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Troy and Chuck rode their bikes from Redlands, California up and "Around The Bear" on June 12, 1999!! It was a fantastic day of cycling with blue skies, wild yellow flowers all around green fields, and forest vistas. The fun part was once we made it to the top at Onyx Summit (8,443 Feet), we had 40 miles of downhills!! In 1987, the following review of the ride was written in "CYCLIST MAGAZINE": "One of the all time great centuries. There is little more satisfying than cruising nearly 40 miles down the 7000- foot descent from Onyx Summit to Redlands. Not to mention the OCW feast at the end of the ride. This is a glorious ride but there is a little matter of climbing to Running Springs at 6030 feet. Big Bear Lake at 6750 feet and to Onyx Summit at 8443 feet to start with. This ride has been rated "One of the top ten most difficult centuries in the country" as stated by Cyclist Magazine in 1987 and California Cyclist in 1988 and is NOT for Beginners." Troy had an OUTSTANDING DAY climbing up to the top of this high mountain summit. This ride is not for the faint of heart and Troy rode it well. He started with the seven teammates he had been training with from the San Diego, the "Team in Training" group ... and he finished with all seven of them!! On a ride with so much climbing, this is a major team accomplishment that was unique for sure!! Chuck also had a great day of cycling. He started with four teammates he had been training with from Tustin, the "Veloce Santiago" team, who all stayed together for the minor climbs before the base of the mountain. As expected, Chuck was quickly dropped by his faster teammates when the mountain climbs started. No worries ... there were plenty of cyclists to ride with all day and he had fun working with others to break the wind. The feast put on by the Orange County Wheelmen at the Finish Line was awesome. It's hard to imagine how much 400 hungry cyclists can eat!! Congratulations to Troy on completing his First "Bear"!! Check out this ride on the Orange County Wheelmen's Web Site. |
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