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Ride Like A Girl Fernandez Ranch 1081 Christie Rd · Martinez, CA Saturday, July 6, 2019 9:10 AM to 12:10 PM
The Bicycle Trails Council of the East Bay (BTCEB) hosts a MTB ride for women only on (usually) the first Saturday of the month. The intent of the ride is to have fun! and to meet other women who love to MTB.
Fernandez Ranch here we come! This is a small park with a 5.5 mile 950' loop. We'll start out with a counterclockwise loop, then for those who have more energy do a clockwise loop, and for those unstoppable pedaling legs we can even do a 3rd loop Triple Crown! The basic loop is about 60% singletrack in the shade of trees (whoo hoo!). The tree section includes a few switchbacks which add interest and a fun challenge. The loop has some off-camber sections but is not otherwise technical (i.e. there are minimal roots and rocks). There are no unforgiving 1000' cliff edges. So if you're a beginner who is up for challenges or advanced beginner or intermediate rider who wants a different place to ride or who has ridden Fernandez and knows what fun it can be, then this would be a fun ride for you! This is a no-drop ride as long as you try. Refreshments and girl-talk/bike-talk after the ride!
For more details and to RSVP, click here: https://www.meetup.com/BicycleTrailsCouncil/events/ptzsslyzkbjb/
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| BTCEB Board MeetingWednesday, July 10, 2019 6:30 PM to 8:30 PMZ Cafe 2735 Broadway · Oakland, CA
Come join us for our bimonthly Board and General Membership meeting. BTCEB is a very active organization with lots of interesting things happening. We meet at a nice restaurant with great food and beer at a central location with lots of parking. Come just to listen or to present your ideas or concerns. Please RSVP to reserve a seat: https://www.meetup.com/BicycleTrailsCouncil/events/262541896/ Gala Ride at China CampSunday, July 21, 2019 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM China Camp, N San Pedro Rd @ Miwok Meadows 799 N San Pedro Road · San Rafael, ca Sunday at China Camp in July. Can't get much better! The Bicycle Trails Council of the East Bay (http://www.btceb.org) invites you to our monthly Gala Ride. We usually meet on the 2nd Saturday of most months, but this month we are riding on SUNDAY. We are staging the ride at the MIWOK PICNIC area. The entrance road to the picnic area is around 1 mile past the kiosk/Back Ranch Meadows entrance (739 N San Pedro Rd). DO NOT ENTER AT THE KIOSK. The BTCEB will be paying your trail fee. To RSVP see: https://www.meetup.com/BicycleTrailsCouncil/events/258253833/China Camp Wed. Evening Rides by Kevin Kelly Wednesdays at 5:30pm Once again we are starting the Pop Up rides every Wednesday night at China Camp. Meet at 5:30, roll at 5:45. I will be driving a dark grey Toyota 4Runner and typically park on the east side of the road close to the Back Ranch Entrance (WHERE THE ENTRY KIOSK IS). The ride is a mellow pace counter clockwise. Most of the people I spoke to from last year are just now getting into riding shape so definitely not a "barn burner". I will typically sweep so if someone wants to lead please feel free. The loop should take roughly 1:30 given the pace...lights not needed. Please ensure your bike is in good condition. Should you have any questions and/or concerns about the ride please call or text me at (707) 333 5601. Kevin Kelley. BTCEB SUPPORTS CHINA CAMP SO PLEASE PURCHASE A TRAIL PASS AT THE KIOSK. PLEASE RSVP ON MEETUP. Thank you Kevin for doing this. We need more people offering POP-Up Rides! Send me the details and I will post it (mikeudkow@gmail.com) EBRPD Survey The East bay Regional Park District has a survey out. It does not take more than two minutes. It will make a difference. Go to their Webpage and tell them you want more singletrack, and bicycle access: http://eastbayparksurvey.com/
Popup Rides by Mike Udkow, BTCEB President
BTCEB has many other smaller, less formal last-minute rides, known as "popups".
Want more organized rides?? Who doesn't. Sign up to organize a POP-UP ride. If you are uncomfortable as a ride leader, no problem. Ask someone from the group to lead (that's what I do!). The "organizer' isn't necessarily the "ride leader". Send me the ride info and your cell number to mikeudkow@gmail.com and I will cut and paste your description into MeetUp. And thank you to the small group of pop-up ride organizer volunteers. Keep up the good work.
Look for them at anytime on the Meetup page: https://www.meetup.com/BicycleTrailsCouncil/
Or join and subscribe for automatic email notifications here: https://www.meetup.com/BicycleTrailsCouncil/?action=join
BTCEB via Facebook Finally, if you want to hear about other last-minute news, such as demo rides, and volunteering opportunities, "like" and follow BTCEB's Facebook Notification Page, and also request to join BTCEB's Facebook Discussion Group.
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REPORTS Gala Writeup by Jim Arth
The weather was great and made the 14 mile/ 1400’ route a very pleasant ride. We divided the riders into four groups based on ability. Each group had both leaders and sweepers who volunteered to assist with the ride. We could not make these rides happen without the great help of these volunteers. Thank you Volunteers (you know who you are)! Our next ride will be at China Camp on Sunday, July 21st.
Crockett Trails Report by Scott Bartlebaugh
The Warep hardening project continues with two more sections completed in June. The park district continues to supply blocks and gravel as we get them installed. We’ve also been working on hand brushing on Tree Frog and Warep while the combination of cows and park district mowing/weed whacking have improved Soaring Eagle overgrowth. We used Meet Up a couple times in the last month to publicize trail work days and included our first Friday evening trail work session by request. If you’d like to see more evening trail work & ride sessions or specific days let us know and we’ll see what we can do. Keep an out on Meet Up for more trail work. More dig, better ride! Editor's note: The Author is pictured above. Dimond in the Dirt by Mike K Props to local riders, including Tommy T of the Oakland Bike Patrol, and sometimes-BTCEB volunteer Adam, for hauling the tools and providing the sweat to help keep park trails open when nature adds her blockades.
Pictured here: Tom opens up a blocked El Canon trail in Dimond Canyon after an overnight windstorm in May. Later the same day OBP and Adam used hand saws to re-open a fully blocked exit to the upper Palos Colorados trail. Want give back to your park and your trails community? Check the BTCEB calendar for trail work events and go to oaklandbikepatrol.com to join local riders and on-the-dirt advocates. Mike K at info@oaklandbikepatrol.com can answer questions about OBP.
BTCEB Membership Drive by Mike Udkow
While membership on our Meetup site continues to grow to over 3700 followers, membership in the BTCEB, your mountain biking organization, has been lagging.
To grow, to survive, and to represent the mountain biking community, we need your support. Your membership dues support our Gala rides and our RLaG program, pays for our insurance, helps to support NorCal High School MTBing and supports trail work at China Camp, Rockville, Fernandez and Crockett. We are hard at work developing the JMP Pump Track. Our Board of Directors meets bi-monthly to discuss all topics relevant to local mountain biking.
Membership levels start at $30, with a $15 student/hardship level. Lifetime membership is $500. Aside from the dues, we truly need and value
Mountain Biking .... Independence Editorial
Last month we wrote about mountain biking going mainstream. Today, the Piedmont High School Mountain Bike Team did something to make it more so. They participated in Piedmont's amazing 4th of July parade. We have said it before, and will say it again: "Mountain biking is a wave that will continue coming, it is everywhere, and it is here to stay." Thank you to the Piedmont Scots, and happy 4th everyone. The Fernandez Ranch Encyclopedia by Dave SturgisDirections to Fernandez Ranch Directions to the park trailhead -- and a map of the property (from JMLT's brochure -- https://jmlt.org/fernandez_ranch.html)
From I-80 (Hercules / Pinole): Head east on Highway 4. Take the first exit after the Franklin Canyon Golf Course onto Christie Road. Use caution; Christie Road is a minor exit off of Highway 4. Fernandez Ranch is .7 miles down Christie Road on your right.
From Martinez: Head west on Highway 4. Take the Franklin Canyon Exit. Turn left and merge onto Highway 4 eastbound. Take the first exit after the Franklin Canyon Golf Course onto Christie Road. Use caution; Christie Road is a minor exit off of Highway 4. Fernandez Ranch is .7 miles down Christie Road on your right.
Fernandez Ranch Suggested Route Refer to map at the JMLT website link above (in “Directions to Fernandez Ranch” section) Note: this suggested route will take you for a brief time on an East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) right-of-way. This is a bike-legal section, but you will need to acquire and carry and EBMUD trail to ride this segment. See the following link to purchase a permit: https://www.ebmud.com/recreation/buy-trail-permit/ From the Fernandez Ranch parking lot, proceed across the large steel bridge over Rodeo Creek. Just past the creek, a trail branches off to the left (this is Black Phoebe Trail -- you'll end up here later) – DON’T go left; go straight here, instead. Almost immediately, the trail splits again. Take either branch -- they rejoin in about a quarter mile, on the other side of the small knoll that contains a picnic area and trellis. Where the trail branches rejoin on the far side of the knoll, proceed through the gate and continue up the fire road about another quarter mile until a trail branches off to the right. Turn right here -- this is Woodland Trail (you'll see a windmill just up the hill to your right).
1. WOODLAND TRAIL: Woodland Trail will begin as a climb for approximately 1/2 mile along an open hillside until you reach a gate. Proceed through the gate -- this next section is about a mile of nice, swoopy single track through a wooded canopy featuring several wooden bridges, finally opening up to an open hilltop about 3/4 mile later. You will reach another gate about 1/4 mile after you hit this open patch -- proceed through this gate* a couple of hundred yards to a fire road.
*Ride option: you’ll see a trail to the right / uphill just before this gate – this is the beginning to the Canyon Loop Trail. Canyon Loop is a 1.1-mile loop that heads downhill towards the Franklin Canyon Golf Course, then returns uphill and reconnects to the Franklin Ridge EBMUD fire road. It’s a worthwhile loop, but it’s a steep downhill and something of a slog (though not quite as steep) on the uphill return, if you do it counter-clockwise, i.e. starting from this gate. This loop might be a good option for a future trip to Fernandez Ranch (because you WILL be back!)
1a. EBMUD CONNECTOR FIRE ROAD / FRANKLIN RIDGE TRAIL: Where the Woodland Trail single ends at the fire road*, take an immediate left onto the fire road and continue along the ridgeline (note: all the branches downhill to the right end up down in in Hercules’ Refugio Valley neighborhood -- avoid unless you want steep, unrewarding climbs back out). *Ride option: where the Woodland Trail single track first meets fire road, there is a short (1/3 of a mile or so) optional/easy out-and-back (the Vista Trail) you can take to get a nice 360-degree view of your surroundings. If you want to give this a shot, take a right onto the fire road, then follow the fire road about a hundred yards. Here you will find single track to your right (watch for it, it’s a little hard to distinguish) just as the fire road starts curving uphill to your left. Almost immediately, the single track splits – stay left (to the right is the end of the Canyon Loop Trail, discussed in the previous section). Continue to the left / uphill on the Vista Trail for about 300 yds (there are a couple of switchbacks on the way up, but it’s a mild grade). The trail eventually peters out at the top of a knoll – from here, enjoy the beautiful 360-degree view, including San Pablo Bay (to the northwest), Mt. Tamalpais (to the west), the Oakland/Berkeley Hills (to the southwest), and Mt. Diablo (to the east). Once you’ve filled your senses, return back the way you came and work your way back to the gate on the Franklin Ridge Fire Road. After a couple of hundred yards after you’ve made your left from the Woodland Trail onto the fire road, you'll reach a gate signed as East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD). You can proceed through this gate legally, but access requires an EBMUD trail use permit (see notes earlier in this document for how to obtain a permit). Stay left on the fire road after the gate, and follow it for about 1/2 mile along the ridgetop to the east until you see a gate to your left (just as the fire road makes a sharp downhill right and starts heading down towards Alhambra Valley Rd on EBMUD watershed land). You'll also see the Bay Area Ridge Trail poking uphill from here -- at this point, it's somewhat overgrown, but worth a short hike up, if you're inclined); luckily, here's where you'll join back into what is arguably the best of the Fernandez Ranch trail segments, the Wood Rat trail. 2. WOOD RAT TRAIL: Immediately as you pass through the gate to your left off the EBMUD fire road, the trail splits -- a fire road (Windmill Trail) to your left, a single track (Woodrat Trail) to your right. Take the right-hand / single track branch – it’s a nice little swoopy through-the-forest downhill. Point your bike downhill and GO!* *The only thing to watch for here is that there is often a lot of leaf litter on the trail (needs more wheels, folks!), so make sure to keep your bike underneath you! About a half-mile down, you'll see a short split-rail fence, about fifteen feet long to your left; it's a bit hard to see, but the trail makes a SHARP left-hand turn here -- don't overshoot it, or you'll end up in the brush. From here, there will be a couple of single track trails branching off to the right within the next couple of hundred feet (they lead to Whipsnake Trail) -- for purposes of this first ride, ignore them and stay left for about another quarter mile until the single track dumps you back out onto the Windmill fire road. Stop here and catch your breath for a moment, then...turn around and head right back on the single track you just came down.
3. WHIPSNAKE TRAIL Within a couple of hundred feet after your turnaround, there's a single-track branch to the left (one of the ones you ignored on the way down) -- take it. This is the beginning of Whipsnake Trail, the last of the three major loops in the park. This will take you downhill through the forest for another couple of hundred feet, where you will then cross a wooden bridge to your left and begin your climb up to the ridge (which you'll hit in about 1/2 mile and three rather sharp switchbacks, the first of which -- a right-hand one -- you'll hit about 100 feet after crossing the bridge). Once you hit the open hillside, you'll continue climbing gradually. You'll hit a little promontory with a bench in about a quarter mile, just before the downhill begins -- stop here and take in the nice view, if you're inclined. From the bench, the trail almost immediately begins a drop that lasts for about a mile -- nothing much to note here except (a) follow the trail -- there are no branches -- and (b) watch out for the switchbacks -- they can creep up on you pretty fast! When you hit valley floor at the bottom of the downhill (after the final left-hand hairpin), there is another gate. Once you proceed through this gate (and across a small bridge), you have actually crossed over onto Black Phoebe trail, which is a packed-gravel double track that meanders through the valley for about a half-mile until you eventually spit out right next to the large steel bridge where you entered the park at the very beginning of your ride. Take a right here, and it's only a couple of hundred feet across the bridge and to the parking lot. Or you can take in some of these trails again, perhaps mixing it up with a reverse direction on some or all of them. ------ Reminder: As a BTCEB member, you can receive a 10 percent or higher discount for parts at many of the bike shops in the East Bay. You just have to ask. Thank you to the many bike shop sponsors for your support!
&... WITHOUT FURTHER ADO:
Gravel Event in Marin Submitted by Mike Udkow and Tom G Adventure Revival, Marin's First-Ever Gravel Event. Leaving from downtown Fairfax, you’ll choose from three routes, ranging from spicy to mild, with each including a challenging mix of single track, fire roads, and rural roadways. Regardless of route, you’ll be treated to classic Coast Range vistas as you traverse high ridgelines. Rolls Out in September: https://www.adventurerevivalmarin.com/
REI has Mountain Bike Classes Various locations throughout the Bay Area, various dates, skill levels, topics, even a women-only. $ https://www.rei.com/events/42/introduction-to-mountain-biking-class?course.session.anyLocation=100.000000~37.888395~-122.296578;geo_r&&previousLocation=94706
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| ABOUT BTCEB
BTCEB is a one-stop shop. We defend access rights. We lead volunteers to build sustainable trails and repair historic trails. We host social rides. We teach underprivileged kids to ride. We fund youth mountain bike race teams. The list goes on because as riders we can do more together than individually. If you have not already, please consider joining us as a member. Many bike shops in the East Bay grant a 10% discount on bike parts to BTCEB Membership Card holders. It is just another benefit of joining BTCEB. Thank you to all the East Bay bike shops that support our efforts both on and off the trails!
CONTACT US
Do you have a good ride story, trailwork report, or other bike trail news? Tell us about it. Please send a paragraph with 150 words or less with a pic (under 10MB please) and/or link telling us about trailwork, rides, events, or any good mountain bike effort to bring our community together, etc. Please send via email to the editor, John Roberts, with pictures if possible, at: buzz@btceb.org BTCEB BOARD MEMBERS
Mike Udkow, President information@btceb.org
Jim Arth, Membership Coordinator membership@btceb.org
Yvette Skinner, Vice President Dan McAvoy, Secretary Lauren Haughey, Treasurer Henry Mitchell, Trails Coordinator Dave Wolden, Director of Youth Programs (YMBA)Amy Arcus, Director of Women's Programs Tom Gandesbery, Member-at-Large Tom Holub, IT Chair |
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