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The Rough Riders Rally included a Friday afternoon road ride (Alpine Dam Loop) and the Friday evening pizza party catered by Stefano's Solar-Powered Pizza and hosted at Tam Bikes in Mill Valley. Saturday was the big day: an up to six hour ride in spectacular terrain. Later that afternoon the bikes were assembled for a bike show. (To enter a bike in the show, it must have been ridden on the full route. No "for looking only; not for riding" bikes may be shown.) At the Saturday night Rough Riders Annual Shindig, all the bikes were on display, a tasty dinner was catered by Punjabi Burrito, and awards were presented. It was a fantastic, fun evening of story-swapping and camaraderie. Sunday morning, Rally participants rode Railroad Grade to the summit of Mt. Tam. After the ride, riders congregated in Mill Valley for a social hour or two at The Depot Café, officially concluding the Rough Riders Rally. The Rough Riders Rally is 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 always 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. Brew for both social events is generously provided by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. A “live” webcast of the Rough Riders Rally was produced by AdventureCORPS throughout the event. Additionally, all participants, and all participants' bikes, were photographed for the webcast and permanently archived online. Rough Riding and the Rough Riders Rally in the NewsAdventure Cycling blog feature: Click Here! RoadBikeRider.com feature: Click Here! Adventure Cyclist feature: Click Here! Endurance News feature: Click Here! BikingBis.com feature: Click Here! 2010 Images, Roster, and ReportClick here for links to seven slideshows, a full roster, and much more Special Guests in 2010Charlie 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. Read More. Jacquie Phelan, one of the best known and most recognizable faces of mountain biking, will participate. Read More. Read Her Blog. Owen Mulholland, one of the first American journalists to cover cycling in Europe, and to write about the fledgling new sport of mountain biking, will participate. Owen is the author of "Uphill Battle: Cycling's Great Climbers" and "Cycling's Golden Age: Heroes of the Postwar Era, 1946-1967." Read More. Schedule of EventsNOTE: All cycling is optional and is held on open, public roads and trails. All traffic and safety laws, and trail regulations, must be obeyed. All cycling is done at one's own risk. All cycling will be done as if on a personal ride. Rides will not be timed, results will not be posted, we will not be racing, and common sense and road/trail etiquette will rule the day. Registration for the Rally includes participation in the social events, meals, bike show, and goodie bags contents. ALL RIDING IS OPTIONAL, not supported, and entirely self-guided. Photo ID is required to check-in for the event. Entry includes: Friday evening Pizza Party, Saturday evening Awards Dinner, the opportunity to enter your bike in the Bike Show, Rough Riders water bottle, Rough Riders patch, Rough Riders pin, AdventureCORPS tote bag, Hammer Nutrition samples, plus discounted services from Tam Bikes. Photos, Elevation Profiles, Maps and Garmin Mapping Links: Friday Route | Saturday Route | Sunday Route (more details to be added for thsi route) Friday (Images) Saturday (Images) Sunday (Images)
Locations and LinksThe Rough Riders Rally will be hosted in and around Mill Valley, CA, in Marin County, CA (just north of San Francisco, over the Golden Gate Bridge.) The nearest airport is San Francisco, while the Oakland airport is only slightly further away, much smaller, and usually easier to navigate. Tam Bikes: 357 Miller Avenue, Mill Valley, CA 94941. Map | Info Rough Riders Jerseys by HincapieIf you would like to order a Rough Riders jersey, please note that the jerseys are available for pre-order only. We do not order hardly any "extras." If you want one, please order it when you register for the event. You will not be able to email us later to order or request one. Please reference the Hincapie Sports Sizing Charts to be sure you know your correct size before you order the new gear.Remember, these are "race-cut" and we offer both men's and women's styles. Wear the jersey with pride and style!
Where To Stay
Please note that we have researched hotels in this area thoroughly. It is a VERY popular tourist destination located in one of the nation's most expensive places to live. The Acqua is a beautiful hotel in a very convenient location; it is freeway-close and just a short bike path ride from the Rally venues. Much lesser hotels, some practically next door, charge much, much more. Please stay at Acqua! Map. It's just 1.7 miles from our host hotel to the start / finish of each of the three rides. Acqua Hotel is not only perfectly located, it's also a lovely hotel with a fantastic breakfast buffet. Though it's located right off the 101, it's absolutely quiet. The view of Mt. Tam is to die for, too!
The Acqua Hotel features 49 guest rooms; 25 rooms are the premium, Junior Suite rooms. These rooms are larger and take full advantage of the western views of Mt Tamalpais and Richardson Bay. Each room has a balcony or patio as well as an oversized bathroom and entry parlor. The balance of the guest rooms are more traditional in size, and have a bit more southern orientation. Regardless of room type, all guests will enjoy the following benefits: Rates do not include 11.065% occupancy tax. For a virtual tour of the Acqua, click here. Click Here to reserve Acqua Hotel Accommodations for Rough Riders Rally Preferred Rate. Rough Riders Rally preferred Hotel rates are also available at: Mill Valley Inn • 165 Throckmorton Street, Mill Valley 94941 • 415-389-6608 • 800-595-2100 Waters Edge Hotel • 25 Main Street, Tiburon 94920 • 415-789-5999 • 877-789-5999 Carpooling and Hotel Room SharingWe 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. Please use this section of the Rough Riders blog to connect with other riders. Share the ride! Save gas! Save money! Save the earth! Maybe find a roommate, too! What to BringAll riders are on their won while riding. There is no support provided on the rides. All riders must come prepared for any possible mechanical failure or contingency. At the very least, all riders should carry a spare tube, tire (yes, an actual tire), pump, patch kit, basic tools, water bottles, food, money, personal and medical identification, cell phone, money, credit card, and a good attitude. Although we anticipate great weather in late July, any weather is possible in the San Francisco Bay Area. A vest, arm warmers, and sunscreen are recommended, at the minimum, besides traditional cycling attire. As for footwear, some riders may need to "hike-a-bike" here and there, so trail-worthy shoes are recommended. Wearing a Rough Riders jersey is HIGHLY recommended! Twilight, Sunrise, and SunsetTwilight begins 5:36; Sunrise is 6:06; Sunset is 20:27; Twilight ends 20:57. Important Registration Details and Policies
Below: a few previews of the recon slideshow of the Saturday ride!Special thanks to my long-time friend and local guide, Ed Levinson, a Furnace Creek 508 veteran who owned and operated a bike shop here for over ten years. (Our host shop for the Rally will be Mt. Tam Bikes at 357 Miller Avenue, as pictured in the slideshow.)
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.
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