chain_whipped

Beautiful riding and region. The few complaints about destination access and traffic is no better or worse than other Eroica events. Plan for and accept or simply don't participate.

The Cali events were decreasing. Just a guess, but logistics and the extra effort for cooperating locality is probably the main crux.

Uncanny of a Cuba Eroica!

Classtime 

https://www.belgianwaffleride.bike/p...waffle-ride-ca
The BWR is not a vintage ride. 2024 will be the 13th edition. Most folks would call it a Gravel Race but much of the course is tarmac with a good deal of dirt road, gravel road, single track, sand, and a water crossing or two. Plenty of video on line along with prior years gps files. If you can put (in order of importance) spds, dual pivots, and indexed shifting on your bikes, you will have a blast.

Andy_K 

I've been to Eroica California three times and never had my bike inspected. I have had my bike inspected at Cino, though they gave me the "heroic" stamp in spite of indexed shifters on my 1975 Grand Jubilé.

People seem to get upset about the stance Eroica takes on their rules. I think it's mostly a misunderstanding of what the event is about. I think the rules were there to discourage people who didn't want to attend the kind of event they wanted this to be. Nothing wrong with that.

iab

I'm sure it is a lovely route, I won't deny that. But you just wrote the support sucks. So what's worse, an organized ride with bad support or an unsupported ride? I see very little difference between the two so saying the ride support at Eroica CA is the reason to go to the event and not CBA is ********. The reason to go to any event is to meet with like-minded vintage folks. Whether a ride is unsupported or has crap support is like saying your hotel room at the event has a queen size bed instead of a king, who gives a ****?

I'd like to know this grapevine of vintage enthusiasts outside of Cino, It is a long way between coasts. There is very little cross pollenization and without it, you will get small, localized events like CR-West. Nothing wrong with that, it is just how the US will have vintage events. The idea a vintage event can be like an off-topic organized ride that attracts 1,000 riders just ain't going to happen.

cinelliguy 

I agree with much of what you spell out here. I'll skip the Eroica CA comments because it has been well covered. Your comment about what the future holds for vintage events is spot on, well to me anyway. That is exactly why I think Cino, CR-West, Auburn, and Bob Freeman's events as mainly regional gatherings are are so very important. Bigger is not better necessarily and it is, I believe, not the future that is realistic or actually what the hobby/sport/art form needs to sustain and just maybe grow a bit. We need people to step up and participate.

mhespenheide 

Paso Robles / Cambria was originally pitched as being halfway between the two major population centers of California, Greater Los Angeles and the Bay Area. Hence, Eroica California. More importantly, Wes was the hero who organized the original run of the event, and was instrumental both in putting on the event and asking to be part of the Eroica organization. While he was putting on the event, it was very worthwhile and did not generate the intense critique / criticism that it did in later years. I feel like some of the harshest criticisms come from people who rode Eroica California both during Wes's tenure and also afterwards and saw just how much of a decline there was in the level and quality of the event. Couple that with the pandemic and general lack of clear communication from the Eroica organization, and here we are.

Thalia949

Wes was instrumental in getting this launched. I've seen him the last few years in Gaiole at that event, helping with the Concours and inspecting the bikes. I suspect that if he was still active in Eroica CA, we would not need this discussion.


My feeling on location is more about accesibility - Cambria is remote for a starting point. Paso less so, right off the main road for the central coast, closer for Bay Area and LA based people and easier to get to from SJC or SFO. Paso in, some respects, mimics the original event, find a small wine country town, surrounded by hills and decent roads...presto, lets ride.


But - there are plenty of places in the US that may be a better draw for an Eroica type of event - upstate NY, Sonoma County, OR wine country, Carolinas.

HelpSingularity 

I want to mention that Cambria is next to one of the premier, beautiful coasts of the nation.
The coast really is a jewel with minimal development.
I certainly can see why one would want to host an event there.

Thalia949

Fully agree with you on the beauty of the Central Coast - one would think that it should be a better draw. Sea Otter has no issues in attracting people - the Monterey peninsula is a lot more accesible than Cambria

I live on the coast of CA. My town is having its first organized bike festival / event ever in October 2024. It will be interesting to see how many people attend that event.

rccardr 

Knowing both IAB and Davester, you guys would actually get along very well.

Oh. And the support from the Eroica CA organizers the last three times I attended was well below ‘very poor’.
Great route, lots of fun to ride. But (as someone who attends events like this around the country) ya need to have, like water and support stops.

Andy_K 

Oh, come on, there was water available at most of the rest stops. (...thinking back...) OK, there was water available at at least one rest stop.

nlerner

If you have to use your water filter or your desalination device, I don’t think that counts.

Andy_K 

There's no pleasing some people.

bikingshearer 

If ErociaCA is a go this year, I will attend unless something forces me not to. If EroicaCA is a no-go this year and beyond, I will be sad.

I've been to every edition (always the short route - hey, I'm a wuss) and have never failed to have a great time. Fun rides, great bikes, new friends made - that's what I wlll take away from it.

Oh, and profound gratitude to Wes for making it happen in the first place

gugie 

Don’t sell yourself short. Last year you rode 300+ miles with a dozen or so other riders on our Touroica ride, carrying your kit most of the way. That’s more heroic than a one day event in my book.

rccardr 

This.
AND you were stylin’!

bikingshearer 

Aw, yer makin' e blush . . . .

mountaindave 

All the kind words about and support for Cino are truly appreciated. I will pass them on the the many volunteers who make it happen.

Events are hard. Even within the state of Montana, Cino could be considered regional, so the efforts all the participants make to attend are especially appreciated by the volunteers.

I agree that the biggest draw for any event is the participants. It’s the main reason I keep Cino alive. As a teacher with my own children, it’s hard to get away during the school year. But that will change, and then I’ll get to attend more of the regional events! You guys are so fun to hang out with!

Bike nerds unite!
Mountaindave (AKA That Cino Guy)

Choke 

Not every year, only after Wes was pushed out.

Bingo. I attended every Eroica CA in Paso Robles and the first edition in Cambria. The events in Paso Robles under Wes's leadership were great, the support in Cambria was terrible. Between losing Wes and the move to Cambria (which I really disliked, though I understand the why of the move), I'm almost certainly done with Eroica CA. I will miss seeing the people that I've met there, both from this forum and others who aren't here, but it's silly to spend the money and make the time and effort to attend an event that just frustrates me in the end. Fortunately I will get to see many of those people at Cino.

Classtime 

Even the PR based events were pooped on.
From January, 2015:
“I do not plan to attend instead opting to go to Cino Heroica up in MT. I have been following the discussion on CR list and am turned off by some of the onerous rules.”

But Wes was great. Wes did the course with 22s! Unless it rained and he would put on 25s.

Manny66 

You did Not answer the Question ?? But here you are still commenting...

Markeologist

Wholeheartedly agree…even the last event in Paso was a letdown as with the move out of town square to the fairgrounds all those additional attractions like the movie theatre showing bike movies, the art galleries with bike art, and all of the restaurants at close hand were lost. When finishing at the Paso square there was such a great vibe with folks everywhere scattered about in the cool shade and comfy lawn that the square offered…and you could easily get up and grab a beer…it was such a great experience, sad it is gone.

repechage

I did not attend the “Paso” fairground year, the venue change really indicated it would be a different event.

Manny66 

At the Last Eroica event, a few of us had a long conversation with The Promoter of Eroica California about the shortcoming of the Event and also concerning the possible relocation back to Paso Robles . Amado looked us straight in the eyes and said , "Paso Did not want us there, Period ,We tried very hard to work with them and they flat out told Us , we do not want Eroica in Paso. " That put an end to that idea and any hope of moving it back.

To put things in context , I used to attend a very large custom car show in Paso Robles ,It was the Biggest Car show in So Cal and lots of us would make the trek north every year , Decades in fact . For whatever reason the City canceled the show and the promoters moved it to Santa Maria . Later we heard that the Paso Legislators and Citizens didnt want the hassle of holding such a large event in downtown and having the city overrun by out of town Partiers anymore. Perfectly understandable . If I remember correctly, years later the Car show eventually returned to the Paso Robles Fairgrounds.

Paso Robles is a done deal.

Oldairhead 

This has been mentioned many times in previous threads about Eroica CA, but perhaps some have not heard it yet so it is worth saying again!