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You are registered for an incredibly tough road event. Let's make sure you know exactly what you're getting into — and how to make the most of it.
The Growler features majorly steep climbs and amasses 14,000 feet of elevation over the course of nearly 140 miles. It passes through some of the most incredible landscape in the country: rolling verdant hills with coastal views on a clear day, open farmlands, deep valleys, and ridgetops where you can see huge expanses of Sonoma County. And it doesn't start climbing the Geysers until you've already racked up more than 10,000 feet of climbing.
The Growler route that you are registered for starts separately from Skipstone's Elite Growler Road Race. Your Growler is part of the traditional mass start along with all other routes at 8:00 AM on event day. You will be staged near the front of the most energized bike ride in America.
In order to stage properly, make sure that you line up according to your route color, which is red. Along the course you will follow red arrows, as well as rainbow-colored arrows that say "ALL." When you see these arrows, they indicate just what they say — all riders should follow them. You will only see red arrows for your route when the Growler splits away from other routes, marking critical route splits. If you forget to pay attention to the red arrows, you could end up on the wrong route, and you may not know it for many miles until you come to another route split. Stay sharp.
As you approach the final miles of your ride into the Town of Windsor, there's a chance you could be overtaken by the elite fields of Skipstone's Growler. This is most likely if you downgrade to a shorter route on event day, which could place you ahead of the elite fields on the road.
When this happens, lead motos and marshals should instruct you to move to the right and slow your speed to allow them to pass safely and quickly. If they don't, pretend that they did.
One of the most important parts of orchestrating a day like this is the part you play. Please respect the right of way for the elite field. Once they pass, you can pick up your pace again, but under no circumstances may you interfere with, assist, or draft with them. It creates an unsafe situation and may result in disqualification.
WATCH PARTY ZONE
As the elite field approaches town, we will undertake an effort to clear the final miles of riders for several minutes in order to ensure that the final sprint for the top 10 athletes is clear of slower riders who would be overtaken at that time. This effort requires your cooperation. There will be a "watch party" zone along Pleasant Avenue where we will require riders who are being overtaken to wait for approximately 10 minutes while the elite field passes through. Those 10 minutes will be enough time to allow the roads leading into Windsor to clear out any riders who might be overtaken, and then we will release you after the pro field passes.
DO NOT START EARLY!
Please do not start before your scheduled time at 8:00 AM. Starting ahead of your official start time means that you will be caught by large groups of elite men and women vying for part of a $156,000 purse, and traveling much faster than you, taking up the full lane of the road with nowhere to go if a slower rider is encountered. This creates a danger for you and those around you. A large group overtaking slower riders can cause a crash. If you are worried about being too slow to complete the route that you signed up for, please downgrade to a shorter route. Levi's GranFondo has a competitive element with fast lead groups of riders which is a very different environment than that of a typical century ride.
The route through along the Russian River as it makes its way to the Pacific gets literally hammered every year by heavy winter rains. It's what gives life to our towering Redwood forests. But it also wreaks havoc on our roads. This year, there are two traffic stops between Guerneville and Cazadero. Two 1-way traffic lights are in place at these locations shortly after passing through Guerneville. California Highway Patrol will assist in getting large groups through. But if you arrive and CHP is not there, you MUST STOP and obey the traffic light to avoid oncoming traffic! Click here to see where they are on the route.
There is a time cut at mile 84, just after the Lake Sonoma aid station, at 1:45 PM. This requires you to ride at least 14.5 MPH on average to reach this location in time. It's a tough cut to make, but it's necessary — without it, you risk being out on course until dark. Plan accordingly, and be honest with yourself about your pacing.
Team support is allowed only at Lake Sonoma. You cannot have anyone assist you on course outside of this location. If you have someone who wants to help you at Lake Sonoma, they must arrive no later than 10:30 AM to park. They may have to wait a while before you come through if you're not near the front, but any later than 10:30 and the pro men's and women's fields will be passing through, and traffic will not be permitted to enter the Lake Sonoma aid station. You can get directions to the Lake Sonoma Recreation Area where the aid station exists here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Y92k8pujczH93j4B7
You can deep-dive into the course in details here in our new Lanterne Rouge Course Map, and to see where the team support location is at Lake Sonoma as well as other course related details, dangerous descents that you need to pay attention to, and more.
New this year, participants of the Growler are eligible to be recognized with a podium presentation. Awards will be given across eleven categories: Under 24, Under 40, Under 50, Under 60, and 60+ for both Men and Women, as well as a Nonbinary category. The top three finishers in each category will earn a podium spot. The Growler is not eligible for a cash payout — that belongs to Skipstone's Elite Growler Road Race — however, we will award those who earn a podium spot with a keepsake medal to celebrate the accomplishment.
Your awards ceremony will take place at the end of the event, after all other podium presentations. This is to ensure that the maximum number of podium eligible finishers have completed their ride.
All riders start at 8:00 AM, and awards are scored by gun time, which means your clock starts precisely at 8:00 AM. If you do not stage correctly, you may be disqualified from competition. Our timing mats at the start capture your start time, and if it is not consistent with other participants on your same route, your result will be flagged.
At packet pickup you will receive a flexible tyvek number plate to place on your back. It also has two tear-off tabs: one for your post-ride meal and one for your post-ride beverage. Note that if you are under 21, you will not have a free beverage ticket. If you registered for free as part of our U18 program, you will not have a meal ticket either and must purchase one separately on-site.
In addition to your bib number, you will receive a timing tag that must be placed on the back of your seat post, visible from both sides of your bicycle. It contains a sensitive RFID chip used to verify the route you completed and capture your start and finish times. If this tag is tampered with, cut, or not properly applied, it will not function, and your time will not be recorded. Please read our rider guide for details on proper placement. If you have any questions at all, our scoring staff will be on-site to help.
Whether this is your first time or your tenth, orient yourself with our rider guide and take note of anything that's changed. Things get re-tuned every year, and this year is no exception. Thank you for being part of the biggest day on two wheels.
See you in Windsor.
The cast and crew at Bike Monkey
