Note:  You must register in advance for this ride- registration closes at noon on Thursday before the ride.  There is no late registration or day-of-event registration.  You must be a member of both PCH Randonneurs and RUSA in order to register.

The route linked above has been approved by RUSA.  Keep in mind, there is always a chance that fires or landslides will close roads and force us to reroute.  

The Transverse Ranges 600K explores several mountain ranges in Southern California that were first formed by uplift due to subduction of the Pacific Tectonic Plate, and then rotated by a westward step in the direction of the San Andreas fault about four million years ago. They are transverse as they run approximately East-West, as opposed to the North-South orientation of most of the coastal and peninsular ranges.  The scenery is pretty spectacular, and the route encounters several historically interesting places and geologically important areas (e.g., the San Andreas Fault).  It also passes by half of the Neenach Volcano, which was cut in two by the San Andreas (the other half lies 300 km northwest in the Pinnacles National Park) although erosion has made the volcano all but unidentifiable.

The first part of this route will be familiar to double century enthusiasts as it follows some of the route of the “Tour of Two Forests” double century. Starting in Santa Clarita, the route heads down the valley of the Santa Clara river, and then heads up to Ojai, climbing into the Topa Topa Mountains. It then follows Highway 33 around the Pine Mountain Massif.  The loop continues along Lockwood Valley Road past Frazier Mountain and then travels along the San Andreas Fault itself on the northeast side of the Sierra Pelona Mountains, passing the sag ponds Lake Hughes and Elizabeth Lake associated with the fault.  Reaching Palmdale, it returns between the Sierra Pelona Ridge and the San Gabriel mountains back to Santa Clarita and the overnight hotel.

The second part of the route travels up into the southern foothills of the Sierra Pelona range, and then crosses the San Gabriels over the double bump of Bear and Dillon Divides to the northern edge of the San Fernando Valley. Traversing the edge of the valley along the Santa Susana and Santa Monica Mountains, it goes over the Santa Monicas and down to the coast, across the Oxnard plains, into and across the Santa Susana Mountains, then back up the Santa Clara river valley to Santa Clarita.

There will be staffed support on stretches of the ride where there are no services; on the remoter parts of the Lockwood Valley Road, and again along the route through the Santa Susana mountains. We do not plan to have sweep vehicles, but due to the remote nature of parts of the course, we will provide limited SAG support for riders who find themselves in a situation where they are far from civilization and unable to continue.

We will provide some food at the overnight hotel.  For those who want a more substantial meal, there is a 24 hour Denny’s located next to the overnight hotel.  

This is an ACP 600k with at least 8,000 meters of climbing, and still only 40 hours to complete it.  It is intended to fulfill one of the requirements of the ACP R-10,000 Award, but can also be ridden by anyone looking for a challenging, mountainous 600k.