Merry Christmas 2023

 

Merry Christmas to all from the Windbreakers!  Ride On!

Annual Holiday Palooza 2023

Some of the Windbreakers gathered recently for our annual celebration to welcome the holiday season.  Ride On, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

Cheers!

With a few members of our fabulous "support crew"

Happy Cranksgiving 2023

November 25, 2023.  A beautiful weekend in Windbreaker Country!  Some of the lads gathered on Thanksgiving morning, followed by another ride on Saturday morning.  Ride On! and Happy Thanksgiving to all!

L to R: Dan, Craig, Jim, Mike near Brackett Airport in La Verne

L to R: Jim, Mike, Craig, John, and Tom at one of our favorite
post-ride coffee stops in support of Small Business Saturday:
Butter Cafe & Bakery in Upland www.buttercafebakery.com

Our Favorite Roads III

November 1, 2023.  Next in our occasional series...our favorite routes in Windbreaker Country.  Bonita Avenue (aka "Beautiful Bonita"), connecting Downtown San Dimas on the west, through Downtown La Verne and Pomona, then to Claremont Village on the east, this route is often used on our weekend rides as part of our longer route loops.  And as an added bonus, a couple of our favorite brewery and coffee stops are either directly on the avenue or just a few short blocks off-route.  Ride On!

Headed east through Downtown La Verne-
a nice, wide tree-shaded bike lane

Ride Report: Tour de Craft Breweries XI - San Gabriel Valley

October 8, 2023.  On Saturday, October 7, three hearty souls from our Windbreaker ranks ventured into the San Gabriel Valley for the latest "Special Edition" ride, Tour de Craft Breweries.  Under sunny, warm skies, Joe, Jim and John headed west to the valley, with stops at Hop Secret in Monrovia, Mt. Lowe Brewery in Arcadia, then south on the Rio Hondo trail to Progress Brewing in El Monte.  We finished with a Metrolink train ride home to Windbreaker Country and a celebratory last round at Pro-Five Brewing in Upland.  Good times!!

After a rest stop at Hop Secret, off to stop #2 for cold beers and 
pizza at Mt. Lowe Brewing

Refreshing!

Ben Did Go 8.0

September 17, 2023.  Congratulations to our very own Craig for completing the annual Ben Did Go 8.0.  This annual athletic challenge brings watermen and women together for a 30-mile prone paddle event from Catalina to Newport Beach.  The event raises funds for the Ben Carlson Memorial and Scholarship Foundation.  More information on the important work of this organization at www.bencarlsonfoundation.org.

"Golf as it was meant to be"

September 10-14, 2023.  Four of our Windbreaker ranks have returned from an epic golf adventure at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort www.bandondunesgolf.com.  Located on the southwest coast of Oregon near Bandon, founder and owner Mike Keiser has described this remote piece of land, with the first course developed in 1999, as "golf as it was meant to be".  Since then, six distinct links courses have been been developed, each with a design and character unlike the other, but all in "harmony with the natural environment".   This place has everything a destination golf resort can offer...restaurants, bars, and other amenities for the golf "junkie".

At the end of our first round at Bandon Dunes

Many thanks go to the coordinator for the week, Chris (aka Silver Fox, Governor, L.T. - lost towel).  He put together an amazing golf adventure that all will remember for many years to come.  

 1st green at Sheep Ranch

Seen on the Road...

Next in the occasional series taking note of our favorite form of transportation out on the road.  We have found in our travels that bikes and coffee seem to go hand-in-hand (running a very close second to bikes and a cold beer :).  These images from recent weekend trips to the Downtown areas of Denver, Colorado and Reno, Nevada. Ride On!

A beautiful 2-wheeler and sunflowers outside of
Hearth Bakery & Coffee in Downtown Denver's River North District

At Hub Coffee Roasters in Reno, Nevada

A sturdy old Cannondale outside Hub Coffee Roasters

Our Favorite Roads II

 

Next in the series...a favorite stretch of road in
Rancho Cucamonga, CA; Victoria Park Lane, between   
Victoria Gardens and Victoria Groves Park.
Wide bike lane, beautiful trees, and smooth pave'
Ride On!

Special Edition Ride Report; Beach Cities Loop

June 4, 2023.  After many days of "May Gray" mornings, the morning sun was shining on the first Saturday in June as five of us gathered at the Anaheim Transportation Center parking lot for our next "Special Edition" ride through several Orange County beach cities.  "Wheels down" at 7:45 a.m. as we rolled south along the Santa Ana River Trail toward the coast.  Then west on Slater and Warner Avenues to the Pacific Coast Hwy, where we turned south along Bolsa Chica and Huntington beaches.  

Coffee at C'est Si Bon Bakery, Newport Beach

Following a stop for coffee at C'est Si Bon Bakery in Newport Beach, we headed north along the Back Bay trail along Upper Newport Bay, then through Santa Ana and Costa Mesa to the Santa Ana River Trail for the return to Anaheim.  Following lunch and cold beverages at Golden Road Brewpub near Anaheim Stadium, we celebrated a beautiful 50-mile ride.  

Lunch at Golden Road, Anaheim

After we said our goodbyes at the Anaheim Transportation Center, Jim and yours truly opted for a few "bonus miles" visiting one additional brewery just up the trail...Bottle Logic Brewing in Anaheim, before returning to the cars then home.  Ride On!

Our Favorite Roads

March 30, 2023.  Spring is in the air, and warmer days for cycling are ahead.  Today we begin a new blog feature highlighting our favorite roads and routes through Windbreaker Country.  Today's route is a road segment in Chino Hills adjacent to Chino Hills State Park.  Ride On!

Woodview Road, between Pipeline and Peyton Avenues

Special Edition Ride Report; Orange County Bureau

February 4, 2023.  Under beautiful sunny skies, a few of the lads gathered for a "Special Edition" ride and visit with Orange County Bureau Chief Chris. Following meet-up at the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center ("ARTIC"), we rolled out south on the Santa Ana River Trail, then through Irvine, along Newport Bay to Pacific Coast Hwy.  Then north along PCH through Huntington Beach and the Bolsa China Wetlands to Warner Ave., back to the Santa Ana River Trail and finish at ARTIC...50 miles total.  A short drive then to Brewery X in Anaheim for lunch/beers...Good times and Ride On!

Upper Newport Bay - Ride On!

Saturday Morning Ride Report

January 21, 2023.  After consecutive weekend rainouts the lads were at last able to gather for a regular Saturday morning ride. The temperature hovered at around 40 deg for the traditional meet up/greeting at Benson/Baseline.  We rolled out on some of our favorite routes; Baseline, Route 66, the San Gabriel River Trail...returning along Gladstone and Bonita, then to coffee and breakfast tacos at Butter Cafe/Bakery.  Ride On!

Braving the morning chill in San Gabriel Canyon at the head of the
River Bike Trail

Happy New Year 2023

 

Looking forward to more cycling adventures in 2023!