Oct 4, 2009 - The first Santa Rosa Gran/Medio/Piccolo Fondo mass bike ride, a project of professional bike rider Levi Leipheimer, took place yesterday starting and ending in west Santa Rosa. It is the largest "citizens" ride ever in the USA - not a race, but a mass ride and a chance to mingle with famous bike riders (Levi, Tyler Hamilton, Scott Nyack, Axel Mercxx - all Tour de France participants). See the article about it in the local paper - Bob Padecky can tell it better than I can: Santa Rosa Press Democrat - Gran Fondo 2009
There were three different distances that riders could sign up for, and the longest, the Gran Fondo, is a route that Levi Leipheimer uses in training. Vince went on that ride (pictures attached).
Joanna and I volunteered for the Goat Rock Beach support station located just south of the Russian River; it was a wide turnout perhaps 20 yards wide and 100 yards long. We got there at 9:30 and helped set up the tables, prepared food and energy drinks, set up bike racks and took photos. There was a water truck there, the California Highway Patrol was present, and an Emergency Medical Technician set up her aid station.
Jack and Pilar were the volunteer leaders and the setup went smoothly. It was breezy from the beginning and the wind picked up as the day wore on. The weather prediction was that a cold front was going to move through the area, and early on it was sunny with cirrus clouds scattered above. The clouds moved along leaving a clear sky behind, and the gusts picked up to the point that even the awnings we had set up were threatened, so we had to take them down.
It was some time before we started to see riders crossing the bridge crossing the Russian River below - they were riders from the Medio Fondo. Our station was set up for the Gran Fondo riders coming later; the Medio folks were welcome to fill up water bottles with energy drink and water, but the food was held in reserve for the Gran. Around 11:30 the Gran Fondo riders began to appear, and many of the front runners cranked right on by - their competitive instincts undulled by the recreational tone of the event. After awhile Levi and perhaps twenty other riders cranked by, and after that the number of people stopping increased to the point that there was hardly room for people to hang their bikes on the bike racks. Many of the riders thanked us for being there, and we thanked them for riding - the proceeds in part will bring the Tour of California back to Santa Rosa next year.
Vince came by and we greeted each other and took some pics. By then there was a bike mechanic on site; Vince had had some trouble with his shifting so the mechanic took a look at it. After one more picture with Joanna, Vince got on his bike and headed off for the final climb - Coleman Valley road. It is a steep grade, late in the race, a real grunt.
We kept the station open almost an hour beyond when we were supposed to close, but by then all the riders that weren't going to take the sag wagon back had streamed through. There was actually a little food left over - the estimate had been pretty good.
Awning In Motion  | Bear King Yellow Jacket Queen  | Bike First Aide  | Bike Racks  |
Bikes2  | Bikes  | Bones  | Bottle Lid Not Pacifier  |
By The Sign  | Cranking2  | Cranking3  | Cranking4  |
Cranking  | Crowd  | Death Ride 99  | Deathride  |
Emt  | Filling Up  | Food Line2  | Food Line  |
Food Prep2  | Food Prep  | Food  | Front Row  |
Getting Windy  | Gloves  | Greetings2  | Greetings  |
Hanging Out  | Jack And Pilar  | Jack And Rider  | Laying Out  |
Making Energy Drink  | MASH Tent  | Mechanic1  | Medio Rider  |
Melon Seat  | Melons  | Motor Bike1  | Motor Bike2  |
Motor Bike3  | Motor Bike4  | Motorcycle Photographer  | Organizers  |
Paperwork  | Passing By  | Pb On You  | Peanut Butter Sandwich  |
Photographer  | Replenishment2  | Replenishment  | Riders2  |
Riders3  | Riders4  | Riders5  | Riders6  |
Riders  | Russian River Bridge2  | Russian River Bridge3  | Russian River Bridge4  |
Russian River Bridge5  | Russian River Bridge6  | Russian River Bridge  | Sandwich Builders  |
Sandwich Factory  | Snacks  | Soda Reserve  | Stirring2  |
Stirring  | Strawberries  | Terrible Two Profile  | Terrible Two  |
Topping Off  | Viking  | Vince And I  | Vince And Joanna  |
Vince And Mechanic1  | Vince And Mechanic2  | Vince And Mechanic3  | Vince Table Russian River  |
Volunteer T Shirts  | Volunteers2  | Volunteers3  | Volunteers4  |
Volunteers5  | Volunteers  | Waiting For Riders  | Water Beast  |
Watering Hole2  | Watering Hole3  | Watering Hole4  | Watering Hole  |
What Looks Good  | Wind  | Yellow Jacket2  | Yellow Jacket  |