PAC Tour Southern Transcontinental

Southern Transcontinental

September 2008

We have used a number of different routes to traverse the southern United States over the years including 1989, 1997 - for riders over 50 years old only! - , 1998, 2002, and 2006.

September 6 - October 3, 2008

26 Riding Days
$3,995 for 30 or more riders
$4,495 less than 30 riders
$1000 (total due) by March 30, 2008
Remainder due by August 1, 2008
Rider count taken on August 1st
Sign up before July 1, 2008 to guarantee your jersey
add $1050 for a single room

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This 2008 Transcontinental returns to travel our favorite routes across the southern United States. This tour was so popular in 2006 that it was filled by February. We expect the response to be the same again for this tour.

We begin our tour in San Diego, California. San Diego has the best scenery, airport, hotels, and logistics for beginning a tour. The first day we leave the city are out of the traffic after 20 miles. In the morning we climb over the 4,000 foot high mountains through the Cleveland National Forest. Near the 80 mile point we descend into the desert of the Imperial Valley. We drop down all the way below sea level into a mixture of fertile irrigated fields and dry dusty desert. The desert here has a special beauty of Ocotillo Cactus and 75 mile visibility.

During the first three days we cross this expansive desert over giant sand dunes and rolling road dips. The daytime temperatures will be hot over 100 degrees (35 C) during this section. Our support staff takes special precautions by keeping the rest stops closer together and supplying lots of ice and cold drinks.

By the fourth day we begin climbing out of the desert into the pine forests of Prescott, Arizona. The days are much cooler here but the climbs will be challenging. Our route goes over several 7,000 foot mountains then drops into 4,000 foot valleys. The old copper mining town of Jerome, Arizona has a historic charm as a 130 year old settlement.

On day seven we enter New Mexico. The landscape changes again to wide open range country. We still have plenty of climbing ahead as we cross the Continental Divide at 8,000 feet near Pie Town. By day nine we are entering Roswell and will have time for a visit to the famous UFO Museum.

The next three days are the flattest of the tour. We descend gradually for 200 miles into Amarillo, Texas. What we lack in natural scenery we will make up for in interesting roadside attractions. Our route will follow Historic Route 66 for almost 250 miles. Sites such as Cadillac Ranch, Big Texan Steakhouse, and many Rt. 66 Museums will be fun distractions along the way. Our rest stops and meals will be planned to allow time to visit these unique landmarks of America.

After day 14 we begin crossing the hills of Oklahoma. The riding is interesting and a good change from the previous flat three days. On day 16 we ride the Talimena Parkway. This hidden section has been rated as the toughest 50 miles of road in America by past PAC Tour riders. Steep, handlebar bending 15% grades roll up and down along the ridge of the Ozark Mountains. We accumulate almost 8,000 feet of climbing during the last 50 miles of this day. Even though the daily total is only 115 miles, most riders consider this one of the toughest riding days.

On day 18 we ride through the lush pine forests of Arkansas. The roads are rolling, but not as steep as the Talimena Parkway. The routes twist and turn through a tunnel of trees the next three days. As we get near the Mississippi River we enter the flat farming region. Fields of fluffy cotton balls line the roads waiting for harvest. That night we enter the state of Mississippi and again the scenery changes from swamps to rolling hills.

Our final days across Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia offer good cycling through the history of the Southern States. From the Civil War in the 1860s to Civil Rights in the 1960s this route has a lot of interesting stories for the cross country traveler.

This new PAC Tour route is combining the best collection of roads and accommodations. We hope you enjoy the 26 day format which will make the pace of this tour perfect for a September tour. The daily average of 112 miles per day should fit into an eight hour riding time for most riders. Our tour capacity is about 60 riders and 40 motel rooms. We expect this to be a popular tour among PAC Tour veterans since we travel many new roads. This tour could be filled before February. We hope you are able to plan your 2008 season and join us on this new cross country tour.

26 days
2,921 miles
112 miles per day
85,000 feet of climbing
3,270 feet of climbing per day

	Sat.	Sep 6	Fly in to San Diego; 3 PM Rider Meeting; 5 PM Evening Banquet
	Date		Start	Finish	Miles	Climbing
1	Sun	Sep 7	San Diego, CA	El Centro, CA	127	7,500'
2	Mon	Sep 8	El Centro	Blythe, CA	104	1,600'
3	Tue	Sep 9	Blythe	Wickenburg, AZ	117	3,430'
4	Wed	Sep 10	Wickenburg	Cottonwood, AZ	105	7,000'
5	Thur	Sep 11	Cottonwood	Winslow, AZ	112	3,000'
6	Fri	Sep 12	Winslow	Springerville, AZ	122	3,300'
7	Sat	Sep 13	Springerville	Socorro, NM	157	4,350'
8	Sun	Sep 14	Socorro	Ruidoso, NM	105	5,050'
9	Mon	Sep 15	Ruidoso	Roswell, NM	97	3,030'
10	Tue	Sep 16	Roswell	Clovis, NM	109	2,000'
11	Wed	Sep 17	Clovis	Amarillo. TX	112	1,000'
12	Thur	Sep 18	Amarillo	Shamrock, TX	94	2500'
13	Fri	Sep 19	Shamrock	Weatherford, OK	106	3,800'
14	Sat	Sep 20	Weatherford	Purcell, OK	113	5,000'
15	Sun	Sep 21	Purcell	McAlester, OK	112	4,000'
16	Mon	Sep 22	McAlester	Mena, AR	114	10,000'
17	Tue	Sep 23	Mena	Arkadelphia, AR	87	3,500'
18	Wed	Sep 24	Arkadelphia	Pine Bluff, AR	91	1,600'
19	Thur	Sep 25	Pine Bluff	Clarksdale, MS	134	1,500'
20	Fri	Sep 26	Clarksdale	Kosciusko, MS	144	3,000'
21	Sat	Sep 27	Kosciusko	Livingston, AL	111	3,000'
22	Sun	Oct 1	Livingston	Greenville, AL	126	3,700'
23	Mon	Sep 29	Greenville	Eufaula, AL	110	3,500'
24	Tue	Sep 30	Eufaula	Perry, GA	106	3,200'
25	Wed	Oct 1	Perry	Metter, GA	117	2,000'
26	Thur	Oct 2	Metter	Tybee Island, GA	87	1,000'
	Final group dinner Thursday, October 2, 6:00 PM
	Fly home Friday October 3

2,914 miles
112 miles per day
90,200 feet of climbing
3,500 feet of climbing per day

Sign Up!

.......... The Historical Record ..........

PAC Tour 2006
Southern Transcontinental

	Sat.	Sep 9	Fly in to San Diego and evening banquet
	Date		Start	Finish	Miles	Climbing
1	Sun	Sep 10	San Diego, CA	El Centro, CA	127	7,500'
2	Mon	Sep 11	El Centro	Blythe, CA	104	1,600'
3	Tue	Sep 12	Blythe	Wickenburg, AZ	116	3,430'
4	Wed	Sep 13	Wickenburg	Cottonwood, AZ	105	7,000'
5	Thur	Sep 14	Cottonwood	Winslow, AZ	112	3,000'
6	Fri	Sep 15	Winslow	Springerville, AZ	122	3,300'
7	Sat	Sep 16	Springerville	Socorro, NM	158	4,350'
8	Sun	Sep 17	Socorro	Ruidoso, NM	105	5,050'
9	Mon	Sep 18	Ruidoso	Roswell, NM	97	3,030'
10	Tue	Sep 19	Roswell	Clovis, NM	109	2,000'
11	Wed	Sep 20	Clovis	Amarillo. TX	111	1,000'
12	Thur	Sep 21	Amarillo	Erick, OK	118	500'
13	Fri	Sep 22	Erick	Hinton, OK	103	2,800'
14	Sat	Sep 23	Hinton	Paul's Valley, OK	111	2,500'
15	Sun	Sep 24	Paul's Valley	McAlester, OK	100	3,500'
16	Mon	Sep 25	McAlester	Mena, AR	114	10,000'
17	Tue	Sep 26	Mena	Arkadelphia, AR	89	3,500'
18	Wed	Sep 27	Arkadelphia	Pine Bluff, AR	91	3,700'
19	Thur	Sep 28	Pine Bluff	Lula, MS	131	2,500'
20	Fri	Sep 29	Lula	Winona, MS	114	2,000'
21	Sat	Sep 30	Winona	Meridian, MS	130	3,000'
22	Sun	Oct 1	Meridian	Greenville, AL	149	4,700'
23	Mon	Oct 2	Greenville	Eufaula, AL	109	3,500'
24	Tue	Oct 3	Eufaula	Perry, GA	104	3,200'
25	Wed	Oct 4	Perry	Metter, GA	114	2,000'
26	Thur	Oct 5	Metter	Tybee Island, GA	86	1,000'
	Fly home Friday October 6

2,928 miles
113 miles per day
89,660 feet of climbing
3,448 feet of climbing per day

September 2002

Southern PAC Tour Route

Ranking based on 100' of climbing equals 1 flat mile of energy used

Day		Date	Start	Finish	Miles	Climb	Rank
	Sat.	Sept. 7	Rider meetings and banquet in San Diego
1	Sun.	8	San Diego	El Centro, CA	129	7,500'	204
2	Mon.	9	El Centro	Blythe, CA	105	2000'	125
3	Tue.	10	Blythe	Wickenburg, AZ	118	3,100'	149
4	Wed.	11	Wickenburg	Williams, AZ	135	9,000'	225
5	Thur.	12	Williams	Winslow, AZ	105	2,300'	128
6	Fri.	13	Winslow	Springerville, AZ	128	3,500'	163
7	Sat.	14	Springerville	Socorro, NM	157	4,000'	197
8	Sun.	15	Socorro	Vaughn, NM	135	6,700'	202
9	Mon.	16	Vaughn	Tucumcari, NM	101	3,000'	131
10	Tue.	17	Tucumcari	Amarillo, TX	125	1,600'	141
11	Wed.	18	Amarillo	Erick, OK	122	1,600'	138
12	Thur.	19	Erick	Chickasha, OK	138	4,000'	178
13	Fri.	20	Chickasha	McAlester, OK	143	3,600'	179
14	Sat.	21	McAlester	Mena, AR	110	4,000'	150
15	Sun.	22	Mena	Arkadelphia, AR	84	1,000'	94
16	Mon.	23	Arkadelphia	Pine Bluff, AR	85	1,000'	95
17	Tue.	24	Pine Bluff	Lula, MS	132	500'	137
18	Wed.	25	Lula	Tupelo, MS	139	3,200'	171
19	Thur.	26	Tupelo	Lawrenceburg	129	3,600'	165
20	Fri.	27	Lawrenceburg	Winchester, TN	94	2,400'	118
21	Sat.	28	Winchester	Calhoun, GA	116	5,600'	172
22	Sun.	29	Calhoun	Gainesville, GA	91	4,800'	139
23	Mon.	30	Gainesville	Greenwood, SC	124	3,600'	160
24	Tue.	Oct. 1	Greenwood	Orangeburg, SC	121	2,300'	144
25	Wed.	2	Orangeburg	Charleston, SC	108	350'	111
	Thur.	3	Fly home Thursday morning from Charleston

2,974 miles
25 days
119 miles per day
84,250 feet of climbing

And Here's How It Went...

and more from a tandem perspective.

1998

We Made It! (Atlantic Ocean at Charleston) The 1998 Southern Transcontinental generated the most concurrent documentation of any PAC Tour. The Muma brothers, riding the tour as a fundraiser, kept up a web site daily detailing their adventures, including lots of pictures with their digital camera. Click on the "Go" links in the itinerary to see their writeup and some of their pictures from each day of the tour (these pages must be scrolled horizontally on small screens). Route Map being auctioned for charity

1998 Southern Transcontinental Roster, includes pictures!

1998 Itinerary

Finish Miles Climb Muma

Begin San Diego, CA

1 El Centro, CA 131 7,500' Go

2 Yuma, AZ 70 460' Go

3 Gila Bend, AZ 119 2100' Go

4 Globe, AZ 147 5540' Go

5 Showlow, AZ 88 8,300' Go

6 Springerville, AZ 58 3060' Go

7 Socorro, NM 157 3940' Go

8 Ruidoso, NM 100 4000' Go

9 Roswell, NM 100 3000' Go

10 Brownfield, TX 140 1300' Go

11 Aspermont, TX 130 1060' Go

12 Jacksboro, TX 136 2000' Go

13 Greenville, TX 152 3600' Go

14 Texarkana, AR 143 1200' Go

15 Camden, AR 85 1500' Go

16 Pine Bluff, AR 85 1000' Go

17 Lula, MS 132 500' Go

18 Tupelo, MS 137 2760' Go

19 Lawrenceburg, TN 138 4300' Go

20 Winchester, TN 105 4000' Go

21 Calhoun, TN 120 5100' Go

22 Gainesville, GA 105 6100' Go

23 Greenwood, SC 124 3600' Go

24 Orangeburg, SC 113 2200' Go

25 Charleston, SC 111 350' Go

2,881 total miles, 116 miles per day, 74,070 feet of climbing, 2,960' climb per day

	Finish	Miles	Climb	Muma
	Begin San Diego, CA
1	El Centro, CA	131	7,500'	Go
2	Yuma, AZ	70	460'	Go
3	Gila Bend, AZ	119	2100'	Go
4	Globe, AZ	147	5540'	Go
5	Showlow, AZ	88	8,300'	Go
6	Springerville, AZ	58	3060'	Go
7	Socorro, NM	157	3940'	Go
8	Ruidoso, NM	100	4000'	Go
9	Roswell, NM	100	3000'	Go
10	Brownfield, TX	140	1300'	Go
11	Aspermont, TX	130	1060'	Go
12	Jacksboro, TX	136	2000'	Go
13	Greenville, TX	152	3600'	Go
14	Texarkana, AR	143	1200'	Go
15	Camden, AR	85	1500'	Go
16	Pine Bluff, AR	85	1000'	Go
17	Lula, MS	132	500'	Go
18	Tupelo, MS	137	2760'	Go
19	Lawrenceburg, TN	138	4300'	Go
20	Winchester, TN	105	4000'	Go
21	Calhoun, TN	120	5100'	Go
22	Gainesville, GA	105	6100'	Go
23	Greenwood, SC	124	3600'	Go
24	Orangeburg, SC	113	2200'	Go
25	Charleston, SC	111	350'	Go