Grasshopper Adventure Series

I Wanna hold your hand…I wanna hold your hand

admin — Thu, 09 May 2013 05:50:38 +0000

Not really, but I’m gonna walk you through the Lake Sonoma loop so ya’ll don’t get too dazed and confused. You will have your custom collectors laminate (Thanks to Los and Bike Monkey for letting us adapt their map) and as you’ll see there aren’t too many wrong turns to make. The key is to follow the markings on the course which will be orange ribbons. First thing is to get yourself signed up (pre-reg helps us a lot!) and get to the bottom of Bummer Peak for a 10:00 start. You can follow the 1/2 Canoe Trail signs or just point ‘er down. So here’s the map…study up! The start is stiff and will spread the group out but I think you’ll be surprised how short Bummer Peak seems when it’s at the start. Here’s what the start looks like. (Really it’s a lot steeper) As you climb you’ll pass two picnic benches on our left and it’s just after this that you take a right to the east on single track. This trail will pop back onto Bummer Peak road a few times but the trail always re-connects right away to the right. (Really You will never ride on the left side of the road. Follow the orange ribbon. The 4th time you hit Bummer Peak Rd you’ll take a Rt on No Name trail and follow it to Rock Pile Rd and cross No Name parking lot and take the paved road across the dam and Rt on Stewarts Point/Skaggs Spring Rd. Continue approx 1 mile to Skaggs Spring Overlook and turn Rt. Ride though the gravel parking lot and cross the paved road and continue on the single track. This section is very rocky so be careful. DO NOT GO DOWN THE PAVED ROAD TO THE MARINA!! ..ok sis? From here you just follow the yellow brick road. Check out the nectar!

And in the early morning sun…

After the trail connects with the Skaggs Springs Cut-Off you’ll discover they have been redoing the trail to incorporate more modern drainage swales. This means loose, off sloping trails with burms/jumps and sharp unexpected turns. Trust me…be careful or you will be hiking you and your bike up some steep embankment. BTW,as a reminder Hoppers are about adventure and taking care of yourself. There will not be marshals or EMTs deep out on the course so you need to ride with care. It is after all an adventure ride and not a race. Here’s a peek at what the new trail looks like

Eventually the trail goes back to single track

and you’ll even have a chance to dunk your head if you like.

It will be a long day so don’t forget to eat and drink and check out the views if you can. When you reach this creek crossing

you will know you’ve made it to the Osmo feed so enjoy! It’s just up the short climb on the other side of the creek. From here it’s well…up and down like the rest of your day. Watch out for crazy hill-billy mountain bikers who might be guarding their moonshine stills and might jump out to heckle you.

This madrone section always reminds me that I am nearing the end

Before long you’ll come upon this this juicy spot and though you only have a few miles to go it’s hard not to stop for a head dunking. Continue straight/right and not up!

On your map this is the small blue line/trail that is the bypass/shortcut to Liberty Glenn but don’t give up, look at all the single track that remains. Careful that you make the left onto the fire road near Madrone Point that leads UP and UP a steep road to the finish at Liberty Glenn and a cold beverage of your choice. Pura Vida

Final Stage: Lake Sonoma

admin — Sun, 05 May 2013 05:43:46 +0000

Here’s the map to ponder over and I’ll make sure to give you the play by play before the big day. Plan on 2 1/2-5 hrs. It’s almost too much single track… if that’s possible ? Approx 30 miles and 5 K of climbing. Clockwise.

King Ridge

admin — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 03:20:33 +0000

This weekend’s Hopper is going to be off the hook! Best King Ridge loop yet. Know people have a hard time wrapping their heads around going clockwise but that’s my job; mix it up for ya’ll. I’ll be on my Roubaix with 25 front and 28 rear but if you’re smooth as butter might get away w/ 23…gamble. Here’s the loop. See you on Sat. Osmo will have the neutral feed with support from Frank and NorCal atop Kruse Ranch Rd. 40 miles in. To stay current on updates follow us on FB

King Ridge 2012

NorCal Climbing Championship

admin — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 05:50:16 +0000

Congrats to all the local hammers at Grasshopper NorCal Climbing Championship. 68 miles and 8200ft of climbing. What a kicker at the end!
Open Men: Tayler Betrand-Barrett
Open Women:Kelly Farnham
Men U-23 Justin Herrell
Men 24-39 Andrew Touchstone
Men 40+ Jonathan Lee
Men 50+ Jerry Roach
Men 60+Charlie Wirt
Women 24-39 Kristen Vetterlein

Pine Flat Wrap-Up

admin — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 05:49:14 +0000

Pine Flat Grasshopper
Sometimes I don’t know which ends up and nothing makes sense until I get on my bike. Then it all just flows, makes sense, less thinking. After an indulgent bike week in Costa Rica I hit the ground full speed. All good stuff but not much time for riding. At least I was rested, sort of, going into the day. I remembered two years ago doing this route that the pace was pretty furious heading up West Dry Creek and Dutcher and this year was the same. When Taylor and Sneddon went off the front folks got a bit worked up and made some efforts but nothing organized and soon they were let slip away. Many never realized, nor cared, as thoughts of self preservation manifested in controlled efforts until we reached Geysers road. With the absence of Dr. Todd the pace was fast but there were no heavy attacks and I managed to stick to the back of the lead group. Funny how this is often where I find myself. Grappling between digging deep to hang and slipping into no-man’s land to save some energy. I hung on until just before the steeps of the Geyesers and then spent some quiet solo time. George had popped off and I knew he’d be looking for me on the steeps of Pine Flat. I suffered from miscalculating my hydration at Old Caz and would not make the same mistake on Hopper #4. I carried 3 bottles of Osmo and took on 3 atop the Geysers. If I was going to come undone it would not be due to cramping. I ate as many GUs and GU Chomps as I could manage and enjoyed the solo descent to the valley floor where I happily picked up Justin Herrell who was looking for some guidance as he’d never climbed Pine Flat. We exchanged pulls and little by little began picking up riders on Pine Flat. It’s always motivating to move forward but I kept my enthusiasm in check as I knew what awaited me on the steeps. The top was veiled in fog and as I paper-boyed my way to the top I managed to squeak out a top 20. Satisfied. Good finish for a mountain biker Kris Snedon and Taylor Bertrand Barrett managed to stay away but only just. In the women’s field it was Kristen Vetterlein who took the overall followed by Kelly Farnham and Catherine Mattis who will retain the leaders jersey. Not sure about the men’s, I’ll need to recalculate. Just over 60 miles and more than 8000 ft of climbing. Epic! At least I’ll have some climbing in my legs if I don’t get much in before King Ridge; but at least we’ll have some dirt to play in. Huge thanks to Lisa and Osmo for the hydration and recovery and Frank and Norcal for the support. We are lucky as without them thou pockets would be severely bulging! Thanks to P for the help at reg and the finish and to Cathy and Fritz at the start. Thanks to Arnot Roberts, GU, Ibis and all the killer local support. Just one more and we’ll be at Lake Sonoma for the weekend where we’ll have our grand prize raffle. If you’ve done them all so far don’t stop now! See you in two weeks and remember to pre-reg as it helps us get ready!
MigPine Flat Grasshopper

Pine Flat Hopper Day Of Registration

admin — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 19:16:24 +0000

It’s on! There is day-of reg. so arrive early. Start time is 10:00 AM. Location 33 Healdburg Ave, Healdsburg. We’ll be parking in front this year and can hang out at Arnot-Roberts afterward. Osmo will again be providing neutral support at the top of the Geysers’ Climb and NorCal will be there for support as well. You can leave drinks, snacks with Frank at the start. Please remember to pick up you bottles, gear at the end of the day.

Finish is at the top of Pine Flat Rd. A fast time is one hour from the bottom to the top of the climb so measure your effort. The last pitch of the day tops out at over 20%.

See ya tomorrow!

Geysers-Pine Flat

admin — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 13:49:16 +0000

Hope you’re going in rested for this weekend’s Hopper. Last time we did this ride Dario Fredrick and Ted King were the first to the top. This year we’ll be crowing individual men and women in each age category. We’re also raising funds for the Matt Wilson Scholarship so I hope we get a good showing. Here’s the Strava info if you haven’t seen it yet. Really…4000Kcals?

http://www.strava.com/activities/495232

Fort Ross Hopper Route Announced

admin — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 06:45:35 +0000

The first time I rode Old Caz and Fort Ross I was on my REI Ponderosa with Avocet semi-slick tires. I remember sitting for a rest atop Seaview and breaking out a king size Snickers from my fanny pack and taking it all in. I know we are all looking for the right machine for the right ride. And although we are seduced by the lightness, stiffness and elegance of our sub 16lb road bikes we all (I hope) know that’s not what it’s REALLY all about. For the top 20% the Hoppers are very competitive. The middle 40% are racing their buddies both real and imaginary (i.e. STRAVA and inner demons) and the remainder are out for the epic adventure. For those of you are tried and true roadies, be forewarned; Old Caz is a dirt descent. This is one of the few county roads that is no longer open to vehicle traffic. A small ribbon of pavement serpents from the Russian River valley near Guerneville to around 12oo ft before plunging to East Austin Creek. It’s here you’ll have to dismount and cross on foot. During calm times it’s no more than a foot deep but raises to knee or hip level after a good winter storm. This used to be the main road to Cazadero before Caz Hwy but has over the last 25 yrs been a coveted connector for Sonoma County Cyclists. Before any of us had cross bikes we used to ride this road on road bikes so it can be done. In fact, the last two years running of SuperSweetwater Hopper covered the same road. There is a dirt climb out of the creek and another rocky dirt descent to the town of Cazadero. From here it’s all tarmac to the finish on Coleman Vly Rd. Here’s the route in full so you can Google, Strava, Pre-ride, Read Tea Leaves…whatever you need to do feel prepared. Whatever bike you ride I really recommend mtb pedals and shoes for the crossing.

Map of Route

Begin: Occidental. Boho Hwy to Monte Rio. Lft Moscow Rd to Duncan’s Mills. Rt. River Rd/Hwy 116 to Old Caz. Lft Old Cazadero Rd (just before Guerneville) Though neighborhoods and up the climb. Dirt descent, creek crossing, dirt climb, dirt descent to Cazadero. Continue STRAIGHT to Fort Ross Rd (Do not go rt on King Ridge Rd!!) Lft Seaview Rd and turns into Meyers Grade to Hwy 1. Lft Hwy 1 to Coleman Vly. Lft Coleman Valley. Finish at top at Ocean Song. Pura Vida, Mig

Chileno Valley Wrap-Up

admin — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 06:13:44 +0000

Getting bigger but not too big

For the first time in 15 years I’m not able to give my report from inside the pel0ton. Have you ever thrown a big party at your house and at the end of the night realize that you spent all the time dealing with logistics; food, drinks, friends and kids’ needs and kinda missed the party? It feels a bit like this, but not so much. Hardest part was not being part of the blissful destroyed satisfaction of finishing up Joy. I’ll have to go do that soon. The morning went smoothly thanks to an early set up and help from Cathy, Tera and Fritz. It was a huge help having online reg and results. Was a bit strange handing out numbers but..oh well. As we navigate the waters of becoming “event promoters” we’ll make sure to keep the rides creative, challenging, unique and at the same time keep the logistics simple and affordable. We hired the AMR unit and although they were only needed to help someone with a broken wheel, I was at ease knowing they were out there.

Was awesome at the start seeing friends who have been at the Hoppers since they began; George, Emil, Roger, Jason,Kent, Brian A.(Glenn was too scared ) I miss anyone? . Also a pleasure to have Fast Freddie join us along with a large group of U23 riders from the BearDevTeam. The talent continues to get deeper and deeper and I love to see cyclists wheel to wheel from 16-75 years old all doing what we love.This is what makes these rides special; and the fact that it’s in our back yard!

And speaking of love…thanks to all who donated to Ross Dillon. Riders donated $500 and Hopper Adventures will be pitching in another $500. Charles Dillon says ,”Your faithfulness to Ross and us is what keeps us going.THANK YOU!”

After sending folks off Tera and I packed, grabbed some lunch and headed up to Charles’ place to get ready. I think the time sitting in the sun, having lunch was about the longest I’ve sat still in months. We then took a cool hike in Charles’ redwood forest backyard before riders came rolling in.. Good thing we were early as Johnathan Teeter came in 10 minutes faster than Levi’s time last year! I know there was no headwind but… seriously? Johnathan was a cross country runner when I first started teaching and coaching at El Molino H.S. Took him a while to finally see the light. I tell my students it’s only matter of time, so why resist the inevitable? BTW, our mtb is ripping and is stoked for our first race this weekend at Granite Bay in Folsom.

Don’t think I can tell the story for this ride as each has his or her own. (and there was a record show for women at nearly 30 w/ Catherine C. Mattis KILLING it in 35th place overall to take the overall lead for the women)

As always we couldn’t have done it without the awesome feed by Osmo and NorCal. big Thanks to GU for the Chomps at the start and GU at the feed. Thanks to Lisa and Frank. Thanks to Rob for helping at the finish with Osmo Recovery. Sure you all felt good enough the next day to rip it up!

Our prize box was deep again this Hopper. A huge thanks to Osmo, NorCal/Bike Peddler, Ibis, Volagi, Arnot/Roberts, Volagi, Fork Catering, The Hive, GU,CamelBak, Bar Fly, CyclesFanatic, Kitsbow, CafeCostaRica, Bike Monkey, Whole Athlete, Inglis, Soulcraft,ForkCatering, Kona and Coaches Corner. And a big thanks to Chaz for letting us chill in his front yard!

Don’t forget the grand prizes of an Ibis Hakkalugi Frame and Enve Fork and a Volagi frame. Raffle will be for riders who complete the whole series and will take place at the start of Lake Sonoma.

For more stories here’s some blogs by: (Don’t hesitate to send photos and stories)

Ryan Gibson

Jim Hewett

Morgan Fletcher’s Photos

Hans Kellner’s video

The Day After…

admin — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 17:11:26 +0000

Killer day! Heading out to indoor soccer so recap soon to come. In the short-while here’s the link to results and some photos!

Morgan Fletcher’s photos
http://www.flickr.com/x/t/0172006/activity/a

Chileno Valley 2013