Archive for the ‘Rides and Events’ Category

CORBA at the Santa Monica Mountains Rec Fest This Weekend

Wednesday, October 21st, 2015

Rec-Fest-Poster-04This Saturday, October 24, CORBA will be at the Santa Monica Mountains Rec Fest, in partnership with the National Park Service. The CORBA Youth Adventures program with the MBU will be there giving kids an opportunity to ride the trails of Paramount Ranch. If you’re headed that way, stop by and say Hi!  There’s lots of ways to learn about recreational opportunities in the National Recreation Area and in the outdoors in general, and it’s geared to kids and families who don’t usually get these opportunities. It’s a great program and CORBA is happy to help get more kids into the outdoors!

 

Learn more at http://www.nps.gov/samo/recfest2015.htm

CORBA Membership Drive

Tuesday, October 20th, 2015

Corba Sketch-01 (1)Thanks to everyone who joined or renewed their CORBA/IMBA membership during our recent membership drive. Anyone who joined or renewed between the August 31st announcement and the Girlz Gone Riding Rocktoberfest on October 18th was eligible to win a new 2015 CORBA Jersey. At the GGR event we had several last minute memberships, which brought the number up to 70! We had such a successful campaign, that we drew four winners instead of the planned two! Joanne Richards was one of the late renewals, and was present to take home her jersey. Katy E. from San Pedro, John Wallace. from Ventura and Peter Adamson. from Torrance will be receiving theirs by mail.

For those who didn’t win a jersey, they are available for purchase from Voler for $65 plus tax. Details are at Voler, and a portion of the proceeds comes back to CORBA.

 

While CORBA’s Membership Drive is over, IMBA’s Fall Membership Drive is still going on. Anyone who joins or renews their CORBA/IMBA membership between October 2nd and November 15 will be eligible for a number of prizes, including lights, hydration packs, and even a two-day mountain biking getaway.

We rely on membership dollars to fund our programs, to give at-risk youth the chance to ride a mountain bike, to restore and repair trails, to meet with land managers to propose new trails, to plan, build and maintain bike parks. We depend on membership numbers to make sure that when we speak to land managers, they know we speak for a large and growing community, and they listen. Your membership makes a difference.

We truly appreciate the support we receive from you as members and volunteers. Help us grow by encouraging your friends who aren’t yet members to join.

Building a new trail in Wildwood Park during the COSCA Annual Trailwork Day on Oct 17, and photos

Monday, October 19th, 2015

IMG_0816163 volunteers, including 16 from CORBA, built 3/4 miles of new trail, and an alternate access to the bottom of the Lizard Rock Trail in Wildwood Park in Thousand Oaks, for the COSCA (Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency) Annual Trailwork Day. The new trail bypasses the steepest segment and has a better view because it faces more to the west, away from the Hill Canyon water treatment plant.

Volunteers started arriving at Santa Rosa Valley County Park shortly before 7:30, registered and picked up their package of goodies before getting on one of the shuttles that took them 1.3 miles to the trailhead. There they formed into crews of ten or so, each with it’s own experienced crew leader, grabbed tools and hiked up the trail to the work area. Once there, the crew leaders explained to the other volunteers what the work would be, how to use the tools effectively to accomplish that, and above all, how to work safely so there wouldn’t be any injuries.

IMG_0841Most of the new trail was across a steep slope so our job was to dig out the dirt to form a nearly level trail tread. The brush had previously been cut back and the exact path of the trail marked by bright orange flags so we would know where to dig. The area that my crew was working happened to have relatively few rocks mixed in with the dirt so the work went very quickly, but most of the other crews had a lot of rocks to dig out. The most time-consuming part of the work was pushing the excavated dirt far enough down the hill from the trail so that it would be clear to visitors that it wasn’t part of the firm trail tread.

Steve Messer, president of CORBA, takes trailwork seriously!

Steve Messer, president of CORBA, takes trailwork seriously!

My crew finished our section in about an hour and a half, so we moved down to the bottom of the trail to help there. The work was the same but went quite a bit more slowly because we had a lot more rocks to deal with and we weren’t as fresh as at the start. But as other crews finished their sections, they came down and pitched in too. Overall, we got the trail finished about a half hour sooner than planned for.

Everybody headed back to Santa Rosa Valley County Park, either by shuttle bus or on foot, for the barbecue that the COSCA rangers famously prepare for the volunteers every year. The lunch was followed by a give-away of trail-related items, the most significant being a new mountain bike donated by Giant Bicycles in Newbury Park. Both the lunch and gifts were to thank the volunteers for their hard work.

The COSCA rangers are cooking up a smokin' barbecue lunch for the volunteers!

The COSCA rangers are cooking up a smokin’ barbecue lunch for the volunteers!

All the volunteers did a great job! Besides CORBA, there was a strong representation from the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council, high-school mountain bike teams from Newbury Park and Calabasas, several Meetup groups, geocachers and others organizations. It takes the support of these organizations and the participation from the volunteers to make the trailwork day the success that it always is. I know COSCA appreciates their effort and we at CORBA heartily thank everybody for their contributions!

You can find more photos of the event at our photo gallery of the 2015 trailwork day.

 

 

In addition, two videos have come to light of this workday,
from geocacher GSXM2: https://youtu.be/RCErrPdANUA
from chillinconejo.com/: https://youtu.be/7deSC-FfvMw

 

Third (and final?) restoration day on the Backbone Trail between Mulholland and Ezt Meloy to be Oct 31

Monday, October 19th, 2015

On two previous occasions in the past year, CORBA and the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council crews have teamed up to tackle overgrowing brush and drainage issues on the section of the Backbone Trail that climbs from Mulholland Highway to Etz Meloy Fireroad. This 2.5-mile long sections is a favorite for mountain bikers because of the gentle grade, swooping turns and great views of the Malibu coastal area.

With the heavy rains that El Nino is expected to give us this year, we really would like to get this trail finished to prevent water erosion damage. And we could use lots of help from volunteers!

For details and to register so we’ll know how many people to plan for, please visit our Meetup trailwork signup page. Remember, CORBA will take you to lunch afterwards to thank you for your help!

Horse/Bike Desensitization Pilot Program

Wednesday, October 14th, 2015

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With all the equestrians and mountain bikers now sharing many of the multi use trails, we thought it was well over due to get a program going so all are able to share the trails safely and even ride together. In order to accomplish this, there must be protocal and trail etiquette set for both equestrians and mountain bikers.

On Sunday, October 11th, we decided to give the program a try with the help of a few of the local equestrians at The Davis Ranch in Chatsworth. I brought 2 other GGR girlz and myself with our mountain bikes to give this a go. We wanted to keep the 1st time very small and more of a pilot program since this was the 1st time I had put this plan into action. We started out in the riding ring which was enclosed, then took it outside of the ring.

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Our equestrians for the day were Dana on Auggie and Jan on Ozzie. We started by lining our bikes up against the fence and Dana and Jan walked their horses dismounted back and forth around the bikes and let Auggie and Ozzie smell the bikes and really get a good look at them. Then all of us cyclists got ON the bikes and they did the same thing. Now it was time for the horses to be mounted.

We started riding very slow along side the horses. Then behind the horses, towards the horses, constantly passing them on both sides. Then we picked up speed on the bikes and the horses went from a walk to a trot to a fast trot. The key here was constantly communicating with the equestrians. We asked if it was OK to pass. We said “bikers coming”, we said “passing on the left”, all these things were very loud. We also made sure we told them to have a great ride and a good day!

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This was going very well and the horses had no problems with the bikes. Now came the real test. Blind corners! We all left the riding ring for this exercise. Both Auggie and Ozzie were to trot up on a trailer in their parking lot while the cyclists hid behind the trailer and came out across the horses path without being initially seen.

Jan and Ozzie went 1st with Lynn being the cyclist. Sure enough, Ozzie did not like this and shied away quickly and suddenly. We asked Jan what she wants the cyclist to do in this instance. She wants us to just stop and stand still while she gets her horse under control. The slowly approach her horse and talk to them both. Again, the communication.

We did the same scenario again. This time Ozzie wasn’t as scared. By the 3rd time, we didn’t even think twice about it. When we had Auggie do it, no problems at all. Auggie raised his ears and was alert, and that was about it.

The cool thing about The Davis Ranch is that they have hallways/corridors that simulate a single track and double track on their farm. So off we went for some more situations to create!

We started off riding behind the horses with them trotting. We constantly talked to them. Then we practiced the blind corners. Part of the barn did not allow us to see the horses, so this was perfect practice for blind corners. When we as cyclists approached the blind corner and could not see around it, we yelled “BIKERS COMING”. The equestrians immediately stopped before they were even close to the corner because they heard us announcing ourselves. Therefor preventing a run in.

We did this both ways a few times around the corners. Every time constantly communicating when the corner came up. The equestrians were able to react in plenty of time because they heard our voices. Also, they wanted to make it VERY clear to us that it is NOT always safe to pass. If the trail is too narrow, please do NOT pass. Be patient and wait until there is a safe place to pass for both cyclists and equestrians, but let the equestrian decide. They know their animals and what is safe for them.

We initially wanted to call this the Carrot Ride program. But Dana brought up some very good points and had an awesome idea as well! Cyclists who don’t have any experience with horses, will most likely not know to keep their hands flat when feeding a horse a carrot so they don’t loose their fingers. So she thought cyclists feeding carrots to horses on the trails for this reason could open up a whole nother can of worms. We all agreed. Also, its not easy for horses to eat carrots when they have bits in their mouths. Horse cookies are much easier. So, what Dana suggest was that we carry a few horse cookies in a ziplock bag with our business card and just hand it to the rider. Oh and Jan thought it would be a nice touch if we included a mint for the horseback rider as well! I love it! Outstanding input from our horseback riders!

I will have some of these cute little horsey bags available at the CORBA booth at this Sunday’s Rocktober event.

The biggest outtake we took from this pilot program was how critical communication is. Just talk to the equestrians, smile and speak up and slow down when you hit a corner and/or you see horses coming by. Horses have the right of way…not us.

We will have a larger program at the Davis Ranch November 22nd at 8am. We will take 6 mountain bikers and 6 equestrians and their horses and run the same program. The Davis Ranch is in Chatsworth, CA. If you want to participate in this, please email me at: wendy@girlzgoneriding.com or Wendy@corbamtb.com.

I’m so thrilled that after posting our fun pictures of the morning program, we have a program in the works for January for the Altadena area as well.

If you want information on this new CORBA program for a future hosting in your area, please contact me to discuss: email me.

Please remember to smile, slow down, and use your voice and bike bells to alert others you are coming.

Wendy Engelberg
Director, GGR: Girlz Gone Riding
Proud CORBA board member

October 2015 Skills Clinic Photos Posted October 3rd

Saturday, October 3rd, 2015

There were seven riders at the Basic Skills Clinic this month, a surprisingly small number given how beautiful it was  in Malibu Creek State Park today. The clinic is always held the first Saturday of the month. You can see the photos in our October photo gallery.

September 2015 Skills Clinic Photos Posted September 5th

Saturday, September 5th, 2015

On a beautiful day for riding in Malibu Creek State Park, there were 8 at the free Basic Skills Clinic, which is always held the first Saturday of the month. When we started, there was almost nobody else in the park, this being the first day of the long Labor Day weekend. You can see the photos in our September photo gallery.

Girlz Gone Riding September News September 2015!

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2015

GGR: Girlz Gone Riding is now counting down the days to our annual Rocktober event, also a CORBA membership drive!  Rocktober Agenda Registration went up August 31st at 6pm and blew up! There are still spots left for the October 18th event at Malibu Creek State Park, so please get signed up here: Eventbrite Registration for Rocktober
If you have never been to the annual Rocktober event, here is a run down: and here is a video from last year: GGR Rocktober 2014
Girlz Gone RidingGGR Rocktober Riding-Group-2

We are most excited that this year we will have over 100 demo bikes! Liv, Trek, Specialized, Bulls Bikes USA, Turner and Rocky Mountain will all be there with their demo fleets! Reservations are required. The reservation list and contact to reserve the demo bikes will be posted in the next few weeks.

CORBA/IMBA Membership Drive!

GGR is proud to announce our annual CORBA/IMBA membership drive. Don’t know about CORBA’s trail programs? Check them out here: CORBA’S Trail Programs.  Renew or purchase a new CORBA membership and get entered in the CORBA membership prize give away to be awarded at this year’s Rocktober event in the afternoon. We will be awarding a new CORBA jersey, a REI tent and more!
Corba Sketch-01 (1)REI Tent

To renew or purchase a new CORBA/IMBA membership, please go here: Renew or purchase CORBA/IMBA membership

To showcase our Rocktober event supporters, please visit our Rocktober Who’s WHO Pinterest board: GGR Pinterest Rocktober Event Supporters

For a complete list of demo companies, bike shops and supporters please visit our Rocktober exhibitor and supporter page that included all of their websites here: GGR Rocktober event supporters

In keeping tradition, a special COMMUNITY award will be given out this year to the bike shop that shows the most community involvement with women’s cycling. The winner has been chosen and will be announced at the morning commencement at the Rocktober event.

Bulls Bikes USA : GGR’s own Wendy Engelberg has been chosen as the only woman for the 1st ever Bulls Bikes USA ambassador program in the US: Bulls Bikes Press Release

Bulls Bikes USA is proud to announce their first ever U.S. brand ambassadors for the 2015/2016 calendar year. The six chosen ambassadors from across the country will represent Bulls in their local cycling communities, helping to educate, familiarize and expand the German-born bike brand’s presence in the U.S. market.

We were impressed and honored to see such a wide and talented range of individuals apply to be a part of our inaugural ambassador program. The six ambassadors selected to launch this first program are a dynamic, engaged and exciting group with a ton of riding experience under their belts. We are thrilled to work with these individuals as they help promote and educate fellow riders about our brand and also provide us with integral feedback on our products.”
So keep an eye out for her new Wild Edge Team 29 bike out on the trails! She will be happy to tell you all about this magnification endurance XC bike!

Bulls bike picture

 

Specialized Leadership trip!
Specialized
GGR is proud to announce that Specialized has invited GGR’s leadership team to their headquarters in Morgan Hill for 2 days of behind the scenes, SBCU and some epic riding! 15 women will be going on this very special trip this December. On the way…………we will also be stopping of at Kali Protectives Headquarters! Kali has been a GGR supporter since day one!
Kali Protectives

Please save the date for the CORBA/RAM ride & Pancake breakfast November 1st at 8:30am. Hosted by Michael’s Bicycles in Newbury Park.
The morning consists of all levels of guided rides lead by the GGR leadership team and a pancake breakfast at Michael’s Bicycles after the ride! This is a super fun morning to join! Please sign up on the FB or Meet up pages: : Meet up: Meet Up CORBA RAM Ride & Pancake BreakfastPancakes

For all the latest news, rides and events, please go to the GGR website and get signed up on our email list too!

GGR Website

Email Sign Up

August 2015 Skills Clinic Photos Posted August 2nd

Sunday, August 2nd, 2015

On a beautiful day for riding in Malibu Creek State Park, there were 16 at the free Basic Skills Clinic, which is always held the first Saturday of the month. You can see the photos in our August photo gallery.

July 2015 Skills Clinic Photos Posted July 4th

Saturday, July 4th, 2015

On a beautiful day for riding in Malibu Creek State Park, there were 15 at the free Basic Skills Clinic, which is always held the first Saturday of the month. You can see the photos in our July photo gallery.