We designed the Hell's Gate Hundred route in 2009 to include locations and sights that are not visited in any other one-day cycling event in Death Valley National Park, including Artist Drive, Hell's Gate, Daylight Pass, and the ghost town of Rhyolite. The full 100.7 mile route features 8600 feet of cumulative elevation gain. As such, we had a truly memorable and adventurous weekend in Mother Nature's Greatest Sports Arena with the third ever edition of Hell's Gate Hundred, held in absolutely perfect conditions in Death Valley National Park on March 26, 2011.
One hundred and ninety-three riders participated in the event, with 120 riders completing the full 100 miles, while 51 riders completed the 65-mile "Canadian Century" route (turn-around at Hell's Gate). Attesting to the wide-ranging enthusiasm for riding in Death Valley, we had registered riders aged 19 to 77 (avg of 47) from nineteen American States: AZ, CA, CO, CT, FL, IA, IL, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, SC, UT, VA, WA, and WI, plus the UK and Canada!
We were also honored to have John Marino, the godfather of ultracycling who created the Great American Bike Race, Race Across America, and Furnace Creek 508, riding HGH for the third year in a row.
We were pleased to once again serve locally grown dates from the China Ranch Date Farm in nearby Tecopa, NV at each checkpoint! Dates are a delicious source of energy for athletes which have been eaten and enjoyed in desert regions for millennia! Hell's Gate riders ate them at each checkpoint and discovered why! Plus, we are excited to support a local business, a fellow member of the Death Valley Chamber of Commerce! Of course, as at all AdventureCORPS the mainstay fuel and hydration sources were HEED, Perpetuem, Hammer Gel, and Endurolytes from Hammer Nutrition.
Certainly everybody had an adventure and it was a pleasure to spend a fantastic day "out there" with you! Thanks for riding and thanks for joining us!
Thanks to the wonderful volunteers who made it all happen!
Check-In: Jeff Bell, Steve Giant Water Bug Gray, and Karen Gray, Tina Angeles, Yoana Georgieva, Ricky Armas, and Chris Kostman
Start Line: Imre Udvardy and Lester Hofilena of Adobo Velo, Steve Giant Water Bug Gray, Karen Gray, Darren Santos, Chris Kostman, plus Bridget Voorhees, Alicia Thurston, and George Benson of Montana Timing
Artist Palette: Steve Giant Water Bug Gray, Karen Gray, Jeff Bell, and Alicia Thurston of Montana Timing
Beatty Cut-Off Road Water Stop: Rich Stuart
Hell's Gate: Lester Hofilena and Imre Udvardy of Adobo Velo, and Betsy Richman
Daylight Pass Water Stop: Tina Angeles and Yoana Georgieva
Rhyolite: Wayne and Shelby Kostman, Ricky Armas, Darren Santos, Lisa Straehle, plus George Benson of Montana Timing
Furnace Creek Finish Line: Jeff Bell, Steve Giant Water Bug Gray, Karen Gray, plus Bridget Voorhees, Alicia Thurston, and George Benson of Montana Timing
Yoga Class on Friday: Darren Santos
Roving SAG: Terry Chesapeake Bay Retriever Lentz, Mike Angelfish Angelos, George Red-Eyed Vireo Vargas, and Chris Kostman
Photography: Chris Kostman, Wayne Kostman, Badwater Mayor Ben Jones
Special thanks are also extended to the wonderful people at the Furnace Creek Inn and Ranch Resort, Joe's Sanitation of Pahrump, Liberty Ambulance of Ridgecrest, the National Park Service, and Cal Trans in Bishop.
Images from the Ride, as well as Blog Reports and Garmin GPS Links
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Show 1: Death Valley Environs and Start Line Photos by Wayne Kostman |
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Show 2: Friday Yoga and Artist Drive Photos by Chris Kostman |
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Show 3: Artist Drive Photos by Wayne Kostman |
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Show 4: Hell's Gate Ascent Photos, Part 1, by Chris Kostman |
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Show 5: Hell's Gate Ascent Photos, Part 2, by Chris Kostman |
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Show 6: Rhyolite Photos by Wayne Kostman |
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Show 7: Hell's Gate, Rhyolite, & Finish Line Photos by Chris Kostman |
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Bonus Show 8: By Badwater Mayor Ben Jones |
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Bonus Show 9: By volunteer Darren Santos |
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Bonus Show 10: By volunteer Darren Santos |
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Blog Report withMap, Profile, and More: Bernd Straehle of TourOfCalifornia.org |
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Blog Report: Marcus Edvalson of Ride & Ruckus |
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GPS Report: Marcus Edvalson's Garmin file of the event |
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Blog Report: Bruce Malm of RoadMaster 66 |
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Official Results on the Montana Timing website |
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GPS Report: Fantastic local Friday morning hike (also a great post-event hike for Sunday!) |
Awesome, Unsolicited, Totally Appreciated Feedback!
I just wanted to thank you for putting on a great event yesterday. The scenery was awesome and the route was exceptional. The support was placed at good locations and the support staff was very nice and encouraging. Starting in waves of 50 worked out well and I think is a good idea. It was definitely worth the 600 mile round trip drive. I got to see a part of the state I normally would not have travelled to. Thanks Again, Mike Steinbaum
Thank you for organizing the terrific ride. I am 9 months new to road bicycle riding, and this was the first organized event I have participated in. Although I was unable to complete the entire 100.9 miles, I was able to reach the summit of Daylight Pass. Completing that climb and the climb around Artist's Loop has given me confidence and desire to continue my road cycling experiences. Overall it was a very positive experience for me, and for that I thank you and your staff. Looking forward I may participate in some of the other fine events that AdventureCORPS promote. - Jeff Shaheen
Thanks for putting on a great ride yesterday. Thanks to all the support staff/volunteers that make an event like this possible. I really enjoyed the great route and the good support I look forward to next year! Best regards, Hilary Howard
Thanks for putting on another fantastic event last weekend. For me, the best part was being able to ride some miles with John Marino. He is a great guy and so unpretentious that there were probably many riders out there that didn't even know they were riding alongside a legend. Take care and hope to see you out there again soon. - Gary Baierl
The Hells Gate Hundred was the most fun I've ever had on a bike. Thanks for putting on these events in one of the best places on earth, Death Valley. - Jon Mayfield
I just finished the Hell's Gate Hundred and I wanted to thank you for providing a truly recreational experience. The word "recreation" seems inaccurate, because I was truly re-created; created anew! The kindness, the thoroughness, the cheerfulness of your volunteers made me realize how much I've been worn down by the ambient cynicism I live in and breath on a daily basis. But your volunteers' example reminded me to give my all for everyone I come into contact with.
Before riding this event, I couldn't figure out why so many people were so eager to volunteer for Adventurecorps events (are they that broke, that they can't afford the registration fee?), but if I hadn't already registered for the Mount Laguna Classic, I would certainly be volunteering for it.
Thanks again for an enriching experience, for the serenity and care, which you've reminded me to share with those around me on a daily basis, and for those awesome dates and poppy-muffins in Rhyolite (they were first-rate!) Paz y amor hermanos (y hermanas) cosmicos! (Peace & love, cosmic brothers (and sisters.) - Chris Adams
Folks - Thanks for making the Hell's Gate Hundred a truly unforgettable ride and experience! I had a great time and was unsure whether to travel from South Carolina to potentially become more road kill in Death Valley, but the spirit of adventure overcame my trepidations and I wasn't disappointed! The entire crew was fabulous and very friendly and I felt right at home riding with the great folks out there. Thanks again and I hope to be out there again very soon! All the best. - Buddy Blanke