Happy New Year ...

Welcome to the California Triple Crown Newsletter of 01/26/15

Contents:

1. SPOTLIGHT ON 570 CALIFORNIA TRIPLE CROWN WINNERS IN 2014

2. 2015 CALIFORNIA TRIPLE CROWN SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED

3. 2015 CALIFORNIA TRIPLE CROWN STAGE RACE ANNOUNCED

4. HUGE DELIVERY OF CALIFORNIA TRIPLE CROWN PRODUCTS

5. SOUTHERN INYO DOUBLE CENTURY ADDED TO 2015 SCHEDULE

6. GREEN HALL OF FAME JERSEYS DESIGNED AND SHIPPED

7. LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!!

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1. SPOTLIGHT ON 570 CALIFORNIA TRIPLE CROWN WINNERS IN 2014

Looking back on the 2014 Double Century Series, I hope you had some moments on your rides where "all the world was right".  Where your fitness made the bike feel like it didn’t have a chain.  We tip our helmets to the 570 Riders completing their California Triple Crown in 2014 as shown at

http://www.caltriplecrown.org/2014/2014FinishersbyName.asp?Action=Name&Action2=All&ClubID=

Click on any name and you'll see that person's California Triple Crown History in detail.  This report is sorted by Last Name then First Name. 

For example, click on Teresa (Tiger) Beck’s name and her CalTripleCrown History Report appears HERE

Teresa’s Double Century History is exemplary for many reasons.  She was inducted into the California Triple Crown Hall of Fame at the California Triple Crown Awards Breakfast last year after completing more than 50 Double Centuries!  She rode 15 Double Centuries in 2014 which is a truly amazing accomplishment.  She completed the 2014 California Triple Crown Stage Race on a Tandem with Roland Hoffman!!  Even more impressive is that she has given back to our sport by volunteering at 5 Doubles in 2014 by helping either before or after the event.  Click the "TERESA (TIGER) BECK’S BIO" link and notice her accomplishments there.

John Clare wrote: “It appears that all of the statistical data has been entered for 2014.  A big thank you to the CTC volunteers who put in a lot of hard work on this monumental task.  You can go to http://caltriplecrown.org/  to see the results.  Last year was a record setting year in many ways.  We had the most CTC winners, most male and most female finishers, most doubles ridden, most new riders, most CTC 1,000 mile gold winners and the highest number of doubles per winner.  Overall it was an awesome year.”

Completion of the California Triple Crown series is not easy but we minimize the hassles.  All you have to do (as though this part is supposed to be easy) is register for and complete at least three of the Doubles on the schedule.  We will keep track of those individuals completing the events by working with the ride organizers.

Each year, several people take on the challenge of completing every Double in the CTC series.  However, with the schedule having grown from five events to so many Doubles as we currently have, we recognize that this "grand slam" has become increasingly difficult...perhaps unrealistic.  We encourage riders to attempt as many of these doubles as time, money, and fitness allow, but remind them to be proud of whatever they accomplish, be it three or more doubles.  The California Triple Crown records one ride credit and/or one volunteer credit to each event based on the results posted by the Ride Organizers.

We have updated the Schedule page at http://www.caltriplecrown.com/schedule.htm to include links to all of the results of the 2014 Double Centuries on the ride organizer’s web sites.  We’ve also included links to Steve Meichtry’s most excellent Ride Reports with Photos from many of those Double Centuries from 2013 and 2014.

We have updated the "Winners History Table" at http://www.CalTripleCrown.com ... click on Results then scroll down from 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, ... below the 1992 Results where you’ll find the “Winners History Table” which compares 2013 to the prior years.  Here you will find that 2014 was an excellent year for Double Centuries in California, with the 570 California Triple Crown Winners an excellent result especially considering the difficult economic times that we continue to live in.

3. 2015 CALIFORNIA TRIPLE CROWN STAGE RACE ANNOUNCED

The California Triple Crown Stage Race was started in 1996 to add a competition to the top end of the California Triple Crown Double Century series.  This is how the Stage Race works: Riders have to complete three of the most difficult Doubles in the California Triple Crown Double Century series.  The Total Elapsed Time from each of these grueling Doubles is then added together and the rider with the fastest overall time for all Three Doubles wins the Stage Race.  If you ride any Stage on a tandem, you must ride all three Stages on a tandem with the same partner.
 
You can see the results of the 2014 California Triple Crown Stage Race at
 
http://www.caltriplecrown.org/2014/2014FinishersbyName.asp?Action=StageRace&Action2=Time&ClubID=  
 
and we tip our helmets to each of the 39 finishers who tackled the HUGE challenge of completing the Central Coast Double, the Heartbreak Double, and the Mt. Tam Double.
 
Have you ever thought of what it would be like to ride with the top 5 cyclists in the Stage Race?  Cal Erdman took us right there with him in his excellent ride report at
 
http://caltriplecrown.blogspot.com/2014/12/2014-california-triple-crown-stage-race.html
 
with some amazing photos.  Check out more of his breathtaking photos on the Stage Race page and at
 
https://plus.google.com/photos/114819883121339375507/albums/6044338415311907841?authkey=CMfQzbL9vKH42gE
 
Can you imagine riding these three most difficult rides on a tandem with the same person???  Well, we can’t either.  And in 2012 and 2013 no Tandems were able to complete the Stage Race.  But 2014 was different.  :)
 
In the Tandem Division, Teresa Beck, 51 years old, from Torrance who rides with the Adobo Velo Club came in First Place.  She pushed her Captain, Roland Hoffman, 52 years old, from Alta Loma who also rides with the Adobo Velo Club. 
 
In the Women’s Division, Becky Berka, 51 years old, from Dublin, came in Third Place and completed these three tough rides on her Fixed Gear Bike!!  This is Becky’s 5th Consecutive Podium finish in the Stage Race!!
 
Kirsten McDaniel, 46 years old, from Campbell who rides with the Almaden Cycle Touring Club came in Second place.
 
It was an honor to award the First Place in the Women’s Division to Lori Hoechlin, 52 years old, from Costa Mesa and who rides with REV Endurance.
 
In the Men’s Division, Max Mehech, 53 years old, from Santa Clarita came in Third place.  He trailed the First place rider by just 75 minutes after these 3 brutally hard rides. 
 
There was an amazing battle between the 1st and 2nd Place finishers this year with just 43 minutes separating them after 600 miles and over 44,000 Feet of Climbing.  Carl Sanders, 46 years old, from Lagunitas who rides with the Santa Rosa Cycling Club Santa Clara came in Second Place.
 
Joel Sothern who is 57 years old from Thousand Oaks riding with Team Rokform came in 1st Place in the 2014 California Triple Crown Stage Race.  Overall, he was ahead of Carl by 43 minutes.  Joel also came in 1st Place in the 2012 Stage Race.
 
It was an honor to award Joel for 1st Place in the 2014 California Triple Crown Stage Race.
 
The California Triple Crown Stage Race rotates through some of the most difficult of the California Triple Crown Double Centuries.  This rotation provides variety in the Stage Race from year to year.  Just as the Tour de France does not go over the same tough passes every year, neither does the California Triple Crown Stage Race go over the same tough passes each year.
 
From 1996 to 2008, the Doubles in the Stage Race were rotated 3 at a time between Heartbreak, Devil Mountain, Central Coast, Mulholland, and the Terrible Two.  In 2009, we added the Mt. Tam Double to the rotation, in 2012, we added the Borrego Double Century to the rotation, and in 2013, we added the Alta Alpina 8 Pass Challenge to the rotation.
 
In 2009, Scott Halversen suggested that we have a Northern California Stage Race then a Southern California Stage Race the following year to encourage more participation with less driving to the other end of California.  With the price of gas and the economy the way it is, this made good sense.
 
In 2011, we had a California Triple Crown Stage Race consisting of Devil Mountain, Terrible Two, and Mt. Tam thereby focusing on the Northern California Doubles. 
 
In 2012, we had a California Triple Crown Stage Race consisting of Mulholland, Central Coast, and Borrego thereby focusing on the Southern California Doubles.
 
In 2013, we had a California Triple Crown Stage Race consisting of Devil Mountain, Terrible Two, and the Alta Alpina 8 Pass Challenge focusing on the Northern California Doubles.  
 
In 2014, we had a California Triple Crown Stage Race consisting of Central Coast, Heartbreak, and Mt. Tam focusing on the Southern California Doubles with Mt. Tam mixed in. 
 
The 2015 California Triple Crown Stage Race will consist of the following very challenging Stages:
 
Stage 1: Devil Mountain Double on 4/25/15 with 18,600 Feet of Climbing.  The Devil Mountain Double will continue to be an extremely tough and full day of cycling climbing two of the highest paved peaks in the Bay Area.  Don’t forget Sierra Road, a beast of climb that you will tackle at mile 155 which shoots up a brutal 1,800 Feet in just 3.2 Miles!!
 
Stage 2: Terrible Two on 6/20/15 with 16,480 Feet of Climbing.  The Terrible Two will be celebrating it's 40th Anniversary in 2015 so this will be a special year for that event.  The Terrible Two will have special commemorative graphics to salute that fact.  Its defining features have always been its four big climbs (and the steep, twisting descents that follow): Trinity Grade, the Geysers, Skaggs Springs, and Fort Ross.  Numerous smaller but pesky hills add to the overall challenge.  Trinity, the Geysers, and Fort Ross are all double-summit climbs, while Skaggs Springs is a long series of climbs and descents, including a tough new climb introduced with the 1995 route change.
 
Stage 3: Mt. Tam Double on 8/01/15 with 15,000 Feet of Climbing.  The Mt. Tam Double will have a small change of the course planned for next year which will add a couple of hundred feet of climbing making the total closer to 15,000!! The steepest grades are found at mile 130 on the Coleman Valley climb where grades are as high as 16%.  Great climbs & technical descents as well as redwoods, grasslands & lakes with stunning ocean views await you on the 2015 Mt. Tam Double.
 
This extremely difficult combination of Double Centuries in the Stage Race hasn’t been used since 2011 when it resulted in the 2nd Largest Number of Stage Race Finishers.  Four different options were seriously considered for the Stage Race this year before this combination was decided on.
 
The spacing between Devil Mountain and the Terrible Two will be 8 Weeks giving the riders plenty of time to recover and take their fitness to the next level.
 
The spacing between the Terrible Two and Mt. Tam will be 6 Weeks giving the riders plenty of time to recover again but requiring the riders to keep their fitness at a high level over the summer months.
 
We believe this will make for a very difficult and very popular Stage Race in 2015.
 
This group of Doubles in the Stage Race focuses on the Northern California Double Centuries.  The reality is that there are more riders who compete in the Stage Race from Northern California than Southern California each year.
 
There will be over 50,000 Feet of Climbing for the 3 Doubles in the 2015 California Triple Crown Stage Race!!
 
You don't have to do anything special to sign up for the Stage Race: In 2015, all you have to do is to sign up for and ride your heart out on the 3 Doubles in the Stage Race!!  Of course, that's much easier said than done!!  Also, if you ride any Stage on a tandem, you must ride all three Stages on a tandem with the same partner.
 
The California Triple Crown issues this challenge: Be among the select few who are able to finish the Stage Race!!  Everyone who completes the 2015 Stage Race will be commended and will be able to wear the coveted California Triple Crown Stage Race Jersey shown above.  Just to complete these three Extremely Difficult Rides is a MAJOR accomplishment!!
 
California Triple Crown Stage Race Plaques will be presented to the top 3 Men, top 3 Women, and top 3 Tandems at the California Triple Crown Awards Breakfast on 9/27/15, the day following the Knoxville Fall Classic Double in Vacaville, CA.
 
The California Triple Crown lays down this challenge: Be among the select few who are able to finish the Stage Race!!

4. HUGE DELIVERY OF CALIFORNIA TRIPLE CROWN PRODUCTS

In early December, we received a HUGE delivery of California Triple Crown products from Voler.  The breakdown of this order can be seen at the top of

http://www.caltriplecrown.com/products.htm

including 184 Blue Jerseys and Vests, 50 Blue Long Sleeve Jerseys and Windbreakers, 122 Yellow Jerseys and Vests, 50 Yellow Long Sleeve Jerseys and Windbreakers, 50 Black Arm Warmers, 29 Red Stage Race Jerseys, 50 Red Arm Warmers, 142 Gold Thousand Mile Club Jerseys, and 100 Green Hall of Fame Jerseys and Vests!!

A BIG thanks goes to the great team at Charlie Irwin’s Company, AFM Engineering, for shipping so many orders out before Christmas.  Frank and I gave them a hand and we shipped lots of orders before Christmas.  110 orders were shipped the first two weeks of December.

We’ve got lots of items in stock.  Chuck has been living in his Long Sleeve California Triple Crown Jerseys, Vests, and Arm Warmers the past couple of months.  You can see what’s in stock at

http://www.caltriplecrown.org/ProductsList.asp

and in the spreadsheet at the top of

http://www.caltriplecrown.com/products.htm

The California Triple Crown store is open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Just go to www.CalTripleCrown.com then Products, decide what you want to order and click “Order It Now!!”

5. SOUTHERN INYO DOUBLE CENTURY ADDED TO 2015 SCHEDULE

The Southern Inyo Double Century has been added to the 2015 California Triple Crown Schedule with all dates at

http://caltriplecrown.org/CTC_Calendar_aspx/Default.aspx  

It will be organized by Hugh Murphy -- Kermit Ganier and Friends on 3/07/15.  Please make your Hotel Room reservations early since this weekend is the early season trout opener.  Hugh has extended the early bird registration for the Southern Inyo Double to Thursday, February 5th.  Register now and save $20.

The Southern Inyo Double is a beautiful course with many miles that resemble Death Valley. All riding is on well-maintained bicycle friendly state and county highways and byways. The course is set between Mount Whitney and Death Valley National Park. The scenic beauty is second to none. The film and automobile industry spend millions of dollars every year filming commercials and movies on these roads. You will be riding between the Sierra, the Inyo's and Coso Range. You will ride around the Owens Dry Lake (Badwater's Mother) past places like Dirty Socks, Keeler, the Alabama Hills the Olancha Sand Dunes. This area hasn't changed in the last 150 years, other than well paved roads. It is the wild west as it was.

The Southern Inyo Double is an out and back followed by a loop course starting in Lone Pine with 199 miles and about 8,084 Feet of Climbing according to Chuck Bramwell's Strava Report from the Test Ride of 4/05/14 at

http://www.strava.com/activities/127639543

Please know that there may be strong winds on this course which could make it difficult since there is nothing to shield cyclists from the wind … just like in Death Valley. This ride has long climbs which can make this a difficult Double especially if it is coupled with the possible strong winds. We expect great weather but this ride covers a lot of remote terrain. Everyone should be prepared for any kind of weather at any time.

All of the information for the Southern Inyo Double Century can be found at

http://caltriplecrown.com/schedule.htm#southerninyo

There you will find:

-- Link to the Southern Inyo Double Web Site at http://inyoultra.com/  

-- Link to the Southern Inyo Double Test Ride Announcement at http://caltriplecrown.com/2014-02-12/  

-- Link to Steve Meichtry’s Test Ride Report with Beautiful Photos and Videos at http://whiteowlscyclingblog.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-southern-inyo-double-century-triple.html  

-- Links to Steve Meichtry’s Test Ride Videos

-- Links to Chuck Bramwell’s Photos and Videos (Please turn down the sound on some of these when you hear some guy singing badly in the background.)

-- Links to Strava Reports of some of the Test Riders

-- Link to Peter Stark’s Test Ride Report

-- Link to the Test Ride Results by Hugh Murphy

The Difficulty Rating of this Double has been reduced from High to Medium on the California Triple Crown Schedule Page at

http://caltriplecrown.com/schedule.htm#southerninyo

and in the Table of Doubles Ranked by Elevation Gain near the top of that page since it has 8,100 Feet of Climbing.

Some of you may not know Hugh so here’s a little bio:

“Hugh is no stranger to Double Centuries as shown by his California Triple Crown History Report at

http://www.caltriplecrown.org/DoublesbyName/RiderHistoryReport.asp?RiderID=3800  

He has ridden 32 Double Centuries but more importantly he is a real pioneer in organizing Double Centuries in California. He is the original designer and organizer of the Death Valley Spring Double, the Death Valley Fall Double, the Solvang Spring Double, and the Eastern Sierra Double. He was inducted into the California Triple Crown Hall of Fame in 2000 after completing 32 Doubles and organizing 31 Double Centuries in California.

From 1994 to 2000, the California Triple Crown wouldn’t have survived without Hugh making hundreds of Custom Jerseys, T-Shirts, and Plaques in his garage. He spent endless hours building these custom items which hundreds of cyclists throughout California and the Western United States still value greatly nearly 20 years later.”

Hugh will be organizing this ride with his friends. As you can see from the photos and videos, Kermit was all over the course on the Test Ride and has committed to giving Hugh a big hand with this event.

Peter Stark wrote: “I would wholeheartedly recommend that this ride be included in the Triple Crown Double Centuries Schedule. The light traffic and good road surfaces on average are probably second to none. There are no traffic lights to speak of, simply a few stop signs. In addition, the route is such that someone having difficulty finishing can easily stop at mile 123 or 145. The scenic views of the Sierra Nevada mountain range and of the area near Death Valley are unique, and the location between Death Valley and Mount Whitney, the lowest and the highest places in the United States gives bragging rights to those who complete this ride.”

6. GREEN HALL OF FAME JERSEYS DESIGNED AND SHIPPED

You’ll be seeing many California Triple Crown Hall of Famers wearing these awesome new jerseys on the Double Centuries this year.

Photos don’t do the colors justice … the Green changes colors when it’s out in the sun and becomes brilliant!!

I am extremely pleased with how it came out and I hope you are too!!  A big thank you to Doug Goodwin for the concept.  Thank you to Jim Poppy for his great graphic design work. We agonized over the exact shade of Green that we thought would look best and narrowed it down to this shade which Voler calls “Forest Green”.

Why Green? Like in the Tour de France, it represents consistency … the kind of consistency it takes to complete at least 50 Doubles.

Let us all remember Lee Mitchell as we wear this jersey with pride. You’ll find:

On the left sleeve, “LEE MITCHELL” so we’ll always remember him!!

On the inside of the collar, “Do whatever it takes and continue to the end. – Lee Mitchell”

On the inside of the left back pocket, “You Betcha!! – Lee Mitchell”

Lee was the ultimate example to all of us who ride Double Centuries in California of how to give back. We will always remember him and these aspects of this most prized Jersey will help.

When you get a chance, please e-mail me a photo of you wearing your new Hall of Fame Jersey.  Maybe at the summit of a mountain on a Double Century or good training ride. Maybe with some other Hall of Famers.  I’ll then add those photos to an on-line photo album to share on www.CalTripleCrown.com and on the California Triple Crown Facebook Group.
What if you didn’t order one of these Green Hall of Fame Jerseys? You can still order one … I have the following Men’s Club Cut Jerseys in stock as of right now:

¾ Hidden Zipper: 1 Small – 2 Medium – 2 Large – 1 X Large

Full Hidden Zipper: 1 Small – 1 Medium – 4 Large

So if you have completed over 50 Double Centuries in the California Triple Crown series and want one of those Jerseys, you should place your order as soon as possible as they will be shipped out in the order that we receive the orders.  

These Green Hall of Fame Jersey are Limited Edition. As previously discussed, the plan is to design a Red Hall of Fame Jersey for an order from Voler in September 2015 with a delivery in December 2015.

Once these Green Hall of Fame Jerseys are gone, they are gone.

You can see what’s currently in stock at

http://www.caltriplecrown.org/ProductsList.asp

In October, I rode the Solvang Autumn Double and the hills were so brown. With the recent rains, those hills are now a brilliant Green.  May you wear your new Green Hall of Fame Jersey on a beautiful spring day with brilliant Green hills in good health with great tailwinds … and possibly along the way encourage others to one day join you in the California Triple Crown Hall of Fame!!