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Results and photos: 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014.
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| 3D Bike Fit in San Francisco offers discounts for Low-Keyers! |
Low-Key returns still yet again to Paicines for its mostly-annual indulgence in a
pedalstroke overdose: 102 miles for the full route, 103 km for the short route: the Mega-Monster Enduro!
Treat it as a long time trial, a short ultra-marathon event, practice for the bike leg of a triathlon,
or just embrace it for what it is: the MegaMonster! Low-Key founder Kevin Winterfield
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is on a mission to convert you to the dark side...
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| Bill Bushnell photo of 5-man team from 2008. |
Saturday, 07 Feb 2015, between 8 am (slower riders) to 9:30 am (fastest riders). Faster riders will want to start 9 am to 9:30 am to avoid getting to the checkpoints before they open. Slower riders should start close to 8 am to avoid getting to the checkpoints after they close. The start is "low-key": when you're ready, you go, and we record your start time.
We start at the Paicines General Store in Paicines. Parking is available along the side of the highway (not at the store). Restrooms are available in the General Store to customers only, so please spend at least a dollar or so if you want to use the facilities (post-ride burritos are available!) We will also have a Porta-Potty available for the morning before the store opens.
Registration is via BikeReg. It worked great last year, so we brought it back for 2015.
Note if there's issues with team sign-up, you can sign up as solo and then assign team affiliation at check-in
Best Western San Benito Inn in Hollister has in previous years provided Low-Key with a discount for the night of February 7th, the night before the Enduro. Ask for the Megamonster Bicycle Race room rate: reference Sanjay at the Best Western if there's any confusion about the discount. Check here for Google Maps.
102 miles: Paicines to CA198 and back on CA25. It just doesn't get any simpler than that! We also offer a shorter, 103 km option, for those not up to the full route. Those who reach the 32 mile checkpoint after the 102 mile cut-off time can do the 103 km route. To avoid getting to checkpoints before they open, faster riders should wait until 9 am to start. Checkpoints will be at miles 32 (Bitterwater), 51 (CA198), and 70 (Bitterwater) for the 102 mile route. The 103 km route will turn around at the 32 mile checkpoint (Bitterwater).
Maps, etc:
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| Survivors of the first MegaMonster, held in 1996 from Gilroy to Pinnacles and back. Sprawl has since pushed the route south to Paicines. Dick Robinson photo. |
For 102 mile riders, there will be checkpoints at miles 32, 50, and 70, at which you must give your number to the volunteer. These checkpoints are only open for a certain time period. If you leave early (close to 8am), and are exceptionally fast, you may arrive at a checkpoint too early, and have to wait for it to open. If you aren't so fast, and leave late, you may arrive at a checkpoint after it closes. Those arriving to the 32 mile checkpoint after it closes for the 102 mile course can turn around there and complete the 103 km course, hopefully before the 4pm finish deadline.
You should ride up to the volunteers, stop (or come to a near stop), and give the number. Riding by and shouting as you pass is not considered "checking in". It's rider responsibility to check in.
A summary of 102 mile checkpoint opening and closing times is as follows:
102 mile route
| checkpoint | direction | miles | open | close |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S/F | out | 0 | 8am | 9:30am |
| Bitterwater | out | 32 | 10am | noon |
| CA198 | turnaround | 51 | 11am | 1pm |
| Bitterwater | in | 70 | noon | 2:10pm |
| S/F | in | 102 | noon | 4pm |
| checkpoint | direction | miles | open | close |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S/F | out | 0 | 8am | 9:30am |
| Bitterwater | turnaround | 32 | 10am | 2:10pm |
| S/F | in | 64 | noon | 4pm |
These tables provide certain pacing guidelines. If you start at 8:00 sharp, and are faster than 16 mph, you'll get to rest stops too early, but only need to average 12.75 mph to finish on time. If you start at 9:30, you need to keep at least a 15.7 mph pace to get to the finish on time, but can be as fast as 28 mph to avoid hitting Bitterwater early on the return.
Back in the day, riders didn't need food or water. It was ride all day, every day, on nothing more substantial than the odd flying insect on an unlucky trajectory, or the moisture which happened to condense on ones lips... It was a time of dirt roads, brutal cobblestones, sheer mountain passes, steel bikes, and iron wills.
But people are softer and weaker now. We understand. So to accommodate this we'll have some water and Hammer Nutrition products at the rest stops. Thanks, Hammer! Additionally, riders can place bags labeled with their name and/or number in the vehicle driving to a checkpoint, and it will be available there for them when they arrive. Remember this is an "Enduro", not your average century ride, so don't expect fresh baked muffins! (although one never knows...)
Too many to list! Combinations of the following, plus whatever we invent on the spot:
Scoring is based on time between when you start and when you finish. For individuals, it's that easy! For 2-rider teams, it's the time of the second rider. For teams of 3 or more, it's the time of the second-to-last rider: 3 riders on the team, second rider; 4 riders on the team, third rider, etc. In the ranking, those completing the 100-miler rank ahead of those doing the 100-km route, so the slowest 102 miler gets ranked just above the fastest 100-k'er.
For individuals, we'll use the following no draft rule: there must be at least a full 1 second gap between each rider and leading riders, or at least a 2 meter gap to the side (if side-by-side, and you could reach out and touch fingertips, you're too close).
The exception is members of the same team may draft off each other, but not members of other teams. Teams are timed based on their second rider, or second-to-last rider, whichever is later (so 2-man teams need to finish both riders, while teams larger than two riders should drop at most one rider.
Any human-powered bike is allowed in the "HPV" divisions. Daedalus? In the conventional divisions, any bike allowed in a USA Cycling road race, cyclocross race, mountain bike race, time trial, track race, BMX race, or a UCI acrobat cycling event, or International Unicycle Federation race, is allowed in the main divisions.
We also have a "hybrid-electric" division, where the vehicle, bicycle, tricycle, or quad (2-4 wheels), faired or un-faired, must comply with the following rules:
Volunteers or Bill Bushnell reserve the right to judge compliance with the above rules and to disqualify any vehicle that is deemed to be inconsistent with a bicycling event. If you have any doubts about your entry please contact the event organizers ahead of time for approval.
And, as this is Low-Key, the roads are open to vehicular traffic, so CA Vehicle code applies.
Of course, a standard-approved (a list of applicable standards is available here) helmet is required for all participants. On your head.
Excuse me... Excuse me.... tap-tap-tap....The UCI doesn't like ear buds, and neither do we. And, more importantly, neither does our insurance. We may be Low-Key, but we want you to hear approaching vehicles. Please ride to your inner soundtrack, not Apple's. So no earbuds on Low-Key events. Yes, really. I know; we're uncool.
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| Thanks to Paicines General Store for their support! |
We need volunteers to make this event happen! Volunteers get two free rides at a future Low-Key event! Or, bring along a volunteer, and ride for free! This is a long one, so the more volunteers we have, the better! Volunteers are our heros. Burritos at the Paicines General Store are on us!
An email list is our primary communications channel: See http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lkhc/.
We're also have a Low-Key group on Facebook! It's the place to be for facebookie type stuff.
Drive to Paicines along CA25. Park there, but please use the side of the road, rather than business lots.
In the event of impending bad weather, Kevin will decide by 10pm the night before (Friday night) to cancel the ride, and will post a note to the Low-Key mailing list. A note to this web page will hopefully follow! If unforeseen conditions arise, we may also cancel at the start of the Enduro in Paicines.
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Email Kevin Winterfield
