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One-Day Ride from San Jose to
the Great Western Bicycle Rally in Paso Robles
Friday, May 23, 2008

Important - There is a fee for this ride. Read and study all of these pages. There will be a test for all first-timers to see if they understand how this "leaf frog" system is supposed to work.

This ride starts in San Jose, then travels to Hollister for breakfast before starting the riding (via Hwy 25, and Peach Tree Rd) to Paso Robles, for a total of 117 miles and 4700 feet of climbing. Many vehicles will be along for SAG support. There will be room to carry everybody's camping equipment. Arrangements will be made for getting everybody back to San Jose.

The riders will be split into 3 groups (A, B, & C), based on their pace level and also on having enough people spread evenly to cover all the driving. Each group will drive for 2 to 3 of the 7 sections. The SAGs do not stay with the riders, but drive ahead to the next SAG stop. Each group tries to keep to its own schedule, which has been made up with the objective of getting everybody to Paso Robles at the same time, while letting each group ride at their own pace and ride their desired number of miles. There will be plenty of times during the day when some or all of the groups are in the same place at the same time. The estimated finish time for everybody is 5:30 PM. 


Group A, LM pace, 61 miles, 1460 ft 
Group B, M+ pace, 82 miles, 3970 ft
Group C, MB-pace, 91 miles, 3950 ft
All groups have a scheduled 50 minute stop for breakfast in Hollister at Jerry's. All other meals will be with food you provide yourself. The SAGs will be available only at each of the scheduled stops.

We will again return to Star Farms for a well-deserved jump in the lake for the last reststop.

Camping will be at the ACTC section in the Paso Robles fairgrounds, and you should already have made your own reservations for GWBR. If you haven't, don't worry, because they do accept late registrations ($10 late fee). We plan to ride Saturday, Sunday, and Monday morning.

There is a $21 fee ($24 after May 19), payable in advance and non-refundable after May 19. This money will be split among the SAG owners for gas, and for bottled water, plus some assorted snacks.

  • Meet :
    • at Don's house (4637 Holycon Circle, off of Branham, near Snell)
    • at 6:15 AM. We try to be all packed and ready to leave by 7:00 AM
  • Bring :
    • bike, shoes, helmet, gloves, waterbottles, repair kit, pump.
    • tent, sleeping bag, clothes for the weekend, swimsuit, towel
    • some food for the trip down
  • Provided :
    • space in the SAGs to hold each rider's food
    • an ice chest with ice and sodas, with room to put some stuff.
    • water for everybody, in one-gallon containers.
    • room for each person's tent, sleeping bag, clothes.
    • floor pump, some assorted tools.
    • Route sheet and schedule for each rider and vehicle.
    • space in the SAGs for your return at the end of GWBR.
Any more questions, or to get your name on the list, contact Don at bikemaster@att.net or call (408)386-1638.

Self-Test for "Leaf Frog" Riding.

  • 1) (T, F) The SAGs do not stay with the riders, but drive ahead to the next SAG stop.
  • 2) (T, F) Each group needs to stay together, and tries to keep to its own schedule,
  • 3) (T, F) Each group rides their own pace and rides their desired number of miles.
  • 4) (T, F) There is a lake for swimming, with green grass and palm trees, waiting for everyone at the last stop.
    Answers: 1)T, 2)T, 3)T, 4)T