Rough Riders Rally Roster, including Special Guest Charlie Kelly

Above: Charlie Kelly, co-creator of the sport of mountain biking and a Special Guest of the Rough Riders Rally, as seen racing Repack in 1976.

With registration just announced for the July 23-25, 2010 Rough Riders Rally, we've already gotten some great registrants. We'll post an ongoing roster on our website here. This includes name, age, city, state, gender, plus bike details, blog/website link, and "internet nickname," as applicable. We're very excited to share this special experience with such a great group of riders!

Of special note: Charlie Kelley, co-creator of the sport of mountain biking, will be attending! 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 Chris Kostman first met at the Iditabike in Alaska in 1988.

Rough Riders Rally: Registration Now Open!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: PLEASE DISTRIBUTE ASAP

Rough Riders Rally is AdventureCORPS' new multi-surface cycling festival based in Marin County which celebrates the "Any Bike, Anywhere" ethos. The first event of its kind, the Rally includes three optional days of world-class cycling on trails, fire roads, and pavement, a display of participants’ bikes, dinners, and a live webcast.

MILL VALLEY, CA - AdventureCORPS, Inc. an athlete-run firm producing and promoting ultra-endurance and extreme sports events, lifestyle, and media, is pleased to announce the inaugural Rough Riders Rally, a multi-surface cycling festival based in Marin County on July 23-25, 2010 which celebrates the "Any Bike, Anywhere" ethos.

Rough Riding is not defined by the type of bicycle or type of riding surface. Rough Riding is a state of mind, a riding style with limitless freedom and an all-pervasive sense of adventure. The Rough Riders slogan is "Any Bike, Anywhere" and the general idea is to use as little technology as possible while traversing a variety of riding surfaces and terrains. Hence, one of the Rough Riders' mantras is "technique beats technology." For some Rough Riders, that means riding a "road bike" with 25mm tyres on "mountain bike trails." For others, it means tackling any and all surfaces while riding a cyclocross bike, an old-school mountain bike, a 70s or 80s era road bike retrofitted with 650B wheels, a classic touring bike, or a world tour-ready 29er rig. The current bicycle industry, from major manufacturers to boutique frame builders, is also beginning to address this niche market, creating bicycles, or even lines of bicycles, under such monikers as "All Road Bikes," "All-Rounders," and "Adventure Bikes."

Regardless of bicycle choice, the goal of Rough Riding is to tackle any and all possible combinations of trails, fire roads, gravel roads, paved roads, singletrack, and any other possible riding surface - all within one ride, on just one bike. Perhaps the greatest beauty of Rough Riding is that any possible ride route can be created and enjoyed: Rough Riders do not choose between "road biking" and "mountain biking" and subsequently let the bicycle determine the route and terrain of any given ride. Instead, creative, "first ascent-style" rides can be strung together in one epic route which involves all manner of riding surfaces, sights, sounds, and scenes. The Rough Riding goal, perhaps? To see it all and do it all, to truly have an adventure.

The Rough Riders Rally will include a suggested Friday afternoon ride, followed by a pizza party catered by Stefano's Solar-Powered Pizza and hosted at Tam Bikes in Mill Valley. Saturday will be the big day: a suggested six hour ride in spectacular terrain. Later that afternoon the bikes will be assembled for a bike show. At the Saturday night Rough Riders Annual Shindig, all the bikes will be on display and a tasty dinner will be catered by Punjabi Burrito. It will be a fantastic, fun evening of story-swapping and camaraderie. Sunday morning, Rally participants are encouraged to ride Railroad Grade to the summit of Mt. Tam, then return to Mill Valley for a social hour or two at The Depot Café, before departing town.

The Rough Riders Rally will be based in Mill Valley, CA in Marin County, the birthplace of mountain biking. Marin County offers truly superb cycling, with fantastic views of the San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz, the Marin Headlands, Mt. Tamalpais ("Mt. Tam"), Tiburon, Mill Valley, the Bay Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge, and dramatic, rugged Northern California coastline. Marin County is cycling paradise, a region unparalleled for its beauty, diversity of scenery and riding surfaces, and its cycling-friendly trail signage and local population! It promises to be a very fun weekend in an absolutely spectacular cycling paradise.

The host hotel for the Rough Riders Rally is Acqua Hotel of Mill Valley. The official bicycle shop, and venue for the pizza party, is Tam Bikes of Mill Valley. The official nutrition sponsor is Hammer Nutrition of White Fish, Montana. The Rough Riders Annual Shindig will take place at Tam Valley Community Center. Additional sponsors are being sought, including a Marin-based brewery.

A “live” webcast of the Rough Riders Rally will be produced by AdventureCORPS throughout July 23-25. Additionally, all participants, and all participants' bikes, will be photographed for the webcast and permanently archived online.

Mark your calendar to join us in Mill Valley, CA for the Rough Riders Rally on July 23-25, 2010! Registration is limited to 100 and we anticipate it selling out quickly.

Click here for all the Rough Riders Rally information.

Click here for a preview slideshow of most of Saturday's route and the general setting of the Rough Riders Rally.

Click here for additional posts about the Rough Riders Rally here on this blog.

RALLY PARTICIPANT ROSTER:
Want to know who is attending? Click here for the Rough Riders Rally roster.

SPECIAL GUEST:
Charlie Kelley, co-creator of the sport of mountain biking, will be attending! 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 Chris Kostman first met at the Iditabike in Alaska in 1988. Check out Charlie's Mountain Bike History "Hubsite" - Click here!

ROUGH RIDERS RALLY HIGHLIGHTS:
• July 23-25, 2010
• Held in Marin County, the birthplace of mountain biking AND one of the world's greatest road cycling meccas.
• Three Days of Cycling the BEST trails and roads of the Marin Headlands!
• Friday evening pizza party.
• Saturday evening Bike Show and Dinner at the Rough Riders Annual Shindig.
• All bikes & riders photographed for live webcast!

ORIGINS OF ROUGH RIDING:
Since shortly after publishing the controversial - and still oft-discussed - article "Mountain Bikes: Who Needs Them?" in the February, 1993 issue of Bicycle Guide - when the "love letters" starting pouring in - AdventureCORPS' Chris Kostman has dreamed of hosting a rally to celebrate the "Any Bike, Anywhere" ethos and lifestyle. Chris believes in riding any distance, in any conditions, over any terrain, at any time of day or night. That sounds really hard-core, perhaps, but mainly he and his fellow Rough Riders enjoy getting "out there" by riding roads, dirt roads, trails, and paths on whatever bike they happen to be on or have handy. Rough Riding is nothing new, however: Before "mountain bikes," cyclists routinely rode all manner of bicycles on all manner of riding surfaces. The oldest known mixed-surface cycling club is the Rough Stuff Fellowship, formed in the United Kingdom in 1955. Chris, AdventureCORPS, and the Rough Riders hope that representatives of the Rough Stuff Fellowship will attend the Rough Riders Rally.

ABOUT ADVENTURECORPS:
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, muiti-day cycling lifestyle adventures known as CORPScamps, plus several 100- and 200-mile cycling events in Death Valley, on and around San Diego County's Mt. Laguna, and beyond. We also host and develop our adventure-related websites and blogs 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."

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Chris Kostman
Chief Adventure Officer and Race Director
AdventureCORPS, Inc.
638 Lindero Canyon Rd #311
Oak Park, CA 91377 USA
http://www.adventurecorps.com
http://www.badwater.com
http://www.the508.com
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Carpooling and Ride-Sharing to and from the Rough Riders Rally; Hotel Room Sharing, too!

We encourage carpooling to and from all our events. With Rough Rders coming to Marin County for the July 23-25 Rough Riders Rally from across California and beyond, there must be somebody who lives near you, or along the route you'll be driving, or perhaps someone who just needs a ride to and from the airport in San Francisco or Oakland if they are flying to the event. Share the ride! Save gas! Save money! Save the earth!

Please use this section of the blog to connect with other riders - you can save money, save gas, help to protect the environment, and - hopefully - meet some cool people, too!

(Note: We are provide a service here, allowing people to meet and share rides. We can't and don't guarantee anything about the people you'll meet, so be careful and use your best judgement. Review the Personal Safety Tips that Craigslist uses on their Rideshare page here.)

Click the "Comments" button below and leave your request for a ride, or offer to share your trip!

Rough Riding the Santa Monica Mountains: A Semi-Epic (nearly EPIC) on November 21, 2009

On November 21, 2009 ten Rough Riders embarked upon a semi-epic (borderline EPIC) excursion in the Santa Monica Mountains. The ride leader was Chris Kostman. Six riders completed the full distance. It took eight hours to complete this route with a total distance of app. 45.7mi with 6110’ total elevation gain.

Above: Jim Swarzman in the Rough Riders jersey leads the group up Sullivan Canyon.

We spent about one hour stopped for flat tyres (25mm road tyres, especially old, worn out ones, are not suitable for rides like this), and another hour was spent regrouping to make sure that riders did not get lost. About 30 minutes was also spent bush-wacking and way-finding on the Budwood Motorway. "Motorway" is more than a euphemism; this "fire road" quickly disintegrates into a barely rideable single-track and requires a lot of way-finding. This was the only part of the whole route which was new to the ride leader. Amazingly, he plans to ride this "Motorway" again (now that he knows what to expect and how to find the way. Special thanks to Calvin Mulder for leading us through this section.) This ride was the Full Version of the abbreviated version of this ride which we rode back on May 21.

Below are some photos, but better yet:

Click here for an awesome video slideshow of the ride, with music.

Click here to see the same video on our YouTube channel.

Click here for a traditional slideshow of the ride (same images as the video), along with this same ride report and route sheet.

Here's a roster of riders and bikes:

Ken Kistinger (Rivendell Rambouillet with fenders and road tyres), Errin Vasquez with Salsa Fargo, Simon Kann with Specialized Epic ATB, Jim Swarzman with K2 ZedM ATB, Stephen Bryne with Specialized Expedition with road tyres, Victor Cooper with Univega ATB, Ty Callahan with Sam Hillborne, Bruce Malm with Bleriot 650B with fenders and h'bar bag, Calvin Mulder with Felt cyclocross bike, and yours truly on my 1984 Holdsworth road bike with 32mm Ritchey cylclocross tyres.

NOTE: Jim Swarzman was killed by a hit-and-run driver while riding a 600km Brevet on April 10, 2011. On April 11, 2011 I added a few more shots of Jim here, and then here is my post about Jim and that tragedy.

Above: Errin Vasquez with Salsa Fargo

Above: At "The Hub"

Above and below: after The Hub, we headed towards Trippett Ranch.

Above: On the Summit to Summit Motorway. with "The Valley" behind.

Above: Chris Kostman on Summit to Summit Motorway
Above: Jim Swarzman

Above: the not-to-be-missed rocky promontory on Calabasas Peak Motorway with view of Stunt Road and Saddle Peak in the background of this shot.

Above: almost the same location as the previous shot, but with "The Valley" behind.

Above: Heading down, so we can climb up Stunt Road to Saddle Peak in the distance.

Above: atop Saddle Peak, after climbing Stunt Road.

Above: our Budwood Motorway will turn into a bush-wack quickly! Jim Swarzman leads.

Above: Budwood starts off great, but deteriorates as it descends towards the coast. Note how high above the cost we are! Amazingly, we will be there in about three miles.

Above: Jim Swarzman hike-a-bikes part of the way down to the coast.

Above: Mission accomplished! Chris Kostman self-portrait with the other five Rough Riders - Jim Swarzman, Stephen Bryne, Simon Kann, Ken Kistinger, and Calvin Mulder - who completed the whole enchilada!

Route Sheet:

NOTE: All of these trails and roads can be found in the Thomas Bros. Guide for Los Angeles on pages 591, 590, 589, and 629 (in that order). Also note: this route sheet is not entirely accurate, it requires navigation, and no guarantees are made about the legality or safety of the route! RIDE AT YOUR OWN RISK!

• Start: 26th and San Vicente, Brentwood Santa Monica, CA 90049. Go north on 26th AKA Allenford Ave.

• Take streets - Sunset Blvd (R), Mandeville Canyon (L at 1.1mi), Chalon (L), Queensferry (R at 3.6mi) to enter the bottom of Sullivan Canyon.

• Ascend Sullivan Canyon (AKA Farmers Fire Road on maps) to Sullivan Ridge.

• Right to ascend Sullivan Ridge to Dirt Mulholland (AKA Mulholland Drive on maps)

• Left/West on Dirt Mulholland: go 2.7mi.

• Left on Temescal Fire Road south to "The Hub".

• At The Hub (13.4mi / 2450’ elevation gain): Hard Right on Topanga Fire Road towards Trippett Ranch.

• Right down into Trippet Ranch (16.3): state park parking lot area with water and restroom.

• Take Entranda Rd. (paved) down to Topanga Canyon Blvd.

• Go south briefly on Topanga Canyon Blvd (17.7mi).

• Right on Topanga School Rd (17.8mi) to end and through the cul-de-sac / front of the school.

- On weekends, there is gate which needs to be surmounted (18.0mi).

• Enter the south end of Henry Ridge Motorway (18.05mi: at very small, yellow State Park sign: uphill, very steep, overgrown dirt “road” to right of water tank).

• Continue / left on Henry Ridge Motorway proper (18.4mi: paved road, uphill).

- Just stay on this, northbound, along the ridge. You’ll pass through some gates, mostly open.

• Left / West on Summit to Summit Motorway (20.5 / 3690’ elevation gain).

- This is paved for just 50 feet, then turns to dirt at chain across road. Not well signed.

• Cross the summit of Old Topanga (paved) Road (22.1 mi / 3790’ elevation gain).

- Go straight across, go along left driveway, and follow "Trail" signs onto steep singletrack.

• Continue left / south on Calabasas Peak Motorway (22.3mi: a dirt fire road).

• At 24.1mi, veer left off fire road, park bike, and scramble up onto rocky promontory to see view of Stunt Rd. (4510’ elevation gain) and Saddle Peak. Then continue as you were.

• Continue straight / right at 25.1mi or follow Option Two as below.

• Drop onto Stunt Road, go left to climb Stunt to Saddle Peak (25.7mi / 4550’ elevation gain).

• At 28.2: Mile Marker 3.61 / Address 335: Water Fountain on Right at Driveway (5500’ elevation gain)!!!

• Left at the top of Stunt on Saddle Peak Rd (28.7mi / 5650’ elevation gain).

• Right on Tuna Canyon (31.9mi / 5770’ elevation gain).

Note: All sane people will stay on Tuna Canyon Road all the way down to PCH, rather than following the next five directions:

• At 33.0mi, go Right onto gated fire road as paved road swings left after a short fast downhill.

• At 33.1mi, go Right on Big Rock Motorway (fire road).

• At 33.35mi, Left (very soon) on Budwood Motorway (fire road). Stay on this all the way to coast, but this will require a lot of bush-wacking and way-finding. However it is epic! Some bike pushing/hauling required.

• At 36.7 (app), gate at the end of the trail / fire road. Civilization!

• Left on Big Rock Drive (paved road) (36.9mi).

• Left at the bottom onto PCH (37.3mi).

• Enter southbound beach bike path at Temscal Canyon Rd.

• Go under PCH at 42.8mi via stairs and pedestrian tunnel. This is equivalent to going left on West Channel from PCH into Pacific Palisades.

• As you exist the pedestrian tunnel, go straight up Ocean Avenue (head inland).

• Immediate Right on Short Drive (42.9mi), then immediate left on Entrada Drive.

• Immediate right on Ocean Way (43.0mi), then follow that left onto Mayberry.

• Right on Ocean Avenue (43.4mi).

• Left on San Vicente (44.7mi).

• Arrive back at 26^th Avenue start/finish (app. 45.7mi with 6110’ total elevation gain).

Congrats!!!

Option 2

• Go left at the fork onto Red Rock Road, instead of continuing down to Stunt Rd.

• Turn right on Old Topanga Canyon Road

• Turn Right on Topanga Canyon Blvd

• Turn left on PCH back to Brentwood via West Channel, etc as above.

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.