In this issue:

1. Trail work event at the Flying B Ranch to work on the 2006 Event Courses

2. Many thanks to those that helped brush the Los Pinos Trail

3. Correction on the Christmas/Thanks Ride and party

4. Darin Maxwell’s 2nd Annual Pushkona Ride

1. TRAIL WORK EVENT AT THE FLYING BE RANCH TO WORK ON THE 2006 EVENT COURSES

On Saturday, December 3rd and Sunday, December 4th we will be having trail work parties at the Flying B Ranch constructing the first of 4 new single track trails and the one downhill course to be used in our 2006 Flying B Event Series.

The majority of the terrain of the first XC single track we are building is on a gentle grassy slope and will require very little benching and no brushing. Trail designers Eron Boyer and Jason Sladeck have laid out two new single tracks that really flow and will be fun to ride both up and down.

Downhill course designer James Sladeck, assisted by Han’s Rey and Brian Lopes, has laid out a great downhill course utilizing the fire road that climbs to the top of the highest ridge at the Flying B Ranch.

Those working this event qualify for our free Christmas/Thanks Ride and Party on Saturday, December 10th at the Flying B Ranch. Our volunteers will have a pre-view ride of the courses that will be used in the 2006 Flying B Series of Events, a prize raffle (or score points in games for prizes) and a great lunch. For more information on this free event for our 2005 volunteers see the announcement in this news release.

If you are free to work on the XC course next Saturday we will meet at the Flying B entrance gate at 9:00 a.m. and end the work at 2:00 p.m. All you have to bring are a pair of gloves and food while you work and we’ll provide pizza and drinks (beer/soda) afterward.

If you can help Saturday please RSVP to Jason Martin at:

mtnbikej@comcast.net

Eron Boyer may be working on Sunday on the XC trails. If you’d like to join him email him for the starting time and meeting location at:

eiboyer@sbcglobal.net

If you’d like to help out in building the downhill course on Sunday contact James Sladeck for information on the meeting location and staging time at:

jimsladeck@cox.net

Those volunteering at the trail construction events at the Flying B will also qualify for the free “Trail Grand Opening Party” once all the single track trails and the downhill course for our 2006 Flinging B Events Series are constructed.

2. MANY THANKS TO THOSE WHO HELPED BRUSH THE LOS PINOS TRAIL

Brushing our backcountry trails, which demand great endurance to hike, much less ride; is a brutal workout. The leader of the trail work, Warrior’s Society Dog Soldier Ned “Lone Wolf” Reynolds, had planned to use gas powered hedge trimmers, but unfortunately, it was dry with temps in the mid to upper 80’s; perfect fire conditions.

The Forest Service, properly, declared a “Red Flay” day – and no power tools are allowed to be operated due to the risk of starting a fire; it would be all hand tools. Even without power tools, they managed to brush the majority of the trail; only a small middle section remains.

Those that showed up for this trail work event have the same spirit of the “Dog Soldier’s” that protected the tribe so many years ago:

They endured, they committed, and they gave back.

Thanks to all of you that participated in this most difficult trail work event.

“Dances With Hornets”

3. CORRECTION ON CHRISTMAS / THANKS RIDE ON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10th

Due to an editing error some of you were sent the news on the Christmas / Thanks ride with two conflicting dates and start times. Here is the correct information:

Our free Christmas /Thanks Ride for all our volunteers will be on Saturday, December 10th meeting at 9:00 a.m. at the Flying B Ranch.

We’ll be doing a ride and giving a pre-view of the two new single tracks at the ranch as well as the new downhill course.

The ride will start at 9:30 a.m. and end at around 1:00 after which we’ll have a lunch, a raffle (or games at different locations on the pre-view ride with those with the highest scores winning prizes) and party…

For lunch we’ll have salad, carnitas, chicken asada, rice, beans tortillas and drinks (wine/beer/soda).

If you served as a volunteer at one of our trail work or riding events you qualify to attend this free event.

YOU MUST RSVP if you plan on attending.

We have a ton of prizes to raffle out to our volunteers thanks to the generosity of the following 2005 event sponsors:

Major Sponsors:

Manitou
Shimano
The Other Room Web Design
Clif Bar
Cytomax
Switchback Cyclery
The Path

Contributing sponsors:

Rock N’ Road Cyclery
JAX Bike Shops
Edge Cyclesports
The Bike Company
South County Cyclery
Rainbow Bikes
Oakley
Thrifty Vegetable
Yakima
Voler
Serfas
Pechanga Resort and Casino
Minute Maid / Coca Cola
Titus
Mountain Biking Magazine
Active.com
Dakine

Advocacy Sponsors:

SHARE
Blue Ribbon Coalition (BRC)
MTBAccess
Trails4All
Team Basso

4. DARIN MAXWELLS 2ND ANNUAL PUSHKONA RIDE

Club member Darin Maxwell held his 2nd Annual PushKona (so named because the goal was to ride 35 pound + bikes on a long ride, or in some cases, push the bike up the climbs).

This is a tough ride, especially on the day it was held. The temps were in the 80’s with very dry conditions. What the Forest Service call’s a “red flag” day.

Total mileage = 32.2 miles
Average moving speed = 5.1 mph
Estimated total elevation = 5,500 to 6,000 feet

For the story and pictures go to:

http://tinyurl.com/ddf7l

Darin put on a tough ride – and what’s more amazing – is Darin is an insulin dependant diabetic. He has to constantly test his blood to control his blood sugar level and avoid doing the “floppy tuna.” All we have to do is eat and drink.

Darin is also the father of Lacy Maxwell, a member of our Jr. Race Team:

http://www.warriorssociety.org/Racing/Bio-Lacey.html

The oldest rider to finish was Bill Hasenjaeger at 51 years old. Bill is the Warrior’s Society’s Washington State Representative.

In this issue:

1. Warrior’s Society Christmas / Thanks Ride on Saturday, December 10th

2. Clarification on the Warrior’s Society 2006 Orange County Championship Series

3. You can register for the Vision Quest and Counting Coup events at Switchback Cyclery

1. WARRIOR’S SOCIETY CHRISTMAS / THANKS RIDE ON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10th

Our free Christmas /Thanks Ride for all our volunteers will be on Saturday, December 10th meeting at 9:00 in the morning at the Flying B Ranch.

We’ll be doing a ride and giving a pre-view of the two new single tracks at the ranch as well as the new downhill course.

The ride will start at 9:30 a.m. and end at around 1:00 after which we’ll go to the Flying B for the raffle and party. For food we’ll have salad, carnitas, chicken asada, rice, beans tortillas and drinks (wine/beer/soda).

If you served as a volunteer at one of our trail work or riding events you qualify to attend this free event.

Please RSVP if you plan on attending.

We have a ton of prizes to raffle out to our volunteers thanks to the generosity of the following 2005 event sponsors:

Major Sponsors:

Manitou
Shimano
The Other Room Web Design
Clif Bar
Cytomax
Switchback Cyclery
The Path

Contributing sponsors:

Rock N’ Road Cyclery
JAX Bike Shops
Edge Cyclesports
The Bike Company
South County Cyclery
Rainbow Bikes
Oakley
Thrifty Vegetable
Yakima
Voler
Serfas
Pechanga Resort and Casino
Minute Maid / Coca Cola
Titus
Mountain Biking Magazine
Active.com
Dakine

Advocacy Sponsors:

SHARE
Blue Ribbon Coalition (BRC)
MTBAccess
Team Basso

2. CLARIFICATION ON THE WARRIOR’S SOCIETY 2006 ORANGE COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

Participants in the Warrior’s Society 2006 Championship Series (which will crown a male and female Orange County Mountain Bike Champion), must ride solo at the 24-Hours of Orange County and the Switchback 6-Hours or Orange County events in addition to participating in the Cytomax Spring and the Fall Mountain Bike Classic X-C Races.

We are negotiating with West Coast Adventure Racing to include their 12-Hours of Orange County in the Championship Series.

Cash payout (may be increased depending on the success of the series):

Series Champs – $600
2nd place – $250
3rd place – $150

In addition to cash we will also be giving out product provided by our sponsors to the series champions. We will also recognize other standout participants in the series; youngest and oldest.

In January we will have all the information for registering for the 2006 Warrior’s Society Orange County Championship Series of events. All of the events will be held at the Flying B:

*The Saturday, April 22nd “Cytomax Spring Mountain Bike Classic” cross-country race. We may also have a downhill event on Sunday if the course is constructed on time and the winter rains don’t tear up the shuttle roads too much.

*The Saturday, June 3rd “24 Hours of Orange County.”

*The Saturday, October 21st “Switchback 6-Hours of Orange County.”

*The Saturday, November 18th, “Fall Mountain Bike Classic” cross-country race and Sunday downhill event.

3. YOU CAN REGISTER FOR THE VISION QUEST AND COUNTING COUP EVENTS AT SWITCHBACK CYCLERY.

In addition to downloading the Vision Quest and Counting Coup apps off our web site, or registering through Acive.com, you can also register for the Pow Wow Events at Switchback Cyclery in Orange. Switchback Cyclery is located in Orange at 8530 E. Chapman (at Prospect Avenue on the southeast corner about a mile and a half east of the 55 Freeway). Their phone number is (714) 628-3913.

We are in the process of negotiating with two other bike shops in Orange County to be the named sponsors of our other 2006 Events. We will be negotiating with those shops to also allow registration at their shop locations for the events they sponsor.

Here’s the info to download apps and to register on Active.com:

To download an app for the Vision Quest go to:

http://tinyurl.com/b8brg

To register for the Vision Quest on Active.com go to:

http://tinyurl.com/cgso9

To download an app for the Counting Coup go to:

http://tinyurl.com/b8brg

To register for the Counting Coup on Active.com go to:

http://tinyurl.com/ajmrb

Your event confirmation will have additional event information including a course description.

In this issue:

1. The Switchback 6-Hours of Orange County write up and results

2. Pow Wow (Vision Quest and Counting Coup) registration is now open

3. Letters needed in support of the Southern California Forest Plans

4. Los Pinos Trail Maintenance Event

5. Public fossil tour of Silverado Canyon

1. THE SWITCHBACK 6-HOURS OF ORANGE COUNTY WRITE-UP AND RESULTS

We have the write-up and the results (the link to the results are at the end of the write-up) of the Switchback 6-Hours of Orange County posted on our web site at:

http://www.warriorssociety.org/Events_And_Results/6hourWriteup2005.html

In 2006 we will be crowning a Female and Male Orange County Mountain Bike Champion. Points will be earned for each of the competitive Warrior’s Society events held at the Flying B Ranch:

April 22nd – The Cytomax Spring Mountain Bike Classic (250 rider limit)

June 3rd – The 24-Hours of Orange County (250 rider limit)

October 21st – The Switchback 6-Hours of Orange County (250 rider limit)

November 18th – The Fall Mountain Bike Classic (250 rider limit)

Our distance events, the March 4th Warrior’s Society Vision Quest (150 rider limit) and Counting Coup (100 rider limit), will not be counted in the championship events.

We will also have our fun event, the Toad Festival, on May 13th (250 rider limit)

$2,000 in cash prizes will be awarded by the Warrior’s Society and the Flying B to the top 3 men and top 3 women racers at the last event of the 2006 season.

Top male and female – $600 each
2nd male and female – $250 each
3rd male and female – $150 each

The Warrior’s Society and Switchback Cyclery thanks all those that participated in and helped to support the event. We received a lot of great feedback from you that we will be incorporating in all our 2006 Events at the Flying B Ranch.

It is our goal to continue to bring quality grass roots racing to Orange County and with your participation, support and feedback together we can make this Vision come true.

The Warrior’s Society and Switchback asks you to support our contributing sponsors as well as our race team and major events sponsors; Shimano, Manitou, Cytomax, Clif Bar, The Other Room Web Design, the Path Bike Shop and the Flying B Ranch.

See you at the 2006 Pow Wow,

Chris
AKA “Dances With Hornets”
Executive Director
The Warrior’s Society

2. POW WOW (VISION QUEST AND COUNTING COUP) REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN

Registration for our next event “The 2006 Mountain Bike Pow Wow” to be held on Saturday, March 4th is now open. The Mountain Bike Pow Wow consists of two events;

The Vision Quest – 56.5 miles with 11,000 feet of total elevation gain and 2 miles of hike a bike.

The Counting Coup – 40 miles with 8,000 feet of total elevation gain.

Participation is limited to 250 (150 Vision Quest and 100 Counting Coup) and we sell out every year so if you are up to the challenge register ASAP to insure a spot in one of the events.

We offer an early start option for those who feel they need a little more time to make the cutoffs. Those wanting an extra hour may participate in our 5:00 a.m. early start. This year WE WILL NOT have an early start shuttle from the staging area to the start; YOU MUST TRANSPORT YOURSELF TO THE START AND PRE-REGISTER AT SWITCHBACK CYCLERY THE THURSDAY OR FRIDAY BEFORE THE EVENT TO RECEIVE YOUR NUMBER PLATE AND EVENT T-SHIRT.

Those starting at the regular 6:00 start will be shuttled to the start or have the option to drive them selves to the start. If regular starters want to drive themselves to the start they must also pre-register at Switchback Cyclery.

To save everyone time we are encouraging everyone, no matter when you are starting, to pre-register at Switchback Cyclery the Thursday and Friday before the event to receive your number plate and event t-shirt. This would save all of us tons of time the morning of the event. We will not have pre-registration at O’Neill Park the Friday evening before the event.

The active.com registration has some incorrect info that our web master will be correcting shortly. The staging area will be at O’Neill Regional Park, not the Flying B and the pre-registration times on March 2nd and 3rd at Switchback Cyclery will be from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Remember, we will not be doing pre-registration at O’Neill Park Friday night.

Your event confirmation will have additional event information including a course description.

To download an app for the Vision Quest go to:

http://tinyurl.com/b8brg

To register for the Vision Quest on Active.com go to:

http://tinyurl.com/cgso9

To download an app for the Counting Coup go to:

http://tinyurl.com/b8brg

To register for the Counting Coup on Active.com go to:

http://tinyurl.com/ajmrb

3. LETTERS NEEDED IN SUPPORT OF THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA FOREST PLANS

The Center for Biological Diversity, a radical anti-access organization, is initiating a letter writing campaign to Regional Forester Bernie Weingardt, the top Forest Service official in California, to oppose the new Forest Plans.

Mountain bikers need to write our own letters to him in support of the forest plans. When writing your letters be sure and give your name and address, the forest your recreate in, and state that you are a mountain biker that supports the chosen plans.

Send your letters to:

Bernie Weingardt
Regional Forester
USDA Forest Service – R5
1323 Club Drive
Vallejo, CA 94592

Please do your part to support the Forest Service and protect your access.

4. LOS PINOS BRUSHING PROJECT ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19TH.

The Warrior’s Society Dog Soldiers, led by Ned “Lone Wolf” Reynolds, will be brushing the Los Pinos Trail, one of the most challenging backcountry trails in the Trabuco District.

When: Saturday November 19th.

Where: Meet @ the San Juan Parking lot @ 7am. This is going to be a long day so we need to start early.

Game Plan: Split up into two crews. One crew will shuttle to the top and work down. The other crew will work from the Bottom. If anyone can’t make the 7am start time then they can start from the bottom. I will supply the loppers and power tools.

Special Notes: This trail is overgrown, even by Los Pinos standards. I and others would like to shape this trail up prior to the long Thanksgiving/Turkey Burn Weekend.

Why: Because it’s one of the best & toughest Trails in the Cleveland National Forest and currently it’s beyond overgrown.

What to bring: Bring enough water and food for a 7 hour day. I suggest long pants and long sleeve shirt. We’ll provide the tools including some power tools.

Notes: If you have never done Los Pinos, on your Bike, this would be a perfect time to come out and see for yourself one of OCs best and toughest trails.

Please be aware that since we’ll be using commercial power hedge trimmers to do the brushing we may be forced to postpone the work if the Santa Ana winds (that are expected this week) lower the moisture content raising the risk of an accidental fire.

Please reply to Ned Reynolds at elr1@sbcglobal.net if you can help us out.

5. PUBLIC FOSSIL TOUR OF SILVERADO CANYON

Ever wanted to have the paleontological resources of the Riviera area of Silverado Canyon identified and explained by experts? Here’s your chance to take a short walk sixty million years into the past, in an area renowned for its fossil resources. Join us on November 20th in Silverado Canyon for a free tour guided by geologist Lee Shoemaker and Professor Richard Behl of the Department of Geological Sciences at California State University Long Beach. Do you have any unusual or unidentified fossils or rocks you’d like examined? Bring them along! Meet across the street from the Silverado Community Center, 27641 Silverado Canyon Road, at 9 AM.

Mike Boeck
rockdad@earthlink.net
Santa Ana Mountains Natural History Association