The Switchback Century starts at sea-level-equivalent for a Utah town — Cedar City sits at 5,840 feet — and climbs to the top of the Markagunt Plateau over the course of fifty miles, then turns around and comes back. The full century covers 100 miles and roughly 5,000 feet of climbing on paved road. The Gran Fondo / shorter-distance options cut it down for riders who want the experience without the whole second half. It's been run every September since 2010, and the field is the regional road-bike crowd plus the climbers who come specifically for the elevation profile.
The Course
The route leaves Cedar City on UT-14 — the canyon road that climbs east from town up Cedar Canyon, threading through aspens and pines on a steady grade. By Right Hand Canyon the climb has settled into the rhythm that defines the day: not steep enough to wreck a rider in the first hour, but unrelenting enough that the legs know they're climbing for two hours straight. UT-14 tops out near Navajo Lake at 9,300 feet. The route turns north on UT-148 toward Cedar Breaks National Monument, where the road climbs into the bristlecone-pine zone above 10,000 feet. The full century continues on UT-143 to Brian Head — the ski resort town at the top of the climb — before turning around and descending back to Cedar City.
What This Course Asks of a Rider
The climb is the day. Aerobic capacity matters; a triathlete's flat-land power doesn't translate. The descent is fast — UT-14 westbound from Cedar Breaks is a long sustained drop with sweeping turns, and the 40-plus-mph descents take focus after the legs are already tired. Weather is unpredictable: morning starts in Cedar City can be 60°F while the top of the climb is 35°F with wind, and afternoon thunderstorms in monsoon-season residual weather can roll in fast. The race is supported with rest stops every 15–20 miles and a sag wagon, but riders are expected to handle the elevation and weather without surprise.
The Brian Head Connection
Brian Head — the ski resort and the top of the climb — anchors the route. The resort hosts post-ride food and amenities at the turnaround, and the Brian Head community treats the event as one of its summer-tourism cornerstones. For riders coming in from out of state, the combination of Cedar City staging, Brian Head turnaround, and the Cedar Breaks scenery makes the Switchback a destination ride beyond just the local grade. It's the road-bike answer to True Grit Epic — both events draw national fields specifically because the terrain is unusual.