Monday, February 28, 2011

Panos

Bill went through my photos this month and processed them into two panoramas. One from GMR top of Monroe on Feb 21,2011



The other from Newman's Point this Saturday Feb 26, 2011



We have had spectacular weather. Wild and thrilling.

Saturday Ride

After 1.8 inches of rain, the sun poked through the clouds enough to dry the road by Saturday afternoon. The temperature was still chilly. Very few folks on the road. I was surprised by who I found. I usually find Mike running with his dog Savannah. The motorists commented about his light attire. Aren't you cold?




The weather was better than last weekend when Mr. Beanz, Eyemage and Hillbasher encounter rain, snow and hail on their rides.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Hillbasher

The rain and snow enveloped Hillbasher Saturday. It snowed an inch in the time it took him to pull on dry clothes for the descent! Before his hands were too cold he snapped these photos.



Saturday, February 19, 2011

Little dalton cfreek

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Wednesday Evening Ride

I rode late on Wednesday, until the sun ran out. Riding down was done by saddle braille. Reading the road with the seat and the hands rather than the eyes. At least The moon was bright.



Bill took this awesome photo standing in the street.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Tour of Palm Springs 2011

The Tour of Palm Springs is today. Ron sends these photos from the start line. Looking good!



AdoboVelo riders ready to rock.

SDSR and ATOC Stage 7

Cycling News describes Stage 7 and reminds folks that GMR is featured in the San Dimas Stage Race. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/amgen-tour-of-california-route-announcement-complete

Friday, February 11, 2011

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

Monday, February 7, 2011

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.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

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.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

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