Ride Report 2011 Rwanda Ride Report

Good Stuff!
I just moved back here from Idaho, was more convenient for me to volunteer than ride yesterday so volunteered for parking at Cooks, then the intersection of Coyote Trail and Live Oak-although most people knew which way to go, at least on that section.

Was great to see so many stoked riders enjoying the day!

Love the topography of the Orange County back country.

Got back around 3:30 after released and had a nice burger. Hope to meet a lot of people off here/cycling community, as it's changed quite a bit since I moved away 10 years ago

dk

 

Finish Line

If anyone was wondering who that handsome devil was greeting everyone at the finish line, that was me.

Congrats to you all and cheers for supporting such a great cause.

Marty

http://mottmcfly.smugmug.com/Other/Project-Rwanda/16858910_c3vxKr#1272852830_zwwf68P-A-LB

 

Those where some great pics Sam!! Thanks much.. Well, this was my Fifth Rwanda-ride and have to say one of the best so far!!! Great people, great dirt and great Sslacker crew for a great cause!! I cant wait for next year.

 

What a fantastic day that was! The organizers spent countless hours putting it together. The volunteers were phenomenal. I was amazed to see the conditions of the trails many of which were heavily damaged by the storms, but now are in wonderful shape. That did not happen automatically. I would like to thank especially the two gentlemen who set up their shop at the bottom of Sunrise to tend the bikes that had been through 8 stream crossings and sand.

The riders? We just showed up and did what we loved to do, but got the star treatment while the volunteers, organizers and donors were the ones who did the bulk of the work to make this a memorable day. Life is unfair, isn't it?

Having done the 25 miler last year, I was on a mission to tackle the 50 miler. My foray into mountain biking took place two years ago after years of a sedentary life style consisting of spending most my waking hours in front of the computer. Finishing the 25 miler last year was an accomplishment, but I wanted more. I was on a mission.

Finished the 50 miler with flying colors (at least for me) in 7:07. My goal was 7:30. And that was on my singlespeed bike! Not bad for a guy who got into mountain biking just 2 years ago, and almost died and had to stop after riding about 1/5 of Fully Loop. You guys have given me so many valuable tips on training and nutrition here without which I had no prayer. So many thanks to you.

The howling wind gusts were absolutely brutal and the intensity did not let up until about 3 hours into the ride. Just beating the cutoffs at the Doves waterfall aid station and also the head of East Ridge was an accomplishment for me.

Met up with lauterborn and brownie, but lauterborn took off and brownie ended up crashing (which he elaborates below) and had to cut the ride short . Rode with grego and JSD off and on through out the ride. The last leg of the course through O'Neil was brutal, but the two fellow STR friends kept me motivated to hang in there and before I knew it, I was crossing the finish line.

 

Epic fail for me! However, what a great event! Thanks go out to all that put on, sponsor and work the event! I also want to thank Grego and JSD for letting me ride with them, we all showed up seperate for the ride and ended up in a mini Fully Loop group. The trails were fun, even with the winds and it looked as if everyone was having a great time. I'm the tool that could'nt unclip from the sandy SPD's and hurt my knee. Another thanks go out to Grego and JSD for unclipping my feet for me (lol), and loosing time helping me get to Caspers aid station (oh yeah, thanks to Kurt for driving me home!). I WILL finish this ride (ya hear me Tony), I will not let it beat me. Had a great day even though I got hurt. Thanks for the beer Mtnbikefred! Looking forward to next year (maybe a VC before this event?????). Oh yeah, one more thing. I would like to thank the rider that was already on his way BACK (fast dude) from Caspers, while I'm riding uphill, that made me dismount because he was out of control going down hill!!! LOL, those crazy SHO-AIR guys (not all of you I know)...I think his name was Richard Head, I'm not sure.

 

I made it. I can't see it was always pretty, but I made it.

I started dropping off the 25 mile lead pack on the big climb up the backside of Whiting. I could have used a few more gears throughout the day. Climbing out of Whiting to the dirt lot I caught up with some familiar faces and ended up with a group of four of us riding the rest of the route. We weren't the fastest, but "slow and steady wins the race." We were dogging it a bit climbing O'neil, but had fun at the top and coming down. The water crossing at O'neil was a welcome cool off. Climbing the singletrack up towards the aid station was a PITA. Some guys didn't understand right of way and thought they were in some kind of race. I won't say what jerseys they were wearing (I caught flack for that earlier in the week).

The aide station was a welcome site, though I wish they would have had some ice cold beverages. I was dying at that point. Some more riders (wearing the same jerseys from a few minutes earlier) came bombing through the aide station and got yelled at to slow down. It is congested as people are refueling, loading up, putting on sunscreen, shooting the breeze about the agony so far (and to come), etc. and these geniuses think it is a good idea to come barreling through.

My legs and back were feeling it at that point, so I headed out with Smokey as the other guys were getting some grub. Steve was chowing down some of everything. Smokey and I waited up at the Bell View trailhead. The descent was fun. A poor guy ahead of me went OTB. My legs were noodly and I could only ride half of the climb back out. The waterfall aide station was a welcome site. I was contemplating calling for a ride at that point. I thought we were at the halfway point and I wasn't sure if I had the legs to get back, but I was told it was more like the 2/3 point, so after a rest I continued on with the slow and steady crew.

I was looking forward to the aide station at O'neil as I was feeling it for sure, but they were packing up the last table. No other choice, but to continue on. Steve and I were dragon-ass at that point. None of us were looking forward to that climb out of O'neil. My climbing legs were done at that point. I saw Melster and a couple of the Fully Loop crew in O'neil. I walked a lot of that climb and most of the climbs after that, but I was making it back doing the whole route.

Smokey had us at:
Just over 5 hours of total time.
Just over 4 hours of riding time.
6.2 mph.

I had Five Guys after and Del Taco less than two hours after that. I could have eaten again after that, too. Before the ride I was leaning towards a suspension fork being my next purchase, but now I am thinking more gears. The 1x9 was a workout. I go slow on the downhill anyway and the rigid didn't really bother me at all, but I sure could have used a few extra gears at the end of the day. Smokey did offer a smaller ring up front for future long rides. He suggested using the 32 for training and swapping to something lower on longer rides like this. Might be a good idea once I figure out how to do it and be able to swap back and forth easy enough.

Amazingly, today I really wasn't sore at all. Not even my bum. It was a hurting a bit at the end as I do not ride with padded shorts. May have to switch to a Brooks if I do longer MTB rides. Brooks saddle works great on my CrossCheck for long road rides. Best part of the ride . . . the friendly trail guides and their feminine charms. Just what is needed when suffering the agony of defeat.

 

Nice to ride with you guys and meet profnachos and Greg half way threw the ride.I tip my hat to steve C for completing this ride He gave his all,the mark of a true sportsman.

 

My friend and I completed the 25-mile ride. This was my first organized ride/event of this nature and I am happy to say that it exceeded all of my expectations. I am blown away by how well organized and run it is. The volunteers were awesome as were the organizers. I really appreciate the people who took time out of their lives to sit in the sun and wind to make sure the riders had a good and safe time. Other than the actual riding, I love the sense of community that exists amongst all of the riders. I crossed paths with some folks that I knew and met some cool new people as well. I especially enjoyed the post ride festivities at cooks, I can’t remember beer going down so easily!

 

They still make 26er's?

 

I hate to parrot all the other posts, but it doesn't hurt to say it again: Thanks to all the volunteers that stood out in the sun for most of the day! Thanks to the sponsors that provided snacks and mechanical help at the aid stations and those that provided prizes for the raffles. It was a great event and a good way to raise some funds for a good cause. It's always nice when you can have fun and help others in the process. And it involves bikes, and coffee - two of my favorite things.

On a personal level, this (the 25-miler) was the longest/toughest ride i had done. I'd done nearly the mileage and nearly the climbing, but not together. Pretty pleased with my performance, although I hiked up a few more steeps than I really wanted to. Could have gone farther, but definitely wasn't ready for the 50. Props to those who did it. Next year!

 

Don't forget the volunteers who spent countless hours fixing up the trails. I was in Caspers shortly after the last major storm, and many parts were unrideable. The volunteers sacrificed many weekends to fix them up for the event. These are the unsong heroes.

 

Thank you to everyone who put this together! I sported number 497 and did the 50 mile ride. Finished in just under 6 hours, with 4:50 in rolling time. It was one of the most rewarding experiences I've had on a bicycle. I know it wouldn't be possible without all the volunteers, which were everywhere! I'll definitely be back next year to help support the cause!

 

I did the 50. Felt really strong all the way through. I had a ton of fun riding with friends and the new route was awesome. I remember dreading making the left turn at the waterfall the previous years. This time was different. I found a dude's Garmin 305 on my way back through Casper's and luckily they said something about it over the PA to jog my memory. I was kind of out of it. I was glad to return it to its owner. I did notice that some of the sweepers were pulling up stakes a little early, considering the weather and how many people were still behind me. That had me a little concerned, but it appears everyone made it back fine. I rode ~12 miles the next day and felt like a mutant.

/streamofconsiousness

 

Had a great time riding trails I had not been on before. Dave sorry about your accident, hope you are not off the bike to long.Did the 50 mile ride. Rode with BDB "AKA" BROWNIE & GREGO. Had some issues with shifting that was fixed by the volunteers at the Dove Canyon rest stop, thanks guys. Rest stops were great, all the volunteers were great, the wind, well that sucked. Will definitely be back next year. Need to get out there and ride those trails again, thanks to everyone, oh and thanks Fred.

 

Great event!
I live in Temecula and don't get to ride these trails. That was the appeal for me. This event was my first exposure to whiting, oneill, and caspers.. ..and I'm looking forward to coming back.
The afterparty/raffle was a blast and the burgers and beers (post-suffering) were amazing!
Thank you, and "Great Work!" to everyone involved!

 

This was my 2nd Rwanda ride and both times I had a blast. Last year was my first 50 mile mtb ride in preparation for a 3 day trip along the Kokopelli trail from Gand Junction, CO to Moab, UT. The Rwanda ride was perfect prep for those three days. Although the Kokopelli trail is very remote, parts of the trails were quite similar. The Rwanda ride takes you through some great scenic parts of SoCal with beautiful views and nice diversity of terrain.

Last year I rode my 29er HT (don't knock'em until you've ridden one) and went really hard to finish the 50 miles in 5 hours. It was a long, pounding and draining ride on a HT. That creek bed led to some saddle sores. Those SS folks are animals!!! This year I decided to take it easy and ride a 26er FS for comfort. With those gusty winds, 4 miles into the ride I decided to just get it over with. I joined several groups of great people over the 47 miles and got in and out of the rest stops quickly. Seems like 15 miles out the winds were gone for a good portion of the ride. The hardest part for me was the 10 miles from the turnaround to the last aid station....felt like it was uphill all the way with a strong headwind. I consumed 5 bottles of e-fuel, a couple GUs, a bottle of EFS Liquid Shot and some coconut juice. I had no cramping or bonking at the end like last year. My ride time was 4:23 (total time 4:44) for 47 miles with ~5800 ft. of gain. Don't know where the 6400 ft was but my friend had the same gain and I supposedly took the route with more climbing? I haven't had so much fun on the 26er FS and what a great decision it was to leave the 29er at home for such a long ride. My 29er is great for racing and shorter rides but that long in the saddle and some give on the back of the bike leads to a happier back!

I also want to thank all the volunteers and other that make this ride possible...it's a very well organized ride and I'll definitely be back next year. Hope everyone had as much fun as I did.

 

Looks like another great ride. O.C Register even did a small write up with some names of regulars on the trail. Maybe next year I will try this ride. I was busy up on GMR Sufferfest getting ready for TOC-Ride/Breathless Ride. Wind was brutal and did get tossed around. I am sure riders werre sand-blasted on the way back.

Keep Riding!!!

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/ride-298766-rwanda-dell.html

 

I rode the 25 but didnt get a chance to finish....I ended up getting a migraine after the dove aid station and started to go blind. Good thing we were right by my house so I just rode home and fell asleep. Im pretty bummed though that I wasnt able to finish the ride. Oh well still had fun the miles I did get to ride.

BTW: The dancing girl/helper on the pavedbike path before the tunnel YOU ARE AWESOME! She was dancing around cheering for all of us lol

 

Hi Randy! I'm the dude. Many, many thanks again. (Folks, Randy would not even accept a drink. If we meet again I'm buying ...).

 

6656 feet?

What a great time on the trails…..I almost feel guilty because it didn’t feel like charity for Rwanda, but more like a gift to the So Cal MTB community, and I was taking more than I was giving.
My wife and kids volunteered and were directing traffic onto Plano Trabuco from O’Neil Park, if you saw a little girl cheering you on with pompoms that she made out of old news papers that was my 5 year old daughter.

My Garmin 450 with a built-in barometer claimed I had an ascent of 6656 feet, may the howling wind had confused it a bit, but I would be interested in what other folks saw on their 47 miles.