Dirty Hundred: OC Granfondo Goes Off-Road

The OC Gran Fondo is a recent addition to the classic recreation rides of Southern California. With past events bringing out well over 1,000 riders, we were interested to see how a significant route change would impact attendance. Specifically, the inclusion of 13 miles of dirt roads up and over the Santiago mountains that separate Orange and Riverside counties.  The section that gives the Dirty Hundred its moniker, is a segment of well-packed fire road that has a consistent 10% grade that climbs ~2,300 feet before a plunge down Blackstar Canyon. The descent down is fast. Bike-swallowing holes and wheel-eating ruts threaten to gobble the most bomber downhill rig, let alone road machines. The luxury of paved roads for cycling is a modern creation and the exploration of gravel brought something traditional to our collection of bicycling experiences. For the event, we purchased a bag full of disposable cameras and divvied them up amongst our group. These are the resulting photos.