Cache Creek
Feather Falls
King Ranch
Antelope Creek/Mill Creek

IMBA to Host Four Spring California Wild Rides

For Immediate Release
03-11-04
Contact: Jenn Dice, IMBA Government Affairs Director

303-545-9011

Complete California Wilderness Campaign Information.

The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) is hosting a series of mountain bike rides to showcase trails that could be closed to mountain biking due to potential Wilderness designations. Congressional legislation calls for 2.5-million acres of California public land to be reclassified as federal Wilderness. Bicycle use is categorically prohibited in Wilderness areas. While IMBA supports protecting open space from development, some of the proposed areas contain popular trails that cyclists have ridden for years.

Each IMBA Wild Ride features singletrack trails with outstanding vistas. The events are designed to celebrate the spirit of mountain biking and increase awareness of great trails and lands that need protection from development, but not specifically through Wilderness designations that ban bicycle use. All events are free of charge and limited to 50 riders. Registration is now open.

This is the second year of the California IMBA Wild Ride Program. Local IMBA-affiliated clubs hosted seven events in 2003: Condor Peak, Grouse Ridge, White Mountains (Near Bishop), South Fork of the Trinity/Chinquapin, Mountain Lola/Castle Peak, Mill Creek and Feather Falls. Stay tuned for more Wild Rides later in 2004.

The 2004 Spring IMBA Wild Rides are:

Cache Creek - April 11
Feather Falls - April 24
King Range - May 1-2
Antelope Creek/Mill Creek - May 15-16

Details on each ride are below.

Cache Creek Wild Ride (April 11, 2004) Napa and Lake counties, east of Clearlake

The Cache Creek area is a hilly expanse of oak woodlands, grasslands and chaparral totaling more than 70,000 acres. Explore the interesting Red Bud and Judge Davis trails. These trails are a combination of singletrack and old roads. This area has beautiful landscape that is unique to the California Coast Range. Two ride options will be offered:18 miles out and back or a 25-mile loop.

If you want to add to the weekend adventure, consider joining other riders on Saturday, April 10, to explore the Palisades area north of Calistoga. Saturday's route is not part of the proposed Wilderness legislation. Since the spring wildflowers will be spectacular, local organizers are planning two days of riding. Cyclists will meet in Calistoga to ride Oat Hill Mine and other lesser-known trails. The 25-mile ride includes technical single and double track. Participants can camp at Cache Creek Saturday night en route to Sunday's IMBAWild Ride. All events are free of charge. For more detailed information or to register.

Feather Falls Wild Ride (April 24, 2004) Butte County, north east of Oroville

Feather Falls, the sixth highest waterfall in the U.S., provides a spectacular backdrop for some classic singletrack. Riders will enjoy a fun and challenging nine-mile loop. The trail winds through the 15,000-acre Feather Falls Scenic Area located in the Plumas National Forest. Local cyclists are concerned that the entire ride near Lake Oroville may be closed to bicycling due to Wilderness designations. IMBA and local cyclists want these trails protected from development but not through formal Wilderness. Note that this ride a great warm up for the Chico Velo Wildflower Century on Sunday. All events are free of charge.

King Range Wild Ride (May 1-2, 2004) Southwest Humboldt County

The King Range Wild Ride will include two great days of riding singletrack trails that are difficult to access on a rugged part of the California coast. Participants will ride the Lost Coast Trail in the Chemise Mountain area (the southern part of King Range). The planned route includes roughly 25 miles of singletrack. Cyclists who would like a shorter ride can simply ride out and back. On Sunday, the group will ride to the top of the 4,088-foot King Peak towering above the Pacific Ocean. Registrants can camp both Friday and Saturday nights nearby. The Lost Coast is difficult to get to, so unless you live close by, plan on either camping Friday night at our group camp-site or be near the town of Garberville on Friday night. All events are free of charge.

Antelope Creek/Mill Creek Wild Ride (May 15-16, 2004) Tehama County, East of Red Bluff

Join IMBA for two days of riding the lower elevation trails of the oak woodlands in the foothills of the Southern Cascade Range. With favorable spring weather, the wildflowers could be blooming. Antelope Creek and Mill Creek are located between Mount Lassen and the city of Red Bluff. They showcase the lowland beauty of the intersection of the Cascades and the Sierra. Participants can camp both Friday and Saturday nights in the oak woodlands near Antelope Creek, east of Red Bluff. The first Antelope Creek ride provides brilliant views of lava-rock canyons, rainbows of wildflowers and Native American cave dwellings, and the scenic north fork of Antelope Creek. We'll ride a 15-mile loop encompassing the McClure Trail, with the option of adding sections of the ridge top Indian Creek Trail, more than doubling the length.

The ride on Sunday is dependent on weather. If the weather is cool, participants will ride trails along the lower Antelope and Mill creeks. If it is warm, riders will head to higher elevations closer to Lassen National Park.

This ride is sponsored by Team Sunsweet Plum Adventure Racing. All events are free of charge.

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To learn more about IMBA's work to save trails in California or to view a detailed list of land being considered for Wilderness designation visit IMBA's Wilderness Resources. About half of the areas being considered for Wilderness do not overlap popular mountain biking trails. IMBA is focusing on the proposed Wilderness areas that conflict with significant riding opportunities. We advocate boundary adjustments and/or alternative types of protection to keep these areas wild and open to mountain biking.

IMBA is a national and international education and advocacy organization with 500 member clubs, 32,000 individual members, and more than 400 corporate partners and dealer members. IMBA creates, enhances and preserves trail opportunities for mountain bicyclists worldwide. In 1988, five California mountain biking clubs created IMBA.

Today, more than 60 bicycling clubs in California are IMBA affiliated. California bicycle manufacturing, retailing, tourism and publishing businesses generate an estimated $2 billion per year in economic activity.

You must register with IMBA for each Wild Ride; limit 50 riders. For details, check the IMBA website, http://www.imba.com or call or email Jim and Cathy Haagen-Smit (916-663-4626 or ) or Dave Morrow (707-498-8995 or ).