Earth Day at Passion Trail Bikes

This week’s news and info on April 22, 2009:

1. Wednesday Wrides 4/22 6:00pm . . . Next Week 6:15pm
2. Earth Day Trailwork at Waterdog Weds 4/22 5:30pm
3. La Honda Creek Open Space Master Plan hearing Tuesday 5/19 6:30PM, HMB
4. Midcoast Community Council Trails meeting, Weds, 5/13 7:30pm, Moss Beach
5. Ibis Mojo Raffle to Benefit Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship ENDS 4/27
6. Events This Coming Weekend and Next
6a. Ridge to Bridge Ride Benefits Bay Area Ridge Trail Council Saturday 4/25 9:00am, Marin
6b. ROMP Swap Sunday 4/26 10:00am, Cupertino
6c. Ales & Trails Saturday 5/2, China Camp State Park, San Rafael
6d. Biking for Hospice Saturday 5/2, Skyline Open Space
7. Trailwork Opportunities Next Weekend
7a. North Yuba Trail Trailbuilding Saturday 5/2 & 5/3, Downieville Free Food & Lodging
7b. More Trailwork at Waterdog Sunday 5/3 8:00am, Belmont
7c. Mount Sutro Trailwork Saturday 5/2, 9:00am, San Francisco
8. Bike to Work Day is Thursday May 14th: Be a Ride Buddy For a Neighbor
9. Female Friday is May 15th! Bring a Friend!


1. Wednesday Wrides 4/22 6:00pm next week 6:15pm
Skip to next topic

Sunset is at 7:51pm this Wednesday 04/22/09. Twilight ends and darkness falls right around 8:30pm. Next week the Regular Ride launches at 6:15pm

This week Patty is leading trailwork at Waterdog for Earthday instead of leading the FBG ride, so that ride may just have to go off leaderless this week. We will be doing PIZZA again with some adjustments for appetite levels so there will be enough to go around. There will be a Sea Otter “recovery ride” at the regular time that will be extra social and soft-pedaling for those riders who had a big weekend and are a bit sore. We are also anticipating the return of the ridiculous ride, which will have themes and dress codes negotiated over that half keg we have left from the Sea Otter.

P. L. E. A. S. E. . . . P. U. T. . . . L. I. G. H. T. S. . . . O. N ! ! ! !

Please remember to put a light on your handlebar and have a blinky ready for the ride back to the shop! CA vehicle code requires it. Don’t get caught out on the streets in the dark! Also, a reminder that we need to be super conscientious about stopping at stop signs and lights, yielding to pedestrians, and operating our bikes predictably and responsibly while on the roads and trails. Let’s be safe and kind out there.

For all the details about what makes each group listed below unique, please refer to this webpage. If your questions aren’t answered there, you can also email us for info at info@passiontrailbikes.com.

All rides start pedaling from the shop: Passion Trail Bikes, 415 Old County Road, Belmont, CA 94002 650-620-9798

Riders queuing up for the launch of the Wednesday Wride

The EARLY ride will go out at 5:45 PM.
The REGULAR ride will go out at 6:00 PM.
The FBG or Fat Bottomed Girl ride will go out at 6:05 PM.
The WHITE SOCKS ride will go out at 6:05 PM.
The STRAGGLERS ride goes out at 6:15 PM.
For future planning, we have the upcoming start times each week for the REGULAR ride posted on our <a

href=”http://www.passiontrailbikes.com/files/calendar.html”>Community Calendar

Note we may not have leaders for each ride but usually someone knows their way around. All groups will meet back here at Passion Trail Bikes right around dark for the usual story telling & beverage enjoyment. We will have stuff for the BBQ along with some carbo laden side dish, chips and fatty snacks and EANABS to pair up with the Devil’s Canyon Brewery’s Full Boar Scotch Ale, Silicon Blonde Ale, and Little Devil Root Beer. We will hang out until about 10pm, so come on down, even if you can’t make the ride! Passion Parties are better with YOU in the mix!

Riders enjoying one of Waterdog’s great trails

back to table of contents


2. Earth Day Trailwork at Waterdog Weds 4/22 5:30pm
Skip to next topic

Volunteers making the first cut during tread construction on the Lake Loop Trail

We have made some great progress pushing forward on the Lake Loop Trail realignment project at Waterdog Lake, but we still have a long way to go, and when the sun comes back out it will start stealing moisure from the ground again, so we are RACING to get more digging done before it dries out.

We have one workday next week. A weekday – Wednesday 4/22 – EARTH DAY, with the project starting at 5:30 pm and going until dark. We will be working on extending tread construction around the lake. The project will involve digging dirt, and completing a rock retaining wall.

WE NEED YOU! Please volunteer a few hours to help build this great new trail!

To get involved and get details on the meeting location, please send Patty an email at patty@passiontrailbikes.com and let her know you can pitch in. She will get back to you with more information on the workday. RSVPs are important so she has enough tools to go around. Thanks so much!

back to table of contents


3. La Honda Creek Open Space Master Plan hearing 5/19
Skip to next topic

We’ve written before about the La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve. You can read up on an older article from November 2007 on our blog here.

The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District has finally released the Draft Master Plan for this 5700 acre preserve, which is roughly twice the size of El Corte de Madera OSP. It sits between Skyline Blvd and the town of La Honda, and en route to Pescadero Creek County Park. The Draft Master Plan alternatives include a few bones thrown at mountain bikers but none of the alternatives provide a link between Skylonda and La Honda.

Please take the time to review the Draft Master Plan Alternatives at MROSD’s website here: http://openspace.org/plans_projects/la_honda_creek.asp. Comments are due by May 13th.

back to table of contents


4. Midcoast Community Council Trails meeting, Weds, 5/13 7:30pm, Moss Beach
Skip to next topic

The MCC is particularly interested in connecting various existing Coastside trails, trails in development and future trails to form one interconnecting trail system.

Trails provide demonstrated benefits to individuals and communities, health and fitness, active transportation, economic development and environmental stewardship.

Trails:

• Increase transportation options and reduce auto travel.
• Offer opportunities to observe, learn about and care for the environment.
• Offer economic benefits such as increased tourism and increased property values.
• Provide opportunities for solitude, passive and active recreation, including promoting fitness through healthy exercise.

The goal of the meeting is to inform and update the Coastside community about trail progress, trail funding, trail mapping, provide resources for community involvement and to discuss the current and future Coastside Trail System. Guests speakers include County Parks Director Dave Holland, GGNRA, POST and others.

Seton Coastside, 600 Marine Blvd, Moss Beach

back to table of contents


5. Ibis Mojo Raffle to benefit Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship
Skip to next topic

<!—BELOW --> Ibis News Info about a good cause Here in Northern California, Spring has muscled winter aside which has in turn been temporarily displaced by summer with temps in the mid 90’s. The furnaces in our houses have been put back into hibernation and we’re enjoying monster traction on our local trails. “Ego Dirt” we call it, because just about anyone can pilot a bike around corners like Brian Lopes in these conditions. The racing and festival season is heating up too; Sea Otter just finished, The Fruita Fat Tire Festival is this week, followed by Ales and Trails the next weekend and so on. One Mid-Summer event that gets us particularly excited is the Downieville Classic. It’s in the tiny mountain town of Downieville, not too far from California’s Lake Tahoe, and one of the best events of the year. No cell phones work up there, no internet, just a few days of bike riding, camping and swimming in warm rivers. In other words, good clean fun. Q: Why do we like Downieville? A: Because the riding is exceptional Q: Why is the riding exceptional? A: Because of the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship About the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship This small dedicated group of rapscallions and rabble-rousers have been tirelessly building trails up in Downieville for the last few years: Winter, Summer Spring and Fall. Due in great part to their efforts, Downieville and environs has become one of the premier mountain bike destinations in the US. When the good people at Yuba Expeditions asked us if we wanted to sponsor the Downieville Classic this year, we didn’t hesitate for a second. And the good folks at Yuba let us specify that 100% of the money we put toward “The Classic” will go to the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship (SBTS). Enter the raffle to win an Ibis Mojo, help build a trail We’re finally getting to the heart of this email. We are going to raffle off a brand spankin’ new Mojo worth well north of $5,000.00. We’ve enlisted the help of our rider Brian Lopes. Brian likes Downieville just like we do, and we all decided we wanted to give a little something back. So we asked Brian to spec out a bike like he’d be riding up in Downieville. He did, and we asked his other sponsors helped us out with parts. They did. Now it’s your turn, and FIVE BUCKS IS ALL IT TAKES TO BUY A RAFFLE TICKET but we think you’ll want to give a little more. The more you buy, the more trails you help build and the greater the chance you have of winning. We will ship anywhere, so if you’re in another country, go ahead and enter. Your size and color choice is also part of the deal. Here’s a peek at the area around Downieville. Purty. For you Gearheads, here is the parts listing. The frame is a Mojo Carbon, and it’s available in all four sizes. The winner get to choose their color, as long as it’s one of our 5 standard choices Marzocchi 55 RC3 Fork with 160mm travel and 20mm thru axle (Thank you Marzocchi!) Marzocchi ROCO TST Coil rear shock (Thank you again Marzocchi!) Full Shimano XTR drivetrain (Thank you Shimano!) Hayes Stroker Gram Brakes w/ 7” rotors front & rear (Thank you Hayes!) Easton Havoc Stem, Havoc wheels, MonkeyLite XC Carbon Bars (Thank you Easton!) WTB Silverado (new Lopes signature saddle-Thanks WTB!) Click Here to find out more about the raffle. Or if you’re already IN IT TO WIN IT, you can click here to go straight to the donation page. That’s about it for now. A bit more news coming soon. Happy Spring, Your Ibis Pals

back to table of contents


6. Events This Coming Weekend and Next
Skip to next topic

6a. Ridge to Bridge Ride Benefits Bay Area Ridge Trail Council Saturday 4/25 9:00am, Marin

The Bay Area Ridge Trail is putting on an important and fun event the annual ‘Ridge to Bridge’ ride. It’s a great opportunity to ride beautiful trails, mingle with other trail users, and importantly, support the Bay Area Ridge Trail. This popular event gives cyclists a chance to ride some of Marin’s most scenic trails while supporting an organization building more bike-accessible trails.

There are 2 ride options—27 miles or 11 miles. All riders get a full buffet lunch at the end of their ride. For more info see http://ridgetrail.org/calendar/detail.cfm?ID=553 or email Joel Gartland at volunteer@ridgetrail.org .

6b. ROMP Swap Sunday 4/26 10:00am, Cupertino

Each year ROMP hosts a swap meet. The swap meet is a fund-raiser for ROMP and a place where cyclists can purchase road and mountain bike parts, tools, frames, complete bikes, clothing and accessories. Per-person admission charge is just a few bucks. The meet is held behind the Cupertino Bike Shop, 10493 S. De Anza Blvd. (two blocks south of Stevens Creek Blvd.). Call 408-255-2217 for prices on swap spaces.

Volunteers are needed from 7.00am to 4.00pm. Contact swap@romp.org if you wish to volunter for this event. Volunteers get free entry to the swap.

Donations of items for ROMP to sell at the Swap Meet are welcome. Now’s a good time to clear out your garage and help ROMP. Contact swap@romp.org if you have any donations to give to ROMP for sale at the Swap Meet. Passion Trail Bikes can also take your used gear donations and deliver to the ROMP table for you if you cannot attend. Drop off is at Patty’s desk in the receiving area.

You can have your own swap meet table by contacting Cupertino Bikes 408 255-2217 or Cupertinobikeshop.com

6c. Ales & Trails Saturday 5/2, China Camp State Park, San Rafael

Ales and Trails May 2, 2009!

The sixth annual Ales and Trails is a benefit for the International Mountain Bicycling Association’s California advocacy efforts to improve trail opportunities throughout the state.  Join us at China Camp State Park in San Rafael, CA for guided mountain bike rides and professionally led skills clinics with pro riders like Marin Bikes’ World Champion Shaums March, endurance racer Yuri Hauswald and Ergon’s infamous Dave Wiens. Enjoy Beer Tasting from eight breweries, live music and a gourmet BBQ prepared by Chef Patrick Clark of the Culinary Institute of America.  All proceeds go to IMBA California.  Questions? Email  info@alesandtrails.net

Buy tickets now and pay less!

http://www.alesandtrails.net/

6d. Biking for Hospice Saturday 5/2, Skyline Open Space

3rd Annual SF Bay Area Biking for Hospice
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Benefit for Pathways Hospice Foundation
Great Prizes & Fun After-Party!
REGISTER NOW! SPACE IS LIMITED!
Advance Registration: $25.00
On-Site Registration Fee: $50.00

Fundraising Commitment per Rider: $50.00
Breakfast Provided, Free T-Shirt, Bracelet
DOWNLOAD REGISTRATION FORMS:
http://www.pathwayshealth.org/biking_registration_forms.pdf
Information: Holly Smith 408.773.4109 hsmith@pathwayshealth.org
or Cindy Carter 408.249.8277 cindyshamrock2000@yahoo.com
Long Ride: 15 Miles Start time: 9:00 AM

Short Ride: 8 miles Start time: 9:30 AM
Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve
Directions provided upon registration

back to table of contents


7. Trailwork Opportunities Next Weekend
Skip to next topic

7a. North Yuba Trail Trailbuilding Saturday 5/2 & 5/3, Downieville, Free Food & Lodging

Help complete the North Yuba Trail Extension south from Downieville to Goodyears Bar! When finished, this trail will allow you to have an awesome low-elevation trail right from town and will allow us all the joy of a quick spring or fall trip for awesome cross-country riding in the gold country when snow has capped the shuttle drop at Packer Saddle.

With a little last minute private funding from TNT Plumbing (Toe Clip Todd/ Double D) and Nica Lorber (Nice Lobster), we are going to start what we hope to be the final push to punch through the North Yuba Extension. We will be paying trail crew to work toward getting the last half mile of trail completed, but we will still need some additional help.

Nica will be leading a special Trail Daze weekend May 2nd and 3rd as a reinforcement effort to kick off the final push toward finishing this long awaited trail. We will work both Saturday and Sunday if needed. Come out and be a part of this important event. Bring your bikes! You can bike or hike in each day, which ever you prefer. SBTS will feed and house any volunteers who can make it up for this weekend.

With your help (and support from the USFS) we have great hope to have this trail open for this season for all to enjoy.

Bring the usual: gloves, hat, backpack, layers etc.

RSVP at SierraTrails.org or contact Nica for more information at info@sierratrails.org

7b. More Trailwork at Waterdog Sunday 5/3 8:00am, Belmont

Patty will be taking a soil moisture reading and trying to figure out if there is still enough softeness in the earth to do more digging and tread construction. If there is still some moisture we will continue to try to get additional tread cutting done. If we have achieved that summer state where the dirt sets up like concrete then we will transition to working on some of the many retaining walls that are needed.

Unlike most years when we take the summer off from trailwork, this year we intend to work through the summer doing various technical projects on the trail. Due to the design to keep the trail at a modest grade and a fairly wide tread, there will be four switchbacks with large retaining walls, four bridges including one over the spillway (the bridges will have handrails and will be very attractive), a 80-foot long rock formation to get through that will involve repositioning very large rocks and some rock wall construction.

Bridge construction may involve cutting and drilling the timbers off site, possibly in the parking lot behind the bike shop. We will also have to transport the timbers to the bridge sites, which will involve moving them from the fireroad down through the woods to the creek side. The plan for moving the timbers is still being developed but we may use a grip hoist and a zip line through the trees instead of carrying the wood by hand. The bridges will also need to have some solid footings constructed to accept the stringers, so we may be working with concrete as well. Stay tuned for more details as these projects come up.

To volunteer for the project on Sunday 5/3 at 8:00am, please send Patty an email at patty@passiontrailbikes.com and let her know you can pitch in. She will get back to you with more information on the workday. RSVPs are important so she has enough crew leaders, coffee, bagels and tools to go around. Thanks so much!

7c. Mount Sutro Trailwork Saturday 5/2, 9:00am, San Francisco

Date: Saturday, May 2, 2009
Time: 9:00am – 1:00pm
Location: 105 Medical Center Way in UCSF Campus San Francisco, CA
Phone: 415-298-2504
email: loamgnome@gmail.com

We will be making refinements to the switch backs we started on the IMBA Trail Care Weekend in April. This will be a great time to learn the advanced techniques of building proper corners. The ones currently roughed in are hard to ride because they are still tight and the radius has not been perfected.

WHERE: Mount Sutro Trail System above UCSF
Tools: All gloves and tools will be provided by the Mount Sutro Stewards.
We strongly encourage wearing work clothes with long sleeves and full pants.

MORE INFO AND DIRECTIONS:
http://www.natureinthecity.org/mtsutro.php
PLENTY OF SECURE BIKE PARKING FOR THIOSE THAT RIDE TO THE EVENT!

back to table of contents


8. Bike to Work Day is Thursday May 14th: Be a Ride Buddy For a Neighbor
Skip to next topic

Bike to Work Day is one of those days when it feels really good to be an ordinary cyclist using your bike to get somewhere. Plan now to ride to work! If you are already a bike commuter you know the drill. You need to plan your change of clothes, your route, your departure time, etc. Why not take the extra step and offer to join a neighbor or work buddy on their commute? Help them plan their route, their change of clothes, departure time, etc. You can help get someone motivated and on the road to going auto-free occassionally.

Info on Bike To Work Day is available on various websites, including 511.org and http://btwd.bayareabikes.org/.

back to table of contents


9. Female Friday is May 15th! Bring a Friend!

Last month was pretty darn fun with about 40 women showing up for our Female Friday event. As most of you know, we do weekly co-ed group rides from our shop on Wednesday nights (see below). These rides are open to all and are fun, with a wide range of abilities showing up for rides that vary from hammerfest pain parades to the “regular ride” to the sedate FBG ride. Typically the male to female ratio is somewhere around 80:20. We have learned that for many women, trying out a male dominated sport can be intimidating and not as fun as advertised. Not only are there physical differences in strength and aerobic capacity, but there are also psychological differences in learning and risk taking, and for some reason men aren’t always the greatest at helping women get started in mountain biking.

So in response to the feedback we’ve gotten, we started offering Female Friday last year. Once a month between April and October, we host a women-ONLY ride and social gathering. The rides are led by women. This allows us to gather and create a very supportive atmosphere for everyone. The food is prepared and served by men. This allows us to rest, eat, drink and chat without having kitchen duties. We enjoy the gender-role reversal quite a bit!

Women staging for the Female Friday ride in 2008

The rides include a quick-paced ride for the long-legged and fit, regular rides that are social but move along, and then a slower set that usually split into strong beginner/slow intermediate paced ride, and a coached and supportive ride for complete beginners. We will gather around 5:45 and be ready to ride at 6:00pm, with rides taking off in waves between 6:00 and 6:15.

Please note that we do not allow men on the rides or in the lounge afterwards, other than those that are doing the food (by invitation only). This is not a dating event, this is a women-only event. If you are male and would like to have your female friend or spouse try out mountain biking, this is a way to let her go and do it without you and yet still be supported. There are real benefits to this so please don’t take offense. Note co-ed rides and social hour is offered every Wednesday.

After the ride we will return to the shop for food, drink, and social hour. This month Ryan will be our executive chef, with Michael as sous chef. The menu is still being worked out but we trust it will be tasty! If you would like to take on executive chef duties or assist as a sous chef for one of the upcoming months, please contact Patty with your interest.

If you are a woman and would like to participate by joining or leading a ride, please RSVP so we can plan the evening. Should be a great time! Call Patty at 650-620-9798 or email her at patty@passiontrailbikes.com with your interest or any questions you might have.

Jay toasts some pine nuts to dress up the pasta on Female Friday in 2008

back to table of contents

To contact us, email us at info@passiontrailbikes.com, or call the shop at 650-620-9798.

Happy Trails, the PTB crew
Charles, Patty, Berry, John, Bret, Sterling, Daryl, Peter, Reba and Buster