Ride Wrap-Up

Well…as scenic as the ride is I always know that Chileno Valley will be epic. Saturday was no exception. The significant tailwind as we headed south had everyone thinking of our “just desserts” that awaited us as we turned north-west on Chileno Valley Rd. Then as the small groups plodded along with as much cohesion as possible there loomed Joy in the recesses of our memory. Writing checks all day wondering if the last one would clear…or bounce as the road turned upwards one last time. We had 195 starters and 170 finishers. Impressive considering the challenging winds and the option of heading towards Freestone at the end of the day. It was nice to have Levi out today as he sandwiched our Hopper in between a long day of time trials. There was also a strong showing of pro women from near and not so near. We appreciate the safe start and I heard from people in Occidental that the group passed though organized and in one lane through town. Thanks to J. Lee and others for keeping a safe pace up Bitner and Joy.

Our goal is always to provide a challenging course that is epic in it’s beauty and pushes riders to their limit. On this front we were successful. We also try to keep the costs as low as possible to try and keep the event as low key and grassroots as possible while covering all our expenses. We donated a big chunk of the riders’ reg and combined with everyone’s generous donations we raised $1,300 for Ross Dillon. Thanks !And let’s not forget the cool raffle box. We had 45 winners at the finish and I just couldn’t stop eating Boozley’s pickled okra when I got home!

Next ride, Super Sweetwater is coming up fast. Road bike or cross? You decide. Chileno Vly is the only Hopper with 100% road. All other rides have dirt so this means fun, fun, fun from here on out. I’ll post the loop soon so ya’ll can make sure ahead of time you know where you are going.

Cheers,

Mig