Redlands Strada Rossa 2015

[hsmitham]

We had another great ride out in cyclotourist country. David was a great host, we had gourmet pizza & craft beer. The day of the ride was superb! We had Paul Germain visiting from Virginia for the second year riding his brother in laws A.A.H. and  Ian on his custom red Atlantis, Biketinker Phillip came down from Northern Cal with Jacquie Phelan representing. Jim, Estaban & Aaron were seen climbing some awesome single track. This is short so others can fill in any details I miss.

Here's some images:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pedalpusher61/with/16285457244/

Cheers,

~Hugh

  Los Angeles, CA

[dougP]

At the first support stop they served wonderful fruit smoothies made on a blender driven by a bike in a stand.  A couple of young kids provided the power.  Great idea.

Lots of wonderful trails and hard packed dirt roads, a bit of single track & some pushing up a couple of longer, steeper hills.  Fantastic views from the ridgelines (see Hugh's photos), made possible by postcard photo quality clear air (yes, that does happen down here!).  Still a touch of snow on the highest peaks.  Ian, Jim, Robert & I managed to miss a turn by taking the easier looking patch at a fork.  Cyclotourist David laid this out so I should have known NOT to take the "easy" way.  No worries, we had our radar homing in on Hangar 24 by then. 

Apres ride BBQ was just the finishing touch needed to cap off a great day.  Already plotting a return trip to ride more of the area.

dougP

[Bob E]

Wow, that looks like a great time! And what a route -- what was the dirt/paved ratio?

Maybe next year!

Bob E

[Hugh Smitham]

Bob,

That's a great question. As opposed to last year the 50k seemed to have more dirt. I can't really say what percentage though. My guess is cyclotourist David might have the answer. Also I tagged on some extra miles to get the Crafting hills dirt above the college. It was well worth the steep 38 special climb.

Hope you can make it one of these years.

~Hugh

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[Bob E]

Thanks, Hugh. Maybe next winter the Northeast won't get clobbered with so much snow and I'll be in a good-enough shape to tackle that terrain so early in the season!  ;-)

Bob

[cyclotourist]

Thanks for the really positive feedback, guys! 

It was a whirlwind of a weekend, and I'm still buzzing from the endorphins and adrenaline!!! EVERYTHING fell into place, and we had an amazing turnout, and everything I've heard & read points to people having a great day! In addition to what you've seen on flickr, there are some great pics linked to the IEBA's FB page that are worth checking out: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Inland-Empire-Biking-Alliance/156207984434074 The B&W ones from Kevin F are just perfect!

A good chunk of the riders were Rivendell people, and they were perfectly suited for the day. I'm biased, but I think they may have had the best time out there! It's intentionally a mix of riders and bikes to stir the pot and and let the different tribes do some cross-pollination!

I had input on the 50k route, but Mark F figured out a way to get a LOT of dirt patches connected together for the 100k portion. The 100k is probably 50-60% dirt, the 50k was significantly lower, maybe 30-40%??? I had it figured out at one time, but we changed routes SEVERAL times over the previous two weeks :-)

We have every intention of having a third event next year, so if this looks like something you'd like to jump on and take advantage of the moderate SoCal winter/spring, set your alarms for March 2016!

On Mon, Mar 23, 2015 at 6:17 PM, Bob E <ree...@gmail.com> wrote:

Thanks, Hugh. Maybe next winter the Northeast won't get clobbered with so much snow and I'll be in a good-enough shape to tackle that terrain so early in the season!  ;-)

Bob

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Cheers,
David

Member, Supreme Council of Cyberspace

"it isn't a contest. Just enjoy the ride." - Seth Vidal

[Philip Williamson]

Truly a fine day on the bike, and many wonderful people. I'll be back next year - it was well worth the drive.

Philip
www.biketinker.com

[cyclotourist]

And it was a drive, especially on the Friday night trip down through LA!!!

I hope more Bay-Area/NorCal folks can make it down next year! Will do our best to make it worth your while!!!

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[cyclotourist]

Here's a GREAT video taken on the ride: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmlq_CD5FbU&feature=youtu.be

Quickbeam sighting @ 8:45 mark!

He really captured the feel of the ride... real fun to watch!

[Hugh Smitham]

Thanks!  Enjoyed it so much.

~Hugh

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” ― Albert Einstein

http://velocipedemusings.blogspot.com/

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[Deacon Patrick]

Wait. I didn't see a single rock or root. Is that part of the drought? Grin. (I couldn't' watch much of it though, just skipping through. First person video wrecks havoc on vertigo). Looks awesome!

With abandon,

Patrick

[cyclotourist]

It made my spouse dizzy watching w/out vertigo, so I image that just amps it up exponentially! 

Not too many roots, but there was a rock section. A bit technical, but doable at slower speed as it's really flat. 

[Anne Paulson]

The video was making me motion sick, so I stopped watching. But I bet
I would have loved the ride. It looked to me like my Atlantis' 35 mm
slicks would have handled the terrain.

-- Anne Paulson

It isn't a contest. Enjoy the ride.

[Hugh Smitham]

Anne,

Yes you'd have enjoyed the ride. I rode my A.H.H. with Hetres. No flats! They handled awesome. Your tires would be fine. I only had a few spots where I lost some traction climbing but no big deal.

Try making it next year love to have you.

~Hugh

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[Anne Paulson]

It's funny, I've been riding my Krampus-- with the 3" wide Knards-- on
dirt a lot lately.

So I was out riding with my buddy on my Roadeo, which has the Grand
Bois Cypres 32 mm tires. We had a dirt section. My friend noticed that
I was a lot more confident on dirt than I used to be. Oddly, riding
big knobbies on dirt is making me better on dirt and gravel when I
ride with narrow slicks, instead of making me think I need the big
dirt knobbies for even a speck of dirt.

[dougP]

Whoooeee!  I can hear the Crafton Hills calling.  It's good to see some of the bits I missed by only doing the 30 mile ride.  Nice production work on the video.

dougP

[dougP]

"Wait. I didn't see a single rock..."

It's been so dry for so long, even the rocks have shriveled up!  :-)

dougP

[dougP]

Anne:

Marathon Supremes?  No worries.  I had a 40 mm one on the front and a stray 45 mm Marathon Plus (1 kg of stout German tank tire) on the rear.  I was afraid I'd whack up my Soma C-lines, but as Hugh points out even light, good performing tires were fine.  Overheard on a climb as a group of roadies passed me "....I usually run 23s but I managed to squeeze 25s on for this ride." 

dougP

[Hugh Smitham]

As I was passed by some cyclocrosser's one said I was on the wrong ride!! I said the course or the bike? The last one of em said nice bike! He balanced their groups ying & yang quotient.

~Hugh

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[cyclotourist]

"Course or bike?" That's funny!

[Hugh Smitham]

I thought so.

~Hugh

[dougP]

As a couple of guys passed me one said "hey, a Rivendell, cool".  I thanked him & of course 10 seconds later thought I should have said "....there's several more ahead of me...."., knowing you guys were up the course somewhere.

dougP

[cyclotourist]

I noticed a lot of appreciation for the Rivendells, as well as the green Kelly, Bruce Gordon, Surly Krampus and of course Charlie Cunningham that were in attendance. 

I might be projecting a bit, but I think the sort of people that would want to go to an event like this are predisposed to knowing about and liking a lot of bikes.

Too be honest, Jill's Specialized Crux you can see in these pics sure caught my eye. http://ridinggravel.forumchitchat.com/post/strada-rossa-around-redlands-calif-march-21-2015-7345407?pid=1286625981#post1286625981

I might be turning to the dark side.

But by any measure, the best bike of the day was Chuck's: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cyclotourist/16872986516/ 

[James Warren]

Here's a shot of Jacquie's Cunningham:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/46035786@N07/16300892724/

She was great to talk to. Fun person.

I'm guessing you can see this very same Cunningham bike on Page 13 of Rivendell Reader #27. (I base this on the brake levers looking identical. However, in the reader, there is no Manitou fork, and I'm sure it's possible that it's a different bike.) I went back and re-read the Charlie Cunningham interview there after the RSR ride. One of the best things in the Reader ever. There's a section on Jacquie there as well.

-Jim W.

James Warren

jimcw...@earthlink.net

- 700x33

[Hugh Smitham]

Ahem. Jim,

Perhaps you'd care to share said article with the group? Pretty please:-)

[James Warren]

RSR was amazing, everyone! Huge thank you to Cyclotourist David for organizing, for promoting, and for hosting several of us. And to Holly Estes, of course! There was a lot of buildup to the weekend, giving me big expectations, and it still was even better than I was expecting. Highlights:

1) Seeing so many of my friends.

2) Making several new friends.

3) Driving through rush hour Los Angeles Friday, and actually enjoying a 3:45 drive, because I knew what was waiting at the end of it. (Great company, Redlands Gourmet Pizza Shoppe, and a Saturday mixed surface ride.) Having Hugh there to order beer before I arrived. Thanks Hugh!

4) Arriving at the exact same time as Ian, and seeing two of Ian's Rivs get used at the same time and meeting his brother-in-law Paul from Virginia who was riding Ian's AHH. Fun to get to know Paul.

4A) David's breakfast! Soyrizo, Eggs, Bacon, and coffee.

5) Single-track climbing on a Riv

6) Sharing a nice rest-stop conversation with Aaron. Talked some future rides with Esteban and others.

7) Seeing pre-teenagers like Jake just killing it on the trails. One of the best climbers out there.

8) Connecting with Bay Area folks, Philip and Jacquie. Great patches, Phil!

9) Another fun time riding with Doug and Ian and meeting Robert for the first time. Cool Bruce Gordon BLT Robert had!

10) Marveling at Robert's brilliance at getting us unlost when we were fenced in. He saw orange grove adjacent to power plant on the smartphone map and figured there had to be a fence hole at their interface. And he was right!

11) Hangar 24 to celebrate with Doug, Ian, and Robert! Thanks again, Ian!

12) Sitting there at Hangar 24 with our beers, we saw a new-to-us Hilsen guy ride by.

13) We continued our ride and the Hilsen guy was fixing a flat. He had the bike flipped over on the ground. I rolled up and said, "Pasadena style?" He looked over and laughed. We introduced ourselves. It was forum-member, Richard Rios! New friend!

14) Back at the BBQ, reconnected with Esteban, Hugh, Paul, Phil, Aaron, David, enjoyed a great lunch. Got a pint glass to keep for a $5 beer purchase. Met a few more new people.

15) Being especially fortunate to ride with two different groups during the ride.

16) Amazing people taking advantage of the day.

And a few photos:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/46035786@N07/sets/72157651544957831/

Really amazing bike weekend. Thanks again, David!

-Jim W.

[Philip Williamson]

QB1@0:32. We bookended the video!

Philip
www.biketinker.com

[Philip Williamson]

I got some props for the Quickbeam from other riders, and for riding singlespeed.

I'll bring gears next year, or ride more before the day. 37mm C-Lines were fine, except for a little spinning on a climb, and a very sketchy descent through deep dust/sand, where the guy behind me fell.

Philip
www.biketinker.com

[cyclotourist]

It was practically an Entmoot! 

I think the 50k could be done with a QB fine, presuming you have a high and low gear to swap into. The 40X19 and a 32X19 "regular" gears I have on mine can handle it all... but, I'd still be going slow and having to stop and change gears a lot. I was considering riding mine, but I had a strange headache that morning, and figured gears would make the morning much more pleasant. I think singlespeeds are great when you're solo, or riding with other singlespeed riders, but when you're the only one in a group of gear-swappers, not as much :-)

Philip
www.biketinker.com

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[cyclotourist]

Jim, thanks so much for that! Glad you were able to backtrack and meet up w/ Doug and Robert. And then go on your excellent adventure with them!

The whole intention of this event was to showcase the mixed-surface riding we have, and to you know, have a good time! 

Success on both fronts!

[Ian Begley]

I have to say it's one of the best ways to spend a Saturday.

[Montclair BobbyB]

That looks like a blast.

On Monday, March 23, 2015 at 2:08:57 PM UTC-4, hsmitham wrote:

We had another great ride out in cyclotourist country. David was a great host, we had gourmet pizza & craft beer. The day of the ride was superb! We had Paul Germain visiting from Virginia for the second year riding his brother in laws A.A.H. and  Ian on his custom red Atlantis, Biketinker Phillip came down from Northern Cal with Jacquie Phelan representing. Jim, Estaban & Aaron were seen climbing some awesome single track. This is short so others can fill in any details I miss.

Here's some images:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pedalpusher61/with/16285457244/

Cheers,

~Hugh

  Los Angeles, CA

[Esteban]

I had an absolute ball. 50K+ ride was perfect for a fun day and not getting destroyed - with lots of time for hanging out. Thanks, David, for hosting - and for everyone else for the fun. I'll have to bring a riv next time... but Black Sheep was such a blast, though.

Esteban

[dougP]

I think that's the original Otto.  BQ did an issue with articles on both Jacquie and Charlie, and a studio shot of her bike.  It did not have a suspension fork but was otherwise the same.  That stem looks pretty rare, if not custom. 

dougP

[Bikie#4646]

Hey all,

I made my annual trip from Va. to L.A. to see my sister and ride with bro-in-law, Ian - and of course do a repeat of the Strada Rossa!

These two albums are from Ian's and my ride last Saturday doing the Redlands Inland Empire Biking Alliance mixed-surface 50k / 100k group ride:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/bikecrazy-paul/sets/72157649271649764/

Our Sunday post-ride ride was as much fun, thanks to David (cyclotourist) Estes giving up his day to guide us through Redlands and up to the single track riding in the Crafton Hills Trails:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/bikecrazy-paul/sets/72157649295487053/

David's wife, Holly and family treated us to a great lunch after - on very short notice! Thanks Holly!

Ian rode his Rivendell Atlantis with fat Smart Sams and I rode his Rivendell Homer Hilsen (one size too large) with Schwable Dureme's. That hard packed stuff was not a problem on those stout bikes. I was glad to have plenty of east coast single tracking experience though! Bikes seen along the way ranged from carbon fiber CX bikes, to all-steel like ours, to mountain bikes. Fun for all.

Great fun both days, but that California sun is hard on a east-coast guy! I came back with a farmer's tan!

Paul Germain 

Midlothian, Va.

[cyclotourist]

I think I have all the albums compiled here... let me know if I forgot somebody! These show the perspective of the lugs & leather crowd pretty nicely!

Paul's: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bikecrazy-paul/sets/72157649271649764/

Hugh's: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bikecrazy-paul/sets/72157649271649764/

Esteban's: https://www.flickr.com/photos/25671211@N02/16929993845/

Jim's: https://www.flickr.com/photos/46035786@N07/sets/72157651544957831

Mine: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cyclotourist/sets/72157651165005667/

Philip's: https://www.flickr.com/photos/philipwilliamson/16716596259/

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[Bikie#4646]

David, I think you got my photos twice and missed Hugh's. Sorry. A long week for you! If you make a correction, might be cool to post all over again, adding that great video link to have them together. Just saying', but not to make work for you!

Paul

[James Warren]

Thanks David!

The link to Philip's photos is a bit startling!

[cyclotourist]

It captured the feel nicely :-)

Hugh's set: https://www.flickr.com/photos/pedalpusher61/sets/72157651110302400

[Philip Williamson]

I think Jacquie said her "Otto" bike is on loan, possibly to a museum. I don't think she rides it, since it has become an Artifact. Definitely an LD stem, but I don't know if any were production, or all were custom.

Philip
www.biketinker.com