Belated Ride Report: Redlands Strada Rossa

[Corwin Zechar]

I saw a belated ride report from Toshi, so thought I would add mine from last month. I had some family business in Southern California this spring, and thought I might try the Redlands Strada Rossa during the same trip - having heard glowing descriptions in the past on this list. I rode the 40 mile route which consisted largely of singletrack with a few miles of dirt roads and several miles of pavement from Mentone back to the start in Redlands.

I secured lodging near the start in Redlands and enjoyed some of the local food and sights on Friday, 15 March. Saturday, 16 March was forecast to be sunny and dry in Redlands and the surrounding communities. Laid in a few protein bars for the ride from Trader Joe's and laid down for the night.

Saturday dawned with a light drizzle. I debated bailing on the ride, but finally set off for the start - a few blocks away from my motel. Checked in at the start and received my wrist band. We were told the official start for our route (~40 miles) was at 9am - but nobody cared if we started early. So I set out about 8:30am and quickly caught up with a guy from San Diego who said he'd done the 60 mile route last year. We rode together for the first couple of miles and encountered a couple water crossings. I made it through the first without incident, but got caught in the second while crossing a current that nearly reached my hubs. Another group of riders caught us and we became a much larger pack. We entered a trail, which occasionally turned into singletrack. At several points, we crossed paved roads, sometimes riding several hundred yards or a mile or so on pavement. Eventually, the course deteriorated into rutted singletrack. Lots of ruts, sand, whoop-de-dos, steep grades, etc. I fell over repeatedly. Eventually I decided to stop trying to ride the singletrack and just walk. This produced some interesting results. I would get passed by most of the other riders, and would then pass those same riders when I encountered paved and/or dirt roads. The weather was mostly overcast until about 3pm. The last section of dirt included a long uphill singletrack where we encountered lots of hikers, followed by several miles of dirt road. Then we started to descend via more singletrack. Now the singletrack traversed a steep hillside with a drop of several hundred feet. Needless to say, I happily walked this last stretch of singletrack.

Shortly after I exited the last dirt  it started to pour. Needed to make a pit stop and decided to leave the route and take a state highway to the nearest mini-mart. Started cranking hard in my 121 inch gear. The remainder of the route was all downhill now coming out of the hills of Yucaipa and Mentone. Passed several cars in the downpour in my haste to reach the mini-mart. By the time I reached the mini-mart, the rain had abated. I procured two pints of sparkling water and a "nitro" cold brew. Consumed all three and hopped back on the bike and re-joined the route. By the time I reached the mini-mart, the rain had abated. My chain was making lots of noise after encountering lots of sand and water during my numerous falls. Rode downhill though industrial and residential Redlands, finally reaching the start. Did not see another Riv the entire ride. I did get passed by another guy (Hi Andrew!) who said he had a Sam Hillborne and was seeking a Hunqapillar. Many were underbiking far more than me (a few were riding tires as narrow as 28mm. Somebody handed me a beer. I grabbed a plate of food, avoiding the shrimp. Forgot to pick up my t-shirt and rode back to the motel and my waiting wife. We enjoyed a second dinner at Eureka Redlands.

I learned something really important on this ride - I really don't care much for singletrack. Especially rutted singletrack. I think I will stick to dirt and/or paved roads.

Regards,

Corwin

[Corwin Zechar]

[Corwin Zechar]

On Wednesday, April 17, 2024 at 10:03:56 PM UTC-7 Corwin Zechar wrote:

[Corwin Zechar]

[Corwin Zechar]

On Wednesday, April 17, 2024 at 10:05:24 PM UTC-7 Corwin Zechar wrote:

[Corwin Zechar]

[Corwin Zechar]

Sorry. I took more photos, but seem to have previously filled the disk on my camera with unrelated pics.

[Toshi Takeuchi]

Wow, adventurous ride! Nice job finishing it.

You’ve motivated me to think about a mixed terrain ride later this year.

Thanks for sharing,

Toshi

On Wed, Apr 17, 2024 at 10:09 PM Corwin Zechar <cz...@sonic.net> wrote:

Sorry. I took more photos, but seem to have previously filled the disk on my camera with unrelated pics.

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[DavidP]

Great report, Corwin - and nice to see your new custom back on the dirt. Sounds like you stretched yourself quite a bit on this one and made it through - congrats!

-Dave