The 2011 Bike for Bender Hell Ride is officially in the books!
Nov 5th, 2011 marked the 20th anniversary of our annual Hell Ride. We had been planning this event for months and this time we were ready for anything; well just about anything.
- We had a new route planned that included a loop through the Boy Scout Camp above the SART.
- We were out on the course clearing bushes and doing trail work weeks beforehand.
- We had 8-10 designated trail guides.
- We had sign-ups so we could keep track of everyone on the ride.
- We had number plates so we could easily identify riders.
- We had an emergency contact number on every plate.
- We had a surplus of trucks and trailers to shuttle everyone up.
- We had an official aide station with food, water and snacks.
- We had over $4000 of raffle prizes to give away after the ride.
- We even had 20th Anniversary t-shirts.
Decision Time
Even though this was the 20th Anniversary of the ride, Mother Nature wasn't going to let us off easy. The day before the ride it snowed over 5 inches up at Angelus Oaks and the temperature dropped down into the 20s. If we were going to host the ride, we were going to have to adjust the course and come up with a brand new plan (quickly).
So that's exactly what we did.
Brainstorming
The evening before the ride we called our friend Rick at the Boy Scout camp and he confirmed there was over 6 inches of snow up there and that the road conditions were dwindling quickly. That meant the top two sections of the SART (South Fork to Middle Control Rd) were out, and the biggest disappointment, we'd have to cancel the SuperD loop through the Boy Scout Camp park.
We'll definitely have to schedule another event next year just to ride the mountain bike park. Stay tuned for more details.
New Course
No worries however. We decided to start the ride at Angelus Oaks, survive a few 1000 feet of snow riding, climb Morton Peak, take the SART down, hook a left on to the "Upper Workout", cross the wash and then add a section through Crafton Hills at the bottom. That meant that the aide station would have to relocate to the wash in Mentone and that would be the "bail point" for slower riders.
All in all it worked out perfect. The amount of riding time, distance, climbing and descending were almost exactly the same as the standard Hell Ride. See new course here.
So did we survive?
Absolutely, but only the courageous! That morning over 70 riders showed up at Uncle Howie's. We signed everyone up, shuttled up to Angelus Oaks and got started. It was around 32 degrees and pretty chilly at the beginning.
It took everyone a few pedal strokes to figure out that "you can" actually ride on snow and ice; you just have to be careful. All I have to say is thank god for the 4x4 tracks up to Thomas Hunting Grounds! Without that, we would have had a much more difficult time.
Shortly thereafter, the sun came out and it was all breathtaking views and awesome single track the rest of the way down. Everyone was smiling the whole way.
Thank you!
Thanks to everyone that made it this event a reality; from all of the organizers and volunteers, to the sponsors, to the riders that stuck with it to the very end. It took every single one of you to make this a success.
Here's a few shots of what happened this year.
NOTE: There are endless amounts of pictures, videos and comments on facebook as well if you are interested.
Enter the fridge
100 pedal strokes in
Are we done yet?
Simply beyond words
Enter Single Track
Russell and Margaret in the clouds
Warmth at last!
Morton Peak
Bender's Aide Station
Uncle Howie's Aftermath
Many important folks are missing here but thanks to everyone who helped make this such a success.
Let us know what you thought about the ride. Ideas for next year?
Absolutely, but only the courageous! That morning over 70 riders showed up at Uncle Howie's. We signed everyone up, shuttled up to Angelus Oaks and got started. It was around 32 degrees and pretty chilly at the beginning.
It took everyone a few pedal strokes to figure out that "you can" actually ride on snow and ice; you just have to be careful. All I have to say is thank god for the 4x4 tracks up to Thomas Hunting Grounds! Without that, we would have had a much more difficult time.
Shortly thereafter, the sun came out and it was all breathtaking views and awesome single track the rest of the way down. Everyone was smiling the whole way.
Thank you!
Thanks to everyone that made it this event a reality; from all of the organizers and volunteers, to the sponsors, to the riders that stuck with it to the very end. It took every single one of you to make this a success.
Stay tuned for a new event in the spring of 2012.
Here's a few shots of what happened this year.
NOTE: There are endless amounts of pictures, videos and comments on facebook as well if you are interested.
Going over "the plan"
Enter the fridge
100 pedal strokes in
Are we done yet?
Simply beyond words
Enter Single Track
Russell and Margaret in the clouds
Warmth at last!
Morton Peak
Bender's Aide Station
Uncle Howie's Aftermath
Many important folks are missing here but thanks to everyone who helped make this such a success.Let us know what you thought about the ride. Ideas for next year?
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