2019 Rwanda Ride

Pfff.. Ain't that the truth??? For me anyway... I think I'm just going to skip every ride @UPSed is on, so I don't feel like a complete looser...

 

That's not fair! I was the anchor on group rides for years and I never complained (out loud). @Luis can vouch for me on that.

 

Alright alright lol!! I'm still complaining you're always riding when I have to work though!!!

 

I'm working now. Feel better?

 

Well I'm in a stuffy lab all day... (But I am typing this on a personal day) So I guess it's all good lol!!! Recently I found there's a BMX pump track near me, I may end up there this evening, so HA!!!

 

Rwanda.. i missed out this year.. i actually enjoy the traffic...not everyday but its expected...
Just didnt want to eat mud n sand this year.. sure ill get hungry again in future...

 

As to be expected, another good time was had at the 2019 version. A bit sandier, a bit more soft, and a lot more water. I caught the IMTB group on the East Ridge trail, gave a quick hello to Jay and proceeded on. This remains one of my favorite events even though I was not able to hang out afterwards this year.

I will say the one thing I learned is my speed/intensity descending off road has take a bit of a hit this year. I'm blaming way too much time on the gravel bike and being used to slower speeds to avoid obsticals. I'll be rectifying that after BWR next weekend.

 

Thanks, dudes!

I am a little biased, but I agree! LOL

 

First off HUGE kudos to the people that organize and put this event together this was probably the smoothest run event I've been to. From the registration, to the course markings, to the course ushers making sure you stayed on course, and to the people at the aid stations. At the aid station at Caspers there was a boy walking up to riders and offering to rinse off the top of their water bottles

OK so after a hectic work week and trying to decide which bike would be appropriate I decided on my Epic, but a leaking rear shock put a stop to that idea. Off to the bike shop to drop off the bike and I happen to run into the owner of Universal Cycles... ummm… Kevin, can I borrow the SB100...? Sure! Take it! Slapped on my pedals and off I went. This was the night before the event, so I barely had time to go home and set up the cockpit and seat to my liking. More on this bike later.
Coming from central Canada aka Sylmar, meant getting up at 4:30am and load up, then head down to Korea town to jump into David's car. He offered to drive his little Subaru since it gets better gas mileage. I don't remember what his phone app initially calculated out ETA would be but we were delayed by construction traffic at least two times. That's when I sent a text to @UPSed letting him know not to wait for us. We rolled into the parking lot probably just as the imtbtrails train was leaving the station
Since I did not register online, I headed over to the registration tent to pay. That was the shorter line, YAY but then I had to jump in the long line to get my packet. Luckily David was already in line and then @Grego jumped in with us. Said hi to @horsebikerider at the booth and off we went.
My friends Pete (who will ride Koko with us) and Don were at the start as we started rolling. We all got kinda separated at this point so I just followed the mob to the first sandy and creek crossing section. It seemed like an eternity until we were able to start rolling again. Nobody was complaining which was good since there was nothing that you can do but wait, but when I saw people riding up ahead I yelled out "Hey somebody up front take my Garmin, I wanna PR this section!"
Rolling again and I saw @Runs with Scissors and we chatted for a bit until David caught up to me. At this point Mark noted that the rear tire of the Yeti was wobbling a lot , especially rolling over the rocky terrain. I made a mental note to check the pivot bolts when possible. Further up ahead I saw @BeckTrex and tapped him on the shoulder and said hi.
At the first climb David dropped me like a bad habit and I would find myself alone for a while. The conga line would appear here and there especially on the single track sections. I finally stopped on a high section of Bell View trail to check on the suspension bolts. Everything seemed nice an snug but there was a small noticeable wobble coming from the rear triangle. bummer because I didn't want something breaking at high speed so I scaled down my descending speed a little.
Heading down to Caspers I saw Ed, then Jason, then Steve, then @HBkites already on their way back up. I then hit those nasty sandy sections. I rode through all the water crossings and most of the sandy stretches. Caspers was the first aid station that I stopped to refill my camelback and is where Don and Pete caught up to me.
At the first climb out of Caspers we came across a huge group of Cub Scouts and their parents out on a nature hike, luckily they stayed to the right and we climbed up the left side while the kids shouted words of encouragement
The three of us continued up the climb but Don started to drop off because he was having derailleur issues. Pete decided to wait and I continued up the climb.
I finally made it to the aid station near the high school and waited in line for one of the guys at the Shimano tents to have a look at the bike. No luck, he couldn't figure it out so I started to head out when I ran into Greg again. We rode together until the terrain leveled off and I pulled away since he was on his SS.
Rode though the last water crossings and sandy sections and before I knew it, the ride was over.
Fun day on the bike, but I was somewhat disappointed that I couldn't let the Yeti fly

David and I hung out for a bit, had food. Saw Verdugist and his friends and since David doesn't drink, I headed over to the beer tent and ran into Pete and Don. Turns out Don broke his derailleur and had to convert to a SS, but he still finished the ride! As I was finishing my beer I saw Jennifer and Ed heading over for some brews, hung with them for a bit. Said bye to @Grego and Vince on the way out.
It took David and I over two hours to get back to Korea Town, and since I was near the bike shop, I stopped by and Jason the mechanic found the bolt that had worked itself loose. It was behind a thick portion of the swing arm which was only visible when he half disassembled it
As I suspected, it was part of the switch infinity mechanism.
Just a couple of pics:





Me, Don and Pete


Dirty!!


Back at the shop, this was the bolt that had come loose


Didn’t know the OC was a dangerous place to ride..

 

YESSS!!!

 

You rode through the mating grounds of the Real Housewives of OC. Better safe than sorry.

 

Oh I get it now... wild cougars abound

 

Fun seeing everyone. As @Ebruner said, I turned around before the end loop out at Casper's cause I needed to be home by 10a for some family stuff, so my ride ended up bein' super casual (basically 25). It was cool seeing the scenery... I might just donate next year Definitely want to get back out on those trails on the gravel bike!

I was laughing at all the reactions as I was heading back and everyone was coming through. Some people actually thought I was just fast, which cracked me up. And some were angry... Which also cracked me up.

 

Good looking jersey, but it might be time for a new helmet.

 

Where did you find the event pics?

 

Jennifer ran into a former teammate at the start/finish line. They raced MTB together 20 years ago. He did the 75 in just over 5 hours.

 

https://www.msd-photographyandvideo...eK-R0KHdzfrmGel4585V6tyBnnPRdb69xavxdzVOTqBwY


There is a link on FB, but they only have a few of the pictures up.
They will have all them up on Friday.

 

And THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is what they mean by a "game face." All business there.

 

More pics are up. See a few of the crew here https://www.msd-photographyandvideography.com/Sports/RideForRwanda2019/Freebies/i-RkzQk3K

Pics #1681-1685

 

Looks like Jennifer had fun.

 

We all know who this is even if you can't see his face. Showoff!!

 

I rode a wheelie too only I fell off my bike-

 

I got my "thank you for participating" email from them even though I did not participate. It should have said, "thank you for your money".

 

The gold wheels are a sure giveaway.