Redlands Strada Rossa VI 3.02.19

Discussion in 'Trailhead' started by Cyclotourist, Sep 18, 2018.


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Added to Calendar: 03-02-19, 03-16-19
  1. Cyclotourist

    Cyclotourist iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Redlands
    Name:
    David
    Current Bike:
    Don't fence me in!
    Making me hungry!!!
     
  2. UPSed

    UPSed iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Simi Valley
    Name:
    Ed
    Current Bike:
    Niner Jet 9 RDO
    ZomboMeme 28022019094539.jpg
     
  3. DBMX119

    DBMX119 Member

    Location:
    Huntington Beach
    Name:
    Rick McKee
    I figure if it turns to sticky mud I'm going to ride road to the dam and then ride around all the various paved hills for the day. haha
     
    Mikie, Faust29, Rumpled and 3 others like this.
  4. Cyclotourist

    Cyclotourist iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Redlands
    Name:
    David
    Current Bike:
    Don't fence me in!
    You'll be fine...
     
    Mikie, Faust29, DBMX119 and 1 other person like this.
  5. Faust29

    Faust29 Moderator

    Location:
    irgendwo
    Name:
    B. Bunny
    Current Bike:
    I gots some bikes.
    Don't forget all the crashed and broken roadies we passed on the mud hill descent! That alone was worth the price of admission. :whistling:
     
    Mikie, Old&InTheWay, Danimal and 4 others like this.
  6. Cyclotourist

    Cyclotourist iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Redlands
    Name:
    David
    Current Bike:
    Don't fence me in!
    They'll learn...
     
    Mikie, Faust29 and mtnbikej like this.
  7. evdog

    evdog iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    San diego
    Name:
    Evan S
    I've got all my rain gear out and ready. Most likely doing the 60 mile rather than 90 at this point but we'll see how things look. Highest % chance and amount of rain is showing before 9am.
     
    Mikie and Faust29 like this.
  8. Cyclotourist

    Cyclotourist iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Redlands
    Name:
    David
    Current Bike:
    Don't fence me in!
    I am really planning on their not being mud or trail damage due to the rain. Won't know till tomorrow of course, but I just don't think that it will be that bad. If the skies open up with a deluge, all bets are off...

    I have lights and mudguards mounted and ready to go, so am planning on wet more than mud.

    If anyone is coming out tonight, dinner is at Gourmet Pizza @ 7:00!!!
     
    Mikie, DangerDirtyD, Faust29 and 3 others like this.
  9. DBMX119

    DBMX119 Member

    Location:
    Huntington Beach
    Name:
    Rick McKee
    How long did it take for everyone to clean up. Took me close to 90 minutes. :laugh:
     
  10. Faust29

    Faust29 Moderator

    Location:
    irgendwo
    Name:
    B. Bunny
    Current Bike:
    I gots some bikes.

    Hmmm... I saw your Strava pictures. :D
     
    Mikie and Cyclotourist like this.
  11. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej J-Zilla

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    J
    Current Bike:
    SC Chameleon SS, SC Hightower
    I saw your instagram pics.....looked....wet.
     
    Mikie, Faust29, DBMX119 and 1 other person like this.
  12. Cyclotourist

    Cyclotourist iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Redlands
    Name:
    David
    Current Bike:
    Don't fence me in!
    The wet wasn't bad on the 60... but @evdog might have some feedback on the 90...
     
    Mikie, Faust29, DBMX119 and 2 others like this.
  13. Rumpled

    Rumpled Well-Known Member

    Location:
    OC
    Name:
    Jim Martin
    Current Bike:
    2018 Specialized Epic Carbon C
    Even shortcutting the 60 to 30, and then shortcutting to the brewery instead of Crafton Hills was stupid hard. Mostly 'cuz of weather.
    Was totally shocked that me and my buddy were the only riders at the brewery for the hour we were there.
     
    Mikie, Old&InTheWay, OTHRider and 6 others like this.
  14. Runs with Scissors

    Runs with Scissors iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    West Anaheim
    Name:
    Mark Whitaker
    Current Bike:
    Giant XTC with pedals
    I thought you two hooligans were doing this ride.....
     
    Mikie, Faust29 and DangerDirtyD like this.
  15. Cyclotourist

    Cyclotourist iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Redlands
    Name:
    David
    Current Bike:
    Don't fence me in!
    I saved the beer till the end of the ride on this one! We didn't even consider stopping... a late start, coupled with helping someone w/ a busted chain, then one of my guys having a destroyed rear derailer... we went straight back via Orange, skipping the miles out to Hangar or anywhere else. I had zero problems with the mud (Riddler 45) while my son was totally caked up (G One 38). Same thing with various guys in our group. Some really caked up, others NBD.

    We skipped a bit of the front end, then some after that, then the entire Crafton segment. Climbed the dam (totally worth it, really neat going up there), came back down pretty slowly (my new normal since Hell Ride). That's when the skies opened up and we were drenched. Also where my buddy's chain let loose, embedding itself into the derailer, bending it like Beckham. Waiting around an hour or so for that fix dropped our temps something crazy, so we bee-lined home in the heavy rain.

    This was the first one I've been able to ride, and I LOVED it! The rain, grit, and mud made it for me. Lots of food at the end, with more, more, more rain the entire time. Finally back home for good around 7:00.

    I'm going to have to service two bikes top to bottom though...
     
    Mikie, Old&InTheWay, OTHRider and 9 others like this.
  16. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej J-Zilla

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    J
    Current Bike:
    SC Chameleon SS, SC Hightower

    Nope.....2 big of a ride the week before True Grit......usually it comes afterward.

    Plus after dealing with the rain and mud last year....no thanks.
     
    Mikie, Old&InTheWay and Faust29 like this.
  17. Cyclotourist

    Cyclotourist iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Redlands
    Name:
    David
    Current Bike:
    Don't fence me in!
  18. Cyclotourist

    Cyclotourist iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Redlands
    Name:
    David
    Current Bike:
    Don't fence me in!
    This 100% volunteer driven event raised $24,000, and netted $19,000 after expenses. That is being split between the Redlands and Crafton Hills Conservancies, and the IEBA. And I think we're giving local bike shops a lot of business with brake pads, cables, and chains and derailers.

    Good news, the trails are actually looking pretty good due to the crazy amounts of rain through the day. We're already working on the parts that need them.
     
  19. evdog

    evdog iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    San diego
    Name:
    Evan S
    I've been meaning to try and do RSR for a few years but it comes up at a busy time of year for me. This year my calendar was actually open, so when some more spaces opened up and the 10-day forecast was clear I signed up for the 90 mile route. I should have known better than to trust the forecast though, especially this year.... A couple days after I signed up the forecast changed to show rain on Saturday. By late last week, it was showing rain through a lot of the day with heavier rain in the morning. Had the weather been clear I would have started riding extra early. But with rain I figured I'd do the 60 instead and start later, hopefully missing the worst of it. Roads weren't great so I took it easy on the drive up and arrived later than planned. I didn't end up starting until 9am. I think the main groups had all departed by then. There was just a light mist at that point so all seemed good.

    I've done a bit of exploring around Redlands and Yucaipa but the route would include some stuff I've never ridden. Hulda Crooks is one of those parts so I decided to peel off the 60 route and ride that section of the 90. Pedalling into the park, the roads were wet but pretty solid. Climbing a little higher there were streams running across and along the road. A few turns later I came to an intersection. The course track went straight but almost all the tire tracks went left and uphill. The few tire tracks that went straight seemed to turn around pretty quick. I didn't investigate, figuring the locals would know which way to go. I didn't make it very far up the hill before it got too slippery and steep to keep riding, so I got off and pushed.

    With no warning the mud started sticking to my wheels and before I realized what was happening the whole bike was clogged with mud. Fuuuuuuuuuu**! Drivetrain was already coated in sloppy nasty mud and not functioning. The chain wouldn't even sit, let alone stay, on the chainring.

    IMG_20190302_102850_1.jpg

    The dirt looked the same below that point and above it, but something had definitely changed....

    IMG_20190302_101134.jpg

    So the question became do I go back, or hope the road gets better just up ahead? It looked like it would level off soon. My bike was already wrecked so turning back wouldn't lessen the damage. I knew I'd have to push 4-5 miles of dirt and pavement if I turned back, but I would get to San Timoteo Creek in 2-3 miles if I kept going. So onward I went. It was a mile or so of pushing, lifting, and dragging the bike in the muck before I got to a valley bottom. I cleaned off enough mud the wheels would spin and then I could push the bike on the grass next to the road.

    IMG_20190302_102838.jpg

    I did that for 3/4 mile then was able to coast down a residential dirt road to the stream where I cleaned up. I got enough mud off that I could sort of pedal, but I'd wasted so much time already that I decided to pull the plug on most of the ride. I headed a couple miles back to the truck and then to the nearest car wash for a thorough clean. It was 1pm by that point so I drove up near the dam thinking I could ride that loop and the next section of trail after it.

    The dam was very cool. No one asked why my bike was so clean :whistling:

    IMG_20190302_133644.jpg

    IMG_20190302_133932.jpg

    IMG_20190302_134327.jpg

    IMG_20190302_135649.jpg

    IMG_20190302_140626.jpg

    Beyond the dam we kept climbing up a forest road and dropped down the other side of a ridge 5 miles back to the valley. The skies opened up on the descent and I was soaked again so I just headed back to the truck rather than continue on. I made it to the after party in time to get some food and beverages. Can't say I earned the beer as much as everyone else but dragging through the mud has to get me some credit.

    Turns out most riders skipped large parts of the course and diverted to ride the dam.

    I'll hopefully go back and try the full route in a few weeks or next fall when conditions are better. Thanks to @Cyclotourist and the rest of the volunteers for putting this event on! Nice meeting you David!
     
  20. Cyclotourist

    Cyclotourist iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Redlands
    Name:
    David
    Current Bike:
    Don't fence me in!
    Give a hollar' when you're thinking of doing that!
     
    Faust29 and evdog like this.
  21. Cyclotourist

    Cyclotourist iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Redlands
    Name:
    David
    Current Bike:
    Don't fence me in!
    Got my phone got hosed, literally, from the ride. Just picked it up, so could upload some of the pics. I tell ya', riding out there in the weather was some of the most fun I've ever had on a bike!

    The B Team:

    33419427078_3776288255_b.jpg

    Requisite mud pic of the boy's bike (not sure how he managed to get that muddy with fenders on):

    46571927844_642563abc3_b.jpg

    Yo:

    46571925984_4cac87ff6a_b.jpg

    The Boy:

    32353359227_f1df1201e1_b.jpg

    From what I heard, the most water ever accumulated behind Seven Oaks Dam:

    47295081451_c673a577a3_b.jpg

    Glamour pic of the bike:

    33419424658_b18b5cb4f5_b.jpg
     
  22. DBMX119

    DBMX119 Member

    Location:
    Huntington Beach
    Name:
    Rick McKee
    So I'm just now getting around to writing a report on it......

    I did the 90 and due to traffic and the rain I rolled out about 7:30, which was fine because I didn't want to deal with all the people. I expected mud, but not what we were presented with in the first dirt section. It sucked (as others pictures have shown) and it wasn't long before I started having drive train issues. At one point my Di2 quit working, which I think was just because it was so jammed with rocks and mud. Then When I was trying to clean it out the chain broke..... I now know that the master link either broke or came apart. I fixed fixed the chain fairly quickly and was off again.

    I got to the second dirt section just behind the 60 mile group, saw the mud, and decided I was over it and went back to the truck for fresh gloves and to clean up as much as I could. I was resigned to setting out on a long road ride in the rain and that is what I set off to do. I rode through neighborhoods towards the first sag stop, just in the direction of up at any intersection (its a game I like to play). Before long I ran into the first sag stop hoping for chain lube..... Which there was none. I don't know why they wound't have lube on a rainy day, but oh well.

    I actually ran into a friend at the SAG stop and he convinced me to continue on with them. "Its not been THAT muddy after the first section!" HAHA!

    The entire section between the first and second stop was awesome. Slightly muddy, but not too bad. Raining on and off. Fun climbs and fun single track down. That entire section reinvigorated me and at the second stop I decided to head out on the 90 mile course rather than head out on the 60........... Like everyone else was. :laugh:

    I set off and someone came with me, who coincidentally I started behind at the start. I hadn't seen him since I broke my chain. Funny how that works out. He and I chit chatted a bit and then I ended up slowly climbing away at the base of the next climb. The climb up Wildwood and Oak Glen was pretty gnarly. I think it was tougher because it was foggy, and raining and I couldn't see more than 20 feet in front of me. Before long I was on the Pisgah trail, which was also a bit of a blur. Couldn't see much, it was raining again, and I was quickly growing tired of being wet. Coming down it??? Well that sucked because it was slick, muddy, and rutted. I can tell you that Schwalbe G Ones are not the choice for a mud ride!

    Somehow I made it to the bottom without crashing (but I came close so many times!) and, knowing what was up ahead decided to turn left instead of right at the road to cut out the dirt section and head back to the 3rd Sag. Following the 3rd SAG I went back and forth between heading directly to the finish and doing the dam climb first. When I got to the road to the dam, I heard my gears GRINDING again and looked back and saw more rain coming, so I turned around and went back to the truck.

    It was a fun ride, but I wish they had give more of an indication at the start of how bad some of it would be. It's only a fun ride and I would have gladly skipped sections to save the drive train, bottom bracket, and brake pads. :cry:
     
  23. Cyclotourist

    Cyclotourist iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Redlands
    Name:
    David
    Current Bike:
    Don't fence me in!
    I am really bummed that you and @evdog had a less than stellar time. I talked it up, so feel obligated to deliver the goods. And they weren't.

    Every year we seem to fail the 90 milers on the long route. It's either not marked well, muddy, or some XYZ complication. It is something we need to address and lock down. Maybe just cut it out and leave it as a 100km route only.

    John is going to be emailing a survey soon, please respond and add your frustrations and suggestions to it!

    And I'll buy the first pizza and beer for anyone wanting to do a re-take!
     
  24. DangerDirtyD

    DangerDirtyD iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    CA
    Name:
    Chicken Nugget
    Current Bike:
    2018 Guerrilla Gravity SMASH
    Don’t feel bad Cyclo...it sounds like it was an adventure. :thumbsup:
     
    Faust29, mtnbikej and Cyclotourist like this.
  25. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej J-Zilla

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    J
    Current Bike:
    SC Chameleon SS, SC Hightower
    Woohoo....now I feel even better finishing the 100 miler a few years back. :thumbsup:
     
  26. doublewide

    doublewide iMTB Rockstah

    Name:
    Mark
    Current Bike:
    Santa Cruz Tallcan
    I'll do a re-do!! Mmmmmm....pizza and beer.

    Homer-Drooling-GIF-Image-for-Whatsapp-and-Facebook-9.gif
     
  27. Cyclotourist

    Cyclotourist iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Redlands
    Name:
    David
    Current Bike:
    Don't fence me in!
    Not feeling bad, just wishing they all enjoyed it. Having to cut loose early due to conditions or mechanicals is NOT the goal.

    FWIW, I had a GREAT time!!!!
     
  28. evdog

    evdog iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    San diego
    Name:
    Evan S
    Agreed, not your fault at all @Cyclotourist and it is for a good cause so I have no regrets.

    Weather is one of the risks of holding big events. It is very hard to postpone them if conditions aren't ideal. And unfortunately this time, they weren't. My only suggestion would be to have an alternate date approved in advance, or cut out some parts of the route in the event of rain if postponement isn't an option. Sounds like the rest of the route was more or less ok. So maybe just cutting out the Hulda Crooks section would be sufficient. But I had heard a lot of people cut out lots of the route, so even if the rest of the dirt is ok it still isn't ideal to run it when rainy. Thankfully global warming will take care of all this for us soon enough :gag:
     
  29. Rumpled

    Rumpled Well-Known Member

    Location:
    OC
    Name:
    Jim Martin
    Current Bike:
    2018 Specialized Epic Carbon C
    Here are some of my scattered thoughts

    Signed up for the 60 mile version as I wanted to ride the dam.
    https://www.strava.com/segments/19937418
    Almost a mile at 11%. I knew this would be very difficult for me as I am no kind of climber.
    My plan was to try and cut something off of the route and maybe make it a 40 ish mile ride.
    I was riding my CX bike with 38mm mud tires tubeless. Not low enough geared at 36x27 granny; but my best bike for the route.
    Last minute a coworker decides to do the event. Put 25mm treaded tires on his older road bike and poached the event. I told him he had no idea what he was getting in for.
    I’d done it once before and had a pretty good idea.
    On the drive there a car spun out on the freeway in front of me. Miracle was that he hit nothing and noone hit any of the cars stopping. At a later stretch on the freeway the water was 6 inches deep under an overpass. It was raining stupid hard, a great way to start a dirt ride.
    We got going in the rain and struggled through some of the early mud. My friend had many problems with sand and mud in his brakes and drivetrain. We used water bottles and even washed his bike in a street gutter at one point. My bike was doing pretty good, just a little water bottle rinsing of my cassette kept me going.
    Took us 3 hours to reach the first SAG stop 16 miles in. My coworker was physically and mentally done. He was really unprepared for what this was.
    We went to Plan B and followed some of the route and some of Google Maps and went to Hangar 24. I was really shocked that we were the only riders there. Had a couple of pints out of the rain and then Google Mapped ourselves to the end.
    I really had designs to do the dam; but it was not to be. Another friend said that the dirt above the dam was even more difficult than the paved dam road.
    Lots of people came straggling in with all kinds of adventure happening to them.
    Had some really good food and beer and then drove home.
    I hope that they can use the dam again and that I can make the event again. I know it was very difficult to get all the agencies to to permit that to happen.

    https://www.strava.com/activities/2187388773

    https://www.relive.cc/view/2187388773?r=embed-site
     
  30. Rumpled

    Rumpled Well-Known Member

    Location:
    OC
    Name:
    Jim Martin
    Current Bike:
    2018 Specialized Epic Carbon C
    Here's a small part of the Serpeiente? trail

     
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