Grasshopper Adventure Series day 2. Healdsburg Mill District. Sweetwater springs rd. Old Cazadero Rd. Guernville left to right front row Miguel Crawford, Matthew Accarrino (chef), Pete Stetina(Image credit: Brian Tucker)
The lead group on Dry Creek road(Image credit: Brian Tucker)
Amity Rockwell leads Sonoma County California(Image credit: Brian Tucker)
Riders had on road segments to complete during the event(Image credit: Brian Tucker)
Tyler Williams, Sam Boardman and Ted King climb Geysers road Sonoma County California(Image credit: Brian Tucker)
Tyler Williams, Sam Boardman and Ted King climb Geysers road Sonoma County California(Image credit: Brian Tucker)
Pete Stetina climbs Geysers road Sonoma County California(Image credit: Brian Tucker)
Caption/Description: Grasshopper Adventure series.1 May 2021 Kristen Faulkner nears the top of Geysers road(Image credit: Brian Tucker)
Kristen Faulkner near the top of Geysers road(Image credit: Brian Tucker)
Sam Boardman leads Ted King on the descent of Pine Flat Road(Image credit: Brian Tucker)
Sam Boardman leads Ted King on the descent of Pine Flat Road(Image credit: Brian Tucker)
Ted King on the descent of Pine Flat Road(Image credit: Brian Tucker)
Ted King on the descent of Pine Flat Road(Image credit: Brian Tucker)
Creek crossing at bottom of Old Cazadero Road(Image credit: Brian Tucker)
Creek crossing at bottom of Old Cazadero Road(Image credit: Brian Tucker)
Miguel Crawford and Zander Crawford over looking Sonoma County California(Image credit: Brian Tucker)
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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Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
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