Salton Sea Century

Sunday October 18th

As we mentioned in our news letter. World Cycles is a proud sponsor of the Salton Sea Century and we'll be there to enjoy and support this awesome event. Our customers get a discount, please use WORLDCYCLES10 at signup time. For more information see

Shadow Tour website. See you there.

Ride Description:

The Salton Sea Century is a recreational road bicycle event in the low to middle desert elevations in and around Borrego Springs, California, USA. In addition to individuals riding various distances, the century will feature a unique four person "Ultimate 100 Mile Team Time Trial." The low traffic roads and pristine desert scenery flanked by soaring mountains make this ride another marquee “safe, scenic and sensational century ride on roads less traveled” Shadow Tour century experience. The ride starts and finishes at the grassy community park in the heart of Borrego Springs, known as Christmas Circle, at an elevation of 600 feet above sea level. Based on rider feedback from the 2007 event, the course has been modified, moving the climb up Yaqui Pass to the first lap.  Next comes a scenic 17 mile tour around Borrego Springs before turning east toward the Salton Sea on S22, over a 975 foot elevation desert pass, creating pano-views of the Salton Sea, mountains and desert, before descending to Salton City at about -75 feet below sea level.
The Salton Sea is the largest lake in California and one of the largest saltwater lakes in the world. It was formed from 1905 to 1907 when a poorly constructed temporary dam on the Colorado River collapsed. The Salton Sea is a breathtaking sight from a distance and is home to hundreds of species of birds; however the lake is not recommended for water activities due to high saline content and poor overall water quality. Several local and federal projects are underway to improve the fragile ecosystem of the lake.  Learn more about the Salton Sea on the SDSU Salton Sea website (click here).

The new route for 2008 sends riders southeast on Borrego Springs Road toward SR 78 and return to the La Casa Del Zorro intersection "Hot Corner", where the course turns south on S3 and climbs up a 5 mile ascent from 508 ft el. to the Yaqui Pass Summit at 1,750 ft el. The route returns down the well-earned 5 mile downhill stretch, across the flat, usually breezy, five mile desert floor to the Christmas Circle/Rest Stop 1.  This completes Lap 1 and the 27 mile course.  On Lap 2, riders proceed north on Borrego Springs Rd for a 17 mile mid-morning grand circular tour of the City of Borrego Springs, returning to Christmas Circle at approximately mile 44.  This is the Lunch Stop for riders selecting Christmas Circle as their lunch location.  Lap 3 takes riders east on S22 to Rest Stop 4 at mile 62.  This is the Lunch Stop for riders selecting Rest Stop 4 as their preferred lunch location.  Riders may turn-around and return to Christmas Circle for a 78 mile ride.   Full century riders continue east over the 975 ft el. desert pass, to the turn-around point in Salton City at mile 72.  As the course desends below sea level, the road surface becomes rougher from mile 68 to 71.  Riders should slow down and use extra caution on this section.  The route returns west bound on S22 to Rest Stop 4, and on to the full century finish at Christmas Circle.  The last section, out to the Salton Sea, will almost certainly be more challenging as desert heat, afternoon winds, and gradual elevation gains add up during the ride.  Expect tailwinds on the way out to Salton City and strong head winds on the way back.  Roughly 2,400 feet of climbing occur in the first 44 miles. The remaining 2,000 feet is strategically reserved for full century riders in the last 56 miles.

The finish line festival will feature live music, DJ Mark, food and beverage by Kendall's Cafe, other local vendors and sponsor booths along with other cool activities. There are also shade trees, picnic tables, restrooms, and plenty of grass to spread out a blanket and hang out with friends and family after the ride.

The 100 mile course has about 4,400 feet of gentle climbing and we rate it as average difficulty overall. For a beginner century rider, the first 27 miles of the route involve riding longer and steeper desert climbs and descents on secondary desert roads.  The second half of the course is non-technical and has very gentle grades with long sight lines and low vehicle traffic.  Expect predictable rising afternoon winds and temps in the high 80s to low 90s, which combine to increase the difficulty. For more experienced riders, there is plenty of challenge if you want to ride a more spirited pace, or even form a team for the Ultimate 100 mile Team Time Trial. The Yaqui Pass leg is the steepest climb on the route, rising 1,242 feet in 5 miles. The Yaqui Pass summit at 1,750 feet elevation is the highest point on the course and is followed immediately by a fast 5 mile descent. Overall, the ride is not a technical challenge, but variable afternoon winds and potentially hot conditions in the desert in October must be respected when selecting your distance. We have purposely designed the course to be flexible, with three distinct laps allowing riders several decision-points to modify actual riding distances based on the weather conditions and how riders feel out on the course on the day of the ride.