All San Diego Chapter STR Group Ride

[quaestionis]

After reading the "Where All San Diego Riders Gone???" thread last week and seeing the overall reaction, I thought it would be fun to have an "All San Diego Chapter STR Group Ride." I'm not sure STR has had had a large SD group ride since the Saldanas Ride, so I think we're overdue.

The purpose of this post is to make the suggestion and solicit general thoughts from the San Diego STR community. Once we reach some kind of consensus, I'll post it up as an official ride.

After studying a map of the county, and looking at the calendar, my suggestion is that we do the ride at Sycamore Canyon (Santee), at starting at 8:30 am, on Saturday July 26th from the Mast/Medina trailhead. That gives us just under three weeks to get organized. Also, depending on people's thoughts about temperature, we may be better of starting slightly earlier to beat the heat.

Sycamore is the most central location in the county I could find with the exception of maybe LPQ, and there are enough issues with LPQ that I don't think taking (what I hope to be) a huge group of riders through there is a good idea.

Sycamore is freeway close, fairly central, and has adequate parking options with the Mast/Medina dirt lot and spillover parking at West Hills High School.

Sycamore also offers options for multiple levels of riders. I envision the expert group ride including the switchbacks, Martha's Grove, and even Cardiac. The intermediate ride could include Martha's and back, and the beginner group could ride to Gooden Ranch and back.

This ride could be as big or as basic as we want. I don't have a lot of connections with local shops or SDMBA, but those who do have those connections are encouraged to tap those resources to gauge their interest in partnering with this event/ride. If we can incorporate a raffle or something to enhance the event, great. If not, we can still just have a fun, basic group ride.

It would also be nice to have a BBQ or some other social gathering afterwards to hang out and get to know one another better. I don't know if it would be possible (or advisable) to do something like that in the dirt lot off Mast, so it would be great if someone has any suggestions in that regard. Maybe a post-ride gathering at the Santee Lakes area just down the street would work? (We could even maybe stage the ride itself from there and ride to the trailhead, its that close. It has parking and picnic areas that might work quite well.)

As someone who has been a part of STR for a little while, but still less time than many, I don't intend to be presumptuous by being the one to suggest this ride.

However, I've benefited tremendously from the friendships and resources provided through this website, and with the current climate being a little off-kilter, thought it would be nice to have a large gathering where we put faces to screen names and further develop the friendships that have already been created.

I welcome your thoughts and suggestions, and look forward to riding with as many of the San Diego folks as possible sometime soon either way.

James

[Thrillride]

My thoughts are I am in! This sounds great and hopefully we can generate a larger response than many think. The set date so far is good for me, and being three weeks ahead it should be to make for most of us. What does everyone else think??

[Esqo]

Kudos for putting this together.

[bjammin]

will there be bacon???

[dingleberry]

Im in.

I live about 3 min.s from the trail head on Mast and room to entertain a fair number of folk if anyone is interested in a post ride

I also have a grill and a bocce ball court.

Or the lakes could be cool too.

I like doing the switchbacks both ways, but I have never been up cardiac, so that sounds fun also. We usually just do small variations to the same route all the time, so new ones are welcome.

[davemw]

Two words... I'M IN

I can't wait to meet some new trail peeps!

[bajamtnbkr]

I already have a previous commitment to another ride on the same day but will keep checking on this in case any changes, thanks James for getting the ball rolling.

[Zippy]

Zippy has to work. Womp womp.

[mcinvale]

should start earlier than 830am, it's going to be cooking out in santee by then... i'll be in chicago, so i'm out.

[chongoblanco]

probably going to get yelled at for this but where's that trail in s.d that's in FIRST, its the one with J.D the jr rider for cove, that place looks like fun.

[evdog]

Originally Posted by bajamtnbkr

I already have a previous commitment to another ride on the same day but will keep checking on this in case any changes, thanks James for getting the ball rolling.

Is the 26th the day of your Chula vista tour Jose?

If so it may be worthwhile picking another day for this SD ride. We'll never get one date that works for everyone but having two significant rides on the same day is a bad start.

[bajamtnbkr]

It is the same day.

Originally Posted by evdog

Is the 26th the day of your Chula vista tour Jose?

If so it may be worthwhile picking another day for this SD ride. We'll never get one date that works for everyone but having two significant rides on the same day is a bad start.

[mtbchip]

By starting early, we can beat the heat and have more "cool air" riding.

I'll be there at 7:00AM and doing credit.

Anyone that wants to join in.....please come along!


Cya there.....Cheers to a BBQ afterward, I'll contribute some ca$h.

[Thrillride]

No thinking of changing the date?? Sounds like there is another bike event that same day, is it just as close to SD???

I'd like to beat the heat as well, I can be there at 7am if it must continue on that date. Peace everyone

[Mr. Bungle]

Maybe for me. I want to say yes, but dont want to deal with the santee heat.

[luna]

I'll be in Mammoth for a week on the DH bike

[Solo]

Thanks for getting this rolling James. I'm all for pushing it out another week too.

If not LPQ, then Sycamore may be the best place. Daley is also good for large group rides but may be a little far for the guys down south.

[quaestionis]

Thanks for all of your thoughts so far.

I checked the STR calendar and didn't see anything posted for the 26th. If I had, I would have initially proposed a different date.

I'm also aware that the heat is a factor. I see the possible solutions for that as being:
(1) wait and do the ride sometime in October;
(2) start it early enough to beat the heat but still late enough to allow people to get there from all over the county [I'd say 8:00 a.m. is the earliest];
(3) suck it up, bring lots of water, and wear lots of sunscreen. Its only a two hour ride.

I'm personally unavailable on the next Saturday, August 2nd because I'm throwing my wife a 30th birthday party. That of course is not a dealbreaker for the STR ride being the same day, but someone else would have to take over planning and logistics.

August 9th would work for me however. And give us plenty of time to plan.

If this does come together as an "event" as opposed to just a group ride, Santee Lakes looks like a pretty good place to gather afterwards. We can rent a picnic site for between $50 and $75 and do things right.

Ben, we can arrange for bacon. Maybe even in bowls.

Dingleberry, thanks for offering up your pad, if the lakes don't seem viable, maybe we'll try your place.

Chongoblanco, I have no earthly idea what you are talking about.

Keep the suggestions coming...

[davemw]

lemme know about santee lakes... i may have a hook up for a free spot

[emfc]

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