Always so much going on in women’s cycling!
Group Rides: Why are some women afraid to go on a group ride? Well the question was asked and we received a ton of great feed back. The most common response was not enough information on the ride being offered. Skill level needed, how much endurance needed, how much single track vs fire road, etc. So with the help of 3 awesome ladies, Leigh Donovan of Ichoose bikes: http://ichoosebikes.com: Jill Hamilton of Petal Power: http://www.petal-power.com and Christine Hirst: GGR Skills Coach, I am working on a very in depth ride rating system for all the chapters that will tell you exactly what you will need to join in on rides that are not all level rides. Each level, beginner, intermediate and advanced will give what we feel is needed for you to feel comfortable on the ride. No matter what level ride, all GGR rides are no drop rides and we regroup often. The more advanced the ride, the less regrouping & rest stops are needed. Look for these ride ratings posted on the GGR website in the near future.
GGR strongly believes in skills clinics to become safer riders that just have more fun on the trails. (hitting a tree while down-hilling in Mammoth in 2013 inspired learning better skills for the club & being safer riders, because I myself was in desperate need of them too).
This latest skills clinic was co hosted by GGR, G2 Bikes and Girls Ride 2: http://www.g2bike.com. Girls Ride 2 is women’s riding club in Aliso Viejo, CA. http://girlsride2.bike. Coaches were Kat Sweet and Meg Pattilo both of http://sweetlines.com . This was a 2 day clinic that started with a meet & greet Friday night. Both http://www.zoic.com/womensmountainbike and http://www.g2bike.com supplied some swag for gift bags. The skills clinic started each day with parking lot skills & games. We worked on everything from track stands, cornering, manuals, wheelies, introduction to jumping (my favorite), switchbacks and so much more. We spent a ton of time doing these drills & games in the parking lot, then we took it to the trails. What an amazing, fun weekend of learning this was! Kat and Meg were outstanding coaches and super patient. There is nothing like learning together and everyone being so supportive and wanting each other to succeed. This is why we do all women’s skills clinics. Nurturing, supportive and wow do we have fun! Please look for more skills clinics in the fall. Each clinic sells out very quickly, so you need to sign up fast.
Approved skills coaches for GGR: (I have personally been coached or have taken each of these skills clinics many times)
Ichoose bikes: Leigh Donovan: I Choose Bikes: Leigh Donovan
Kat Sweet & Sweet Lines: Kat Sweet
Christine Hirst: Look for a few summer clinics at Mt Pino’s on the GGR calendar and the FB pages
Ride Like a Ninja Skills Clinics: Coach Richard LaChina
The annual R50 Charity Event: http://50mr.com
Each year, the weekend after Sea Otter the Ruwanda 50 charity event is held for the people of Ruwanda. The event offers a 10 mile, 25 mile and 50 mile route. This year, the experience was probably the best for me personally. This is my 5th time having done the 50 mile route 3 times (once getting pulled, I had the flu and barely made it to the 2nd aid station), the ten miler (just coming off being on crutches) and this year the 25 miler.
Myself and 3 of my closest friends decided to ride the 25 route and do it as a team……stick together. The weekend started early the night before with a kick off R50 dinner party at the Rambachers house. We carb loaded, drank vino and told stories of our favorite trails. I have a feeling this just became an annual tradition!
Here is the short version: The next morning myself, MB, J and M (yes nicknames) met and set out our plan to finish in good time. We had over 500 riders on our course at the same time, so we all were in clusters of riders all the time and really had to pay close attention. Some of the huge climbs were right in the beginning. With less than 3000 feet of climbing in 28 miles, these climbs felt more than double that. Some were so steep it was hard to even push up on parts. We all met at the 2nd aid station to fill up on what we needed and to see how everyone felt and was doing. We were all good to go so we took off after about 10 minutes and continued on until fuel station 3. During this time, we came across one very bad crash, and riders that passed us within inches without calling ON YOUR LEFT. They were given my wrath nice N loud when this happened! A reminder to all, when passing a rider, not only do you need to acknowledge you are coming up on them by saying you are passing, you need to pass with enough room so it is SAFE!
We were finally on the final aid station and we were all doing very well. Our time was respectable and we were looking forward to finishing and mingling with the rest of the riders and exhibitors at the event. We still had a couple of big climbs left, but also had some super fast flats where we could make up some time and get well over 20mph to get our average up and that we did. We completed the ride at in 3 hours and 34 minutes and felt great. WHAT a great experience! The course this year was very well marked and they did an outstanding job getting enough volunteers to be at all the major intersections so we didn’t get lost. We were so grateful for that!
Let the mingling begin! We put our tickets in for the raffles, had some chow, mingled, took a ton of selfies and then the rain came! Poured! Most everyone stuck it out with umbrella’s and canopies until the raffles ended. Then off to Starbucks for something hot to drink and to make the long drive home. The event raised over $162K and we had over 1200 riders! GGR is proud to be a part of this event and will continue to do so every year.
GGR has our new chapter jerseys available! Los Angeles, The Inland Empire, and coming soon, San Diego! The turn around is 7 days. To order your jersey go here: To order GGR new chapter jerseys
Please visit our events page or Google Calendar for all GGR events coming up. Here are your respective chapter pages:
Los Angeles: GGR Los Angeles Chapter
Inland Empire: GGR Inland Empire Chapter
San Diego: GGR San Diego Chapter
One event closest to my heart that is now an annual event is Danusia Taber’s annual Memorial Ride. This ride is a CO ED ride open to everyone. It is to honor Danusia’s life and keep her spirit alive. It is also a fund raiser for the Sarcoma Alliance. The non profit that helped Danusia in her time of need. We will have 3 guided rides open to all levels. All rides are no drop rides. Please sign up either on GGR or the CORBA FB page and donate what you can to the Sarcoma Alliance in Danusia’s name. Sign up on the CORBA page: CORBA Face Book Sign up for Danusia’s Memorial Ride
Sign up on CORBA’s meet up: CORBA Meet up Sign up for Danusia’s Memorial Ride
For more information about Danusia and her legacy, please go here:
GGR sign up: https://www.facebook.com/events/698211670261375/
CORBA sign up: https://www.facebook.com/events/1829580940600584/
To donate to the Sarcoma Alliance: http://sarcomaalliance.org/donate/donate-now/. For the event name, select Danusia Taber’s Memorial ride in the drop down menu.
Another community event that both GGR & CORBA will be at is the RIDE THE COLT community event hosted by the Chatsworth Neighborhood council. This is a bike rally and health walk. A family friendly event exploring local bike infrastructure, businesses and neighborhoods. Walk is up to 8 miles and the ride is 19 miles. This is a FREE event. Come support your local community!
Sign up here:
CORBA:
Until next time, grab a friend and go riding! It will make both of your days!
