Tour of California Stage 7 Route Info

At long last the Amgen Tour of California has posted the route info for Stage 7 for Saturday May 21, 2011 from Claremont to Baldy.

As rumored the peloton climbs eight miles up Baldy Road and makes a hard left onto Glendora Ridge Road. That first mile up GRR to Cow Canyon Saddle can put a world of hurt into any rider. The tricky technical descent down Glendora Ridge Road can be a turning point. Tight windy curves with the the bend at mile marker 6 begging for speed, but even the best can be blown away here with a crash into the stone wall. At the fork the ride makes a sharp right turn down the backside of Glendora Mountain Road to East Fork and down Highway 39. They cruise along Sierra Madre with those two European like roundabouts with the nasty gutter edges of half an inch lining the road. Expect some crashes along the way.

At the edge of the city they race down Grand Avenue to Foothill Avenue and back up Glendora Avenue to enjoy the bucolic nature of our quaint downtown promenade. They pedal along Sierra Madre for a mile or two and then its a momentous left turn onto Glendora Mountain Road with its fabled l'Alpe du Huez curves. Its a ten mile uphill race as they wend through the forest gaining nearly 2500 feet of altitude. The vistas of Mt. Baldy loom larger as the city dwindles below.

At the fork they take the right to Glendora Ridge Road to cover already toured terrain but this time gravity and altitude conspires against them. The first four rolling hills of Glendora Ridge Road is merely a warm up to the "wall" with a crest of 4500 feet elevation at mile marker 8.3. A bit of a reprieve with the alpine like rolling section ends with a steep descent into Baldy Village. A left onto Baldy Road the tour races through the idyllic features of Baldy Village. Back out into the forest once again. The last challenge of the day comes at the left hand turn at Ice House Canyon. It punishes those strong enough to last this far with eight switch backs to the tune of 15% grade as the thrill of a mountain top finish awaits those who can survive and strong enough to endure to the Ski Lifts. Its a total of 75.8 miles or 121.9 kilometers of pure climbing fun.

The Queen of Stages this year our road is the best.
Amgen Tour of California Stage 7 Route Map

Bicyclist rescued from fall

Updated Mile Marker and feet dropped.

Bicyclist went off Gmr this morning around mm 8.3. He dropped approx 300 feet. He used his cell phone to call for help.

L'Etape du California

The Tour of California May 15 - 22 visits our proud mountain on Stage 7. Regular folks can sign up for a test run of the stage on May 7th.

L’Étape du California provides serious recreational cyclists the opportunity to ride a complete stage of the Amgen Tour of California – and the most challenging stage of the 2011 race at that. Riders will cover the same route as the professionals on Stage 7 of the Amgen Tour of California, from the City of Claremont to the Mt Baldy Ski Area. The route is breathtaking in its beauty and difficulty, covering some of the most famous and iconic sections of road in the San Gabriel Mountains: Glendora Mountain Road, Glendora Ridge Road, and the sharp “beyond category” switchbacks up to the Mt Baldy Ski Area. By the time riders return to their cars or homes in Claremont, they will have climbed close to 10,000 vertical feet and ridden close to 100 miles. While extremely challenging and requiring a high level of fitness and mental toughness, there will be ample support to help athletes see if they have what it takes to ride the route of the Amgen Tour of California.

2011 San Dimas Stage Race Looking For Host Families

San Dimas, California (February 2, 2011) - The San Dimas Stage Race Organizing Committee is searching for families in the San Dimas Area who would like to host riders for the 2011 race! Host housing is needed for the professional men’s and women’s bicycle racing teams competing at the 2011 San Dimas Stage Race – an opportunity for families in the area to connect with National Champions, Olympians, future Olympians, and hard-working racers striving to fulfill dreams in professional bike racing. The race runs from March 25-27 but teams typically arrive 1-2 days before the race and usually leave the day after the race. We are in search of families who live within a 30-minute maximum drive of San Dimas, CA.

Opportunities exist to host men’s and women’s teams. For race information, see www.scvelo.com/san-dimas-stage-race. Host homes need to provide: a bed space (couch or air mattress is fine) for each rider, kitchen privileges and refrigerator space; garage or other safekeeping space for bicycles. Host homes ARE NOT expected to provide: transportation or food the Teams will provide there own transportation and meals. However most families do like to provide some shared meals, but are not expected to do so. Host families are encouraged to engage with their guest racers, as experience shows that involved host families find the experience most rewarding when they connect with their guests. Come watch them race, talk to them find out what the life of a professional road cyclist is all about.

If you would like to host a cycling team, please send an email to hostHousing@sdsr.info with the following information: Name, address, City, Phone, Email and the number of riders you can host. Whether you can host one or two riders, or whether you and your neighbors can host a full team of eight; we want to hear from you!



Contact
Daryl Bowman, SDSR Host Housing Coordinator
email: hostHousing@sdsr.info
phone: (909) 437-0205

Back to Back

Another great day for a ride in January. The DPW crew put in overtime hours on Saturday. Again clearing their stockpile area between the electronic sign and gate. I felt fortunate that there were fewer trucks that stayed within a mile radius. Once I was free and clear it was the normal traffic flow for the weekend. A tow truck carrying a crashed car down the mountain. An individual shoveling dirt from a berm along the second saddle to accommodate better seating for his reading. Imagine that.

Matt caught up with me at the shed. For back to back rides the legs felt relatively good. Glendora Ridge Road provided beautiful vistas. Rode to Fork plus Four. Translated this is four miles into Glendora Ridge Road. The photo is from GRR about 2.2 miles.



The flowers at mile marker 10.35 on Glendora Mountain Road for Kevin Unck have faded. However, his sad tale has not permeated the GMR biking world. At that exact spot today another cyclist took the curve too fast and skidded out. The Sho-Air rider had numerous abrasions or road rash where his layer of skin remained in the pavement. Fortunately for him there was no opposing traffic when he lost control. He headed off to his car to drive to the hospital.

I enjoyed a slow ride down and great vistas. Ride Safe.

Shovel Dirt

A perfectly warm day, open road and time to go as far as I wanted. I sucked diesel fumes up the entire mountain. I didn't get the notice. The Department of Public Works had ten or more commercial sized dump trucks on the road hauling dirt up the mountain. Near the bottom gate the bulldozer scooped up dirt from the stockpile and loaded the trucks. I spoke to one individual designated as traffic controller. He said the retention area was full. In order to prepare for the next major storm that will be rolling in soon, they were moving the dirt up the mountain creating berms and other stockpiles to clear up their storage area. Go figure.

DPW was in it for the long haul. The trucks ferried their cargo past the shed and down Glendora Mountain Road towards East Fork. I veered to the right and enjoyed the warm tranquility on Glendora Ridge Road. The view from GRR was beautiful. Three hawks were drifting on the wind. I stopped at three-quarters of a mile in and enjoyed the view.



Road to GRR mile marker 2.12 near hunters hang out. I wanted to save some legs for tomorrow. Along the route I met Jim who rides GMR on Fridays. Good intervals Jim.

2011 San Dimas Stage Race Registration Opens

San Dimas, California (January 26, 2011) - World class professional, talented amateur, and for the first time Junior (17-18), cyclists from around the world are signing to compete in the 12th annual San Dimas Stage Race (SDSR). The highly regarded SDSR, hosted by local bike club SC Velo, is scheduled for March 25th, 26th, and 27th. Three exciting stages of racing are scheduled as well as Kids Races on the last day. Over 800 professional and amateur cyclists are expected to compete for cash prizes.

The race attracts a high caliber of national and international talent, drawn by the good weather to sharpen their form at the start of the season. The list of winners includes Olympians, national and world champions from top pro teams: Tom Danielson, Chris Horner, Scott Moninger, and Ben Day. The women’s list is no less impressive: Amber Neben, Ina Yoko Teutenberg, Christine Thorburn. And Lyne Bessette.

Stage 1 consists of individual time trials on a 3.8 mile course that winds its way up Glendora Mountain Road. This stage is an individual all out effort by the riders to get the best time up the ten hairpin turns and steepest parts of the Glendora Mountain Road. With the size of the field, it will be a long day of racing, with the first rider starting at 9:00 AM and the last one going out in the late afternoon, the exact time being dependent on the number of riders.

Stage 2 will be a Road Race around Bonelli Park sponsored by San Dimas Hospital. The course is on a rolling and twisting 7 mile circuit which includes a two short, but steep, grades. The riders will make several loops around the course, with the overall racing distances varying from 28 to 84 miles, depending upon category. The first group starts at 7:55 AM and the last (Pro men) at 1:15 PM. The best spots for viewing the race will be along Puddingstone Avenue at the Start/Finish area and inside Bonelli Park along Via Verde.

Stage 3. The race winds up with a Criterium around the streets of Old Town San Dimas sponsored by Incycle bike stores and Cannondale bikes. The racers will ride quick loops around a tight, 1.2 mile circuit with 6 sharp corners, for times varying from 25 to 90 minutes depending upon their category. The first group will start at 8:15 AM and the last group will start at 3:00 PM. For spectators, this will be an up-close and fast race, with lots of good viewing spots around the tree lined course.

The Kids Races will be a fun event hosted on Sunday, March 27th, at 12:300 PM in downtown San Dimas. Sponsored by Shimano, the races are free to all children, so get your kids’ bikes out and ready to ride. Please note that helmets are mandatory. Registration for the Kids Races will be held on-site in San Dimas on Sunday morning.

All of these events offer great opportunities for participation by cyclists of all levels, as well as wonderful viewing for cycling fans. There are no fees for spectators, just pick a spot along the race route and be prepared to see some exciting racing. For the photographically inclined, the photo-ops will be unparalleled, with lots of up-close action, so bring your cameras.

Please visit scvelo.com for more information about the race, registration, and lodging. Registration is currently open at Bikereg.com and spots are still available.

SDSR related links:

SC Velo info: http://scvelo.com
SDSR info: http://scvelo.com/san-dimas-stage-race
SDSR registration: http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=12455
Stage 2 Sponsor - San Dimas Hospital: http://www.sandimashospital.com
Stage 3 Sponsor - Incycle Bicycles: http://incycle.com
Stage 3 Sponsor- Cannondale Bikes: http://cannondale.com
Kids Races Sponsor - Shimano: http://shimano.com