Dino ride 2011…

In 2009, the Dino Ride rolled through Pt. Reyes Station stopping at the shop to have a broken spoke replaced. The owner of the Richard Sachs ,whose spoke broke, was also the organizer of the ride. In 2010, he invited me to participate on the ride, but I had other obligations. I also didn’t feel very worth to be on a ride with such cycling greatness. I got the invite again for this year’s ride and even though my credentials still paled dramatically compared to this years participants, I loaded up the car with bike and gear and made the 1/2 hour drive to Fairfax for the start of the 2011 Dino Ride yesterday.

There was a rumor that 3-time Tour de France winner, Greg Lemond, was going to show at the ride and, sure enough, a few minutes before the ride was to roll out, Greg did show up. A crowd gathered around him since a lot of these guys did race with him in his early days as a junior and then as a senior on the US racing scene and they were busy catching up.

However, the main purpose of the ride was to ride. And ride we did. There were a lot of steel bikes some vintage, some new. There were also a lot of riders who knew how to ride. Riding in a pack with these guys was truly a treat. Rock solid riders. We rolled out of Farifax, up White’s Hill, through San Geronimo Valley and then up and over to Rancho Nicasio for the first stop/regrouping of the day – and group photos.

Leaving Rancho Nicasio, my buddy Gary B. had a rear flat so I stopped to help him repair it and get back on the road. By the time we got back on the road, the group was long gone so we gave chase up Pt. Reyes-Petaluma Rd. past the Cheese Factory and onto Hick’s Valley Road. We finally caught on to the group soon after turning left on the Marshall-Petaluma Rd. where the pace was nice before hitting the base of the Marshall Wall. Boy, some of these guys (and gals) can sure climb fast! I hit the top of the wall with a few riders, including ride organizer, Tom Hardy and Peter Johnson. Came up on Joe Breeze on the descent as well.

After a stop at the Marshall Store to refill water bottles, we motored south into Point Reyes where I opened the shop for a few minutes to properly repair Gary B’s flat tire before hitting the dirt Cross Marin Trail and I replaced the chain on another bike that had several twisted links. That done, it was chase mode again down to Olema and up and over the Bolinas Ridge down to the Cross Marin Trail. By the time we got on the dirt section we were coming up on the back of the group. At the end of the trail, one of the riders had a double flat so we stopped to repair that in the shade of a tree by the Inkwells swimming hole. Well, actually, there were several flats and one two bike tangle, but everyone was okay.

Back on Sir Francis Drake, the only thought was of the descent down White’s Hill into Fairfax and food and beer at Iron Springs Pub and Brewery. Overall, it was a fantastic experience. I got to chat quite a bit with Joe Breeze and caught up with several other riders who knew about the shop or had been to the shop. Quite a great way to spend a glorious Sunday. And it happened on what is likely the best weather day of the summer to date.