Mendocino Multisport Camp
April 3-5, 2009
Our spring multisport camp and cycling tour takes us to the cool redwood groves and dramatic coastline of Mendocino County.
- Tour Overview
- Route Descriptions
- Accommodations
- Meals
- Support
- Maps
- Preparation and Gear to Bring
- Meeting Time and Place
- Registration and Fees
Tour Overview
The tour is a loop which begins in Ukiah, goes northwest to Mendocino for the first overnight, then south along the coast highway to Point Arena, our second overnight. On Sunday, we'll cycle over Mountain View Road to Boonville, then over the Ukiah Boonville summit to return to our cars. There will be optional runs after Friday and Saturday's rides. The terrain is hilly, rugged and spectacularly beautiful. This is a solid training weekend for athletes preparing for Wildflower and Hawaii triathlons or spring cycling events.
Route Descriptions
Note that distances and elevations are approximate.Day #1: Ukiah to Mendocino (50 miles)
After driving to the Ukiah from the Bay Area, we’ll meet at the Comfort Inn in Ukiah. Our ride begins on Orr Springs Rd, up 2000' in the first 12 miles to get over the hill for a descent through the forested river bottom. There is an 800' climb before we leave the forests and descend to open pastureland at the coast with views of the Mendocino Headlands. A good place for a stop is at Comptche (mile 32), a former logging town. At the mouth of Big River at Mendocino, we'll run out and back along the bank and you can take a leg-cooling wade in the river.
Day #2: Mendocino to Point Arena (70 miles)
We'll ride south to Point Arena (mile 36) on Highway 1, a rolling stretch that follows the cliffs and dips into the ravines along the coast—fast and gorgeous. We'll ride past our lodging turn-off at Point Arena and continue south past Anchor Bay to Gualala (mile 50). After a steep climb away from the coast on Old Stage Rd, we’ll climb a bit more (1300' in 8 miles) and ride north along the Gualala Ridge, known as the banana belt of Mendocino. We'll finish the day with an afternoon run.
Day #3: Point Arena to Ukiah (55 miles)
Just north of Point Arena we'll start the multiple summit up Mountain View Rd, winding in and out of forests before dropping into the vineyards of Anderson Valley. The Mountain View Rd climb starts at mile 7.5 and goes steeply up 2250' to the first summit at mile 14.5. After a short downhill, we climb back up to mile 21.5, then we truly descend to the valley. The town of Boonville has a few services for lunch and then it's back to our climbing gears over the hill to Ukiah. The Boonville Rd climb starts at mile 32 and tops out at mile 41 where we're rewarded with a breathtakingly beautiful descent into Ukiah.
Accommodations: HOTEL NOT INCLUDED IN FEE
You need to book and pay for your own rooms. Please make your reservations soon. We’ve blocked about 20 rooms until March 5th in these hotels. Mention that you are with Team Sheeper so that you get a room we’ve pre-reserved.
| Start and Finish | Friday April 3 | Saturday April 4 |
|
Comfort Inn Team parking here in back of hotel. If you go up on Thursday you can stay here. |
Mendocino Hotel and Garden Suite |
Wharf Masters Inn |
A note about lodging on the Mendocino coast: In an effort to preserve the natural and pristine beauty of this area, there is very limited lodging between Gualala and Fort Bragg. Most places are small, pricey and 'romantic' B&Bs. We hope we've found accommodations that can fit our group, our budget and the kind of connection we want to forge with our athletes on this important training weekend. Please make your hotel bookings early, these places will fill up as springtime weather encourages more people to think about the Mendocino coast.
In Point Arena, Wharf Master's Inn is a beautiful property and we were warmly welcomed there last year. Note that all of its rooms have only one bed, although rollaways are available.
Meals
- On Friday, we'll have team dinner in Mendocino.
- On Saturday, we'll have a team dinner in Point Arena.
- Breakfasts will be provide by the team.
- After each day of riding and running, we'll put out the usual Team Lounge post-ride snacks
- You are on your own for lunches. There are limited, but sufficient services. Be prepared to go 3 hours between stops. Bring your own energy drinks, bars, or other favorite riding food.
Support
Sig Paulozzo, our experienced support driver and all-around helpful tour wrangler will provide sag support. We place a great emphasis on safety and will do our very best to see that each rider arrives at our daily destination safely. Since the support vehicle has some very challenging terrain to cover do not count on the sag to rove or sweep the course. We'll have plenty of nutrition and 'pocket food' available in the morning and the route instructions will include the location of services. This tour is for hearty, fit and self sufficient riders. We encourage you to ride with a buddy or in small groups.
Maps
The best map to use for this tour is the AAA Mendocino and Sonoma Coast. Here are links to the routes created with the Pedometer.
DAY #1: Ukiah to Mendocino (approx 50 miles)
DAY #2: Mendocino to Point Arena with southern loop to Gualala (approx 70 miles)
DAY #3: Point Arena to Ukiah (approx 55 miles)
Preparation and Gear to Bring
Make sure your bike is in excellent working condition as there are no bike shops on our route.
Bring the usual cycling and running gear. April can be rainy, so bring spare clothing and rain gear. Highs are typically in the 60's and lows in the 40's. For dinner we will be going to wonderful, iconic Mendocino restaurants, so bring 'smart casual' clothes for our team dinners. Finally, bring a towel for a quick clean up at the end of the ride.
Meeting Time and Place
We will meet at the Comfort Inn in Ukiah at 9:00am and will depart by 9:30am. Look for the team van in the rear parking area. Ukiah is 175 miles from Menlo Park, a three hour drive without traffic. If you are driving Friday morning, plan to leave be 5:30–5:45am. Route sheets and maps will be passed out at the ride briefing on Friday morning. Day #1 ride is on a rural back road with few services, so bring riding food and plan to carry the right clothing. We always encourage people to ride together so organize like-minded friends ahead of time.
Registration and Fees
Lodging not included. You need to make your own hotel reservations at our suggested team hotels. Team Sheeper provides maps, gear sag, two dinners, two breakfasts and post ride snacks.
Cost is $300.
Please register with our Menlo Swim and Sport registration system. If you have not already done so, the first step is to create a new Account on the Menlo Swim and Sport system. From there you will choose the Registration link and then choose the Mendocino Tour from the drop-down.
** Refund/Credit Policy: Registered participants are entitled to a full refund minus a $50 processing fee with cancellation 30 days before the start of camp. Registered participants are entitled to a full refund minus a $100 fee with cancellation 14 days before the start of camp. Refunds will not be given to registered participants with a cancellation 14 days or less before the start of camp. You may opt for a 100% credit in lieu of a refund which is good 2009 through 2010 and is transferable to another family member for any Team Sheeper Camp or Tour.
