Follow these links for the final QOM and KOM standings.
And that’s a wrap! The 2020 edition of the East Bay Dirt Classic has come to a close. Not with a whimper, but with a bang.
There were some incredible rides out there this weekend and some shaking up of the leaderboard on the QOM side. While Kristen V maintained her relatively safe lead atop the women’s leaderboard, Meredith Stowe Christie came out on Sunday and threw down to notch into 3rd only to have another young gun, Ariana Milelli, come back and shave minutes off her first time to notch into second at 1 hour 2 minutes 4 seconds, pushing Gabriella Sterne into 3rd.
On the KOM side, things remained relatively static, though Dan English came back out and gave it another go, turning in another scorching time of 48 min 25 seconds. An incredible effort yet again, but Fun Ghi’s lead was a bridge too far. Rounding out the top 3 is Jason Tang. Only 17 seconds came between Dan and Jason after 5 tough segments. Prizes will be given out to the top three in both the KOM and QOM categories. We will reach out to you each individually. One of the downsides of having so many fast youngins out there (aside from being reminded of the vigor of youth) is we have nowhere to send all of the incredible beer provided by our generous sponsors…
The start of the course on Goldenrod
It was a novel approach this year, born of necessity during unconventional times. We have had the opportunity to speak to some who raced this year and so far the comments have all been positive. One universal comment, however, has been the disappointment at missing the post-race barbeque. Rest assured we have every intention of reviving the after-party next year if conditions permit.
Please feel free to reach out with comments about the event, the format or if you registered, donated and rode, but don’t see your name on the leaderboard. Everyone who registered and donated can pick up their limited edition 2020 East Bay Dirt Classic buff at Sports Basement in Berkeley this Sunday October 25th. As a registered participant this year you will also receive an in-store discount on any gear you purchase while there.
Finally, with all of your help and the generous support of many others who donated to our fundraiser this year, we raised over $30,000 to support the Alameda County Community Food Bank. This year in particular these funds will help provide critical support to those residents of Alameda county facing food insecurity.
We loved seeing the spirit of friendly competition as we saw some of you riding past on your way to completing the course. And we enjoyed following the battles atop the leaderboard as the days of the open window elapsed. So thank you. All of you.
Until next year, stay healthy and safe and keep the rubber side down.
There was clearly some pent up energy after folks were blocked from their attempts by the elevated AQI two weekends ago. As predicted, Fun ghi demonstrated why he won in such dominant fashion in 2018 by throwing down a 45 minute composite time to take the lead by 3 minutes (reportedly on a full-squish mountain bike, no less). Jason Tang, another young gun like Dan English, we’re told, went all out to notch into third overall! Two minutes now separate 2nd from 5th place in the KOM hunt. With one weekend left to go, we can anticipate some further attempts and shake up on the leaderboard.
In the QOM hunt, Gabriella Stern had a huge effort to rack up second, while high schooler (and C510jr!) Ella Peterson completed the five segments just 43 seconds slower to drift into 3rd currently. Kristen V continues with her commanding lead in the QOM race and is currently 6th overall! With 1 weekend left of racing, she looks fairly safe on the top podium step.
Every registered participant will receive a limited edition 2020 EBDC buff. Top finishers from both categories will receive prizes from our sponsors. More information to follow on this at the end of this coming weekend.
The weather on tap for the final weekend shows temps in the mid-80s on Saturday with some cooler weather in the mid-70s on Sunday. This is the final showdown. Have fun, be safe and send it!
After an ugly weekend for riding resulting from poor air quality, some heavy hitters were back out on the course this week. We saw Dan English (reportedly born AFTER 2004!) take over the top spot on the podium, completing the 5 segments in 48 minutes. Not to be outdone, Taos Ono came back today and gave it another swing, besting his time from his last attempt, coming in at 49 minutes. Incredible effort from these two. On the women’s side, 2018 and 2019 winner Jenny Wong gave it another whack shaving off several minutes and slotting into second. Kristen V, not content with her fairly safe 1st place sent it again to shave off 2 more minutes and go 52 minutes, which puts her 4th overall. Inspiring riding out on the course! Rumor has it that 2018 winner and 3rd place finisher Ryan Gorman and Josh Dapice have registered but not yet ridden the course, so we likely have yet to come to the end of this story.
As of today we are stoked to report that the 2020 version of the East Bay Dirt Classic has raised nearly $27,000 for the Alameda County Community Food Bank thanks to all of our participants and generous donors. We at C510 are incredibly grateful to all of you for helping support the ACCFB at this critical time.
Finally, we have decided to extend the deadline one more week until October 18th, as we know many of you were prevented from making attempts last weekend by the dangerous air quality.
First, thank you all for registering and supporting the Alameda County Community Food Bank. So far we have raised North of $8,500. These contributions go directly to the ACCFB and help them provide critical assistance to those Alameda county residents who face food insecurity daily.
Second, the leaderboard is up and running. Congratulations to Kristen V and Taos Ono for setting the fastest female and male times thus far, both on the opening day. They currently hold the QOM and KOM spots, respectively. There are just under two weeks remaining to get out there and give it your best shot. Prizes are rolling in from our sponsors for the top 3 spots in each category.
Finally, we have heard that some of the segments can be challenging to find or it can be easy to get off course during a segment. We recommend reviewing the segment descriptions (scroll down for these), looking at the Strava post or downloading the GPX or TCX files onto your GPS computer for turn by turn directions and if possible pre-riding some of the sections to get comfortable with the course.
It’s a gorgeous day to start the open two week window for riding the East Bay Dirt Classic 2020 edition. The two week window ends at the end of the day on Sunday October 11th.
Thanks to all who have registered and by doing so have helped support the Alameda County Community Food Bank.
Get out there, have fun, please be safe and track yourself on the 2020 East Bay Dirt Classic leaderboard.
While we were more or less prepared for the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on the 2020 edition of the East Bay Dirt Classic, we did not anticipate the apocalyptic nature of the current California wildfires this season, especially this early in the season. Our hearts and thoughts go out to all those directly impacted by the fires and those brave individuals on the front lines fighting these fires. Rather than sway us from our mission, however, this has only hardened our resolve to present an event which can help to give back to all of those people facing food insecurity during these uncertain times.
As I kitted up for another pre-ride of the course this morning, I looked at the AQI (sad that this acronym is now in the general parlance of those of us living in California) and sat shocked as daybreak never truly arrived. I gave up any thought of riding and contemplated pushing back the start date of the two week rolling window for the 2020 EBDC, in the hope that we will all see some reprieve from these devastating wildfires in the next couple of weeks.
To that end, we have pushed the start date for the 2020 EBDC back to Saturday September 26th. All rides by registered cyclists completed between Saturday September 26th and end of day on Sunday October 11th will appear on the C510 2020 East Bay Dirt Classic Leaderboard. The leaderboard will show the individual times for each of 5 segments along the course along with the combined time of all segments which, in enduro fashion, will determine a rider’s standing on the overall leaderboard.
For the 2020 East Bay Dirt Classic course, please look here:
You can also download the GPX file here, or the TCX file here, or see a Strava route here.
The course is mostly dirt and a mountain bike or gravel bike with 35 mm or wider tires would suit the course well. The segments are labeled “2020 East Bay Dirt Classic Segment” 1 through 5. A brief description of the segments follows:
Segment 1: Brandon Trail in Chabot Park from the stone bridge to Marciel gate. This segment is 3 miles in length and rolling, gradual uphill, non-technical terrain with an average 2% grade. This is a wide trail with good line of sight.
Segment 2: Soaring Hawk trail heading North from the entrance gate off Redwood Road to the “end of the trail” sign just before the fairly steep and technical descent back to Redwood Road. This is a rolling, net downhill segment with some fast and sandy, loose downhill portions. Please be sure to keep in control here – on the downhill corners in particular. Once you’ve reached the sign identifying the end of the trail, the segment is complete. Please proceed with caution down to Redwood Road. The end of Soaring Hawk is steep and somewhat technical and ends abruptly on a blind corner on Redwood Road. Stop, and look both ways before crossing Redwood Road back to Chabot Park and starting your ascent of MacDonald Trail from the parking lot.
Segment 3: Canyon Trail to East Ridge. This is a beast, no two ways about it. Nothing technical here, just punishingly steep at the start and then a mostly gradual 3 mile climb up to Skyline Gate in Redwood Regional Park. The segment ends at the high point of East Ridge Trail before descending toward Skyline Gate. Please DO NOT go full send on the final descent and through the throngs of hikers and off-leash dogs here. It is very busy and the segment will have already ended. Take the time here to recover and ride safely to Skyline Gate, turning right onto Skyline Road toward Sibley.
Segment 4: Redwood Trail in Tilden Park. Rolling, mostly smooth with a couple of rocky sections, net 0% grade, not quite a mile in length. The segment starts where Redwood Trail splits from Grizzly Peak Trail (stay left on Redwood Trail). About 3/4 of the way through, Redwood Trail merges onto Golf Course Trail. This is more of a merge to the right than a true turn. This segment is mostly a wide trail, but some corners are blind. Please be mindful of hikers and other bikers. The segment finishes before the gate leading to the parking lot on South Park Drive. Once in the parking lot, recover and head left (downhill) on South Park Drive.
Segment 5 – The Queen Segment: Starts at the intersection of Big Springs Trail and Seaview Trail, ending at the top of Volmer Peak. Once you make the right turn onto Seaview from Big Springs, it’s on. This segment is 2.1 miles at an average 5% grade with a couple of baby-head-sized rocky sections. Near the top of Seaview, as the trail gives way to pavement, make a hard, near 180 degree right turn onto the pavement to climb Volmer Peak. The last 200 yards are steep but paved. The segment ends to the left of the fenced-in radio tower and station, so don’t stop until you’ve past this. Then soft pedal to the end, catch your breath, peer out over the beautiful East Bay hills and congratulate yourself for completing the 2020 East Bay Dirt Classic and helping join in the fight against hunger in Alameda County.
If you would like to register for the 2020 East Bay Dirt Classic, please first visit our GoFundMe page. Your donation of $50 or more is your entry fee and goes directly to the Alameda County Community Food Bank. Then, connect your Strava account to our EBDC leaderboard. Important – in order for us to confirm all participants have registered, please use the same name on the GoFundMe site as you use on Strava. All registered riders will receive a limited edition 2020 East Bay Dirt Classic buff pictured here:
2020 East Bay Dirt Classic buff
Once you’ve completed these two steps, head out on the course and give it your best shot. As soon as you post a ride on Strava with all of the required segments, it will appear on the leaderboard! Prizes from our sponsors will be awarded to the top 3 male and female combined segment times from a single completed course during the open window.
If you would like to join our team in fundraising for this event, please contact us at: eric@crocker510.com
To all of our fellow East Bay Dirt Brothers and Sisters! We are living through unprecedented times and we hope that this email finds you and your loved ones in good health and good spirits despite this.
Each of us has been impacted in some form by the current Covid pandemic and the resultant economic upheaval.
We considered postponing the East Bay Dirt Classic this year given all of this, but after much discussion amongst our organizing committee and with our friends at the Alameda County Community Food Bank, we recognized that our support of the Food Bank and the thousands of Alameda County’s residents who rely on the Food Bank, is in greater need now than ever.
With this in mind, we will move forward with a unique format for this year’s East Bay Dirt Classic and hope that all of you can find a way to participate.
This year we will have a course designed and revealed weeks ahead of time. It will once again be approximately 30 miles and a mix of tarmac and dirt but this year, results will be based on 3-5 timed segments. Participants may complete the entire course as many times as they like during a 2 week participation window from September 19th through October 4th. The fastest collective time of these segments from a single completed course will determine the results. Our website will be tracking leaders throughout the open two week period, so participants will be able to see where they stack up relative to the rest of the participants. Participants can ride it solo, or with friends. Prizes will again be on offer from prior year’s sponsors. A ll participants will receive a “limited edition” (we hope…) C510 East Bay Dirt Classic Buff.
We will miss the mass start and barbecue to follow, our favorite parts of the event – socializing with all of you. But the spirit of the event and the essential support it provides to Alameda County’s most vulnerable residents will continue, and we can hold out hope that next year we will once again be able to see you all in person at the starting line and the after party.
We also encourage all registered participants to join our GoFundMe team and help raise money for the ACCFB. We will email a link should you choose to join our GoFundMe team after you have registered. All registered participants will receive an EBDC buff, be able to track themselves on the leader board and be eligible for prizes.
We will send out more information in the upcoming weeks. Until then, please stay healthy and safe and thank you for your support of the Alameda County Community Food Bank!
The 2nd Annual East Bay Dirt Classic is a go this Saturday. Head on over to Weaver Place and Skyline Blvd for the start. Make sure to park on Skyline if you’re driving. The Long Course starts at 8:00am and the Short Course at 8:30am. Folks will be around to sign you in starting at 7am. Riders can switch between long/short at sign in.
Load a copy of the Short Course or the Long Course onto your bike computer before the event, look for the prominent green signage, or don’t lose the wheel in front of you!
We hope you work up an appetite – the grills will be hot, the pig will be roasted, and the drinks will be cold after the ride!
Well, that went quickly! We hit our 100 registrant limit, so we’re full up for 2019. Emails will be going out shortly to all registered riders with more details about the route and sponsors!
