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.”
Pierre's Hole Rendezvous photo by Michael McCoy
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BIKING WITHOUT BORDERS is posted every Monday by Michael McCoy, Adventure Cycling’s field editor, and highlights a little bit of this or a little bit of that — just about anything, as long as it’s related to traveling by bicycle. Mac also compiles the organization's twice-monthly e-newsletter Bike Bits, which goes free-of-charge to 38,000 readers worldwide.
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