TORCA NEWSLETTER

Happy Summer Shredders!

TORCA has been busier than ever, focusing on some critical priorities for 2016 in addition to holding our regular trail work events and group rides.

The 2015 Pachanga featuring the 3rd Annual Poker Ride & Bike Demo was a huge success for all involved. Well over 100 participants attended three events, including Freeride Friday sponsored by Guerrilla Gravity, the Poker Ride & Bike Demo, and the first ever “Funduro” (a non-competitive enduro style event where the most average time wins the gold!).

One of TORCA’s most ambitious initiatives was its adoption of the CDO (Canada Del Oro) trail on the backside of Mt Lemmon. The Forest Service entrusted us with the daunting task of maintaining this very difficult to access, backcountry trail. Two trail work weekends were scheduled in the spring, but the weather had different plans. After rescheduling due to rain, a small crew of 6 brave folks carried cross-cut saws, mcleods, loppers, food, water, and sleeping packs into the woods and worked from dawn to dusk, removing 20+ deadfall trees. The second day included more of the same, as well as pruning of extensive overgrowth and fixing eroded areas. Day two concluded with volunteers driving UTV’s into Charleau Gap to pick up the haggard hikers/trail workers. It is a grueling endeavor, but one that culminates with the TORCA Group Ride on CDO in May! If you haven’t ridden this trail, it needs to be on your bucket list. CDO is on par with The Whole Enchilada or any of the greatest epic trails in the Southwest!

While TORCA is an organization made up of all disciplines of riders, there is a big piece of TORCA’s heart that belongs to Downhill! This February, Home Grown Mountain Biking Tours provided shuttles to eager Tucson riders to Phoenix’s South Mountain trail system to co-host an event with GROAZ (Gravity Riders of Southern Arizona). Big bikes were in play, as riders navigated the extremely rocky and technical terrain of trails such as Geronimo and National. Lunch was provided by GROAZ, a barbeque with all the fixin’s. There were some bumps and scratches, but everyone came out in one piece with huge smiles on their faces! This annual ride keeps growing, with most of the riders coming from Tucson! Represent!!

TORCA’s membership drive is ongoing, as we are a small non-profit organization completely funded by its members. With that, we were able to offer a raffle for a $200 shopping spree on Troy Lee Designs website! TORCA worked hard to get members to renew their memberships and add additional members, and at the Spring Bike Swap, the shopping spree was raffled off to Anthony Zepke! This TORCA original has been a supporter from the beginning. It was great to give him this gift in appreciation of his support. TORCA appreciates all of its’ members and understand that without you, we couldn’t do what we do!

In 2016, TORCA has spent dozens and dozens of hours working on the following trails:
Fantasy Island
Bug Springs
Aspen Draw
Bigelow/Kellogg
CDO

A new group ride was added this year, and incorporates a section of the Arizona Trail that is otherwise difficult to access, logistically. Home Grown Mountain Biking Tours provided a shuttle to 14 eager riders who started at Box Canyon and finished at Gabe Zimmerman trailhead. This 28 miles, many of which are descents, included the best of the AZT! The weather in February was amazing, and it will definitely be added to the itinerary of annual group rides.

2016 Pachanga planning has been in full swing! This year promises to break the mold and put Tucson on the map of mountain biking! We’ve capped the number of Bike Manufacturers at 10, allowing each manufacturer to showcase their fleet and get as many people in as many saddles as possible. You can expect the same 3 day format, with the addition of more group camping and functions in the evening. Stay tuned as this event comes together! This is an “all hands on deck” endeavor, so if you’re interested in volunteering, please get in touch!

Check out our calendar for upcoming events.

Cheers!

Tara
TORCA Secretary

PACHANGA Spanish   /paw*chong*guh/   (Noun)

1.       Party or Bash

2.       A gathering of mountain cyclists in the Santa Catalina mountains to revel whilst shralping, camping, and imbibing.

 The little camping/riding event that put TORCA on the map is back and it just keeps getting bigger and better! Last year we stepped up and added a demo day to the Poker Ride which everyone loved!! This year we’re making it a whole weekend full of fun events. This event is open to members only. To become a member click here

 REGISTRATION: Important Event details MUST READ***********

 In keeping with USFS regulations, this event has limited occupancy per the FS regulations! We anticipate filling up all of the spots very quickly as we did so last year. There will be two ways to register with ONE great way to guarantee your spot.  

1.       Pre-registration (Guaranteed spot) This will open August 22nd.  Simply emailtorcainc@gmail.com and we'll check your membership status and email you the link for preregistration.  This will NOT ONLY guarantee your spot, but with your donation you will also receive a Limited Edition TORCA Pachanga Silipint that we will gladly keep full of tasty refreshments for you at the event. A $25 donation is required. This not only guarantees your spot for the Poker Ride, but for the whole weekend (Other event details below). All proceeds go to TORCA to keep working on your trails and working for new ones!

2.       General Registration- This will be done on a first come first served basis after Oct. 7th. Email torcainc@gmail.com to secure your spot after Oct. 7th. We don’t anticipate this even happening given the level of excitement that was generated last year and the exposure we’ll be getting this year. So Pre Register and help support our efforts in making and keeping Tucson an incredible place to ride and take home a cool Silipint as well!

CHECK IN:

Check in: Please check in to pick up your wrist band at the following locations:

YOU MUST CHECK IN! NO SHUTTLES NOR BIKES WILL BE GIVEN OUT WITHOUT A WRISTBAND!

Friday: At the Iron Door Restaurant across from Mt. Lemmon Ski Lifts
Saturday and Sunday: Gordon Hirabayashi Campground at the SW end of the campground. Parking will be limited if at all in this campground. Park in the parking areas and ride down to Gordon Hirabayashi Campground. There will be a shuttle for those that find parking or camping in Molino campground. For those that park above GH campground, let gravity be your friend and ride down to GH campground. See map of parking and shuttle pick up locations below.

 EVENTS:

FREERIDE FRIDAY
November 6^th  1:30pm to Dark

We have added a few fun twists to the event starting with taking our ongoing weekly event “Freeride Friday” and adding a spice to it. Never joined us for Freeride Friday? Time to make it happen! We shuttle you on Tucson’s only DH trail, Aspen Draw(AKA Aspirin Draw).  We shuttle till dark and afterwords, we share in all the war stories and a couple cold ones! This year Guerrilla Gravity will be sponsoring it and bringing their Megatrail’s and their Dh rigs for everyone to try out on a most appropriate and fun trail!  

3rd Annual POKER RIDE AND DEMO DAY
Saturday November 7^th 8:00am to 3:00pm

Last year we had 5 manufacturers (Specialized, Devinci, Niner, Ibis, Pivot) and this year we’re bringing out even more! In addition, we listened to everyone’s feedback last year so this year, you’ll have the opportunity of trying out a 2016 bike during the Poker Ride as well as during the demo hours. We’ll take care of shuttles, Lunch consisting of World Famous Korean BBQ Pork Tacos, Beans and Rice compliments Risky Business Restaurant’s. Beverages compliments of Borderlands Brewing.   

Inaugural FUNDURO
Sunday November 8^th 9:00am

We’re taking the talk of the mtb world, the “Enduro” and adding a little more “fun” to it. This will take place on one of Tucson’s favorite(if not favorite) trails, La Milagrosa Trail! In a FUNDURO, there is only one class and it’s not about who the fastest riders are. We take the average time of all participants and the 5 race times closest to the Avg are the winners! If you’re the “STRAVA” type, we may have some prizes for you too, but shhh, THIS IS NOT A RACE!  It’s a time trial.

Please forward any questions to torcainc@gmail.com or call TORCA President Art Alcantara @ 529-591-1514

Event Details:

FRIDAY- Aspen Draw Shuttles with Guerilla Gravity
Across from the lifts at Mt. Lemmon Ski Valley
1:30pm till dark

SATURDAY- Poker Ride and Demo Day (Gordon Hirabayashi Campground)
8:00am Registration
8:30am Bike Demo opens
9:00am Shuttles begin to Bug Spring Trail Head
12:00p Lunch served by Risky Business
3:00pm Bike demo ends
3:00-5:00pm Volunteer shuttles begin

SUNDAY- Funduro!
7:45am Shuttle pick up at Suzenu Road
8:15am Shuttle Pick Up from Agua Caliente Elementary School(11420 E Limberlost Rd, Just east of Melpomene way)
9:00am Riders Meeting at Molino Basin Parking lot
9:30 Funduro Begins
Immediate following the ride: Awards, food and beverages concluding the ride at the Sooter's Residence(at the end of the trail)
5pm Ride back to cars(1/4 mile away)

TORCA is helping to put Tucson's amazing riding on the map. Not only do we make La Milagrosa and many other trails shine through tons of volunteer hours working on the trail, we make them shine in the international spotlight as well. Pinkbike has made our hometown gem of gnarliness, their Trail of the Month. TORCA is making big things happen in Tucson and it’s nice to see being noticed on such a large scale. If you haven't joined us for a group ride or trail day, come on out and see what we are all about. http://www.pinkbike.com/news/trailforks-trail-of-the-month-la-milagrosa-2015.html

Wow what a hugely productive work weekend for TORCA on the CDO trail. We removed over 20 downed trees and cleared 3+ miles of trail. It was remote and not easy to get to, but 6 brave souls spent two days helping CDO find its former glory. Here are a few before and after pictures of just a small portion of the work that was done. Come out and join us in April for more trail magic.

This Redbull Media House production is one for the ages and sure to be loved no matter what kind of mountain bike you ride!! Come join us for a night of food, fun and refreshments at Risky Business Restaurant on Tanque Verde. There will also be some awesome giveaways. Tickets are available at the door. Volunteers from the poker ride and trail workers who have done two days of trail work get FREE ADMISSION. $5 and $10 for members and non members respectively. There is a link to the trailer attached below to get you stoked on the movie. See you all there!

What an amazing day of riding. We want to thank everyone who came out and supported TORCA for the day and made the event a huge success. We hope you had as much fun riding as we had putting it on for you. There were amazing bikes out there and the banter over which one was the best was awesome! We want to thank all of the manufacturers for coming out including Specialized, Devinci, Pivot, Niner, and Ibis. All of them brought out the most amazing trail weapons one could hope to throw a leg over. Thanks Guys! We'd also like to thank Borderlands Brewing for providing the bevees and Risky Business for the amazing food! Thanks Johnnie-O! A huge debt of gratitude is owed to the Bike shops for their support of our event. Arizona Cyclist and Fairwheel Bikes. We'd also like to thanks Dane of Guru suspension for coming out as well as Ordinary bikes for their contributions. Last but not least, thanks to all the volunteers that helped out and made the event a success. Next year will be even bigger and better!! Cheers everyone!!

Location: Gordon Hirabayashi campground.

Time: 8:30 SHUTTLES for Poker Ride start. DEMOS will start at 10:30 am

Ride Course: Bug Springs through Prison camp trail

Parking: Parking will be in the following designated spots:

- Below the Forest Service pay station

- Molino Basin Campground

- Gordon Hirabayashi Campground

- Lower Bug Springs Trailhead

- Vista point above Lower Bug Springs Vista Point

- Seven Cataracts Vista Point

- Upper Bug Springs trailhead

- Picnic area across the highway from Upper Bug Springs TH

- Additional parking available above Upper BS TH at General Hitchcock campground(about 200 yards above Upper BS TH).

Shuttle pick-up points: SAME AS ABOVE(except Upper BS TH).  Just stand out by the highway and we'll take you on up. We'll have shuttles running you back up from the bottom of Moilno too! Shuttles will only run up the highway. Any of the parking spots can be accessed by a quick ride down the hwy.

Admission: Free to TORCA members. You can go to Torca.org to become a members and receive some great perks. OR you can report to the torca tent at Gordon Hirabayashi campground to sign up. Though it's better to sign up before hand as we are limited to 75 people. Upon becoming a member, RSVP to Vernie to reserve your spot: vernieaikins@gmail.com.

360 Vista on Trailforks.com

Aspen Draw on Trailforks.com

AZ Trail - Gabe Zimmerman to Lakes on Trailforks.com

AZ Trail - Pistol Hill to 3 Bridges on Trailforks.com

Kellog/Incinerator Ridge on Trailforks.com

Bittersweet on Trailforks.com

Boulder Belt on Trailforks.com

Bug Springs on Trailforks.com

Camaro Loop on Trailforks.com

Cascabell Loop on Trailforks.com

Flight Path on Trailforks.com

La Milagrosa on Trailforks.com

Prison Camp/AZT on Trailforks.com

Rock Surfer on Trailforks.com

Rocky 13 on Trailforks.com

Starr Pass Main Loop on Trailforks.com

Stone House Loop on Trailforks.com

Sunset on Trailforks.com

Sunset Pass on Trailforks.com

TORCA was the recipient of a grant from the Mountain Bike Association of Arizona(MBAA). The grant will go towards buying trail tools to maintain Tucson's trails. Thanks Jon Shouse and MBAA! We won't let you down!