Nevada City Twenty-four Hour Challenge

Nevada City THC
(Nevada City Twenty-four Hour Challenge)

RIDERS WANTED

   No this is not a 24 hour race around and around. Not a controlled loop you do again again and again. Instead the challenge is to ride for LESS than 24 hours. This is a loop that combines together classic trails. It doesn’t take every trail possible. But it has a lot of singletrack never the less. The trails are all well established and the loop should be repeatable from year to year.
   Northern California lacks a benchmark ultra-endurance course and this will remedy that situation. It is time for Nor Cal to join the grassroots ultra-endurance party.
   You can independently time trial (ITT) the route anytime you want and see how you measure up. Or you can start with me on SEPTEMBER 24TH at high noon. If you can complete the loop in under 24 hours I’ll buy you a case of beer. I’m confident though I won’t need to buy much beer. This is a tough loop.

In a nutshell the route goes out to Downieville via Grouse Ridge and returns via the Yuba rivers. ( A GPS track is in the works)

Start: Nevada City (Uren street)
Snow Mountain Ditch to Willow Valley Rd.
to Pioneer Trail
to Bear Valley (stay on Pioneer until it reaches Bowman Lake Rd. Pioneer trail at this point parallels the rd. but is really lame.)
Bowman lake rd. to where it crosses the S. Yuba
Back onto Pioneer trail to Fuller Lake
Bowman lake rd. to forest service rd. FS14 up to Grouse Ridge Lookout.
Grouse ridge trail to Sawmill lake
Meadow Lake Road which turns into FS07 to Jackson Meadows Res.
take the 2nd intersection with FF 88 and climb to a right turn on to Yuba Pass Rd.
Climb Yuba Pass Rd.
End Of Road 12-69 to Haypress creek trail.
Haypress creek trail to Plum Valley loop trail (this avoids the PCT)
get out to HWY 49 and turn left
HWY 49 to Sierra City
The Downieville Classic XC course
climb to packer saddle on Sierra Buttes Rd. to Butcher Ranch Rd. to Packer saddle
Sunrise Trail back to Butcher Ranch Rd
to Pauley Creek Trail then third divide
then first divide to Downieville
North Yuba River Trail to Goodyears Bar
Mountain House Rd. to Forest
Mountain House Rd.. to Ridge rd.
right on Ridge rd. to County route 294 (mangus orchard rd.)
over to Tyler-Foote Rd
right on Tyler Foot rd. (turn is signed)
Tyler foote rd. to Cruzon Grade.
left on Cruzon Grade. to Backbone
Left on Bloomfield to Malakroft Diggins/ Bloomfield townsite
left on Relief Hill rd. Right on Buck Rd. to Missouri Bar trail (turn is signed)
Missouri Bar trail to South Yuba trail
Yuba to Round Mtn. trail
Up Round Mtn. trail to ‘up & over’ trail
‘Up and Over” left on Hudson trail to the top of round mountain
right onto Rock Creek trail
onto Lower Hudson trail
Left onto Rock Creek Flume trail
left on Rector
Connect to Rock creek rd. and stay straight
Left on Aoli to Bloomfield Rd.
right on Bloomfield to Coyote st.
down Coyote st. to hwy 49
left on hwy 49 to Uren st.

These rules were borrowed almost word for word from the Colorado Trail Race website.
N.C. T.H.C. Rules:

Ride from Nevada City to Downieville and back, self-supported, under only your own power, along the entire DESIGNATED route. 
No pre-arranged support. 
Don't break the law.

The rules are simple and brief - ultimately, the Nevada City THC is dependent upon each racer's integrity. If you can't do this ride without outside or pre-arranged support, don't attempt the challenge. Breaking or bending these simple rules is unfair to yourself and to the other riders who are out there suffering just as bad as you are, yet they are still playing by the rules. So please, play fair. You know you're better than that - I know you're better than that!
The guiding principal is "Do. It. Yourself" and "equal opportunity" for all racers, regardless of whether you live in a town the NC THC passes through or on a different continent. So, gas stations, restaurants, hotels, campgrounds, and any other commercial services along the route are fair game as long as they are not pre-arranged. Friend's houses, sag wagons, pacers, food-caches, etc. are obviously not commercial sources equally available to all riders, and absolutely are not allowed. It is important to communicate this to family/friends who may be observing the race. Their guiding principal should be "Look, but don't touch."
Beautiful, beautiful trail magic. Totally unexpected and unplanned support. e.g. a random person giving you a coke or an orange. Or finding a box of girl scout cookies on the side of the road. But let's keep the magic, magic - if you personally know the person who is offering unplanned/unexpected support, politely decline their offer. And please, no begging!
If your bike breaks and you wish to continue the race, you must hike, walk or crawl to the next town to get it repaired. Once fixed, you must return, under your own power, to the exact spot you left the route. This is a completely self-powered race against the clock. If you get in a motorized vehicle, your race is over.
This is a solo competition - racers may not draft each other nor plan on sharing gear. However, be a good citizen. If you see fit to give a fellow racer directions, mechanical assistance, water, a tube, or moral support, do so. Similarly, do not expect or feel entitled to any of the above. It's nice to have good neighbors, but there isn't a law mandating it.
No trespassing. No littering. No riding in Wilderness Areas (or the PCT; see rule #3). Etc. This also means no ditching or stashing of any gear to pick up later. That is the same as littering as far as the NC THC is concerned. If you need to get rid of something, find a dumpster or a post office.
It cannot be stressed enough that you are ON YOUR OWN out there and must take personal responsibility for yourself!! There are some seriously remote sections of trail where cellphone service is nonexistent and any medical assistance may be far, far away. Self-evacuation is likely the only option.