Jim Swarzman Memorial Membership Drive Update

"10,000 Thanks to AdventureCORPS for Sponsoring the Jim Swarzman Memorial Membership Drive." (Re-post from the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition Blog)

Last summer and fall, our friend Chris Kostman and AdventureCORPS, Inc. sponsored a matching membership drive in honor of fallen rider Jim Swarzman. Jim, a great friend of LACBC, was killed last Spring while riding his bike in San Diego County with his fiancee and a friend.

For every contribution to made to LACBC during the Jim Swarzman Memorial Membership Drive, whether through membership or donation, AdventureCORPS, a promoter of endurance cycling and running events including the world-famous Furnace Creek 508 and the Badwater Ultramarathon through Death Valley, promised to match those contributions up to $10,000. Chris spread the word to the athletes who ride in all AdventureCORPS events, including the Death Valley Century and Double Century, the Mount Laguna Bicycle Classic held near San Diego, and Hell's Gate Hundred. Jim was a several-time veteran of AdventureCORPS events and well-known and liked in the ultracycling scene, so his untimely and senseless death really hit home for his fellow endurance riders. Their desire to help keep these types of unnecessary tragedies from happening again, with AdventureCORPS' backing and support, led to the most successful membership drive in LACBC history.

With your help, we were able to raise over $23,000 during the Jim Swarzman Memorial Drive on memberships and donations alone! As promised, Chris Kostman recently presented a check of $10,000 to our Executive Director Jennifer Klausner on top of the $23,000 raised (see below)!

Thank you to Chris and AdventureCORPS for their generosity and support! Thank you to the many of Jim's friends, family, and fellow endurance riders who have contributed! Thank you to all who donated and/or became members during the drive! And thank you to everyone who helped spread the word about making LA County a better, more bike-able place!
A short reply from Chris / XO-1.org, pictured above with Jen Klausner of the LACBC: It is an honor to support LACBC's bicycle advocacy efforts in memory of our friend and Furnace Creek 508 veteran Jim Swarzman. Let's never forget Jim, nor stop fighting for safe streets for ALL road users!

Jim Swarzman Memorial Membership Drive: Join, renew, or donate and LA County Bicycle Coalition will receive twice the amount you give!

Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition and AdventureCORPS Announce the Jim Swarzman Memorial Membership Drive

Join, renew, or donate and LACBC (click!) will receive twice the amount you give via AdventureCORPS' $10,000 pledge!

From Chris Kostman, Chief Adventure Officer and Race Director, AdventureCORPS, Inc.

Fellow cyclist Jim Swarzman, age 47, was killed by a hit-and-run driver in a large pick-up truck, possibly intentionally, while cycling in an unsupported 600km long-distance cycling event called a "brevet" early on April 10, 2011 in Leucadia (part of Encinitas, in San Diego County). The driver later turned himself in, plead not guilty, but was found guilty and is awaiting sentencing. The maximum sentence is four years for the crime for which he was charged. Meanwhile, Jim is gone and the lives of his fiancé, friends, and family have been shattered.

(NOTE this email just received: The sentencing for Jim's killer is scheduled for next Monday, 12 September at 1300 (that's 1:00 P.M.) at the Vista Courthouse in north San Diego County. Wouldn't it be awesome if the courtroom was packed with supporters for Jim's family? Hope to see many of you there. - Bret Gross, San Clemente, CA)

I believe it is crucial that we do something to honor Jim's life and legacy, and to help insure that this kind of senseless, unnecessary tragedy never happens again. Please join in that effort, and read on.

Jim Swarzman was a really great guy, and had recently become engaged to another long distance cycling enthusiast, Nicole Honda. They had been planning to move into their new home together the weekend after Jim was killed, and they also had planned to ride Paris-Brest-Paris this summer on their honeymoon.

They have both raced Furnace Creek 508, a 508-mile bicycle race which we organize through Death Valley and the Mojave Desert, on a two person team, and solo, including in the "classic bike" division with an "old school" set-up.

Personally, I really, really liked Jim and we connected on many levels. We talked about all kinds of things while cycling, but never about work. I don't even know what his career was; we were friends beyond those mundane things. I thought it was very cool that he had been president of a Porsche Car Club for many years. I believe he told me that he had owned as many as six Porsches at one time. But in recent years he had become a much bigger fan of collecting, and riding, bikes. More importantly, he was collecting happy memories with his lovely fiancé, in cycling and in life.

Jim had been a bike racer back in the 80s, had got away from cycling for about twenty years, then recently rediscovered it with a passion, meeting Nicole in the process. When I first rode with him, I could tell that he had old school, classic style, because of his position on the bike and smooth pedaling form. I loved watching him ride and had the pleasure of riding the San Diego 200km brevet with him earlier this year, plus a few hours of the LA 300km brevet a few weeks later. Even after 20 years away from the sport, he truly rode like a pro, gracefully, strongly, with a relaxed, but precise style and posture. He had really gotten into cycling with a vengeance at this point in his life, riding brevets, double centuries, Furnace Creek 508, plus creating epic rides to go do with friends. He was 100% my kind of guy, on and off the bike.

Jim was living life to the fullest, was very fit, good looking, and in Nicole Honda had found an amazing cyclist, and lovely, bubbly, outgoing, and extremely positive life partner. They were a match made in heaven, truly.

Jim was riding with Nicole, along with fellow distance cyclist Chris Hanson, when he was struck by the hit-and-run driver on April 20, 2011. He was airlifted to a nearby hospital, but passed away a few hours later.

There was a huge turn-out at the tribute to Jim and his life at Mount Sinai Memorial Park on April 14. Many fellow cyclists rode there, quite a few in cycling jerseys, to pay tribute to Jim and to show their solidarity as fellow cyclists. After Jim's father, sister, and best friend spoke, Nicole spoke last. It was heart-wrenching, but yet empowering and motivating to hear everyone speak of Jim's tireless energy, zest for life, and unquenchable thirst for adventure, and for sharing it with other people.

Nicole wrapped up her words about Jim by saying "Many of you have asked what you can do to show your respect for Jim and support of me. I have two things which I'd ask: One, pay attention while driving. Don't text, don't fish behind the seat for your purse, don't put on make-up while driving. Pay attention; your life or somebody else's may depend on it. And two, please join the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition. Jim was an LACBC supporter and this organization needs more members and more support, because they are our voice, fighting to make streets safer and laws more just for cyclists."

By chance, I was sitting behind Jennifer Klausner, the executive director of the LA County Bicycle Coalition, during the memorial and I saw her jaw literally drop as she heard Nicole's plea to support LACBC as a tribute to Jim and his life. It was in that moment that I knew I would do something to amplify that special request from Nicole.

Although I have been a member of LACBC for several years, and have ridden in their signature event, The LA River Ride, I didn't really know that much about LACBC, what they do, and how important they are. Here they are in a nutshell, from their website, la-bike.org:

The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition is a nonprofit organization with over 1,000 members that engages cyclists through advocacy, education and outreach across the county. Founded in 1998 by bicycle advocates Joe Linton and Ron Milam, LACBC brings together the diverse bicycling community in a united mission to improve the bicycling environment and quality of life for the entire region. Despite Los Angeles’ reputation as a car-centric region, LACBC has emerged as one of the most innovative and wide-reaching bicycle advocacy non-profits in the country. They have played a major role in the growing cycling movement here in LA. Their vision is to improve the built environment in Los Angeles, so that all cyclists--low-income, commuter, recreational, families, and women--can safely navigate LA County streets. Through the help of a strong volunteer network, LACBC accomplishes this vision in their campaigns to increase bicycle infrastructure throughout the 88 cities in the County.

In meeting with Jen Klausner, I was stunned to learn that the sole organization in this giant county of ten million people which represents and furthers cyclists' rights and needs has barely over a thousand members! Eleven hundred members, out of ALL those LA area cyclists??? I was stunned, and appalled. Knowing how critical a collective voice is to gaining, and then keeping, our rights to safely ride on the roads of Los Angeles County is, I believe that everyone who rides a bike in LA County should be a member of the LACBC! (Even those living outside LA County should consider supporting LACBC, because they have become a role model organization for promoting cycling in large metropolitan areas.)

To that end, through AdventureCORPS, we are sponsoring the Jim Swarzman Memorial Membership Drive. As such, AdventureCORPS will match all memberships and contributions to LACBC in Jim’s honor, up to $10,000. So when you join, renew, or donate, LACBC will receive twice the amount you give. We ask that you please encourage your friends to become members now - whether they are new or long-time cyclists, whether you knew Jim personally or have been touched by hearing about his story.

This Membership Drive has been going for about a month now, and will come to a close soon. Please join, renew, or donate today! Your contribution will have TWICE the impact in helping us create safer streets for all cyclists!

Yours in sport,
Chris Kostman,
Chief Adventure Officer and Race Director
AdventureCORPS, Inc.

Special thanks is extended to fellow cyclist Marcus Edvalson for creating the logo for this effort. More info: http://www.getgoodnatured.com/

AdventureCORPS, Inc. is an athlete-run firm producing and promoting ultra-endurance and extreme sports events, lifestyle, and media. Adventure is our way of life. AdventureCORPS' world-class events for athlete-adventurers include epic races such as the Badwater Ultramarathon and Furnace Creek 508, plus CORPSCamp Death Valley, Hell's Gate Hundred, Mount Laguna Bicycle Classic, Death Valley Century, Ultra Century, & Double Century (Spring and Fall editions), and Rough Riders Rally. We also host and develop our adventure-related websites and provide a variety of adventure-related services. Founded in 1984 by Chris Kostman, this group effort is dedicated to exploring the inner and outer universes, seeking adventure, energy, and insight both in daily life and "out there." Please join us! More info at www.adventurecorps.com.

Contact:

Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition
634 S. Spring Street, Suite 821
Los Angeles, CA 90014
213-629-2142
http://www.la-bike.org/

AdventureCORPS, Inc.
638 Lindero Canyon Rd #311
Oak Park, CA 91377
888-917-1117
http://www.adventurecorps.com/
Blog: http://www.XO-1.org (includes extensive Jim Swarzman coverage)

JIM SWARZMAN TRIAL STARTS JULY 12

The trial for the hit-and-run driver who killed Furnace Creek 508 veteran and close friend Jim Swarzman starts Tuesday, July 12 in Vista, CA and should last until the end of that week. It is really important to have a very strong cyclist presence to send a message to the judge and jury this type of killing cannot be tolerated any longer.

If you live anywhere in Southern California, please consider attending even one day of the trial. Be sure to wear a Furnace Creek 508 or other cycling jersey, vest, or jacket, so that your identity as a supporter of cyclists' rights is visible. Location:

North County Courthouse: 325 S Melrose Drive, Vista, CA 92801

It is the 5 story building and you will need to check for the actual courtroom upon arrival. Officially it starts at 8:45AM, but they tend to start late. Jim's fiancé, Nicole Honda, says "Even if people can only come for a few hours, it would be appreciated." Please support Nicole, Jim's memory, and our right to ride safely on our roads.

Click here for our main post about Jim's tragic death, and his amazing life.

Jim Swarzman, RIP: My Kind of Guy, and Cyclist

Above: Jim Swarzman and Nicole Honda at the 2009 Furnace Creek 508 finish line, and then Jim a year later in 2010 with his "classic bike" of choice (which will appear as a full-page in the next issue of American Randonneur and in Bicycle Quarterly.) Look at how happy, fit, and fresh he looked after those grueling races! That's testimony to Jim living life to the fullest, embracing all it has to offer, training seriously, seeking out adventure and fun, AND enjoying the ride with his great friend and love of his life.

Fellow cyclist Jim Swarzman, age 47, was killed by a hit-and-run driver in blue or dark color pick-up truck*, possibly intentionally, while cycling in an unsupported 600km long-distance cycling event called a "brevet" early yesterday morning (April 10, 2011) in Leucadia (part of Encinitas, in San Diego County). Here are three media reports about this tragic incident which was no "accident":

NBC San Diego

10 News San Diego

Fox 5 San Diego

Biking in LA Blog

North County Times: Nicole's Words

Memories of Jim, posted by the San Fernando Valley Bicycle Club

Jim Swarzman was a really great guy, and recently engaged to another brevet rider / Furnace Creek 508 racer, Nicole Honda. They were to be moving into their new home together next weekend and were going to ride Paris-Brest-Paris this summer on their honeymoon. They have both raced The 508 on a two person team, and solo, including in the classic bike divisions. I really, really like Jim and we connected on many levels. We talked about all kinds of things while cycling, but never about work. I don't even know what his career was; we were friends beyond those mundane things. (I did think it was very cool that he had been president of a Porsche Car Club for many years. I believe he told me that he had owned as many as six Porsches at one time. But nowadays he had become a much bigger fan of collecting, and riding, bikes.)

Jim had been a bike racer back in the 80s, had got away from cycling for about twenty years, then recently rediscovered it with a passion, meeting Nicole in the process. When I first rode with him, I could tell that he had old school, classic style, because of his position on the bike and form. I loved watching him ride and had the pleasure of riding the San Diego 200km brevet with him earlier this year, plus a few hours of the LA 300km brevet a few weeks later. Even after 20 years away from the sport, he truly rode like a pro, gracefully, strongly, with a relaxed, but precise style and posture. He had really gotten into cycling with a vengeance at this point in his life, riding brevets, double centuries, Furnace Creek 508, plus creating epic rides to go do with friends. He was 100% my kind of guy, on and off the bike.

Jim was living life to the fullest, was very fit, good looking, and in Nicole Honda had found an amazing cyclist, and lovely, bubbly, outgoing, and extremely positive life partner. They were a match made in heaven, truly.

Jim was riding with Nicole, along with fellow distance cyclist Chris Hanson, when he was struck by the hit-and-run driver. He was airlifted to a nearby hospital, but passed away a few hours later.

Thursday, April 14th 2011 at 12 Noon, there was a memorial for Jim at Mount Sinai memorial Park. I was there, along with a great crowd of family, friends, and fellow cyclists. An image from the occasion:

UPDATE, April 12, 2011: Jim's killer has turned himself in. Story here. We will need to follow this closely and see what kind of "justice" is served. For any court event that is public, I hope there is a large contingent of cyclists, and friends and family of Jim's, in attendance.

*"Investigators originally described the pickup as a blue, late model Ford F150. Monday afternoon, after further investigation, they said that the vehicle that hit Swarzman was a 2007-8 Dodge Ram 1500 or a 2007-9 Dodge Ram 2500 or 3500." PLEASE call the Sheriff at 760-966-3500 if you saw anything or have any information.

Here is Jim's Facebook page.

Jim's athletic resumé, as submitted with his Furnace Creek 508 applications:

2009 FC508: 2x Mixed Classic Bike, Team Golden Gyrfalcon, 1st place in division
2010 FC508: Solo Classic Bike, Gyrfalcon, 2nd in division to overall winner, 17th overall

- 5x Super Randonneur since 2009
- First to finish at PCH Randos' 200K & 300K in 2010 and 2011
- 2009 Gold Rush 1200K finisher
- 2010 Central Coast 1000K finisher
- 12 double centuries in 2009 and 2010 incl. Devil Mtn and Alta Alpina 8-Pass
- Top ten at Central Coast DC and Heartbreak DC in 2010
- Cat 3 racer for Velo Club La Grange in mid-late '80's. Finisher at Death Valley - Mt. Whitney Road Race, Whiskey Creek Stage Race, and Tour of the Gila.
- UCLA Cycling "A" Team member in college. Golden Hammer winner (UCLA Cycling TT champion)
- 4x finisher L.A. Triathlon and a number of other Olympic and sprint distance triathlons
- 800 meter runner as junior. Junior Olympic champion and #1 ranking nationally in age group.

- Realize that none of this is particularly impressive other than finishing the 11/09 Rough Rider ride!!!!!

- I am determined, always prepared, and am very fortunate to never have any "show-stopper" problems. Oh, and I am unfazed by extreme heat or cold, and maintain complete mental clarity when sleep deprived! I HAVE NEVER "DNF'd" ANYTHING!!!

Here are Jim and Nicole from the 2009 Furnace Creek 508, which they raced in the two-person classic bike division (Their 2009 Time Splits):

Here is Jim from the 2010 Furnace Creek 508, which he raced in the solo classic bike division (Here as his 2010 Time Splits):

Jim also joined some of our Rough Rider adventures in the Santa Monica mountains. He's in the Rough Riders jersey below and in this report.
THE FUTURE OF RANDONNEUR CYCLING
I've been saying for years now that these Los Angeles / Orange County / San Diego brevets, especially the longer ones, are just too dangerous, with too much traffic, little or no shoulders. and routes which pass too many Indian casinos, bars, and such. There literally are not enough "good miles" in this part of the state for rides this long. Add in relentless "development," increasing numbers of cars on often dilapidated roads, and seemingly more and and more impatient, self-important drivers in over-size, overly powerful vehicles and you end up with an extremely dangerous mix in which a death like Jim's was sadly inevitable.

I'm going to Montana for my 400km brevet and mostly like to Seattle for my 600km. if I even do those rides. I also intend to start lobbying RUSA (Randonneurs USA, the governing body of this type of long-distance, unsupported cycling) to much more carefully scrutinize the routes for the various events around the country, especially those in and near metropolitan areas.

Jim's is not the first death during the brevet; tracking of accidents and deaths needs to be done to learn what truly makes a route "safe," or dangerous, and guidelines need to be created to require brevet organizers to createdroutes which are as safe as possible. Several brevet organizers have literally told me that they only organize brevets because they don't want to travel somewhere else to ride them, and that they just route them from, or from near, their own home, because that is most convenient. The recent brevets which toured all over Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and/or San Diego counties are perfect examples of the types of routes which should never have been created.

Jim Swarzman with Chris Kostman during the 2011 200km San Diego Brevet.

L-R, four Furnace Creek 508 veterans: Jim Gyrfalcon Swarzman, Andi Butterfly Ramer, George Red-Eyed Vireo Vargas, and Adam Rock Rabbit Bickett at the conclusion of the 2011 200km Brevet in San Diego.

ADDED JULY 7, 2011: JIM SWARZMAN TRIAL UPDATE

The trial for the hit-and-run driver who killed Furnace Creek 508 veteran and close friend Jim Swarzman starts Tuesday, July 12 in Vista, CA and should last until the end of that week. It is really important to have a very strong cyclist presence to send a message to the judge and jury this type of killing cannot be tolerated any longer.

If you live anywhere in Southern California, please consider attending even one day of the trial. Be sure to wear a Furnace Creek 508 or other cycling jersey, vest, or jacket, so that your identity as a supporter of cyclists' rights is visible. Location:

North County Courthouse

325 S Melrose Dr

Vista, CA 92801

It is the 5 story building and you will need to check for the actual courtroom upon arrival.

Officially it starts at 8:45AM, but they tend to start late.

Jim's fiancé, Nicole Honda, says "Even if people can only come for a few hours, it would be appreciated." Please support Nicole, Jim's memory, and our right to ride safely on our roads.

Rough Riding in Adventure Cyclist Magazine

We extend our heartfelt thank you to the fine folks at Adventure Cycling Association for featuring Rough Riding, and specifically the upcoming Rough Riders Rally, in the current issue (February 2010) of their very fine magazine, Adventure Cyclist. We encourage you to join their organization immediately. One of the many, many perks you'll enjoy is receiving their magazine.

We are also pleased to announce that we (AdventureCORPS) recently became a Gold Level Sponsor of the Adventure Cycling Association, an organization founded in 1973 to inspire people of all ages to travel by bicycle for fun, fitness, and self-discovery. (The great ink about the Rough Riders Rally was already in the works - due to no specific effort or outreach on our part - when we became a sponsor, just so you don't think there's some quid pro quo going on.)

The exposure in Adventure Cyclist, as well as an ad we have coming out in the next issue, along with ongoing ads in American Randonneur and Bicycle Quarterly, will hopefully give the Rough Riders Rally a good boost in participation. Currently we have 40 riders registered for the event, with a limit of 100. We hope you will consider joining this one-of-a-kind, and first-ever, event! Info here. (Please also help us spread the word!)

Here's the whole Adventure Cycling page
which features Rough Riding:

Here's a blow-up of just the Rough Riding article
by Michael McCoy (click it to see it bigger):This ad appears in the March 2010 issue of Adventure Cycling:
This ad appears in the current, and next, issues of American Randonneur and Bicycle Quarterly:

To all of you, thanks for your help in spreading the word about the July 23-25 Rough Riders Rally, and Rough Riding in general! We appreciate it!

Colorado Rough Riders; Misc. Updates

We are pleased to announce the first new chapter of the Rough Riders, based in Colorado. Here are some excerpts from their website:

The Alpine Bicycle Club, home of the Colorado Rough Riders, is dedicated to mixed terrain touring. Touring through the alpine environment here in the Rocky Mountain West requires efficient travel on any surface from paved road to single track. All on the same route, with the same bike.

The Alpine Bicycle Club & The Colorado Rough Riders were started by a group of old mountaineers and skiers in Golden Colorado who also love cycling. Mixed terrain travel is simply a way of life for us. Many of us commute daily over mixed terrain. All of us love the alpine environment. And all of us would rather bike than drive a car.

Club membership is free. All skill levels, from novice to professional racer, are welcome. The only requirement is that you love mixed terrain travel in mountain environments. We even accept mountain bikers. But we will probably give you a hard time until you change out the big fat knobbies.

This Club was partly inspired by Chris Kostman of AdventureCorps and Rough Rider fame, who urged us to go public. We appreciate his support and "Any Bike, Anywhere" approach to travel.

Their website includes features such as "In Search of the All-Rounder" and "Ultralight Touring," plus descriptions of some impressive mixed terrain, mixed surface rides around Colorado. Here's their site:

http://alpinebicycle.org

We send greetings and kudos to our Rough Riding colleagues in Colorado and look forward to joining them for some of their epic adventures in the near future!

If you are interested in forming a Rough Riders Chapter somewhere else around the globe, please contact us!

Other News / Rough Riders Rally: We will very soon post all the details about our July 23-25, 2010 Rough Riders Rally, plus open registration. Updates: The Saturday route has been finalized. as per RRR Recon #2, published here previously. A Friday route, mostly pavement with a few trails, has been finalized. The catering for both evening's dinners has been finalized. And, most importantly, the venue for the Saturday evening Bike Show / Dinner / Special Speaker / Awards Presentations has been finalized - it will take place at the Tam Valley Community Center.

Rough Riding on 21bikes.com

Check out the latest addition to 21Bikes.com!

That's yours truly with my 1984 Holdsworth, as featured many times on this blog in various Rough Riding reports.

The concept of the site is simple. You upload a photo of you and your bicycle. If they like it, they will post it to the site within one of their 21 bike-specific categories. Then, once the picture goes live, it gets voted on and shared by our users.

You can submit a photo no matter what type of bike you ride, how old you are, where you live in the world, or what you look like. The only requirement is that the photo you submit include both YOU and YOUR BICYCLE. That means no pictures of random people cycling past you. The photo you submit has to be of you and your trusty steed. The better the picture, the better your chances of it being posted to the site.

Check it out (click the "Thanks" with a number link in the top right if you like it )- and post your Rough Riding bikes (with you!). Maybe they will add a 22nd category for Rough Riding bikes!

Rough Riders News: September 8, 2009

Hello, fellow Rough Riders!

We have a bunch of exciting news to report, so this is more of a newsletter than a single feature story.

MORE ON RIVENDELL
• BikeRadar's "First Ride: Rivendell Bombadil"
"Riding a bicycle loaded "Grapes of Wrath" style up and around the foothills of Mt Diablo in Walnut Creek, California has always been a pleasure, and the new Rivendell Bombadil, a double top-tubed steel 650B mountain bike model, is more than ideal for this and other two-wheeled exploits."

• BikeRadar's "Grant Petersen Interview"
"There's no stopping the technological advancement of the bicycle. Yet no one seems to have reminded Rivendell Bicycle Works founder and president Grant Petersen of this fact, and apparently that suits him just fine. Petersen clings to his beliefs like a mother to her infant child. Petersen believes strongly in what the cycling days of old conjure up, not only in the mind, but in the simplicity and beauty of a curved, cast lug. His passion goes beyond the aesthetic, though. At Rivendell, there's a focus on practicality beyond anything in our ragtag industry, and this has been enough to keep the company afloat since 1994, the year Petersen started it in the back office of his home in Walnut Creek, California."

• My Interview with Grant Petersen, back in August, 1992.

MORE ON MOUNT LAGUNA
Our friends at Velo Cult bike shop in San Diego recently cycled and camp edon Mt. Laguna, one of our favorite places in the world. It's a great rough riding, and road biking, locale and will be the awesome venue for our new Mount Laguna Bicycle Classic in April. Check out Velo Cult's spectacular black and white photos of their recent adventure there: Click here. Here's a sneak peak at one of the shots:LOCAL GIRL MAKES GOOD
That's the cute headline which "Cyclotourist" used to describe Elizabeth's appearance on the back cover of the Rough Stuff Journal, the fun and always interested publication of the UK's Rough Stuff Fellowship. RSF was founded in 1955, long before "mountain bikes," and dedicated to cyclists who wanted "to get away from roads and cycle on tracks and byways," i.e. off-road—our kind of people! Links: This pic in Cyclotourist's Flickr Photo Stream and Rough Stuff Fellowship

ROUGH RIDERS AT D2R2
Next year we really hope to participate in the Deerfield Dirt Road Randonnée. Meanwhile, we'll enjoy the photos, including this shot of one of our Rough Riders jerseys in action. More about R2D2.

ROUGH RIDING THE SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS The Southern California Rivendell Appreciation Society enjoyed an outing on some of our favorite dirt roads over Labor Day Weekend. You can see photos here. Here is their Flickr Group home page.

Thanks for your support and enthusiasm, everyone!

Rough Riders News, February 2, 2009

Hello, fellow Rough Riders!

We have a bunch of exciting news to report, so this is more of a newsletter than a single feature story.

ROUGH RIDERS RALLY IN JULY 2010
We are pleased to announce that we are planning a weekend-long annual Rough Riders Rally based in and around Mill Valley, CA in May of next year (2010). There will be a Friday afternoon ride, followed by no-host dinner at a designated restaurant. Saturday will be the big day: 4-5 hour ride in spectacular terrain, with each rider and their bike being photographed with a scenic backdrop. Later that afternoon the bikes will be assembled for a bike show. (To enter a bike in the show, it must have been ridden on the full route, including the photograph. - No "for looking only; not for riding" bikes may be shown.) There will be some notable Rough Riding personalities who will speak, awards will be given for various categories, and dinner will be included. It will be a fantastic evening. Sunday morning we'll ride Railroad Grade to the summit of Mt. Tam, then return to Mill Valley for a social hour or two at The Depot, before we depart town.

KLUNKERZ: MUST SEE FILM
Friday, January 30, 2009 we attended the Competitor Magazine Film Festival in Encinitas, CA. It was an all-day sensory treat and loads of fun.

One film that really stood out is "Klunkerz," which documents the origins of the mountain bike and the sport of mountain biking. The story of a how a bunch of colorful characters reinvented the sport of cycling is truly riveting and extremely entertaining. The filmmaker, Billie Savage, completely immersed himself in this project and went to great lengths to secure original photos and film from the 70s and to track down and interview everyone who was part of the scene. There are also some wonderful reenactments, plus a fun use of comic strips, cartoons, and other interesting visual effects which help to bring the whole story to life. Trust me, there are multiple nuances to "the invention story" which will come as surprise and revelation to even the most veteran cyclists and historians of the sport.

What stands out most, though, are the people themselves, some of whom became famous and household names, and others - equally important - who had otherwise been resigned to the dustbin of history. Until now.

What's so impressive and engaging about every one of these people is that they are just as colorful, just as animated, and just as excited now as they were 35 years ago. Their very spirit is refreshing and contagious. Kudos to Savage for the untold time and effort he put into this film. Thank you to all the people - from Tom Ritchey to Joe Breeze, from Charlie Kelly to Gary Fisher, from Alan Bonds to Otis Guy, from Wende Cragg to Charlie Cunningham, from the Barrow Dirt Club to Velo Club Tamalpais, and many, many more - for what they created for all of us in the 70s and for how they opened up their hearts and souls for this film!

Even if you - horrors! - don't even cycle off-road, you will enjoy this film. Please do yourself a favor and order it now! Info here. | Buy it on Amazon.

MEETING AND RIDING WITH LEGENDS
In association with the film festival, we got to meet and even ride with some cycling legends. Here are some photos:

Above: Chris with Gary Fisher, co-creator of the mountain bike

Above: with Charlie Kelley, co-creator of the sport of mountain biking. Charlie was partners with Gary Fisher in the the first "Mountain Bikes" company (with the frames made by Tom Ritchey). Charlie was also first mountain bike race promoter (creator of the infamous Repack Downhill). He was also the first mountain bike magazine publisher (Fat Tyre Flyer). Charlie and I first met at the Iditabike in Alaska in 1988. Charlie Kelly's website.

Above: The Thrill of a Lifetime: Meeting Dennis Christopher, AKA Dave Stoller

Location: Competitor Magazine Film Festival, which screened "Breaking Away" as the final feature, on the 30th anniversary of the film's original release in 1979!

Note: I started cycling in 1982 and watched this film on videotape - while eating a whole box of Macaroni and Cheese (and often a pizza, too) - the night before every century, double century, and bike race I entered for several years. To meet "Dave Stoller" after all these years was truly magical. He was extremely personable, signed a photo from the film for me, and seemed genuinely pleased when I told him how much the film affected me and how often I watched it "back in the day" - as well as how much I still appreciate the film on other levels now that I am a bit older. He's a class act and, yes, he says he still has the Masi!

Dennis Christopher on IMDB.com.