Cal_Joe said:
Speaking for some in Ventura County, the OC is avoided at all costs.
Or the entire half of the state north of Nevada City.
As I said before, I agree with Mellow. This course could have been run in February. They didn't need to move the race to May in order to make this route. Though the weather will probably be better.
As to the real Sierra passes, again, everything from Horseshoe Meadows to the Mt. Rose Highway (Nevada into Cal) are quite a ways from population centers,
unless they had stages going to Reno, Carson City, and/or in the Lake Tahoe areas. Towns like Bishop, Independence, Mammoth Lakes are fantastic gateways to spectacular HC climbs, but that's a long, long way from big cities. Fans would number in the tens of thousands, maybe, instead of the hundreds of thousands you'll get watching the race within an hours or so of LA, SD, SF, SJ, Sac, etc. Los Angeles is a five hour drive to Lone Pine, for example.
Would encourage anyone to buy
John Summerson's book, The Complete Guide to Climbing (by bike), he also has a California exclusive version he's working on. John should head the course committee.
For those wanting to peruse a map, the grand Sierra HC and Cat 1 climbs I am speaking of are as follows:
Mt. Rose Highway
Kingsbury Grade
Carson Pass
Monitor Pass, Ebbets Pass, Pacific Grade (Markleyville Death Ride)
Sonora Pass
Tioga Pass
Minaret Summit (to Devil's Postpile)
Rock Creek Road (highest, at over 10,200')
Pine Creek Road
Lake Sabrina / South Lake Sabrina
Glacier Lodge
Onion Valley Road
Whitney Portal
Horseshoe Meadows
Kennedy Meadows
There are of course also routes leading into and over the White Mountains, and into Death Valley and Nevada that are tough climbs as well.
Some of those climbs are passes, others end in ski areas with plenty of facilities, and others have very little for facilities, or anything other than a few cars, at the top.
As I look at the map again, it would be difficult, but possible to go from Bakersfield, through Lake Isabella, to Personville, and up the Nine Mile Grade to Kennedy Meadows for a very difficult mountain stage with a true HC/1 MT finish; about 130 miles.