Ride Report Rwanda 2014

Well that was fun… except for "a touch" of mud would sum up my ride fairly well. This was the first year I've been able to make the ride and earlier in the week it wasn't look like it was going to happen but I managed to squeak in a few hours of sleep Thursday and Friday night and woke up around 4am Saturday ready to go but wondering how the rain was on the other side of the mountains.

After a leisurely start and the drive over, followed by a road closure and a detour on some dirt roads that weren't as nice as much of the actual ride, I eventually got close to the Oakley facility and found some parking. As my luck would have it, as I was riding up the 50-mile group was headed down the Oakley drive. After eventually working my way up, registering, and a quick pit stop I was off about twenty minutes late.

This worked out to be a pro and a con as I found out a short while later. The benefit after seeing some of the pictures people have posted was I missed out on tons of riders getting clogged up in muddy sections and could make my own pace without having to worry about faster riders coming up and passing. The down side was when I took the wrong turn a mile or two into the start after reading the arrow and flags incorrectly and ended up going against the flow of traffic until one of the course riders confirmed I should have taken the other direction. Woops.

This was the first time riding in any of this area and trails so I wasn't sure what to expect. I've been working on my endurance and done some long over the road rides but those seldom replicate a good long off-road mountain bike ride where you're constantly going up and down hills and trails. I know the course wasn't too technical but was pretty happy that even with the mud and carrying some reasonable speed I didn't have any OTB or other incidents the entire ride despite some sketchy sections where my front tire was packed with mud and didn't have much more traction than a racing slick.

There were a ton of volunteers at major turns and the aid stations and their support was much appreciated and everyone seemed to be having a good time. The aid stations themselves were numerous, pretty well placed and well stocked. Even bringing up the latter half of the 50-mile riders they still had plenty to drink and snack on.

I was able to spin up a lot more and a lot steeper hills than I normally can muster but still ended up doing quite a bit of hike-a-bike. Knowing when you can push yourself and should you push yourself is important when you still have twenty-plus miles to go and not sure of the course. Next year I plan to clear a few more climbs while still in the saddle.

I took a few crummy cell phone pics at a couple of the stops but was focused on the ride when out on the course. Except for the mud it ended up being a great day to ride, not too cool and not too hot later in the afternoon and luckily it didn't get too muggy when it started warming up. Beside a little detour costing about 25 minutes in the last part of the ride it was pretty uneventful. It was nice when the course started to loop back and I recognized that there wasn't much further to go.

Crossing the finish line was great with a good vibe of accomplishment and most everyone in high spirits. Lots of selection for food, a great raffle and a ton of money raised for the cause.

Some final observations for next year:
- Start out a few minutes late and you don't have to deal with the course clogging up, just be sure to know where you're going.
- On that subject, don't bother trying to upload the course into your GPS as none of them I could find had waypoints for directions and distance to major turns.
- If there's significant rain the day or two prior of the ride, consider a more aggressive front tire.
- After hearing of a few broken rear derailleurs from people trying to hammer up hills and mud I disengaged my Shadow Plus rear clutch to make it easier on the shifting at the expense of some chain slap.
- Fenders. Don't do it, especially if there's rain and mud. Saw a few guys out there running them where they filled completely up with mud to the point of having to stop often and clean them out.
- With stream crossings, dirt and mud, a small bottle of chain lube in a zip-lock bag isn't a bad idea.
- Sunblock. Don't forget it. (D'oh)

 

^^ "HAB up Live Oak in the beginning, but folks were in good spirits, joking and chatting as we slogged through the mud."

Yeah man. I traded laughs with some guys I was near, about the conditions. I joked that it was the Spartan Rwanda Ride!

 

Better late than never...

What a wonderful day! :clap:

For starters, I had not ridden the 25 Mile loop for about 3 or 4 years!
(total highlight. wonderful memories. pretty sure I will be posting a group ride real soon)

I'd like to thank those who "guilted" me into attending this event.

The weather was perfect. The mood of the event was electric. Lots of smiling faces. My ride buddies made the day very special. Did I already mention that it felt sooo good to ride the 25 mile Loop again?!?

These are the pictures one takes when they arrive one hour early to an event!


OAKLEY HEADQUARTERS
(beyond amazing in every way)




Deadweight was all smiles!
(I believe Rich completed the 2.5 mile route... New distance record for my friend)


WOW. Absolutely amazing view!!!


The mud felt like glue




JSD was not happy (he does not walk anything)
Truth be told he was cut off by a fellow rider.. No point in riding after that.


BikeThePlanet
Hike-A-Bike Crew Member Motto: "When in doubt, WALK IT."


My Buddy Froder (Left) completed his longest ride to date!
Pretty sure he had more gas left in the tank. Well done!


Let the Photo Bombs begin...


Those riding in our group were disappointed to see the Finish Line...
(we wanted to keep going)


Time for the raffle


Brownie... Being Brownie!
(photo bomb #2)


Photo Bomb #3 (Damn Ducks fans)


Colin (BrownChickenBrownCow) and Brownie posing for the camera


A few of the many friends that made this day so special...


Are you kidding me?
JSD had ONE ticket.... Walked away with $800 in goodies!
(I had $100 worth of tickets... Walked away with a Rwanda shirt)

(Did you catch the photo bomb? Why are all of my friends knuckleheads? LOL!)

Doubleoh7 / Called To Creation showing off his new whip- compliments of Intense Bicycles!


Next year should I do the 25 or the 50? :-k
(can't believe I just said that)

 

That "one" sure is a PITA when it comes to guilt tripping!!!

 

One year ago I was recovering from a scapula that I broke while riding my new (to me) Giant Trance. I read the Rwanda ride reports and decided that the 25 would make a good goal to shoot for when I finally got back on my bike. I got back on the bike in August and by October the 25 cut of times were “easy” so I set my sights on the 50. Without this ride to train for, I’m sure that I would not in nearly the fitness level that I am at now and would probably still need PT for my shoulder. After this ride my shoulder feels better than it has in over a year.
The Rwanda 50 was my first organized MTB event and I didn’t really know what I was doing or what to expect. Before I even had my bike out of the car I ran into Doris (CrazyGrandma “here”) and was invited to ride with her group. Even though started out with an easy pace it looked to me like we might even finish with time to spare. Then we hit the mile long mud bog climb and I lost track of the group as I was just trying to get me my bike to the top of the hill. Once at the top of the hill it took at least 5 minutes to clean enough mud off my tires and bike that I could even get the wheels to turn much less ride it. After that, no matter how steep the climb or how tired my legs were, it was all easier than the mud climb and I just kept going. I made all the cut offs and finished the ride. It wasn’t a great time but at least I made it.
To make a great day even better I ran into to Dino and the Fullerton Loop crew at Oakley so there were plenty of people to talk to while waiting for the raffle to start. The only thing that could have made it better would to have actually won something in the raffle.
It was a great ride for a great cause and I really appreciate all the hard work that the organizers and volunteers put in to pull this thing off. I can’t wait for next year.

 

What a cool ride! This was my first year and I conquered the 25 mile which as Dino said above was the furthest I've ridden (in the dirt). It was double the distance and elevation than any of my rides to date. I had a great time and will definitely do it again.

I did it because a co-worker (avid road and mtb rider) challenged me to a race bet. He said he might be able to do the 50mile ride faster than I could do the 25 mile, (which I actually agreed with). It was actually pretty close, as I only beat him by 35 minutes, which is a long time, but when you think of the difference in distances, it's really not. Had the dirt not been so bad for the climbs, he might have actually succeeded!

I had "pre-run" part of the course a couple of times so I would know what I was getting into with the climbs, etc… Like everyone else has said, that dirt was ridiculous. I don't know how many times I looked down to make sure I was in the right gear, didn't have a flat or my friend wasn't holding on to my bike. It felt like I was two gears up on those muddy climbs.

I started cramping at mile 11 so it was a long day for me. Total time was 5:38 but moving time was 3:17. I didn't walk much at all, I just stopped and waiting until I could get back to pedaling.

All-in-all I had a great time and am excited to get on my bike even more. Now, to plan a few Snow Summit runs!

 

-Would anyone be interested in re-tracing the 28 mile Rwanda route?
(group ride... May / June)

-Any other route options we might want to consider?
(not certain if there are any extra credit sections along the way)

Thank you in advance. :wave:

 

I'm in.....an extra credit section would be to be to head south down Trabuco Creek and do Water Works (fun and flowy single track) which would add about 3-4 miles. A loop through Whiting would add about 6 miles. Wahoo's Fish Tacos is just south of the Oakley building and is a good meet up place.

 

The other option would be to do the Casper's loop (so that the 28 milers can ride what the 50's did) and backtrack from the waterfall back over O'neill and back to Oakley. This would probably put the ride at about 32 miles. You would have to cut out the 28 mile course from the waterfall to the end. Hope this makes sense.

 

Post up a new thread when you settle on a date and if work schedule allows I'd try to drive over again. It was a pretty fun ride.

 

Dino, another option is Bell View loop which dumps you out at Dove Canyon Water Fall...
Adds another 2 maybe 3 miles.
Good lil climb.

 

I was surprised that they removed this section from the route. It's a nice little climb through Robinson Ranch and Dove Canyon...

 

I'm pretty sure you know my answer.......

 

D smalls in the house wow. Bummed I missed it And yes

 

Dino tried to get you guys to add on Waterworks. It is short, but fun. You can go big. Add Whiting Luge onto it.

 

Stevemacko, I'm glad they took it out...can you imagine all the riders after the rain on that bad boy!?!
i rode it a few weeks ago and it wasn't in great shape then.

+1 on Waterworks!

 

As long as I'm off work on the day you're planning for it, I'm In!

 

If you're going to retrace the Rwanda route, I would change the course slightly, and include the extra credit up to Vista (first muddy climb by the cell tower in O'Neill). The single track down is the best that O'Neill has to offer...

 

Dino, the nephew and I would be in for sure.

 

A ride where Dino is riding....IN!!