August 2021 Big Bear Today Magazine

Page 4—August 2021
Tour back with glow, gravel rides
Big Bear Today
Southern California’s favorite cycling
event returns after a year’s absence
with a four day riding festival
on August 5-8.
Tour de Big Bear on August 7 is the
showcase event, six rides of varying distances
on the main day. Preceding Tour de
Big Bear there’s the annual Friday poker
ride and after dark glow ride in the Village
shopping area on Thursday plus Sunday
recovery ride. It’s all “geared” to showcasing
Big Bear as the Southland’s cycling
capital.
With six rides to choose from Tour de
Big Bear offers a route for every cycling
enthusiast. The event has sold out 10
straight years prior to the virus, attracting
over 2,000 riders annually, for good reason.
Cyclists cruise alpine roadways and
trails around Big Bear and Baldwin Lakes
and over mountain passes including Onyx
Summit’s 8,443 elevation.
All routes feature course marshals.
legendary nutrition/hydration aid stations,
first aid attendants, and rider safety and repair
vehicles to deliver a professional-like
experience. Plus excellent signage and law
enforcement at major intersections for
safety.
Tour de Big Bear’s start/finish line and
expo with beer garden moves from the Village
to Bear Mountain for 2021. There’s a
shorter 5K ride for all ages that cruises
through quiet neighborhoods and new
Dirty Bear
50-mile
gravel ride
that heads
out on dirt
roads and
trails to hist
o r i c
Holcomb
Valley.
Tour de
Big Bear is
the event’s
namesake
ride, a 25-
mile route
with 1,100
feet of
climbing,
Southern California’s favorite cycling event is back! Tour de Big Bear, Aug. 5-8
serving up panoramic lake and mountain
views. Big Bear Valley Tour is double the
distance at 50 miles and sports over 3,540
feet of climbing, continuing past Big Bear
dam to Snow Valley and back to the west
and Baldwin Lake to the east.
The Grand Tour is 70 miles with 5,400
ft. elevation gain, much of it climbing to
the top of Onyx Summit at 8,440 ft. At 106
miles The Climb sports 8,700 feet of challenging
elevation gain including ascending
Onyx Summit...twice!
All Tour de Big Bear riders receive
custom-made finisher medal and high performance
technical shirt along with complimentary
bike valet at the expo and beer
garden.
The two-day cycling expo Friday and
Saturday with vendors, entertainment and
beer garden on the Bear Mountain deck
attracts even non-riders. Plus cheer on cyclists
on the Freedom Ride from Bend, Ore.
to Newport Beach, raising awareness of
human trafficking.
The famous aid stations are worth the
price of admission themselves, known in
the past for delicacies like ribs, fruit, bacon,
smoothies and much more. Even a
chocolate fountain! Plus 3,000 gallons of
water, generously donated by Arrowhead.
Some 300 volunteers help Big Bear
Cycling produce a professional-quality
event that attracts riders from around the
Follow Hall by running up The Wall
If you think it‘s hard to ski down The
Wall at Snow Summit in winter, try running
up it in summer.
Ryan Hall’s fifth annual “Conquer the
Wall” on August 14 sees participants do
just that.Weekly timed one mile runs up
the resort’s signature black diamond run
were part of the training regimen for Hall,
the Big Bear Olympian who holds the
American record for the half-marathon
and competed in the Beijing Games, finishing
10th in the full marathon.
The high school cross-country team
still utilizes the course each summer—
three state champions later, it seems to be
working—and you can too during the 9
a.m. event. From the base area entrants
will face over a thousand-foot vertical
climb with much of that on The Wall.
Southland including top teams. In 2019
participants came from 18 states and six
countries.
Tour de Big Bear showcases the terrific
riding that makes Big Bear “Cycling
Capital of Southern California.” Wellmarked
bike routes through quiet neighborhoods,
paved paths next to the lake and
in the woods, miles of forest roads and
trails for mountain bikers, and Snow Summit
bike park, all combine to offer an incredible
array of cycling choices.
It’s a good idea to come up a few days
prior to Tour de Big Bear to acclimate to
Big Bear’s 7,000 ft. elevation. Free group
rides held by Big Bear Cycling are open to
all and help competitive and recreational
cyclists alike can get used to the elevation.
Or just find riding partners for their visit.
Of course any day’s a good one to
pedal Big Bear. Bring a bike or rent one at
Goldsmith’s, Chains Required and other
shops and explore Alpine Pedal Path, new
Stanfield Cutoff or neighborhood rides.
Weekly road rides depart Amangela’s
in the Village Mondays at 9 a.m with
Wednesday recovery rides leaving
Maggio’s at 5:30. Saturday community
rides meet at Copper Q in the Village at 9
a.m. Intermediate mountain bike rides are
at Chains Required Sundays 9:30 a.m.
Visit www.TourdeBigBear.com or
BigBearCycling.com.
At the top finishers are rewarded with
sprawling views, refreshments and Sky
Chair ride down. Top male and female finisher
earn $100 cash prizes and there’s
custom awards for winners of age categories
and teams. Awards begin at the event’s
conclusion at the top of the mountain.
Register online at conquerthewall.org
for $40 till Aug. 4, then $60 till race day.
Registration packet pickup Aug. 13 at Big
Bear Community Church (40946 Big
Bear Blvd.) from 4-8 p.m., spaghetti dinner
for $10 from 6-8. Or register at Snow
Summit morning of the event from 7-8:30.
Participants receive a T-shirt and
Skychair ride.Spectators can hike up to
the finish line or buy a Skychair ticket for
a scenic uphill ride. Proceeds benefit the
cross-country program.