Bike ride organizers in Northern California have postponed at least one event and changed the route of another as firefighters battle horrific wildfires in several counties.
Not wanting to hamper efforts to control the wildland fires, organizers also realize that air quality in the region is not ideal for outdoor exercise.
The 10th Annual Asti Tour de Vine, scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 14, through northern Sonoma County has been postponed. The event is sponsored by the Cloverdale Rotary Club. The routes — 25k, 50k, and 100k and 100 miles — passed through some of the hardest hit areas.
The Foxy Fall Century, sponsored by the Davis Bike Club, is going off as scheduled on Oct. 21, although organizers are changing one of the routes. Napa County has cancelled the use permit for the 100-mile ride, which passes through its county. Organizers are creating an alternate route through areas not affected by the fires. The 100k century and 50k flat ride are going off as planned.
Check out the bike ride links or check with sponsors regarding refunds, etc.
Leipheimer house
Meanwhile, a house owned by former US pro cyclist Levi Leipheimer was destroyed in the fire.
Bicycling magazine reports that Leipheimer and his family weren’t living in the house at the time, as it went up for sale last year. They moved, but stayed in Sonoma County.
Leipheimer moved to Sonoma in 2006 and started Levi’s Gran Fondo in 2008. The ride is scheduled next year for Oct. 5-7, 2018.
The fires have scorched 91,000 acres in Sonoma and Napa counties of Wednesday night, destroying 3,500 homes. Officials report 23 people have died in the fires.
Narrow escape by bicycle
An estimated 20,000 people have been evacuated, leading to many harrowing tales of escapes.
One story making the rounds involves a pregnant woman in Santa Rosa who attached a toddler trailer to a bicycle to get herself and her two children out of the area. Other avenues of escape were blocked by traffic. A man picked them up in a jeep and drove them to safety, where she was reunited with her husband.
Sonoma and Napa counties fire relief fund
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