Greetings, fellow Rough Riders!
Be sure to check out "Fat Terrain on Skinny Tires on the Adventure Cycling Blog! Here's a sneak peak:
In case you’re not a member of Adventure Cycling Association -- which means you’re not privy to the information and amazing bicycling tales distributed nine times a year in Adventure Cyclist magazine -- I wanted to give you a heads-up about a phenomenon we reported on in the February edition of the magazine.
Under the sub-head ‘Ride Softly and Carry a Big Repair Kit,’ we told readers about the “Return of the Rough Riders” -- which in this case is not a group of volunteer cavalrymen led by Teddy Roosevelt, but a growing bunch of hardy cyclists whose mantra is “Any Bike, Anywhere.” Their leader/organizer is Chris Kostman, the man behind the California-based AdventureCORPS and such events as the Badwater Ultramarathon run and the Furnace Creek 508 bike race, both staged in and around Death Valley.
The Rough Riders could be described as a fresh twist on Great Britain’s 55-year-old Rough Stuff Fellowship. To better understand what they’re all about, consider this from the Alpine Bicycle Club, home of the Colorado Rough Riders, the second Rough Rider chapter to form: “[We are] 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 singletrack. All on the same route, with the same bike. Club membership is free. All skill levels, from novice to professional racer, are welcome. … We even accept mountain bikers. But we will probably give you a hard time until you change out the big fat knobbies.”
The premiere Rough Riders Rally is slated for July 23–25, 2010, in Marin County, California. “We've finalized the main ride route,” Chris said, “and made plans with our host bike shop, and much more … for what will be a truly exciting, memorable, and fun international gathering of Rough Riders.”
We really appreciate Adventure Cycling staff writer Michael McCoy's enthusiasm for Rough Riding and his support for the inaugural Rough Riders Rally! It's so exciting to see all this momentum building for our movement and for the Rally!
PS Coming up soon: an announcement about a pre-ride of the Saturday route for the Rough Riders Rally in May (probably Saturday, May 15). All are invited to ride the course with me that day as I fine-tune the route sheet and put the finishing touches on this exciting new event! Details forthcoming!
1 comment:
Thanks for posting this - I was trying to find your email... but you're on top of all the internets!
Hope to see you guys out there. Some folks will have their kids in two.. so it won't be too fast, I'd imagine.
Esteban
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