Erzulis Boat 

I still have my hotel booked. I am going to ride maybe 80 miles or so.

AngryScientist 

I was planning on flying in from NJ for this one, but had held off booking flights. I would have worked it in between some work stuff, but man am I glad I never booked a bunch of travel stuff to be scrambling to cancel now. Hopefully they will just transfer everyone's registration $$$ over to the Spring.

Erzulis Boat 

Just talked to my brother. We are just going to "sleep in" until 5:30-6ish, grab a quick hot breakfast and then head back to the hotel room and grab the bikes.

We are going to run our SPD pedals with our MTB shoes, and then go exploring all day.

We will eat dinner at Linns or Robin's after we return. Hopefully we see some vintage bikes along the way.

Oldairhead 

I'm not sure that it is incompetence on the local level. I have noticed that the announcements that I have seen are simply signed "event director." They probably are having a hard time keeping an event director on board not only with the current challenges that Covid presents, but also with the difficulties in dealing with state and local entities for permitting. California is a VERY unfriendly state for events like this! Sadly I think that Eroica California's best days are behind it.

We miss you Wes!

Tomm Willians

Hello all

So is anyone aware of an “official” cancel on this? I’ve watched the posts about it being all but done but just wanted to be sure before I cancel my room. I was hoping to actually receive an email notification from the organizers ?

Straightblock

It's always been a 3 day event. The ride should be Sunday May 1.

I'm registered for the Lighthouse Century on September 25 so at least I'll still get my Central Coast ride this month.

bikingshearer 

This, 100%.

Ever since Wes was superseded and things started being run out of Italy, customer service has been, shall we say, less than stellar. I understand that it is not easy to keep up with the ebb and flow of Covid. I understand not wanting to be premature about postponing the event for the fourth time. I don't understand keeping your patrons in the dark about what is going on. There's a lot of goodwill being thrown out the window for want of e-mailing your custoners. I was willing to chalk up the 2019 kerfluffles to change-over issues and gave them the benefit of the doubt. Now, not so much.

I do notice that Eroica Inc. doesn't seem to have a problem letting people know when it's time to pony up for one of the Eroica events . . . .

AngryScientist 

So here we are midway through the day on Sept 1 and still crickets on an official announcement. I guess tomorrow never comes for eroica organizers!

keithdunlop

Dear Friends of Eroica,
Due circumstances surrounding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and above all, not wanting to add more tension to an already very complex situation, together with local partners we have decided to postpone this years’ edition of Eroica California. The new dates for the event are now set from April 29th to May 1st, 2022, where we are already focusing our energies to once again welcome you to the roads of the Central Coast.

We are deeply sorry for the inconvenience and complications that this decision implies for all those who were already registered, but thereasons for this decision are, we believe, clear and robust: to protect the participants and guests of Eroica California, as well as the citizens of Cambria, Cayucos and San Simeon, against the risk of a resurgence in the pandemic at some time in fall 2021, and to guarantee the international participation that has characterized this event since the very beginning. Obviously, such diverse attendance, the hallmark of Eroica California, will remain unfeasible in the coming months.

And in case one more reason was needed, we need to maintain the inner nature of Eroica California. Beyond the ride through the stunning landscapes of the Central Coast, this event is meant to live special moments full of friendship and good wine. Strict compliance with health protocols, which in principle will remain in place, would profoundly distort this experience.

What it means for your race entry:
You are already automatically registered for the 2022 edition. Both financially, and per our regulations, we simply are not in a position to offer entry refunds. Doing so would close Eroica California doors for good as much of the overhead that keeps us staying afloat is dependent on race entry revenue.

Transfer of Registration:
If you wish to transfer your existing Eroica California entry to another person, we will be happy to transfer it from December 2021 by simply sending a mail to registration@eroicacalifornia.com with your request.

Again, thank you for your understanding.

Heroic Regards,

The Eroica California Team

AngryScientist 

Thanks Keith. Where did that communication come from?

keithdunlop

Official email from the organizers. I have copied the entire email here.

iab

One would think with all the disappointment surrounding the communication there would be an outpouring of volunteers to take on the task.

AngryScientist 

Gotcha, yes, I got it too. Must have been a bit of a delay getting over to NJ. See you guys in the Spring! Good reason to stay on form over the winter i guess!

Erzulis Boat 

I was prepared to go full Jan Ullrich in the offseason starting the day after the ride, and have sausage and beer stockpiled ...................thanks for nothing!

It's all good. Looking forward to next year.

Erzulis Boat 

The Informers would have to be Informed, and in that lies the rub.

My Colnago Master frameset has been "at paint" for 4 months now.

Kabuki12

I am still looking forward to riding the Central Coast. I have already checked with my riding buddy and he is planning on going as well. There are a couple more down here in Ventura County that are putting some serious thought into going. It would be cool to have a few vintage bikes cruising through town and along the coast . I may even tie on my 2019 number and look somewhat official. I just can’t wait any longer and besides..... Linn’s, do I need to say more? Jam , pies, oh and great meals! See ya soon, Rich, the light house waits!

mech986 

I had first concerns of this through my discussions with a number of people involved, we just weren’t headed in the right direction since the cautious optimism of the late spring. The COVID situation is following the same multiple waves and variants as pandemics in the past plus efforts to mitigate have not been as successful as hoped. I was asked to wait for the official announcement.

At the risk of repeating Keith’s post, Here is the text of the email I received: Bold emphasis mine.

@Eroica California postponed until 2022

Dear Friends of Eroica,
Due circumstances surrounding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and above all, not wanting to add more tension to an already very complex situation, together with local partners we have decided to postpone this years’ edition of Eroica California. The new dates for the event are now set from April 29th to May 1st, 2022, where we are already focusing our energies to once again welcome you to the roads of the Central Coast.

We are deeply sorry for the inconvenience and complications that this decision implies for all those who were already registered, but thereasons for this decision are, we believe, clear and robust: to protect the participants and guests of Eroica California, as well as the citizens of Cambria, Cayucos and San Simeon, against the risk of a resurgence in the pandemic at some time in fall 2021, and to guarantee the international participation that has characterized this event since the very beginning. Obviously, such diverse attendance, the hallmark of Eroica California, will remain unfeasible in the coming months.

And in case one more reason was needed, we need to maintain the inner nature of Eroica California. Beyond the ride through the stunning landscapes of the Central Coast, this event is meant to live special moments full of friendship and good wine. Strict compliance with health protocols, which in principle will remain in place, would profoundly distort this experience.

What it means for your race entry:
You are already automatically registered for the 2022 edition. Both financially, and per our regulations, we simply are not in a position to offer entry refunds. Doing so would close Eroica California doors for good as much of the overhead that keeps us staying afloat is dependent on race entry revenue.

Transfer of Registration:
If you wish to transfer your existing Eroica California entry to another person, we will be happy to transfer it from December 2021 by simply sending a mail to registration@eroicacalifornia.com with your request.

Again, thank you for your understanding.

Heroic Regards,

The Eroica California Team

Bartley Yee
Planning and hoping again in La Habra, California, USA

Kabuki12

I am still waiting for my turn on my 1975 Super. I paid half about 3 months ago and was supposed to get a call in a month and a half. I will ride proudly with patina! I will be lucky to get in by the end of the year from what I understand.

mech986 

Looking way ahead!! I like your thinking!

I think everyone feels similarly but maybe a lot more machinations behind the scenes with multiple people involved, plus the same juggling with multiple events around world potentially being affected similarly. I'm sure the new Eroica owners and event managers never imagined this confluence of events would affect things so long. That said, emails and timely announcements would have been appreciated. Perhaps the Italians just do things differently and we Americans are more accustomed (or demand) better customer service. But IMO, we have our many customer service failures too (see Cable companies, Telecoms, etc.) plus a raft of difficult scheduling issues for events over the past year. I'm still quite wary of closed indoor events like concerts, sporting events, Broadway, etc. Without better case and vaccination trends, there is still a real threat to health for many.

See below for complete dates. Fire season, especially in California, would certainly be another issue and it sure has been, especially for Northern and Eastern California. Imagine if Eroica was held in Sonoma or Napa counties, smoke has been a real issue on some days in many areas. God forbid any fires broke out in the Central Coast area around Cambria.

Yes, the new dates are for the weekend of April 29-May 1, 2022, Friday through Sunday. I'm guessing still Friday for arrival, set up, registration pickup, Saturday for Festival, et. al, Nova Eroica ride, Sunday Festival and Classic Ride.

This probably took some time to determine with local officials, permits, and initial planning. Insurance was also a potential issue. Look at it this way, its after Tax day so that issue is over, you can splurge with any refund you received, and the weather should be a lot cooler (relatively considering climate change effects) than its been projected to be in a couple of weeks on the inland portions of the ride. Of course, the coastal Piedras Blancas ride will always be cool in more ways than one .

repechage

If it were a non-profit, sure.

run a bit more like a fraudster event, not as much money at risk, but the analogy to the Fyre Festival comes to mind.

continuing to accept registrations for the 2021 date when they almost certainly knew it was not going to happen...
My guess the City, county and Insurance companies all knew weeks ago.

Thalia949

Reading between the lines on the rationale for cancellation - 1. Risk for the international participants - read, organizers. The CA event was two weeks before their main event and the risk of an organizing group getting exposed and having to quarantine and miss the Gaiole event was likely too big of a risk. 2. Maintain the inner nature of the event - read, local sponsors to benefit the participants. When viewing the list of the local sponsors, listed were the host city chamber of commerce as well that of Cuyacos and San Simeon. These sponsors are likely in kind and drive little revenue for the event, the same being true for Cycle Central Coast. Given the COVID situation, the organizers were likely having a difficult time finding local sponsors to open their wineries and farms, and pay for the opportunity. So, as participants, we would have had a less than years past experience, and for the organizers a lot of added costs.

Hopefully, they can get some local support and bring the event back better than ever in 2022.

bikingshearer 

I'll be there, God willing and the creek don't rise. I may bring my Nova Eroica bike (1965ish Cinelli with Campy 10sp triple) rather than an Eroica-compliant bike (another 1965ish Cinelli or 1982ish Ron Cooper). Maybe I'll bring one of each (I can see my wife's raised eyebrow from here). Maybe I'll put SPDs on one of the Erocica-compliant bike. Decision, decisions.

I certainly expect to ride multiple days. Up to the lighthouse and back? Down to Cayucos and into the hills? Ride to Olea Farms and have my wife pick me up? Hangin' with fellow cyclists? All viable options. As I said: decisions, decision.

Yeah, I can make this work.

repechage

Cino California

Or, "we don't need no stink'n numbers"

Erzulis Boat 

I'm going friction shifting Faggin with SPD's. Enjoyable on both accounts.

bikingshearer 

With less organization and more cat herding.