The Whitney Classic is an endurance mountain bike race that is held in late September or October every year. The ride runs from the

Badwater Basin Badwater Basin is an endorheic basin in Death Valley National Park, Death Valley, Inyo County, California, noted as the lowest point in North America and the United States, with a depth of below sea level. Mount Whitney, the highest point ...

Death Valley Death Valley is a desert valley in Eastern California, in the northern Mojave Desert, bordering the Great Basin Desert. It is thought to be the Highest temperature recorded on Earth, hottest place on Earth during summer. Death Valley's Badwat ...

to Whitney Portal. Badwater, at below sea level, is the lowest place in the North America and Whitney Portal at is the trailhead that leads to Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous United States with an elevation of .

The ride

The ride is long with an elevation gain of . There are three major hills: Townes Pass, climbing up from Stovepipe Wells; Hillcrest, climbing from Panamint Springs; and the Whitney Portal Road, which leaves the town of Lone Pine, California to climb to the Portal. # Townes Pass is long with an elevation gain of more than ; # Hillcrest is long, with an elevation gain of slightly more than ; and # The Whitney Portal road gains close to in . In addition to long distances and elevation, the temperature can play a major factor. At the start in Badwater, temperatures can routinely be as high as degrees, but the temperature quickly drops at higher altitudes. Below freezing temperatures can be encountered near the Portal at night, making temperature swings of over degrees possible in a single day. The ride is a small event, with an average number of riders in the 50s. Riders may ride as individuals or as a team. Due to the heat, the cold, the length, the hills, the dark, and a number of other factors, it is not unusual for 25-50% of the participants not to finish.

History

The Whitney Classic started in 1981 as a fundraiser for Summit Adventure, a non-profit wilderness ministry in Bass Lake, California, and still serves as a major fundraiser for the organization. There are multiple races and runs that travel the same course, including the Badwater Ultramarathon, held in July every year. The ride was originally conceived as a Badwater to the summit of Whitney bike-hike event, making it the lowest to highest. In later years, as the

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency within the United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 United States National Forest, national forests and 20 United States Natio ...

required summit permits to climb Mt. Whitney, the official course was shortened to end at Whitney Portal. Forest Service regulations do not allow competitive events in the

John Muir Wilderness The John Muir Wilderness is a wilderness area that extends along the crest of the Sierra Nevada of California for , in the Inyo National Forest, Inyo and Sierra National Forests. Established in 1964 by the Wilderness Act and named for naturalist ...

, however, many riders choose to continue tradition and complete the ascent to Mount Whitney's summit on their own.

References

{{Reflist

External links

The Official Whitney Classic Page

Ride Reports

Photos