The Rapture – May 21, 2011
5 Jan
Attention sinners!!! The devil wants YOU…
…to ride your bike…
.
May 21, 2011 is the beginning of the end of the world – the “rapture” for you bible types. See? We decided we’d prefer to spend our last day on earth doing what we love most – riding dirt. So come celebrate judgment day with your fellow hell-bound brethren and get your dirt on.
Before we get into the details, let me tell you what this is NOT. Due to the vagaries of the folks who own these roads, bike races are not allowed in this portion of the coast range. However – individuals are allowed to ride bikes as they please. Therefore, in order to avoid raising the ire of the “man”, this is not a race. This is not a group ride. This is not a bike event. You get what I’m saying? This is nothing but a gathering of like-minded folks who wish to celebrate their last day on earth, each of whom will go on their own individual ride into the coast range. You may just happen to be starting and finishing at the same place, and likely riding the same route. We will give out maps and cue sheets of a particular ride we like to do – you can choose to follow it or not… And if everyone just so happens to start their individual rides at the same time (say, 9:00 a.m.), who are we to judge? That’s God’s job.
Because this is NOT a bike race, there are some things you should know should you choose to ride. You are riding as an individual. That means YOU are responsible for YOU. No one else is responsible for you – especially not us. If you choose to go riding on judgment day, you should be fully aware of the following:
- The route is very remote and the majority of these roads are blocked to vehicle traffic so don’t rely on a rescue. Things could get really serious, really fast if something went wrong. There is no easy way out of the coast range.
- You need to be able to carry your bike – there will be at least one short hike-a-bike section.
- There are NO services en route. This means you are carrying ALL your food for your ride. This may mean carrying a small backpack or a gas tank to get you through the day.
- There is water available at one location, at ~23 miles. Beyond this you will need to either carry all your water or plan on bringing iodine tablets or a small water filter – there are numerous creeks and rivers en route.
- There is no support available – if your bike breaks down you need to be able to fix it. Tubes, patch kit, pump, tire levers and a multi-tool are an absolute MUST for everyone. Remember you are responsible for yourself – this is an individual ride after all – so you cannot rely on another rider to bail you out.
- You will need an accurate bike computer or a GPS to follow the cue sheet. A GPS is definitely preferable. We will have a downloadable GPS file of the route available prior to judgment day.
- Optional items: lights, compass, spare tire, good navigation skills, iodine tablets/water filter, cell phone (there is likely no service available en route), SPOT transceiver.
Details:
- When: May 21, 2011 – 9:00 a.m.
- Where: Super secret location near Yamhill, Oregon
- What: Bike riding, ~60-70 miles, and beer drinking
- Camping: Camping is available the night before and the night of – May 20 & 21. Camping is $17 per site, per night, which is limited to one family or 4 individuals. More details to come on camping.
- Signup: Let us know you’re coming – go to this link and sign up. Note – this is different from our regular mailing list.
- Rider Limit: While we can’t stop you from riding, we do have a limit on event space and parking. We’ll probably have to keep it limited to about 75 people. Sign up so we know you’re coming.
- Cost: Since this is NOT a bike race, you can ride for free.
The final route is a work in progress and will likely not be finalized until April-ish. However, we anticipate it will be in the 60 mile range. This will include crossing the coast range and back (in a loop – not an out-and-back). If the route ends up as planned, it will be 100% dirt.
This is a serious undertaking. You need to be fit and prepared for anything, including spending an unplanned night out if things go wrong. There are also the unusual hazards of traveling in rough country – including bears, mountain lions, and Sasquatch. Be prepared!
Update:
We are likely shortening the route somewhat to around 60-70 miles. We’ve had a hard time finalizing a route that won’t result in people getting lost or alternatively riding a bunch of regular roads just to make it artificially longer. I will post final details the Monday before the ride on the total length and route.
Thanks!
- Comments 22 Comments
- Categories news
- Author Donnie
Trackbacks and Pingbacks
-
Judgment Day is Almost Here – Final Rapture Update « News « VeloDirt -
May 15, 2011
[...] Ok folks, the end of the world is upon us. Spend your last moments on earth drinking beer, hanging out, and desperately trying not to get lost in the coast range on your bike. The final tally for the Rapture route is ~66 miles and ~7k elevation gain. It might not be super long, but it’s hard. And given the fact that even we got a bit turned around mapping out the final portion of the route this weekend, navigation skills might just trump speed in the overall picture. You can find the rest of the details here. [...]
-
Judgment Day is Almost Here – Final Rapture Update 21st Avenue Bicycles— Make it awesome 21st Avenue Bicycles -
May 16, 2011
[...] Ok folks, the end of the world is upon us. Spend your last moments on earth cursing, drinking beer, and desperately trying to not get lost in the coast range on your bike. The final tally for the Rapture route is ~66 miles and ~7k elevation gain. It might not be super long, but it’s hard. And given the fact that even we got a bit turned around mapping out the final portion of the route this weekend, navigation skills might just trump speed in the overall picture. You can find the rest of the details here. [...]
-
The Rapture « Kristin Rides -
May 22, 2011
[...] surviving that, I figured The Rapture would be a walk in the park. Well, except for the fact that nearly 100% of the 70 miles was gravel. [...]
-
2012 Event Schedule « News « VeloDirt -
December 24, 2011
[...] be camping and beer again. I’ll get details up sometime soon-ish, but you can check out the details from last year if you want a head start – very little will change. We’ll have a way to sign up [...]
Leave a Reply
22 Responses to “The Rapture – May 21, 2011”
“Carl you know what you saw-now think and remember exactly what you saw”
I am excited about this ride.
AWESOME!!!
Would this be rideable on a cross bike, or will it be strictly MTB/29er type of terrain? Or just fat tires on a road bike?
So far I’ve ridden all of it on my Long Haul Trucker with 32s – although I’m certainly not saying there aren’t better options. Once we’ve ridden it all, I’ll update on conditions/bike selection recommendations.
i am so in. cross check or pugsley. can’t wait to find out.
This sounds great…..can’t wait.
i would also like to suggest a ride someday that has a packraft leg. but not until i get one!
stay tuned, bikerafting events coming soon-ish…
Will be there with karate monkey! Stoked hat on!
Damn, this sounds great. Unfortunately it conflicts with a long standing ride that Team Beer does every year in honor of one of our fallen team mates. Any chance you can move the End of Days to the following weekend?
Hey religious folks who insist on posting crap – we’re not serious. We don’t think it’s the rapture or the end of the world. We’re just using this as an excuse to drink beer, ride our bikes and have some fun. So please stop posting religious verses, warnings, comments, etc. for me to delete.
Not sure how this will effect your plans, but it looks like the (actual) Rapture might be cancelled.
www.theonion.com/articles/nasa-completes-52year-mission-to-find-kill-god,19263/
Amazing.
Dirt as in singletrack or dirt as in fireroads/double track? I might be bringing out the cross bike (with 29er tire in front) if it’s the latter. Otherwise, 29er it is.
www.salon.com/news/religion/index.html?story=/news/feature/2011/05/10/rapture_may_21
any word on the gps route?
I just sent out the GPS data to everyone. Email me directly if you don’t get it. Thanks,
donnie@velodirt.com
www.funnyordie.com/videos/ad5cd5d715/god-reschesules-rapture?playlist=featured_videos