you directly up to the rim and then around it and back down to the start. The century takes you around the flat lands for ~35 miles prior to climbing up to the rim so that you have 100 miles before you finish for the day.

I had originally signed up for the century because I wanted to ride the whole rim, but I changed our registration last month to the metric since it DOES include the whole rim now.

[jobob]

Really? I didn't notice that. Must go check ....

[jobob]

I believe that they changed the routes this year. The metric takes you directly up to the rim and then around it and back down to the start. The century takes you around the flat lands for ~35 miles prior to climbing up to the rim so that you have 100 miles before you finish for the day.

GLC, where did you get that info?

I just checked the website and the routes they have currently posted for both the full century and the metric century are the same as in previous years.

Here's the map for the metric century route currently on the website:
http://www.craterlakecentury.com/cra...icmap-2007.pdf

As in previous years, the metric route goes up to the rim and then heads counter-clockwise around about 1/4 of the rime to the Phantom Ship overlook stop.

The imperial century route does the same meander as past years around the flatlands and then heads up to the rim, at which point it goes clockwise around the rim, and meets up with the metric route at the Phantom Ship overlook.
http://www.craterlakecentury.com/cra...map%202007.pdf

Or am I missing something?

[jobob]

My husband & I signed up for Crater Lake a couple of weeks ago; it'll be nice to meet those of you who are going this year!

[GLC1968]

Jobob - you are totally correct....I have no idea where I got that but now I'm disappointed! I want to ride the whole rim, damn it (and we registered for the metric thinking it was the whole thing minus the flat stuff). Crap.

I'm glad you are going though! It'll be fun to meet more TE'ers!

[jobob]

Oh geeze what a drag!

For what it's worth, when you pick up your reg packets there might be people who've changed their minds and are opting for the metric instead -- plans change (when I did the ride last year, I had signed up for the full century right before my crash in March, but come mid-August I was only up for a slow ride just up to the rim and back down).

And I don't remember people checking all that closely in the past (but that said, maybe there are stricter limits being enforced by the National Parks Service).

You could always write to the ride organizer Bill Haskins at
bhaskins(at)cbkfalls.com and see what he could do for you, at the very least he could put you on the waitlist.

At any rate, the barbecue afterwards is a lot of fun.

[GLC1968]

The problem is that we originally signed up for the century and then I contacted them and changed it to the metric thinking that would get us what we wanted. If I contact them again, they are going to think I'm the dumbest person on the planet! Plus, of course, everything is full now...

Though, to be fair, I'm sure the altitude is going to be tough for us, so maybe the metric is the best we can manage anyway...

How do they control who goes where? Do we wear wrist bands or something?

(my husband is going to kill me when he finds out that I screwed this up!)

[Veronica]

Ride the rim GLC, even though it's not what you signed up for. If you feel badly about it, skip the rest stop that's for the century people. Follow the rules about single file and no groups bigger than 5. It's drop dead gorgeous. We've been to lots of beautiful places and Crater Lake is probably the prettiest. You've got to ride the rim.

Heck, last year we were signed up for the century but had Bubba and SK drive us up to the rim. It was freakin' cold and I don't do cold, as in frost on the ground at the start of the ride, cold.

I wish we could go this year, but I'm already back at work, so no time to drive up. It seems like it's a little bit later in August than in the past.

Veronica