The Grasshopper Adventure Series kicked back into gear at the weekend with the Geysers/Pine Flat on Saturday and the Sweetwater-Old Caz on Sunday. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, race permits were not allocated to race organizers but the event founder, Miguel Crawford, ensured that one way or another riders could participate in a safe and responsible way.
That meant that the usual point-to-point race format with official times, results, and mass starts were put to one side with riders instead allowed to hunt for the best possible times on several sectors during Saturday's event, while on Sunday there was a more casual atmosphere with riders able to enjoy a group ride without any pressure to finish in a certain time or race one another.
Riders started and finished in 'bubbles' and social distancing was respected at the start and finish lines but the overall turnout was impressive, to say the least for an event that technical wasn't classified as a race, with L39ion of Los Angeles riders Sam Boardman and Tyler Williams taking part in the men's event, along with former WorldTour riders Ted King and Peter Stetina.
Amity Rockwell and Kristen Faulkner lead a strong field in the women’s category. Sportful provided beverages at the popular coffee stop, while Michelin star chef Matt Accarino not only provided food but also rode during the weekend too.
"There were no results really," Stetina told Cyclingnews on Monday morning.
"There were some timed segments that you only qualified for if you uploaded to ride with GPS but it was more about restarting events here in NorCal which is still pretty cautious. It was group rides and here and there you could hammer with friends."
"No one even talked about a result here. Pure group ride adventure riding at its best."
Enjoy our gallery from Brian Tucker (above), who was at the event and shot these photos.
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