And what a great time it was.

41 starters, 38 finishers.

Big props to the hard-men at the front of the pack, with Guy Sutton & Kenny Gioeli pushing a blistering pace and finishing the complete route at 1:21pm clock time…
Props also are due to Dan Mc Cormack & Stephanie Guadreau-McCormack on their all-day Enduro experience, working through navigational challenges and exhaustion. There were a lot of good experiences out there, lots of smiling faces back in camp.

Big props are also due to trail angels Mary Metcalf-Collier & Rachael Gollub, who took it upon themselves to provide treats to all the ride participants at the summit of the May Valley climb. The brownies really were wonderful…

The final results are up here, on the Results Page.
Mary’s pics are up here

Keep your ears on for this event, and possibly others, to spring up again.

Rubber Down,

The Enduro Non Management

The cues are written for a zero mileage point at the start of 6S13… though we’re actually riding a bit before we arrive at it, this highway mileage isn’t reflected on the cues.

Zero your computer at 6s13 and you will match the cues.

We’ll post the full start list soon.

RSVP’d riders should have received cue sheets & maps for the route by now.

If you haven’t, please drop an email with your name & town to sanjacintoenduro@gmail.com

Know what you’re getting in to. This is an exceedingly difficult ride, going through remote & imposing areas, a long ways from medical assistance & other benefits of civilization.  This is NOT for a weekend warrior. You are expected to ride the entire route, self supported with no assistance of any kind. This includes but is not limited to wilderness nagivation, mechanical support, food & water, etc.
It is not a closed route, expect to encounter motorized vehicles, equestrians, hikers, hunters, and other trail users. You will be on public roads, highways, and singletrack, interacting with the general public- act accordingly, obey the rules of the trail & road. Study the maps & cue sheets, print them out. Expect NO prepared materials on the day of the ride.
We provide the route, suggested start time, and tabulated times- nothing else. Prepare as if you were riding the route solo. Read & understand the course rules here:
http://sjcenduro.wordpress.com/about/

Other info:

Detailed route info will be available on the cue sheets and maps.

Public water sources (natural & municipal) are available near the start, at mile 22, off route near mile 33, and again at mile 46. There are NO viable water sources on the second loop whatsoever.

Time for a very fast rider on the first loop has been 5- 5 1/2 hours, and 2- 3 hours for the second loop.

Camping info will be available upon RSVP.

Start list with RSVP’d riders will be published next week.

The cue sheets are verified & we’re just about ready to go!

The route has closer to 11k in climbing, NOT 16k. Again, that’s 11,000 ft in climbing, not 16,000… sorry for the confusion. We have local superstud, Todd Carpenter to thank for verifying the route & cue sheets with his supergadget.

RSVP info- drop an email to sanjacintoenduro@gmail.com if you plan to attend. You will receive a digital copy 0f the map, cue sheets, and other relevant ride & camping information. All attendees must RSVP!

Ride start time is 6am.

We will have two Tour Divide veterans in attendance, though only one is racing… the other is pregnant and will likely be seen around camp eating for two.

On that note, mark your calendars for Mary Metcalf-Collier’s Tour Divide presentation at the Rainbow Inn, Idyllwild on October 21st. There will be a wine & cheese reception at 5:30pm, followed by a slide show & lecture from 6-7pm. It’s free! Dinner to follow at the Gastrognome.

We have the course broken down into two loops

… which total about 70 miles, 11,000 ft of climbing.

The first loop leaves from the Lake Hemet Campground at O-Dark Thirty on race day… probably with a neutral rollout to first dirt, about a mile away. From there, you’ll climb a good portion of Thomas Mountain and start your sufferfest. The loop features jaw-dropping views & fast descending on Rouse Ridge, and a long, satisfying climb up to Idyllwild.

Loop one works out to about 48 miles.

Loop 1 ends with some of our best singletrack, in May Valley. Most of the area’s mtb visitors miss this good stuff when they ride the 24 hour course… Ride the local good stuff.

(the stash trails you see on locals’ blogs)

Loop 2

Upon return from loop 1, you will have the option to proceed on the full route, which tours ranch land and climbs through chaparral up to the pines of Thomas Mountain. At the high point of your climb you’ll turn on to Ramona Trail for a perma-grin descent on technical singletrack.

More to come:

We are finalizing a highly detailed set of cue sheets, which will be available soon. Also, we’ll be hosting a large digital file of both map segments to print at home.

RSVP: we’re going to ask all participants/attendees to RSVP for the ride. Details to follow.

Some shots from the route

Thomas Mountain/ Ramona Trail

view of Cahuilla Mountain, across Anza Valley

Rouse Ridge/ 5S06/ Idyllwild

May Valley

Garner Valley

So we are on it this year.

• Date:  October 24
• Startime: Prepare for Early……like real Early
• Place: Idyllwild, CA and the surrounding San Jacinto Mountains
• Route: It’s going to be BIG

In the process of solidifying camping for friday and saturday night…….Route will be up shortly.

So for now mark it down on your calendars and check back often for updates.

The SJE will likely ride through some of this goodness:

While we don’t have routes hammered out, we’ll likely string together some of these areas in one fashion or another.

May Valley- Some of the ride’s most satisfying singletrack will be on one of our local trail systems here. May Valley leads to Hurkey Creek (site of the 24 hour race) and out to Thomas Mountain. Pine Forest to Chaparral here.

The Lake Hemet Market- The first and last chance for water and calories (or beer & bait) before heading up Thomas Mountain en route to the Ramona Trail on the way out. Same situation applies for the climb out of May Valley back to Idyllwild, if we go that way. The market sits at about 4200ft, for reference. If you’re a city girl and you see this truck- be careful.

Garner Valley- Stunning views of the mountain will surround you here. We’ll probably hit a little asphalt in this area.

Ramona Trail- After we’ve climbed Thomas Mountain, we’ll descend the Ramona Trail, a tight, rugged singletrack. Once again, you’ll descend from Pine forest down to Chaparral.

Pinyon- This shot was taken from the Pinyon Flats campground, a potential bail-out or aid station. Pinyon is the upper trailhead of the Palm Canyon Trail. Santa Rosa Mountain looms in the background. You’ll start seeing desert plants & wildlife here.

Santa Rosa Mountain- a big, stout climb up a fire road leading to the Sawmill Trail. Snow will be possible at the top. You will enjoy views of all of Mt. San Jacinto, as well as far reaching vistas into Joshua Tree NP and beyond. Desert Steve Ragsdale’s mark can still be seen up here…

Palm Canyon- from the Sawmill Trail on Santa Rosa, we’ll descend to Pinyon, and can proceed down into Palm Canyon. This singletrack takes you from Chaparral down to desert.

This will be good!

So we’ve had some emails & trailside discussion.

The timing for November is getting a thumbs-up, as is a takin’ it easy, grill & chill philosophy.

The thought at the moment is we can start in Idyllwild, sans autos, and head out on some guided rides through our most delicious singletrack in May Valley. From there we can make our way across the mountain, perhaps with permission on some private property that parallels the highway (dirt > than asphalt) and find ourselves in Pinyon, where we’ll have a mid-day feast waiting & a possible bail-out point.

From there… we can point downhill toward Palm Canyon. Yes, there’s a palm oasis down there!