Committee hopes to boost tourism, knowledge of SBC with bicycle
tour
Next October, if everything goes according to plan, San Benito
County will be inundated with bicycle enthusiasts. The Condor
Classic, an inaugural bicycle ride from San Juan Oaks to the
Pinnacles, was the brain child of Kathy Schipper and there is now a
full committee working to make the event a success.
Committee hopes to boost tourism, knowledge of SBC with bicycle tour
Next October, if everything goes according to plan, San Benito County will be inundated with bicycle enthusiasts. The Condor Classic, an inaugural bicycle ride from San Juan Oaks to the Pinnacles, was the brain child of Kathy Schipper and there is now a full committee working to make the event a success.
“Our goal is to raise awareness of the beauty and opportunities for outdoor pleasure or fun in San Benito County,” said Schipper, who is event co-chair. “We want to bring people into the county that might not have experienced it.”
Schipper, who enjoys riding bikes, approached the San Benito Chamber of Commerce Tourism Committee last fall with the idea for the Condor Classic.
Money raised from the Condor Classic will be donated to the Pinnacles Partnership, a nonprofit that raises awareness of Pinnacles National Monument. The cost to enter the ride is $55 a person or $15 for kids under 17 accompanied by a paying adult. The registration fee – people can register online now at www.condorclassic.com – includes a T-shirt, pit stops along the routes, an end of ride barbecue and plenty of scenic views.
Riders can choose from four routes of different lengths and challenges. The longest is a 100-mile ride from San Juan Oaks to Pinnacles National Monument. Other routes include a 100-kilometer tour, a 40-mile moderate ride through Cienega Valley, and a 20-mile tour that is perfect for families with children or beginning riders.
“We chose four routes just for different ability levels,” Schipper said. “So we could reach as many people as might want to be out on a Saturday enjoying the weather and exercising.”
The goal of the race is to draw riders from not just San Benito County, but throughout the state.
“We want to develop an event that will build over the year and become something similar to the Big Sur Marathon,” Schipper said.
Schipper has participated in past rides, such as the Montana Billlings to Missoula AIDS ride in 2002. She also volunteered as bike chairman for the California AIDS ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles.
Though the ride is not until Oct. 11, the committee members are still quite busy. Scott Fuller, who is on the tourism committee, is a co-chair of logistics for the bike ride. He is working to get the permits necessary for the ride, which will be along county and city roads, as well as state highways.
“We need permits from Caltrans that we applied for,” Fuller said. “They responded and now we are giving them what they need.”
He is also handling insurance for the event as well as figuring out where to place signs, first aid stations, bike repair stations and pit stops. He is also working with law enforcement to provide traffic control since the roads will be open.
For Fuller, the emphasis of the event is tourism in the county.
“These type of events, from our experience looking at others, tend to attract people not just locally or regionally, but up and down the state,” Fuller said. “It brings a lot of people to our area and with the four different routes, they get to see a lot of the beauty of the community and experience a lot of our county.”
The routes highlight the best San Benito has to offer with routes through San Juan Valley, Cienega Valley and out to Pinnacles, but local bike riders had the most say in where the routes went.
“Making it a good bike route was number one,” Fuller said.
Sponsors include the San Benito County Chamber of Commerce; San Juan Oaks Golf Club; Schipper Design; Ponzini Insulation, Inc.; De Vries Law Group; DMB El Rancho San Benito; Red Blossom; Bay Area Glider Rides; Holmes and Sons Trucking; Night Out Limousine; Off the Chain bike shop; Windmill Market; Rabobank; San Benito Bank; Earthbound Farm and the Weekend Pinnacle.
To register for the Condor Classic or for more information, visit www.condorclassic.com. The site includes information about the ride as well as places to stay and eat for out-of-town visitors.
