Welcome to our official feedback forum. Do you have an idea? Do you recognize a good idea when you see one? We want to hear from you!
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106 votes
Mark the courses better planned
A few people (especially 100 milers) commented that the green markings were hard to see on the wet roads. The route crew should look at using Route arrows: http://www.routearrows.com/
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97 votes
the food kind of sucked -- i expected a lot more
Overall I had a great time, but the food was a HUGE disappointment.
A big reason I signed up for this ride was because of the promise of delicious vegetarian food. Some of the fresh fruit was AMAZING. The rasberries and plutots esp. However, the prepared food was total crap. Every single par... more
It would be helpful if people added comments to this thread with specific feedback. What did you like or not like?
- organicathlete -
93 votes
more bathrooms at rest stop planned
The lines were far too long. When you pay $60 for a ride like this, I think they should AT LEAST have more than one portable toilets at each rest stop. Some of the stops should have had at least three.
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75 votes
Have a farmer's market at the end of the ride planned
I'd love to purchase some of the great produce I ate along the way to take home with me.
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65 votes
streamline registration planned
There were some lines that were empty, and some that took over 20 minutes to get through.
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62 votes
A big thank you to the volunteers
I want to acknowledge the hard work and time the volunteers put in at the event. Your dedication and service was much appreciated!
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42 votes
Great ride!
The food was much better than any I've had on other rides. The fruit was amazing and the other food was good too. Some of the people posting here really sound like whiners. Yes, there were potholes, sometimes you had to wait in line for the bathroom and (gasp!) people might have eaten with dir... more
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33 votes
Focus a tad more on "rules of the road"
Everyone I rode with was quite courteous and pleasant, however, it would be great if all were armed with a little cheat sheet, or sent out an email prior to the ride to the known "cycling rules of the road". Is this covered only in the rider leader led rides?
I didn't hear many call-o... more
We also had a West County resident comment:
- organicathlete
"Both my my wife and I encountered the massive disregard your riders have for the West Sonoma County area and it's residence. While on foot, my wife was forced off the Joe Rodota Trail on more than one occasion this morning by rude bicyclist going too fast. On the roads they were 3-4 abreast, unaware and not even looking back to check for vehicles. These people are dangerous giving the rest of us cyclist and your ride a bad name. Please educate your riders on the importance of respecting the community they are riding through." -
22 votes
Dirty hand situation at rest stops
Made me a uneasy how many dirty hands were digging into the fruit, etc. at the food stations. People should use 1) hand sanitizer and 2) remove their gloves. Need plain hand-sanitizer offered at every opportunity---especially near the porta-potties AND at the food stations. Very unsanitary for ri... more
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13 votes
Make the farmers more available
Part of my reason for doing this ride was to learn from and be inspired by the local farmers of organic produce whose food we were eating. The volunteers were nice at the rest stops, but the growers were nowhere to be found! We'd love it if you could get them a little more involved and available.
The accessibility of the farmers depends on the farm - several of the rest stops were run by the farmers themselves. Weekends are hard for farmers as most of them have farmer's markets to attend to. The scale of the ride would also make it impossible for everyone to get a tour. We've talked about organizing smaller rides with more access to the farmers.
- organicathlete -
12 votes
Create Incentive to Bring Your Own Plate planned
There was much waste at the lunch. It would be great if you would provide an incentive to get folks to bring their own reusable plates. I know you mentioned this in the email but with so much other gear and limited parking it was easy to leave your plate at home or in the car. With a raffle ticke... more
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10 votes
Provide more CHP Support at Big Crossings
I did the 35 mile route and while some of the larger roads had CHP's situated to help safe crossing, some did not. There were multiple places where groups of riders had to cross very busy, fast roads, with a blind curve on one side and a hill on the other. I did not feel safe crossing.
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9 votes
I thought last year's end-of-ride meal was better.
Overall, I thought it was a well-organized, delicious event. Thanks to everyone for making it a success. We'll be back next year.
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9 votes
Coordinate dates with other nearby centuries
Napa, Holstein and Organic were all the same weekend so it was tough to do more than one of them.
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9 votes
Provide SAG
I thought there was going to be vehicle support in case of problems. I did not see any. Many of the roads were deeply rutted and there was a serious risk of tire damage. Knowing that there was support in case of a flat or other problem would be a valuable addition.
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9 votes
I appreciated the excellent vegetarian food at lunch!
I thought the food at lunch and the spirit it was served to us was amazing and wonderful. However, there was not enough food or variety of things unless we wanted to eat more peanut butter!
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7 votes
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7 votes
bike mechanics at one or 2 stops
w/pump, tools, etc. Local bike shops might volunteer or maybe the Community Bike shop that takes donations of bike parts & clothes for resale might do it for the publicity.
We did have a mechanic available at the S/F, the first stop, the lunch stop, and for most of the day at the 2nd to last stop.
- organicathlete -
7 votes
Offer more electrolyte replacement drink mix and gels.
At the few stops I made, there was only water.....no drink mix. Also I was disappointed that there were no gels available. While I loved the ride and the post ride meal was great, I found that the refueling options at the stops were not well suited for those riding at a more competitive pace.
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6 votes
a true tour of the farms
disappointed that the rest stops at each farm were like any other bike rest stop. i am all supportive of seeing clear signs of what farm we're at, what they specialize in, info on the farm and where their produce is sold, some sense that we are free to stop and support the farms. it felt a bit i... more
