TdFrancis Mt. Baldy Ski-lift Post Ride Report

From Reggie Ignacio (mmcc):

I hope everybody had great time doing the ride, because The Orange Train of MMCC certainly did! Again Francis, out heartful thanks and kudos to ADOBO family.Maraming Salamat!!

From Sammy E (mmcc):

bossing, francis., maraming salamat po. we have a great time

Victor (adobovelo):

DNF, about 3 miles short. Had a good time anyways. Thanks to Francis and the SAG crew

From Reggie Ferraz (santa clarita velo):

Thank you again for the wonderful ride (ride sa sag pala...hehehehe) . As well as to Mandy, Rick, Allan and Manolito for their help and company. Thanks Arden keeping my stuff.
We had a great time as usual. See you in Santa Clarita next month.

From Mang El (adobovelo):

The early morning woke me up & didn't feel riding (cold weather & few hours sleep) but this only happens once & in the area where I was very familiar with so I got up & started. I opened my garage & started pumping my tires & found out that my rear tire got cut so I changed with no hurry. I got to the park (Encanto) by 7:50a & oh boy, no more riders....it' s not like those sunday morning rides that guys call me up just to find out if I'll be riding & etc. I started slowly & did my usual rythym. Toward Glendora along SierraMadre, here comes Arden, honked behind me, ur late! & later asked me if I want to hold on to catch up with the group... I told him to go ahead & I'll be there.....At GMR I started passing guys which motivates me to kept on going on my set up speed control 7-9mph thru my invisible speedometer/ computer. When I reached to the top of GMR... I saw the group having a break (chat-chating) & when I was just about to stop, I heard" 2 minutes to go" so I just kept on pedaling. Later, riders were catching up with me, passing one at a time.. I knew it...MMCC guys were in the front with a gap then followed with mixed riders.. I can't remember who is who but later I joined with the riders...... my finger tips started feeling numb. Few miles away to MtBaldy I stopped & put my wind breaker on. Still cold...but helps. When we got to the post office I felt relieve... here I decided to set up my speed control again. While riding, I kept thinking that there are lots of easier course but Francis I think, he wants us to feel the pain that he suffered even just a part of it when he did the 508 rides. Now you tasted the samples of what he went thru... & that's nothing to compare.
Me too......mucho gracias for the torture/punishment especially the last 300 yards...
The only thing that makes me kept on riding was when I saw riders in front of me taking off from their bikes & started walking, I kept thinking, must be that hard & steep or they may be out of gear..On our way down from the ski lift area I was too cold. My bike started vibrating like, everything came loose. My frame, fork & wheels started flexing that all I did was pulling my brake lever to slow me down or I felt crashing. Coming back from MtBaldy was nice except most riders left us behind descending from the ski lift area. When we got to GMR... it became normal & routine.
Thank you Francis & the Sags group. You made us all comfortable riding safely. Thank you for the hospitality & food that was offered..... thank you all for the company especially MMCC riders that made this ride faster. See you all again later....... .....

From Arden (adobovelo SAG):

I was the last SAG vehicle up GMR as I got lost looking for Sierra Madre Road but the first one to leave as my exitement and caffeine filled belly triggering my gas pedal. As I got back on track, I saw a cyclist from a distance... then with an ADOBO Velo jersey with pretty good cadence. Got a little bit closer and noticed that it was Mang El! I wanted him to hold on to the car door so that he can catch up with the group but he insisted. I insisted also as I waited around. Mind you that was still about 2-3 miles before turning left to GMR. Once the climb started I saw a few TdF cyclists about half a mile ahead and from that point on I knew for sure that El will be able to catch up. As I continued on passing everyone else, I noticed that the peloton was stretched out for about 2 miles. I guess hunting season was on also since there were a lot of hunters with their rifles, their pickup trucks and reflective vests on. They were just standing at the side of the road looking down the cliffs (or hills). Not huinting for mountain goats like you all but for somethng else, they just became our spectators! I think they actually started to watch all the cyclists since there were more than the usual. I didn't realize how quiet and peaceful GMR can be, so quiet that you can hear tire traction even as riders passby. A couple of repaired flats and a full blast of music from a radio station fading fast. There was a moment that I have to leave it on a Mexican station with an upbeat song. At least that made the cyclists around make their pain secondary. That hill up to the ski lift was something ha! Its been along time since I saw a cyslist surrender from a brutal climb. As the tour headed back, there was nothing for the SAG crew to do, just be the sweeper and be ready to help. Got back to park later, hungry and ready to chow down. I was surprised that Francis had to leave to get more food! I have a feeling that he didn't expect it to be a lot of people (I think Mandy counted somewhere around 65 not including the SAG Crew). Another good sign that TdF is now being marked in everyone's calendar and that the word is out. Francis, Mandy and everyone else who organized this stage like the other TdFs did a fantastic job.... scouting the route, extra route sheets, food stops, orange cones, bananas, extra jackets, lots of drinks, jugs of water, salted vinegar chips, ADOBO, etc... The Ignacio Kids where wonderful too! As for my daughter's box of See's Chocolate Bars, she is very happy that it was all sold out! She wanted to thank you for making her job easier begging people to buy some. The money collected from it will be used for their upcoming choir competition. Overall, even if this route was being frequent by the mountain goats of ADOBO Velo, its still a very nice and challenging route that would make everyone go back for more again and again. It just makes me wonder when did GMR start for Los Angeles cycling? If you ask me to rate this stage, this is a 5-star stage. I think all your stages are 5-star in their own way!! Did you realize, MMCC came out in force yesterday?! What does that tell you? Fyi, others made donations too! My lesson for being a SAG Crew: bring tools to include screw drivers, bring extra tires and tubes, MP3 or music CDs, jackets for those who needs it and maybe have a bike rack attached just in case. Maybe I can borrow that from someone. Even when my legs were itching to pedal, I still had a great day! I think everyone else did too despite Francis' punishment that we all enjoy... And we hope our new members felt the same that they will be back for more and become regulars!

From Rosalie (adobovelo):

It was AWESOME to have the TdF on the backgrounds of the DUARTE CHAPTER. Every Sunday, up and down GMR GRR and occas.to BALDY.Originally Francis planned on having Stage 3 at TRONA 100 miles with10miles average of 10-12% gradient ascend YIKES!!, part of the FurnaceCreek 508. While training for his 508, Pete and him decided to go toMt.Baldy Ski-Lift. It had been awhile since Francis climbed up there.They both thought, "Damn, this is tough" Francis light bulb lit up on his head and decided and talked amongs the Duarte gang to have the Stage 3 from Encanto to the Ski-lift. Well thought out since it'sLOCAL. Nobody had to drive over 200miles. Well except for the MMCC. With that being said, Thank you Francis and his kids and to all the SAG Crew for a JOB well done AGAIN with keeping us SAFE, well ORGANIZED and well NOURISHED during our endless climb to the Ski-Lift.. We were blessed to not have that severe GUSTY WINDs that was supposively expected on that day. YES, it was bitter Cold, but tolerable. Thanks to MANDY(adobovelo) and PONCE(mmcc) for taking AWESOME pictures of the ride.. Until the next TdF, what Legstrong would say, KEEP ON CLIMBING!!!

From Regina (Los Brutos SAG):

we had about 65 riders signed up to do the ride. everyone met at encanto park in duarte around 7am. the morning was a bit nippy. all riders were bundled up. start time was at 7:30am filipino time.this was the first time i had driven up gmr. i'm so used to cycling it. i can't believe i climb that much on the bicycle! first sag stop was at the saddle (top of gmr). francis kept the first arrivals longer so we wouldn't have such a large gap in riders.the drive from the saddle to mt. baldy village was scenic, but the road was windy and narrow with no divider line. i'm glad all the riders made through there to the secvillage ond sag stop was at mt. baldy village. this is where all riders would need to prep for the brutal climb to the ski lifts. rosalie mentioned that at the stop, the grade was already 10%-12%! it was about another 4 miles to the summit, but it will prove to be quite a challenge after being cooked from the earlier part of the ride.as i approached the summit, i could see riders walking their bikes, zig zagging, and suffering to the top. i'm so glad i wasn't out there suffering like they were. these are some strong ass riders!the summit was at mt. baldy ski lifts. the weather at the summit was deceiving because it was really sunny, but the breeze and temperature was cold! riders were keeping warm on the hoods of the sag cars covered in blankets and jackets. there was a little frenzy about locating newspapers for the descent. although we didn't have any, everyone was able to make it down just fine without the extra insulation.on the descent back to encanto park, all the sag cars leap frogged to make sure the riders were okay. at one point on the descent from gmr, i saw vertical bob climbing up again! he's hard core!everyone made it to encanto park in one piece. the grub was set up for all the riders. adobo chicken, salad, seafood pasta, rice, and more!i had a great time sagging! congratulations to all the riders for showing up and taking on such a brutal ride! hope to see you all on the next tour de francis!

From Albert (adobovelo):

Thank you to all the TDF volunteers for a great and beautiful ride. As always, well-organized, plenty of food and liquids, lots of personal attention, and most important - safety. Kudos to Francis, Nikki, and MJ Ignacio, Mandy Genato (and his many talents: photographer, rider identification and checklist, SAG driver and mechanic, comedy team with Ricky), Ricky Herrera (SAG driver and mechanic, other half of comedy team, food and liquids), Regina Chow, Arden Arindaeng and Manolito Dionisio (who I also saw unexpectedly Sunday night at Kaiser). Saturday was a personal milestone for me - my first TDF ride, having sagged only on other TDF rides. Even if I didn't complete it, it was still a great experience