The 4^th annual “50 Mile Ride for Project Rwanda” will be held on Saturday April 10, 2010 in Orange County, CA.

What began as a 50th birthday ride back in 2006 has evolved into one of the most anticipated and talked-about mountain bike events in Southern California.  Last year’s event was enjoyed by over 400 fun-loving mountain bikers, and organizers expect over 500 riders to participate this year.

What makes this ride different?  First of all, this event is a “ride”, not a race.  Riders participate for a lot of reasons: some for the challenge of riding further on a mountain bike than ever before, some because they love the Project Rwanda cause, some for the fun of sharing the day with tons of other biking buddies.  Second, the event is a fundraiser (with an emphasis on “fun”).  50 Mile Ride has raised just over $100,000 for Project Rwanda over the first three events.

According to event founder Doug Grant, “Our 50 Mile Ride event has grown every year.  Once riders catch the vision and experience the fun – they come back again, year after year.” One such participant is John Andrews, who said about 2009’s event: “Congratulations on another great event.  Everyone I spoke with had a great time, and once again had nothing but positive things to say about the event, the volunteers, the sponsors, prizes, everything!”

Riding for a cause appeals to lots of mountain bikers, including Jeff Yip: “My two friends and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.  Best part was that we took our passion for mountain biking and put it to a great cause.”

Participant Diane Parks agrees: “What a great event!  I deeply appreciate the true sense of community that you have created around this event.  I had a wonderful time and am so happy to donate time, energy and $ to such a worthy cause.”

Project Rwanda was founded by Tom Ritchey, a pioneer in the mountain bike industry.  Tom first visited Rwanda in 2005.  He was awed by the natural beauty of the country – “the land of 1000 hills”.  Even more than that, Tom was inspired by the people and their stories of reconciliation and hope.  Tom knew he could use his talent and resources to help make a difference – and Project Rwanda was born.  Project Rwanda’s mission is to further the economic development of Rwanda through initiatives based on the bicycle as a tool and symbol of hope.

The purpose of Project Rwanda is four-fold:

• Special Bike Design – Project Rwanda has designed a special utility bike that can quickly and efficiently transport heavy loads of coffee. This coffee bike can increase a Rwandan farmer’s earning potential by 30-40 percent, giving them an opportunity to rise above poverty for the first time in their generation.
• Build Awareness for Rwanda – The annual “Wooden Bike Classic” is an example of how Project Rwanda is reaching out to the world’s cycling and travel/adventure communities.
• National Pride – Project Rwanda has developed and equipped the Rwandan National Cycling Team. This team is now participating in international cycling events, and one day hopes to represent Africa in the Olympic Games.
• Bike Distribution – Project Rwanda plans to establish bike distribution to needed organizations.  Micro-finance mechanisms will subsidize the cost of these bikes, at rates that are fair and reasonable.

In addition to the 50 Mile Ride, there are 25 mile and 5 mile “fun ride” options available.  For more information about 50 Mile Ride for Project Rwanda or to register for the event, please visit www.50mileride.com.

Attn: all beginner riders, there’s a great spot to connect with other riders.

I had an opportunity to talk with John, as he picked up his 4Ti Crank Bro’s Pedals at my house a couple of weeks ago. John told me a bit about the rides they do.  Both John and Matthias came out to help us during the trail work days, before the first Over the Hump race, along with some of their beginner riders.  I was taken by the low-key, yet taken-by-mountain-biking enthusiasm they all shared. Jump in, there’s a great group here!

Tonight’s ride is at Whiting Ranch. Click here for Information. They ride every Wednesday, and post links on Monday, to let you know where the ride will be.

ABOUT THE WEEKLY MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDE FOR BEGINNERS!

John Dang and Matthias Jezek from SHO-Air / Sonance / Team Velosport organize weekly MTB rides for Beginner to Intermediate Level. These rides are designed to help improve your skills, learn more about the sport, enjoy the local trails, and most important share the fun with other participants! Each week they choose a different location, which helps with diversity and to introduce new trails to people who may just be getting into the sport or are not familiar with all the parks in the Orange County area. Expected ride time is approximately 60-90 Minutes, but this also depends, if riders request short clinics about particular trail sections or riding techniques.

Everyone rides at their own comfortable pace and we will always have trained control riders, so no one gets left behind. There is also always a short introduction to safety rules !

Exact routes, meeting time, and future rides will be posted every Monday morning at www.teamvelosport.com (Team Blog and photos) or www.rocknroadcyclery.net (News and Blog)

For further detailed information, please contact John Dang (jdang158@gmail.com) and/or Matthias Jezek(matthias.jezek@mac.com).

Sisters, 9, 11, 12, rock Orange County mountain bike race @ see the story and photos by David Whiting….who, by the way, redeemed himself September 15, with a new seatpost after the August 26 race saw him with a broken post, and his first ever DNF in a race he entered.

Congratulations David, and thanks for the coverage.

Over The Hump Series #2

http://www.highrevphoto.com
http://www.highrevphoto.com/blog

Tuesday’s race drew mountain bikers from all surrounding counties.  The grass by the lake was alive the entire afternoon.  Families, kids, sponsors and Over the Hump Volunteers were milling around. The anticipation and excitement of the 2^nd race getting underway was obvious. A couple of simple changes to the event area made it a great place to pull up a lawn chair, visit the sponsor’s tents, shake off some pre-race jitters, or stop by one of the local shop’s tent for  quick bike adjustment.

Racers getting ready before the race

If you weren’t there it might be hard to believe, but Tuesday was a testament to the fact the Orange County Mountain Bike Community is powerful, motivated, and most importantly ready to play! 400+ spectators came out to cheer on Over the Hump’s second and final inaugural season sold out race field.  It was a bit cooler, by the lake, than in August, and as the sun set over the hills, the energy continued to peak as the crowd rolled in.  We had several spots to sell on sight, and the line to get those spaces started at 3:30pm, a half hour before registration opened.

Hans Rey strikes a pose, Matt Wenger and Trail Angel’s Jacke Van Woerkom by the lake

As six o’clock rolled around trials and adventure mountain bike legend, Hans Rey, kicked off the festivities.  Hans said “I’m super stoked. This is much needed and I’m glad we now have a place to race. Good job…keep it up!” It was a contagious energy hovering around the start…I got goose bumps  just looking out over the deep crowd of racers, all lined up to take off chasing  after not just  a race win, but also grab another set of points to add to the series standings.

SHO-Air pros Sid Taberlay (left) and Manny Prado (right) were shoulder to shoulder much of the race (Photo courtesy IHarris)

As the horn blew local SHO-Air Pros Sid Taberlay, Manny Prado along with August 26ths Women’s Expert winner Tonya Bray led out Expert racers along with the other 371 racers. Expert racers had 4 laps ahead of them, Sport 3, Beginners and Juniors 2.  The road out of the staging area was busy with two way traffic for the next hour and a half, with the dust tamed by a water truck that ran the course right before the race.

There were some great race highlights, as Sport Beginner and Juniors, alike,  were passed by the Expert pack that stayed 8 strong through the first 2 laps.  It later broke up, bringing home a repeat top 3 finish for the Expert Men and Women.

Of course the stories go much deeper from Tuesday’s race than just the pros performance and speed.  More than a handful of racers came up to Over the Hump staff and thanked us for such a great event.  Doug, a Beginner 40-49 racer said, “Thanks so much. I haven’t raced in over 10 years, and this just made me feel like a kid again.”  He wasn’t the only one, and the smiles said more than any encouragement, or words could.

Makayla Dulac (11)

We spotted another notable story, as we stuffed race numbers in envelopes on Monday night prior to the race.  As I alphabetized the entries, there was 1,2,3,4,5 Dulacs.  Mom, Dad, and daughters Samantha (12), Makayla (11), and Danielle (9).  5 people, 3 under 13 years old. It’s important to us to be providing a venue to develop new racers, and allow kids, beginners, enthusiasts, experts and pros all to hit the dirt together in a very unique mountain bike race experience. It was so cool to see future mountain bike star, 9 year old, Danielle Dulac, race on the same course, at the same time, as 1st Place Women’s Expert and former pro Tonya Bray.  In fact as the race went on, we realized we now had a Women’s Junior’s Class to add to the mix, which was missing in the August 26^th race. All 3 Dulac girls not only finished the race it was a 1,2,3 finish for the Dulac girls!

After the race the crowd gathered out on the grass for the race results, and the final series points finalists to be reveiled.  As we waited, Project Rwanda’s raffle took place and winners were announced who received a Crank Brother’s JoplinR seatpost, a Park Bicycle tool set, a month supply of Sambazon among other prizes.

Crank Brothers, held a semi-secret competition, which was had a hi-end purse.  John Dang, who raced Tuesday was sporting a Crank Brothers wheel set and went home with the title “Biggest Crank Brother’s Fan” and a new $400 set of 4Ti pedals.

Oakley equipped fasted young rider Series Winner, Matt Tenure( Men’s Sport 1 (under 29)) with a Holeshot watch valued at $650.

Expert Series Final results were:

Women’s category: 1^st Place – Tonya Bray, 2^nd Place – Vicki Chernoff, and 3^rd Place – Annabelle Nenninger.

Men’s category: 1^st Place – Sid Taberlay, 2^nd Place – Manny Prado, and 3^rd Place – Dana Weber

Winners took home these beauties!

All 2009 Over the Hump Series race and series winners can be found at http://overthehumpseries.com .

As we sit on this side of the last 10 weeks we’re  excited by the way Over the Hump Mountain Bike Race Series has taken on a life of its own.  A life fueled by racers and fans from counties wider spread than just Orange, of every age, level and ability.  Some have experienced racing for the first time, and promise to be back, and many seasoned racers have told us how much they enjoyed the vibe and race at Irvine Lake…they too plan to come back.

Over the Hump will continue in 2010 by bringing Orange County a full weekly series, along with plans for an Endurance race, and a few other plans along the way. Stay up to date, and find all the results and other info on Over the Hump Mountain Bike Series at http://overthehumpseries.com

Thanks again for coming out and supporting Over the Hump Mountain Bike Race Series. It’s been a fun ride, and we look forward to seeing you on the trail.

#736 Makayla Dulac (11yrs) took 2nd in Women's Juniors, behind her sister Samantha (12yrs), and in front of sister Danielle (9yrs) (photo courtesy IHARRIS

One family raced, even mom and dad.  5 people, 3 under 13 years old.  One of the cool things about Oer the Hump is that a 9 year old, Danielle Dulac, can race on the same course, at the same time, as our 1st Place Women’s Expert Tonya Bray, and 1st Place Men’s Expert Sid Taberlay (SHO-Air, Oakley, H2Overdrive).  In fact there were 3 junior girls all in the same family that came out to race on Tuesday.

We missed creating the class and awards, and grouped them in with the Men’s Junior…that has changed.  Unfortunately, they did not get their time in the moonlight at the race course, but rumor has it the Dulacs have inspired riders and writers and will be featured in a story to pop soon.    All 3 Dulacs will receive their due prizes, as before the race the category did not exist…but the Dulacs came out in force. August 26 race did not see any junior women racing, and we’re stoked you came out Congratulations.

Dulac Girls, congrats on your finish and wins! Keep riding.

Want to see your mug during the race!  Please see IHarris photos he’s shared.

Pics posted here, there’s about 500 he took 2 full laps so everybody should be in there at least once, feel free to use as you like http://picasaweb.google.com/IHarrisP…eat=directlink

Thanks Joe for coming out and covering the race.

David wrote a plug for yesterday’s race. Check it out here: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/race-lake-top-2565399-bike-one

Tuesday September 15th’s race was amazing to be a part of. We couldn’t have done it without all the support from volunteers, sponsors, and of course the racers.  We look forward to many more races in the future, and celebrate with you, the beginning of this new Over the Hump Mountain Bike Series.

Click here to get results!