Amtrak Signups Open This Sunday! 6/15, ride is 9/6

[CC]

Ok Mike, I would really like to do this. but I haven't signed up yet. Giving myself a few weeks to see if the job comes through, so I'm still conserving. If everything's a go I would be very interested in alternate return options. It sounds like we could take a train back, just not the party train.

Either way I would be interested in doing some group rides. For some of you that haven't done a lot of road ride a great place to start is the Santa Ana River Trail (SART). I trained many times for a century on this trail, especially a good option at night because you don't have to worry about traffic. If you ride from Anaheim Stadium/Ketella it is about 14 miles to the beach. You can start adding on to that by heading up PCH, if you go to Seal beach for example. it's about 50 mile round trip.

If you want to get some climbing in, you can ride through Santiago Cyn. I would start at the 55 and Ketella and ride to Cook's Corner and back, it was about 34 miles. Again these are great rides to start putting on miles, in the OC area.

Mike let me know when your doing some road riding that's not too crazy, I'll need to work up to the miles and climbing.

[Letyrides]

The train I was on was pretty much empty. My bike was on the cargo below with a few other bikes. I was happy to have leg and elbow room although I'm sure it would have been entertaining to be on the other train but I'm not much for crowds. Especially when you're stinky and tired.

[Reedster]

I'm in too. We have about 8 members of Team Dirty Works in Riverside signed up. It's also my 42nd birthday, so I'll be ready to celebrate on the way home.

~R

[Pho'dUp]

Online regs are sold out now. I just put myself on the wait list (no train) option. There's already > 100 peeps on the waitlist.

Oh well, I may just do a century on my one one of these weekends. PM if anyone else is interested.

C

[2wheel_lee]

The normal train is simple and relatively hassle-free. There aren't that many people boarding. The only challenge is that you can only load so many bikes onto each car, so you're gonig to want to find a cars where everyone can put their bikes, and then regroup in one car. The event train is the one that can be difficult.

[Pugz]

I didn't get a train spot either, I'm just glad I got a spot at all.

[Letyrides]

When do we start training?

[Pho'dUp]

Officially in. Was on the waitlist. But I'll need to take an alternate train or organize a carpool or something. I couldn't get on the event train list.

Am I the only one nervous about my carbon roadie riding in the luggage compartment?

[duke777]

How about crash the event, stay over night and party at SD and then take a train home next day?

[2wheel_lee]

Originally Posted by Pho'dUp

Am I the only one nervous about my carbon roadie riding in the luggage compartment?

No, you're not.

For the party train ride home (when the bikes are actually trucked back). although they do cover each bike with a moving blanket, I go one step further. I go to Home Depot or Lowes and get the foam insulation for hot water pipes. It's available in a couple different sizes, and it's really cheap, too. I get the larger size to fit my top tube, down tube, and seat tube, and the smaller size for the seat stays, chain stays, and fork. I pre cut all the pieces of foam and send it and a small roll of masking tape in my clothes bag to the finish, and put the foam on the frame and fork tubes and secure it with the tape before loading my bike into the truck.

When I've taken the normal train back, the cars had hooks to hang the bikes from the wheels, just like at a shop. however, there were more bikes than hooks, but fortunately, I got in there early and hung my bike (it was in a passenger car). The other bikes were carefully bungied together by their owners - some being more careful than others. You may still want to do the foam thing just to be sure.

[Wrecker]

Why not just stay/party overnight, then ride back?

[Pho'dUp]

Originally Posted by Wrecker

Why not just stay/party overnight, then ride back?

Now that is going to take some real training. For both the partying and doing back to back centuries.

[Wrecker]

I think the first part is just around Irvine, so we can make it back with only about 85 miles

["WU"]

Originally Posted by Wrecker

I think the first part is just around Irvine, so we can make it back with only about 85 miles

Most likely it'll be headwinds all the way back to Irvine.

[Wrecker]

With my wind luck, it would be headwinds both ways--draft anyone?

[dubjay]

I'm #189 on the waiting list currently.

http://www.bbcnet.com/RideReg2/WaitL...itListList.asp

What do you think the chances are that I'll get a spot?

[2wheel_lee]

Originally Posted by dubjay

I'm #189 on the waiting list currently.

http://www.bbcnet.com/RideReg2/WaitL...itListList.asp

What do you think the chances are that I'll get a spot?

Another way to possibly get in is to buy someone's entry. As you'll note in the listing of riders (you can sort by club), there are a bunch of clubs with lots of participants. Monitor the road message boards as well as those of the clubs, and you'll start seeing entries for sale as we get closer to the event. Those entries for sale, won't go to those on the waiting list. On my first time doing this event, I bought my entry a couple days before.

[Pho'dUp]

Originally Posted by duke777

How about crash the event, stay over night and party at SD and then take a train home next day?

I think you need to join us Duke777. Doing a hundy road miles on a SSpeed Roger Cross bike would be epic!

[duke777]

Originally Posted by Pho'dUp

I think you need to join us Duke777. Doing a hundy road miles on a SSpeed Roger Cross bike would be epic!

Epic indeed....so epic you won't even see me.

how about if I just drive down to SD with my SS cross bike....fart around town till you guys make it down to SD and then PARTAY!

[Pho'dUp]

I'm gonna put some miles on the road bike this weekend to start prep'ing for this. Let me know if anyone's interested. Still working on a route, but probably around 60miles or so.