Cool rides
Here in the Bay Area, we have some of the best riding anywhere. The Demo Forest, El Corte de Madera, Saratoga Gap, the list goes on and on. Here are some of our favorite rides from around here -- and beyond:

Waterwheel Downhill V
09/05/2009
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Please join Patty, Earl, and me for the latest edition of the ever-popular Waterwheel Downhill ride. It is a reservation ride and is limited to 10 participants. We always get more applicants than that and so we have to turn folks away. Don’t let that happen to you! Make your reservation ASAP.
Monte Bello
RESERVATIONS REQUIRED
Click here make a reservation
Join docents Strether Smith, Patty Lovelace, and Earl Girbovan for a high-intermediate, 18-mile mountain bike ride in the Monte Bello Preserve. You’ll carpool from Picchetti Ranch to the beautiful Waterwheel Creek Trail and ride most of the single track and fire roads in the Monte Bello Preserve before heading out to Stevens Canyon Road and back to Picchetti Ranch. The route is mostly downhill (about a 2,200-foot net descent), but riders will climb more than 1,500 feet along the way. Reservations are required and will be accepted on or after August 22.
Where to meet:
Meet at the Picchetti Ranch Preserve parking lot. From the intersection of I-280 and Foothill Expressway, go 3.5 miles southwest (toward the mountains) on Foothill Boulevard/Stevens Canyon Road. Turn right on Montebello Road . The preserve is 0.5 miles up Montebello Rd. on the left. Participants will carpool to the trailhead for this activity.
And, if you make a reservation and then find that you can’t come PLEASE cancel it so we can include folks on the waiting list. You can cancel by sending me a note at strether.smith@comcast.net.

Strether Smith
Cell: (408) 202-6821
E-Mail: strether.smith@comcast.net

Posted August 26, 2009

SANBORN MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDE
Sept 12th

Can you imagine how sweet it will be to be able to ride from Los Gatos to Saratoga Gap and beyond? I've been dreaming and scheeming of this ever since I was a LG High School rat. Here is the full invitation from the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council. It is addressed to the ROMP crew and you will see that if you are a member you'll get a special price. What a great time to get that membership valid, eh? Did I mention the shuttle?

OK, here it is.

ROMPers,

The Bay Area Ridge Trail Council's 4th Annual Ridge Trail Cruz, on Saturday September 12, offers cyclists a unique opportunity for a "preview Cruz" of the Ridge Trail in Sanborn County Park, as part of this one-day special permit event before the park’s official opening to mountain bikes.

All proceeds from the event benefit the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council. Event fee includes a shuttle for bicyclists (and bike) from the staging area to the start of the ride, rest stops, lunch, maps, ride guides & sweeps (you ride at your own pace).

The Bay Area Ridge Trail will be a 550+ mile trail on the ridgetops circling San Francisco Bay, open to hikers, cyclists & equestrians. Currently, there are over 318 miles of trail open to the public, of which ~85 percent are open to cyclists. The Bay Area Ridge Trail Council is the nonprofit organization that plans, acquires, builds, maintains, and promotes the Ridge Trail.

The Council partially funded the Master Plan for Sanborn County Park, which has recently been approved, and when implemented, will open trails throughout the Park to cyclists, including the Ridge Trail (which is to be extended as part of the plan). Santa Clara County Parks, with the Council, the Trail Center and REI, has hosted a number of volunteer work days to bring the Ridge Trail in the park up to their multi-use standards. To highlight these efforts, and to support the Council, County Parks has granted this special one-day bicyclist access. You must be registered for the Cruz to ride in the park this day. The County Parks Department will officially open the park to mountain bicycling uses once the Department completes the required improvements to the trails system at the park.

In support of the work ROMP is doing, we are offering ROMP members a discount of $10, use discount code "ROMPCruzers" when you register for the ride. To register or for more information, visit: http://ridgetrail.org/about/news_detail.cfm?id=171

I hope to see you there,
Jg

Joel Gartland
Volunteer Coordinator
Bay Area Ridge Trail Council
volunteer@ridgetrail.org
(415) 561-2595
1007 General Kennedy Avenue, Suite 3
San Francisco, CA 94129-1405

Help Support the Trail! Ride, hike or volunteer at these great Ridge Trail events:
Sat. Aug. 15: Coyote Creek Trail Dedication, San Jose
Sat. Aug. 29: Benicia Martinez Bridge Path Dedication, Benicia
Sep. 2-6: East Bay Hills Through-Hike & Equestrian Ride
Sat. Sep. 12: 4th Annual Ridge Trail Cruz, South Bay/Peninsula
Sat. Sep. 26: Tour de Fat, San Francisco
Oct. 2-4: V-O-Cal Project on the Ridge Trail, near Muir Beach, Marin
Sat. Oct. 3: Anniversary Party with East Bay Regional Park District & San Francisco Bay Trail, Martinez
Sat Oct 10: Ridge Trail Booth @ BiketoberFest, Fairfax
Sat Oct 10: Ridge Trail Booth @ Pumpkins in the Park, San Jose:
Sat Oct 24: REI Public Lands Celebration, Concord & San Carlos
Sat. Nov. 7: 2nd Annual REI–Ridge Trail Service Day, Region-Wide!
* Check our calendar at www.ridgetrail.org for details

Posted August 26, 2009

Ride Northstar
Get ready for another season of cool cruising fun at Northstar® Resort's Mountain Bike Park. This summer is loaded with new and favorite events like our popular downhill and cross-country race series, 18th Annual Tour De Nez, GIANT Women's Ride & Retreat, and more.

Posted April 30, 2009

2004 Mountain Epics
They're not the Downieville Classic, but these three big rides are put on by the same folks and should be just as cool. Maybe cooler!
Posted June 24, 2004





Porcupine Rim Trail, Moab
The Porcupine Rim Trail is one of those must-do, life-list rides. An all-star crew hit it on DH bikes, with a little help from a van.
Posted May 14, 2004





Corte de Madera Reserve- Resolution to the Leaves
At El Corte de Madera, the fun begins almost immediately after you leave your car. You cruise through the gate, spin along a short dirt road then dive right into long, swoopy singletracks. You turn around trees and hop over rocks as you flit and flutter from Skyline Road to the bottom of the drainage. The temperatures are comfy, and the fall moisture should keep the dust down. The only bummer is, you have to climb back to your car. Gimme the rest!


Santa Teresa Park - Rocky Ridge and Stile Ranch trails
Santa Teresa County Park rolls through the hills 10 miles south of downtown San Jose. This park's proximity to civilization makes it the perfect spot for a quick loop or two. When time is tight but the trails have to be right, give Santa Teresa a shot. Sock it to me!


The Shells, Foster City
If you're an expert jumper, or if you just want to work on your berms, rollers and doubles at a nice spot on the Bay, come on out to The Shells.





Tunnel Trail, Santa Barbara
If you're looking for rocky rocks and steep steeps in a beautiful setting, Santa Barbara is tastier than dog-bakery treats, which they sell downtown. Just beware the hikers. Show me, don't tell me!

Stay tuned for more cool rides!