Central Coast Dirt 100 — a Repack Racing endurance MTB event at Lake San Antonio, Monterey County, on Sunday, October 18, 2026, with 30-mile, 60-mile solo and 60-mile DUO relay options on a 15-mile lap of fire road, doubletrack, singletrack and lakeside riding.
Build Your Personalized Race Fueling Plan — $19Registered Central Coast Dirt 100 athletes with a Repack Racing benefit code.
The Central Coast Dirt 100 is a single-day mountain bike endurance race held on Sunday, October 18, 2026 at Lake San Antonio in Monterey County, California, produced by Repack Racing. The event runs on a 15-mile lap that mixes fire road, doubletrack, singletrack and extended lakeside sections and offers three formats: a 30-mile race (2 laps), the featured 60-mile solo endurance race (4 laps) and a 60-mile DUO relay (4 laps split between two teammates). October at Lake San Antonio typically delivers dry, sunny afternoons with cool starts, so fueling, hydration and per-lap pacing are the decisive levers. The lap format means you pass the start/finish (and your support crew) every 15 miles — the aid-station math is simpler than a point-to-point but the pacing discipline is harder because it is tempting to overspend on lap 2 while the legs still feel fresh.
Distance
60 miles (≈ 60 mi) featured solo / 60-mile DUO relay / 30 miles (≈ 30 mi) short course
Elevation
Rolling per-lap climbing on a 15-mile course of fire road, doubletrack, singletrack and lakeside sections — confirm the exact 2026 cumulative-climb figure on repackracing.com/central-coast-dirt-100
Typical duration
5 – 8 hours for most amateur 60-mile solo finishers; 2.5 – 4 hours for 30-mile finishers
Location
Lake San Antonio, Monterey County, California, USA (inland from the Central Coast, ~1 hour south of Monterey and ~1 hour north of Paso Robles)
Time of year
Sunday, October 18, 2026
Terrain
15-mile lap combining fire road, doubletrack, singletrack and extended lakeside riding around Lake San Antonio — repeated 2× (30 mi), 4× (60 mi solo) or 4× split (60 mi DUO)
The official Central Coast Dirt 100 course, elevation profile, and route reference. Use this to plan your pacing, aid-station strategy, and fueling touchpoints.
Central Coast Dirt 100 — 2026 official 15-mile loop (raced 2× on 30 mi, 4× on 60 mi solo / DUO)
Open in RideWithGPSRoute year
2026
Course change notice
Course details, aid stations, cutoff times and access rules may change. Confirm the latest official race information with Repack Racing before race day. The RideWithGPS route represents the official 2026 15-mile loop (raced 2× on the 30-mile course and 4× on the 60-mile solo / DUO relay).A practical race-week checklist: carbs, hydration, sodium, caffeine and race-day supplies — print it or keep it on your phone.
The 2026 Central Coast Dirt 100 is a 15-mile lap raced 2× (30 mi), 4× (60 mi solo) or 4× split between DUO teammates. The lap format lets you pass the start/finish (and any support crew) every 15 miles — aid-station math is simpler than a point-to-point, but pacing discipline is harder because it is tempting to overspend on lap 2 while the legs still feel fresh.
Each lap combines fire road, doubletrack, singletrack and an extended lakeside section. The variety keeps the ride interesting but also means intensity spikes are frequent — punchy pitches on fire road, technical passages on singletrack, and rolling exposed lakeside doubletrack. Steady effort matters more than raw power.
Lake San Antonio in mid-October typically delivers dry, sunny afternoons with cool morning starts. Expect ~41–50 °F at dawn and 68–79 °F mid-afternoon, with intense sun and low humidity. Under-planning hydration for the first two laps is the most common mistake — the cool start hides how quickly fluid losses climb once the sun is up.
Long stretches of lakeside doubletrack are exposed to sun, wind and radiant heat off the water. These sections reward steady tempo pacing over surges, and they are where under-hydrated riders drift off the group in the afternoon of laps 3 and 4.
The lap format lets you plan aid at a single fixed point every 15 miles (~65–95 minutes for mid-pack riders), plus any on-course aid Repack Racing sets up. Pre-mixed bottles left at the start/finish and a support crew handing up bottles on the fly save meaningful time across 4 laps.
Mid-pack 60-mile solo finishers spend 5–8 hours on course. That's enough time for every 15 g/hr of under-fueling to compound into a real deficit — hourly carbohydrate delivery and structured sodium intake stop being 'preferences' and become the deciding variables.
The 60-mile DUO relay splits the 4 laps between two teammates, so each rider races only 2 laps but at a much higher intensity. Coordinating exchange timing, warm-up while waiting, and shared fueling logistics (bottles, crew, tools) matters as much as fitness — a poorly coordinated DUO loses more time in transition than on the trail.
General, evidence-based guidance. Numbers should always be personalized to sweat rate, body mass, fitness and weather.
70–90 g/hr of mixed-source carbohydrate (glucose : fructose ~1 : 0.8) for most trained riders on the 60-mile solo. Trained guts can push toward 100 g/hr on the longer sustained sections. Liquid + gel is more tolerable than solids on singletrack and helps you eat safely between the technical passages.
60–80 g/hr for the 30-mile course. The shorter duration lets you push the top of the range without stretching gut tolerance the way a 6-hour day would.
For each racing lap, 80–100 g/hr split across the 60–75 minute segment. Between laps, sip a carb-electrolyte drink (~30–40 g CHO) and eat one solid item while waiting for the exchange to keep glycogen topped off.
17–30 fl oz/hr for the 60-mile solo, adjusted for October Central Coast heat. Cool starts trick riders into a light bottle plan that leaves a deficit by hour 3. Drink to the clock, not to thirst — especially in the first two hours when the perceived need is lowest.
500–1000 mg of sodium per liter of fluid as a default. Salty sweaters and afternoon-half riders should push toward 800–1200 mg/L. Sodium debt on Central Coast Dirt 100 builds silently across 5+ hours and typically shows up as cramping on the last lap, not the first.
3–6 mg/kg body mass, split between pre-start and the base of the biggest mid-race climb. A 154 lb rider targeting 5 mg/kg takes ~200 mg pre-race and 150 mg mid-race. Save at least one 50–100 mg dose for the final third.
The lap format means you pass the start/finish area at the end of every 15-mile lap. Pre-mixed bottles in a labeled cooler + a support crew handing up bottles on the fly saves 60–120 sec per lap versus stopping. Cap start-finish stopped time to 30–60 sec on laps 1–2 and 60–90 sec on laps 3–4 if you need to grab solids.
1–4 g/kg carbohydrate 2–4 hours before the gun, from familiar low-fiber, low-fat foods. A 154 lb rider targets 140–280 g CHO. Oats + banana + honey, bagel + jam or a rice bowl are proven. Add 30–50 g CHO 15–30 min pre-start via a gel and sports drink.
Fuel BEFORE entering technical singletrack sections and IMMEDIATELY after exiting them — never force intake with both hands on the bar. Set a 15-minute alarm on the head unit from mile 0. Chew during flat lakeside connectors, sip constantly on descents where the surface allows.
Within 30–60 minutes of the finish: 1.0–1.2 g/kg carbohydrate and 0.3 g/kg protein, plus 150% fluid replacement with sodium. Repack Racing finish villages typically include post-race food — use it. The 60-minute post-race window is the single highest-return investment for how you feel the next week.
Grams and millilitres per hour for each phase of the race. Personalize to your sweat rate, body mass and conditions.
Central Coast Dirt 100 — 60-mile solo (4 × 15 mi laps, 5–8 hr) — targets for a mid-pack finisher
0 → 15 mi (start → end of lap 1)·0:00 → ~1:20
Caffeine: 150–200 mg 20 min pre-start (with breakfast option)
Focus: Do NOT chase early moves. Cap effort at high Zone 2 / low Zone 3 HR — even if the front group goes harder. Lap 1 is reconnaissance: learn line choice, singletrack grip and lakeside doubletrack rhythm. Lock in a 15-min intake alarm from mile 0.
15 mi (start/finish)·~1:20
Focus: Fast in, fast out. Support crew hand-up ideally — no dismount. If solo, cap stopped time at 30–60 sec. Take 1 gel now if you skipped one on lap 1.
15 → 30 mi (lap 2)·~1:20 → ~2:45
Focus: The biggest lap-race trap: legs feel fresh so riders push. Wrong lap. Lap 2 should feel identical to lap 1. Save the effort for laps 3 and 4 where it actually decides the finish.
30 mi (start/finish)·~2:45
Focus: Halfway checkpoint. Quick internal audit: HR trending up for the same effort? Cramping signals? Fueling on schedule? Take the solid item now — chewing gets harder on the second half.
30 → 45 mi (lap 3)·~2:45 → ~4:15
Caffeine: 100–150 mg at the base of the biggest climb this lap
Focus: Fixed HR / RPE ceiling on the climbs. Fuel through the lakeside sections. Riders who overcooked lap 2 blow up here; riders who paced conservatively pass them. This is where the race sorts itself.
45 mi (start/finish)·~4:15
Focus: Last transition. Take 1 gel, one more caffeine dose if under daily cap (≤6 mg/kg). Confirm you have enough fluid + one emergency gel for the last lap.
45 → 60 mi (lap 4, finish)·~4:15 → finish (~5:00–8:00 depending on pace)
Focus: Ride to power / HR, not to feel. Late-race under-fueling is where riders break — reset the 15-min alarm even if you 'know' the finish is close. Descend within your skills; a crash on the last descent costs the race.
Finish line to team box·T+0 → T+60
Focus: Recovery starts the moment you cross the line. Compress, shade, elevate. Use the finish-village food. Full meal 1–3 hours later.
Times assume a ~6-hour 60-mile solo finisher; scale ±30% for faster or slower paces. Peak-heat and lakeside-exposure windows may shift the numbers within a lap. 30-mile finishers can compress the same phase logic into laps 1–2 with lower intake ceilings. DUO relay racers should treat each of their 2 racing laps as an 80–100 g/hr threshold effort with active recovery between laps. Confirm the exact 2026 course layout, on-course aid stations, cutoffs and category-specific details in the Repack Racing pre-race athlete communications on repackracing.com/central-coast-dirt-100. Individual sweat rate can shift fluid and sodium targets by ±30% — personalize with a pre-race sweat test.
A structured 48–72 hour carbohydrate-loading protocol tuned for a long day at altitude. Rehearse it before a training block, not for the first time on race week.
Target 6–8 g/kg body mass per day of carbohydrate while transitioning to lower-fiber, lower-fat foods that protect the gut for race day. Reduce raw vegetables, fried food and heavy sauces. Add 500–1,000 mg sodium per liter of fluid — dry inland heat starts stealing sodium the moment you arrive.
Target 8–10 g/kg body mass per day of carbohydrate from familiar low-fiber sources: rice, pasta, potato, bread, sports drinks, honey. Keep protein moderate (1.2–1.6 g/kg/day). Reduce fat to ~0.5–0.8 g/kg/day. Hydrate to pale-yellow urine.
Same high-carb, low-fiber, low-fat pattern. Do not experiment with new foods or a special 'pre-race' meal you have never eaten. Ride 30–45 min easy with 3–5 race-effort openers. Sleep 8+ hours.
1–4 g/kg carbohydrate 2–4 hours before the gun (breakfast well before dawn if the start is early), from familiar low-fiber, low-fat foods. Add 30–50 g CHO 15–30 min before start via a gel and sports drink.
Within 30–60 min of the finish: 1.0–1.2 g/kg CHO + 0.3 g/kg protein + 150% fluid replacement with sodium. Repack Racing finish villages usually include post-race food — use it. Full meal 1–3 hours later. The 60-min post-race window is the highest-return investment for how you feel the next week.
The lap format rewards discipline. Cap lap 1 effort at high Zone 2 / low Zone 3 heart rate — even if the front group is going harder. Lap 1 is where you learn the course flow (line choice, singletrack grip, lakeside doubletrack rhythm) so laps 2–4 can be faster with less risk.
The biggest lap-race trap: legs feel fresh at the start of lap 2, so riders push harder. Wrong lap — lap 2 should feel identical to lap 1. Save the effort for lap 3 and 4 where it actually decides the finish.
Lap 3 is where the 60-mile solo race sorts itself. Ride at threshold on the climbs (not above), fuel through the lakeside sections, and use the descents to eat and recover. Riders who overcooked lap 2 blow up here; riders who paced conservatively pass them.
Lap 4 is where months of training pay off — or fail. Ride to power / HR, take one last caffeine dose at the start of the lap, save one gel for the final 20 minutes. Descend within your skills; a crash on the last descent costs the race.
For the 30-mile (2-lap) course, treat lap 1 as tempo (not threshold) and lap 2 as the race. Front-loading effort on lap 1 costs more time on lap 2 than the surge saves. Ride to power / HR, not to the wheel in front.
For 60-mile DUO, each racing lap is a threshold or slightly-above-threshold effort — closer to a 2-hour TT than a 6-hour endurance race. Warm up 10–15 min before your exchange window; ride your lap to power / HR; hand off cleanly at the start/finish; recover actively between laps rather than sitting cold.
You cannot eat safely in the singletrack sections. Force calories BEFORE entering each technical section and IMMEDIATELY after exiting. Losing one scheduled feed in a technical passage means chasing 30–40 g of missed carbs for the next 30 minutes.
You pass the start/finish once (30 mi) or three times mid-race (60 mi solo). Cap start/finish stopped time to 30–60 sec on laps 1–2 (bottle swap only) and 60–90 sec on lap 3 (bottle + solid + sunscreen top-up). Pre-mixed bottles in a labeled cooler + support crew hand-ups eliminate stopped time entirely.
A modern XC hardtail (fast, light, efficient) or a 100–120 mm short-travel trail bike both win Central Coast Dirt 100. Hardtails favor climbing efficiency on the punchy fire-road sections; short-travel full-suspension protects the back on the technical singletrack and preserves late-race power. Race the platform you have trained on.
Most riders run 2.2–2.4" tubeless XC tires with reinforced casings. The mix of fire road, doubletrack, singletrack and lakeside doubletrack rewards a semi-aggressive tread with cornering knobs that handles hardpack to loose-over-hardpack. Avoid ultralight casings — sidewall cuts on the technical singletrack end days.
Starting point for a 154–176 lb rider on 30 mm internal rims: 20–24 psi front, 22–26 psi rear. Adjust for heavier riders, drier ground and personal preference. Test in similar mixed-surface California terrain in training — pressure feels different on Central Coast dust than on your home loops.
A 32–34t front chainring with a 10–52t 12-speed cassette gives most amateurs the bailout for the steepest pitches on the 15-mile lap. Elite riders often go 34–36t front.
Four-piston brakes with 180 mm rotors front and 160–180 mm rear handle the fast fire-road descents. Fresh pads race week, bed them in on a short descent. Carry a spare set in the mechanical box — Central Coast dust wears pads faster than clean conditions.
A 100–150 mm dropper is worth the small weight penalty on Central Coast Dirt 100's technical singletrack for most amateurs. Front-of-pack racers weigh the trade-off individually.
Two large bottle cages plus a 51–68 fl oz hydration pack is the common setup — bottles alone leave you exposed between start/finish passes in Central Coast afternoon sun. Some elite riders skip the pack; most amateurs benefit from carrying it.
Minimum: 2× CO₂ + inflator, tire plug kit, mini pump, tubeless spare tube, tire lever, chain quick link, multi-tool with chain breaker, spare derailleur hanger. Zip-tie a valve core tool to the frame. Central Coast dust wears drivetrains — rinse and lube the chain the night before the race.
| T-4 h | Wake, coffee, first breakfast (1–2 g/kg CHO) from familiar low-fiber, low-fat foods: oatmeal + banana + honey, bagel + jam or a rice bowl. Hydrate 17 fl oz with sodium. |
|---|---|
| T-2 h | Second small feed (~50 g CHO) — fruit + sports drink. Chamois cream, sunscreen SPF 50+, kit on with a cool-morning layer. |
| T-90 min | Bike check — tire pressure, brakes, chain lube, dropper, computer, bottles loaded (pre-mixed), top-tube bag stocked. Layer for expected 41–50 °F start temperature. |
| T-45 min | Ride or drive to the start venue. Sip 7–10 fl oz sports drink. Restroom. |
| T-20 min | First caffeine dose (100–200 mg if used). Final sunscreen check. Confirm HR / power start plan with yourself. Warm layer over kit until 5 min out (October Central Coast mornings can feel colder than the number suggests). |
| T-5 min | Half a gel. Breathe. Commit to a conservative first hour (do not chase early surges). |
| Gun | Rollout. Cap effort in the first hour — the deciding sections come on laps 3 and 4, not in the opening 15. |
Every entry route into the Central Coast Dirt 100, from the annual lottery to qualifier races, coaching-program slots and charity entries.
Register through the Repack Racing event page at repackracing.com/central-coast-dirt-100. Confirm current-year pricing, tiers, category eligibility and deadlines on the official site. First-lot pricing is typically discounted; register early to save.
The Central Coast Dirt 100 offers 30 miles (2 laps, 2.5–4 hr), 60 miles solo (4 laps, 5–8 hr, featured category) and 60 miles DUO relay (4 laps split between two teammates). Pick the format that matches your fitness, time commitment and what you have trained for — the 60-mile solo is the flagship, but the 30-mile course is a strong intermediate-endurance test and the DUO relay is a good option for training partners who want to share the day.
Repack Racing partners with FuelQ Pro so the first 20 eligible registered Central Coast Dirt 100 athletes can claim a sponsored FuelQ Pro Race Pack (retail USD 39, athlete USD 0). Access to your planning experience opens September 14, 2026. Details and the claim form: fuelqpro.ai/race-fueling-plan/central-coast-dirt-100-2026.
Refund and transfer windows are set year-by-year by Repack Racing. Historically a partial refund window closes 30–60 days pre-event; category / distance changes may be possible before published deadlines, subject to fees. Confirm the current-year policy on the official registration page.
Airports, lodging, packet pickup, parking and crew access for the Central Coast Dirt 100.
Lake San Antonio is inland from the Central Coast, about 1 hour south of Monterey and 1 hour north of Paso Robles. Fly into Monterey Regional (MRY) — closest airport — or San Luis Obispo (SBP) to the south. San Jose International (SJC) is ~2.5 hours north. Rent a car — public transit to Lake San Antonio is impractical.
Options in King City, Paso Robles, and San Miguel — all within 30–60 minutes of Lake San Antonio. Camping and RV sites are typically available at Lake San Antonio's public campgrounds; confirm current-year availability and reservations early. Book accommodations 3–6 months in advance for race weekend.
Held near the race venue on the day(s) before race day per the Repack Racing pre-race communications. Attend any pre-race briefing — course changes and safety notices are announced there. Bring photo ID and registration confirmation.
Paso Robles and Monterey have strong farm-to-table restaurant scenes, but stick with familiar low-fiber, low-fat foods for race week. Negotiate early breakfast service with your accommodation for the pre-dawn race morning. Bottled water for teeth and drinks — Central Coast tap water is generally safe but travel-day GI issues can derail race day.
Ship your bike ahead via a specialized courier (Bike Flights, Ship BikesNow) or fly with a bike case. If flying with the bike, arrive at least 48 hours before race day to allow reassembly and post-transport mechanical checks.
Paso Robles wine country, Big Sur coast and the 17-Mile Drive are classic post-race rest-day destinations. Hot springs at Sycamore Mineral Springs (near San Luis Obispo) are a legendary Central Coast recovery stop. Save the harder rides for the following week.
October dawns at Lake San Antonio can be 41–50 °F, which tricks riders into a light bottle plan; by 1 PM the exposed lakeside sections are 72–79 °F and the deficit is already baked in.
Central Coast Dirt 100 punishes riders who match early surges on lap 1. The 4-lap format compounds early over-effort into hour-4 cramping and lap-3 blow-ups. Cap effort at high Zone 2 / low Zone 3 heart rate through lap 1 — even if the front group is going harder.
The biggest lap-race mistake: legs still feel fresh at the start of lap 2, so riders push harder than lap 1. This is the wrong lap to push — lap 2 should feel identical to lap 1. Save the effort for lap 3 and 4 when it actually decides the finish.
You cannot safely open a gel in a rocky singletrack chute. Riders who skip a scheduled feed 'because the trail is technical' arrive at the next open section already 20 g behind — front-load calories before technical sections instead.
Rolling Central Coast terrain with lakeside doubletrack surges burns glycogen faster than steady road tempo at the same average power. Intake should sit at the top of the recommended range (80–90 g/hr) not the bottom (60 g/hr).
Dust, sunscreen residue and long time-on-course amplify GI risk. Race only what you have trained on 4+ hour rides — even a familiar-looking new gel is a bad bet on hour 5.
Dry Central California sun and low humidity accelerate sweat evaporation, which masks total loss. Riders systematically underestimate sodium needs. A structured plan tied to fluid intake (600–1200 mg/L) prevents late-race cramping and cognitive fog.
Thirst under-reports fluid deficit by 1–2%. On a 5–8 hour Central Coast day, that gap compounds into cramping and cognitive fog by hour 5.
DUO riders who sit down and eat a full meal between their two laps come back cold and slow on lap 3. Keep warm layers on, spin the legs 5–10 minutes before your exchange window, and stick to small frequent carbs while waiting.
Central California UV in October is stronger than most riders expect. SPF 50+ reapplied at every start/finish pass is a performance decision, not comfort.
Lake San Antonio is a large inland reservoir in Monterey County, tucked between the Coast Range and the Salinas Valley. Historically a summer boating and fishing destination, its fire-road network, singletrack and lakeside terrain make it a natural venue for a fall MTB endurance race — cooler October temperatures and dry conditions replace the summer boating crowds.
Repack Racing organizes flagship endurance mountain-bike events across California, including the Central Coast Dirt 100 and the Fort Ord 50. The organization is named as a nod to Marin County's legendary Repack downhill race — an early-1970s hillside race credited as the birthplace of modern mountain biking.
The California Central Coast has a strong endurance and gravel MTB culture, from the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey to the Repack Racing series and independent gravel weekends. The Central Coast Dirt 100 sits in the fall calendar as a late-season endurance test — a good target race for riders wrapping up a summer of climbing training.
Two riders on the same start line can need very different fueling. FTP, target finish time, body mass, sweat rate, temperature, altitude adaptation, nutrition products and race goals all change the answer. A generic 60 g/hr recommendation is a starting point, not a plan.
Free calculators, checklists and articles to help you personalize your Central Coast Dirt 100 plan.
A practical race-week checklist: carbs, hydration, sodium, caffeine and race-day supplies — print it or keep it on your phone.
Every athlete is different. FTP, finish time, body weight, sweat rate, weather, nutrition preferences and race goals all change what you should eat and drink.
FuelQ Pro builds a personalized race fueling strategy tuned to your ride — carbohydrate, hydration, sodium, caffeine and recovery, mapped to the course.
A Race Fueling Plan gives you a personalized strategy for this event. The free checklist helps you prepare the basics first: race-week setup, 48-hour prep, race morning, hydration, sodium, caffeine, aid stations, and backup calories.
