"Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride."
~John F. Kennedy
One of my early ideas when I created my Updated Bucket List for YEAR 77 was to repeat some of the activities I had enjoyed in the past but hadn't done for a long time. Cycling is one of those activities. There has been a Cycling Festival in Big Bear every year since 2012 consisting of rides at several different distances. I read in the Grizzly, the local Big Bear newspaper, that the ride this year was on August 5th and the distances are 25, 50, 70, 107 and 125 miles. It's been a long time since I've been in shape for a long bicycle ride, and Big Bear is at altitude with a bunch of hills, so I decided that the 25-mile ride was a good distance to get back into cycling and that would satisfy this Bucket List item.
Bonnie and I drove to Big Bear on Friday morning. The Big Bear Cycling Festival was obvious as soon as we drove into the village - there were signs, banners, and cyclists everywhere. Rider check-in was on Friday and on Saturday morning prior to 7:00 am. I went to Nottingham's Restaurant & Tavern just past mid-day Friday and picked up my race packet so as to avoid what I knew would be a big crowd later in the day. At check-in I received a colored wristband (colored to the route and distance I was riding) and a bike number with chip attached used to monitor time elapsed. They also gave me a sheet with my 25-mile route directions and a race shirt which they described as the Tour de Big Bear Legendary Technical Shirt "to wear proudly." I'm not sure what a "technical shirt" is and I'm not sure what makes it "legendary." In any event it's a nice shirt, which you would expect for the $120 registration fee. As with most of my recreational buddies, since I don't plan on winning the race, I might as well have a shirt to show for the day. They also gave me a Goodie Bag, which is similar to those given at all the competitions I've participated in. I usually dump most of the stuff, and it was interesting that this Goodie Bag was presented by Big Bear Disposal.
Weekend Activities of the Festival: Friday included a Poker Ride, No Host Spaghetti Dinner, and a Cycling Expo (with a New Belgium Brewing Beer Garden). Saturday included the Tour Race with staggered starts beginning at 7:15 am, a No Host breakfast and lunch, the Cycling Expo with the Beer Garden continuing, Expo music with a DJ was provided during the activities, and a "Big Time Raffle Drawing" to be held at the end of the races. Sunday included a "Free Recovery Ride." A Recovery Ride didn't sound very interesting to me when I first read about it, and it was far less interesting to me after I had ridden the 25 miles!
The Ride (notice I said "Ride" not "Race": They estimated there were about 2,000 riders when counting all the distances.. I got in the saddle for the 25-mile route, along with about 400 other cyclists, at the 9:00 am start time. This was the last start time, with the longer distance rides starting before us from 7:15 am to 8:30 am. The weather was clear and the temperature was 52 degrees overnight, with a high of only 74 degrees forecast as the today's high. The official description of the 25-mile route is shown below with a map. But for those who know the Big Bear area, this is a more general description. We began in the Village, followed Highway 18 west through Boulder Bay, across the dam onto Highway 38 through Fawnskin, east past the Big Bear City Airport toward Baldwin Lake, then a turnaround at the LDS church (only appropriate for this Mormon boy). We then went back west and south across Division Dr and into some really hilly neighborhood streets, up to the Bear Mountain Ski Resort, then south down Moonridge Road, out around Eagle Point and into the Village for the finish. I got some surprising notoriety as I crossed the finish line. The announcer was calling out names of the cyclists crossing the line and when I went across he announced, "And here is number 1915, Ron Hadfield from Monrovia, and of all the riders coming in so far he is the oldest at 77." So even though I didn't win anything, I can say I beat any cyclist that was older than me! The photo below was taken on the Fawnskin side - the North Shore of the Lake.
The organization of the event was excellent. From the registration, to the Expo area, to the handling of multiple starts, to the course directions and traffic control, to the aid stations; I don't see anything that needed improvement. The multiple routes could have resulted in serious confusion; all riders started at the same place (although at different times), but the 25-mile route was essentially around the Lake, the 50-mile route went down the mountain to Snow Valley Ski Resort before coming back up and joining other riders on their route, the 75-mile route went down to Snow Valley and then up to the 8500 foot Onyx Summit before joining the others around the Lake, and the 125-milers went over Onyx Summit, down the mountain to Angeles Oaks before turning around and finishing around the Lake. Whew!! With all that I didn't see or hear of anyone getting lost on the course.
I really enjoyed the ride, although I could have been much better prepared. I didn't have any significant problems during the ride (like a flat tire) but Red Ant Hill and the hills through the Boulder Bay area seemed tougher than I remember, and I misread directions from a staffer and made a wrong turn at an intersection (but it was quickly corrected). The highlight was when I was speeding down Club View Dr and saw Bonnie out there cheering me on! The scenery in the Big Bear Valley is wonderful, and with the good weather and good race organization, it was a nice ride. The Expo, along with fun music and the beer garden, made a fun ending to the day.
Photos below from the left - first is me in my new "Technical and Legendary" shirt; next is the flag held high by the Big Bear Fire Department' ladder truck; and finally a pleasant surprise for me. Sigma Zonk Kim B (sworn in at the Reno Zonk Reunion) sang the National Anthem at the beginning of the festivities.
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The photos below were taken as the event was getting under way. Photos from the left:
1st row- The early start for the elite riders going 125 miles; the second start for those going 107 miles.
2nd row- The next start for those going 70 miles; a guy waiting for the 70-mile start and to my surprise he was wearing "go-aheads" (you need to enlarge the photo to see this). He was right on the front line and it turned out that he was saving the spot for his girl friend who came to the bike about a minute before the start. She was probably an animal biker.
3rd row- The 50-mile start; and the last is me waiting to line up for the 25-mile start.
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The photos below are during or after my ride. From the left: The first two photos are of one of the Aid Stations. They were well stocked and well staffed. Note in the second photo there is a Bike Wash at the far end of the tents. The mist in the tent was probably more for the bikers than for the bikes. The third photo is of the medal given to all Finishers, and finally I had a reunion with Kim B in the beer garden after the race.
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Description of the 25-mile Route per Tour website: "This stage will begin with a group start in 'The Village' at Big Bear Lake. The group will be lead out of the Village and head west toward the dam and over the newly completed bridge spanning Bear Creek Canyon. Your stage will continue across the North Shore of Big Bear Lake and you will enjoy the scenic beauty of the lake, San Bernardino National Forest, 11,500’ San Gorgonio and its 10,000’ plus peaks. You will then begin climbing with two steady moderate, heart pumping climbs. A little downhill and then more climbing up and around the Bear Mountain Golf Course, Bear Mountain Ski Resort and the Moonridge Animal Park, one of two alpine zoos in the United States. You will then finish the ride with a ride through beautiful Eagle Point, the 'Cycling Home Tour' area of Big Bear Lake."
Training: Since I hadn't ridden my road bike in over 15 years (I've done a little riding on my mountain bike), I decided I'd better do some training before the Big Bear ride. I began in June by riding about once per week on the streets and bike paths out to the mouth of Azusa Canyon (an 18 mile round-trip) or to the end of the Santa Fe Dam (a 25 mile round-trip). Harry, who I had been running with periodically, did a few rides with me, and his daugther-in-law Dawn also rode with us. Just for fun, one day in mid-July I added a short distance on the steep climb into Azusa Canyon; my legs really burned and this convinced me to stay short for the Big Bear ride. It turns out that riding 25 miles in the flat-lands of Monrovia does not prepare a person for riding in the hilly mountains at a 7000 foot elevation.
Photos below:
1st row- Me and Dawn at the mouth of Azusa Canyon; me at the Santa Fe Dam.
2nd row- A view of the ride around the top of the Dam; Dawn and Harry at Azusa Canyon.
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A Little History: Beginning in the early 1980s I did a lot of bicycle riding, including many training rides in the local mountains, and I was in good shape and had a bunch of fun experiences. In 1983, along with friends Dennie, Jarrett, John, and Merlin, I made a two-day trip from Monrovia to LaJolla (about 120 miles). In early 1984 I organized a trip for five couples to tour the wine country on bicycles; Jarrett & Marj, Merlin & Susan O, Phil & Connie, John & Mims, and Bonnie & I. We visited wineries on our bikes in the Russian River area one day and the Napa Valley area on a second day. Bonnie and Susan O drove a van (the sag wagon pulling a trailer) to pick up anyone tired of riding and to carry any wine purchased along the way. Later in 1984 I rode the bicycle leg in a Relay Triathlon in Big Bear Lake, with Mike D doing the swimming and Jarrett doing the run. The cycle leg made a 38-mile round trip from the lake-level to Onyx Summit (8500 ft elevation). From 1984 through 1989 I did many of the organized rides in Mexico with a bunch of my running friends; Dennie, Jarrett, Pat, and a few others. We did two of the 75-mile Tecate to Ensenada Rides and six of the 50-mile Rosarito to Ensenada Rides. I don't know if they still do these organized rides, but I would be a little fearful of going into Mexico to do them these days. An important item on my Updated Bucket List was to bicycle the length of California on the Pacific Coast Highway and I have written a separate Memories Blog on that adventure.
Photos below:
1st row- Jarrett, John, me, Merlin and Dennie beginning our ride to LaJolla; Me, Merlin, Jarrett and Phil on our Wine Country Trip.
2nd row- Susan O, Mims, Connie O and Marj on our Wine Country Trip (I guess Bonnie took the photo); Me coming into the Bike Finish at the Big Bear Triathlon.
3rd row- The 13,000 riders at the start-line for the 1986 Rosarito to Ensenada Ride; Jarrett and I at the finish of one of the Rosarito to Ensenada Ride.
4th row- A bunch of us getting ready to attack the Rosarito to Ensenada Ride; Dennie and I on our 2002 California Coast Ride.
Last is a handsome biker sometime during the 1980s.
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