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NEWS > LOCAL


Condor Classic keeps pace with inaugural in year two
Oct 12, 2009
 By Colin McConville

A rider makes his way up a foggy and cold John Smith Road on Saturday morning while riding the 100-mile leg of the Condor Classic to Pinnacles National Monument and back.
Photo by: Nick Lovejoy, Staff Photographer
HOLLISTER

The second Condor Classic Bicycle Ride on Saturday attracted about 490 cyclists to San Benito County from all over the country and beyond.

The ride, starting at Windhaven Ranch in San Juan Bautista, brought out about the same number of participants as the inaugural event in 2008 despite cloudy weather in the morning. Entrants into the event chose from five different courses, including the 100-mile ride - for which 173 people opted - or courses of 60, 40, 20 and 10 miles.

Event organizers put an emphasis on local products by having area growers and business people donate supplies, including Damm Good Water, apples donated by Board of Supervisors Chairman Anthony Botelho and walnuts from Guerra Nut Shelling.

Condor Classic Chairwoman Kathy Schipper said many riders thought it was "cool" to ride by the trees and the fields that produced the snacks and the lunch.

"We tried really hard to emphasize the local angle on it," she said. "People are starting to get the picture, and it emphasizes just what a beautiful place this is for recreation."

The event was put on by the San Benito County Chamber of Commerce, and all proceeds will go toward benefiting the Pinnacles Partnership, a nonprofit group supporting the national monument. Schipper said although she may know revenue numbers from the ride in about a week, the event did raise around $12,000 to $13,000 from local sponsors.

The first rider to finish came in around 11:30 a.m., and the last rider came in at 5 p.m. after breaking his bike near Earthbound Farms outside of San Juan Bautista. The rider got a new piece of equipment, welded it together and finished the race.

"That was great," Schipper said.

The ride also featured several teams, including riders from Santa Ranch, Granite Rock and the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey. Although "most of the riders came from the Bay Area and Monterey County," according to Schipper, there also were riders from Texas, Missouri and Kansas. The rider who traveled the farthest came from Singapore.

"It was just great - everyone had a great time," she said.

After looking over e-mails from entrants to this year's rid, Schipper said 75 percent of the riders were new.

The organizers also wanted to highlight safety at this year's ride. To heighten that, organizers had a HAM radio group in areas of the course without cellular reception to call in any problems. Along with additional safety observers, drivers also drove the course and 117 volunteers worked at 10 pits stops to ensure riders were fed and hydrated. As a result of these efforts, there were no reported injuries.

The only problem that Schipper noted was early in the race when riders got to some of the pit stops before the volunteers.

"That was really the only thing," she said.

Look for more on the event in the Pinnacle on Friday.

Colin McConville
Colin McConville is a reporter with the Hollister Free Lance. You can reach him by email or at (831) 637-5566.

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