There aren't too many places where you can ride downhill for over an hour...

but this is one of them.

Condensed (sped up) video shot Saturday 11/14 on an organized ride called the Five Counties Century, which goes through parts of five different CA counties.

This descent is 3,800 feet over 18 miles. A few brief climbs, but the rest is all a gentle downhill slope (unfortunately at the start of the ride - so then you have to climb back up again :().

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6XwRyGvyBI

counties idea, and saw the details on another forum. How about the Death Valley run a few weeks ago.
I didn't watch the video. Hey where is the map for the 5 counties?
Or how about ATOC. I saw them at the Rose Bowl, coming in from Angeles Forest. Some real climb and drop there.
And around Escondido. They were on Palomar, and my favorite Cole Grade.
But the most I have done so far is 25 miles a day to the beach and back or the Pasadena Marathon (bicycle), 26 miles, in the rain.
dc

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Five-Counties-Century-LA-Wheelmen

Speed was anywhere between 8mph and 40mph. The uphills at altitude (4,200ft+) were challenging, to say the least

the downhill, it's the uphill that kills me.
I can't tell how fast you are going as it's speeded up.
And no traffic. Not bad.
dc

false adverts or something? Ha ha.
I went on the motorcycle to Morro Bay in April this year. And north on 33 from Ojai then out to 166 and west. Nice roads.
Looks like a lot of fun. I suspect the Big Bear has greater climbs, up from Redlands, then back down again. Strenuous enough on the motorcycle.
dc

You're correct, in this version there are only 4 counties. To get the fifth one in (Los Angeles County) you have to take Frazier Mountain Park Rd. down to the 5 freeway and back again at the end of the ride.

With a lot of traffic and another 1,000 ft of climbing very few even bother.

& back can't be much fun after the rest of those roads. I'm still surprise at how little traffic seems to be out there, in April, on a Tuesday or Wednesday, I'm sure I saw 40 cars and 30 motorcycles.
dc

The Old C&O railway was built to haul coal over the Appalachian Mountains from Pittsburgh to the Chesapeake bay. Given the heavy load it is a slow gradual climb till you hit the Mount Savage tunnel then a Slow gradual decline. Thus you have four sections. On each end of the 325 mile long trail you have slow gradual grades. Between them you have two sections. The Western middle section drops (or climb) about 1500 feet from Ohiopyle to the Mt Salvage Tunnel, a distance of over just 50 miles. The eastern middle section then drops (or climbs) just under 2000 feet over a 25 mile stretch on its way from the Mt Salvage tunnel to Cumberland Maryland.


http://www.atatrail.org/maps/elevation.cfm

For the whole Allegheny Passage:
http://www.atatrail.org/

Yes the Appalachian Mountains are no where as tall as the Rockies and the other Mountains of the West, but we have drops such as the above over 225 mile stretch from DC to the Mt Salvage Tunnel and again for 125 miles from the Mt Salvage Tunnel to Pittsburgh.

Have you ridden the whole length?

Mt Salvage Tunnel to Myersdale, on the say I road I went up and then downhill, that was in 2006:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=324x1248

The Meyersdale to Rockport trail during the winter (No, I did not travel it that time of year but I did take these pictures):
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=324x1544

Pictures of the Bollman Bridge, these pictures are from 2007, the bridge is NOW up. In 2006 I had to travel on a side road to bypass where the bridge was going to go:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=324x1645

The trail in Frostburg MD, as it climbs to the Mt Salvage Tunnel, I hit this part to late to start a bike ride but I took pictures of the Trail around Frostburg anyway:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=324x1392

Boston PA to Smithdale on the Great Allegheny Passage:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=324x1343

Smithdale to Connellsville:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=324x1346

Connellsville to Ohiopyle:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=324x1348

And let me NOT forget the Pittsburgh section, this is the Hot Metal Bridge. The Hot Metal Bridge was a specally built bridge to handle rail cars with molten iron from the blast furances on one side of the river to the Rolling mills on the other:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=324x1700

weather thru' all of that.
They have a big trail here, Pacific Crest, but I'm not sure if they allow bikes on it or not. Mostly hikers.
I have been an on road person all my life, no off road, either on bicycle or motorcycle.
dc

running the people do here. And the elevation changes.
I barely make it on my motorcycle. On the bicycle I stick to 25 miles along the beach. Nice and flat.
On that Big Bear Lake century (100 miles) they go from 1300 feet in Redlands to 6730 feet at the lake, and back down.
Angeles Crest, now closed, but many bicyclists go thru there, rises to over 8000 feet, and people will go out and ride thru' on a bicycle on a Saturday or Sunday.
But many of these people are young and basically just like champion athletes. In far better condition than me.
dc

Great Allegheny Passage Web Site:
http://www.atatrail.org/

Elevation Chart:

http://www.atatrail.org/tmi/elevation.cfm

125 Miles down hill from Mount Savage Tunnel to Pittsburgh

225 Miles down hill from Mount Savage Tunnel to Washington DC

http://www.vacreepertrail.org/content/virginia-creeper-trail

Take a couple hours, picnic, ride over 40 tressels...just big fun!