Rider Event Information: BRNW California 2024

There are certainly a lot of details to a tour like this – so we thought we’d put as many of them as possible in one place for you. A reminder: This information, plus even more, is available on the Need-to-Know page of our website.

BEFORE THE RIDE/ARRIVAL

Ride With GPS/Experiences

We work with Portland-based Ride With GPS for our route planning as well as our navigation and communication for the event. Our routes are available for download to GPS devices through the RWGPS site; use the route links below.

We also use the Experience function on RWGPS, creating a package for each tour that riders can download to their phones. The package includes interactive route maps for real-time navigation anywhere, plus documents such as camp site plans, meal menus, emergency resources and more. Once the package is downloaded to your phone, the information is available to you throughout the tour.

We’ll send the Experiences link and password to you shortly before the ride.

Route Downloads

NOTE: Here are the best ways to access/navigate routes:

• If you normally download routes from your computer to your GPS device, do that. Here’s a tutorial from RWGPS. Don’t mess with transferring them from your Experience package to your GPS.
• If you can’t or don’t want to download routes to your GPS, navigate from the Experiences program, using your phone. You can start navigation each day, turn up the volume on your phone, turn your screen off, and tuck your phone in a jersey pocket. You’ll get turn-by-turn directions out loud, and it won't run down your phone battery. (Even better, get a Bluetooth earbud for one ear, and then you’ll get the directions in your ear.) If you'd like to directly download the daily riding routes, here are links to them.
• Don’t forget that we have a very good Route Team that marks the course clearly and thoroughly.

Day 1: Yreka to Happy Camp – https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44435407

Day 2: Happy Camp Layover, Oregon Border & Back – https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44953482

Day 3: Happy Camp to Etna – https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44188098

Day 4: Etna Layover, Scott Valley Loop – https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44548205

Day 5: Etna to Weed – https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44435395

Day 6: Weed Layover, Mt. Shasta Up-and-Back – https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44435415

Day 7: Weed to Yreka – https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44548502

Rider List

We’ve sent out a Rider List for this tour and included the latest versions below. Remember that some people opted out of having their information available to other riders. We’ll include a final rider list in your Ride With GPS Experience package for the tour.

CA24 List

WA24 List

Bike Shipping

If you’re shipping your bike to Sunnyside Sports, it will be delivered to the mechanics station in camp in Yreka on 6/22 – assembled or boxed, depending on what you pre-arranged with them. If you’re assembling your bike, please bring the tools you need; our mechanics will be busy using theirs. Same thing at the end of the tour: any shipped bikes can be left with the mechanics in Yreka 6/29.

What to Bring

Here’s a handy packing list of suggested items. Remember, it’s just a starting point, and you should customize based on your needs and the potential weather where we’re going. (And that means bring some of everything, from hot summer to cold winter gear.)

Also, make sure you bring some folding money for tips and small purchases along the way. We’ll have baggage-service kids, some local vendors, and other tipping/buying opportunities through the week. (Our retail store is taking credit cards, Venmo and PayPal this year, which is good news.)

Camp on June 22

Camp will officially open at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 22. We encourage you not to arrive sooner, but if you do, please don’t expect (or ask for) services before 2:00 – we’ve got a lot setting up to do!

Our first all-group gathering will be for dinner at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. Following dinner, at 7:00 we’ll have our first set of evening announcements; these are really important to be there for. We’ll be done pretty quickly.

Camping Before/After the Tour

Everyone will camp overnight at the site on Saturday, June 22; we’ll have all services up and ready to go that afternoon. At the end of the tour on Saturday, June 29, camp will close down at ~3 p.m. There is no overnight camping that night.

Site Address

The address for Jackson Street Elementary is 405 Jackson St., Yreka, CA 96097.

Parking

There will be a solar-panel construction project going on at the Jackson St. playground, so we’ll have to use an alternate site. Our long-term parking will be at Gold St. Elementary, 0.7 miles away.

READ THIS:

When you arrive in Yreka, drive to Jackson St. Elementary and pull up on the Jackson Street side. There will be a bag and bike drop area in front of the school, with monitors to watch your things. Then drive to Gold Street Elementary to park your car. Our SAG team will be there to help you park. (Here’s a driving map showing the route from Jackson to Gold.) Once you’ve parked, you can catch a shuttle from Gold St. Elementary back to the camp at Jackson St. Elementary. The shuttle will drop you off on the Oregon St. side, right next to our Rider Check-In area and around the corner from the bag/bike drop. You can check in first, or get your things and take them to a camping spot first; either is fine.

License Plates

When you check in on 6/22, you’ll be given a custom license plate for your bike. These are fun on the front and ID on the back, so we know who riders on the road are if something happens. There will be marker pens there for you to put whatever you like on the front: your name, where you’re from… whatever. On the back is room for your identification information. You’ll need to show your completed license plate to pick up your rider gifts and pre-ordered merchandise. So fill out the license plate, and later attach it to your seat. There will be zip-ties and scissors available to make them hang properly.

Tent & Porter

If you have Tent & Porter service, you’ll be contacted directly by the Team Directors, Maelynn Anderson and Aike Burger, before the event with details and questions for you. On 6/22 you’ll check in at Tent & Porter first, then go through the regular rider check-in process.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

First Aid and Medical Emergencies

All our crew members are certified in First Aid/CPR, so they can help you with minor medical situations. If you need emergency care or professional medical help, all crew members have access to information for the nearest major medical facility. We have a crew member designated to do non-emergency medical transport and assessment if it’s more than minor but not an emergency. If you need emergency transport, we will call for it, and hand you off to their care. Our event insurance coverage for you ends when you transfer to emergency or professional medical care.

Camp Central serves as our first aid hub in camp. We have our most comprehensive first aid kit there, as well as crew members with advanced first-aid training. So if you have a medical need in camp, please go to Camp Central. If it’s not open, contact any crew member and ask them to call the Executive Director or Camp Central Director for help.

Covid Safety

While Covid isn’t the threat we saw in previous years, it’s certainly not gone. We’ll have face masks available at Camp Central, as well as a small supply of Covid test kits.

Emergency Communication

BRNW owns 10 satellite devices called SPOTs that convert smartphones to satellite phones, so we can make a call anywhere. All SAG vehicles have one, plus both Rest Stop teams, the Executive Director, Camp Central Director and the Expediter (our emergency resource crew member).

Wellness: Massage, Acupuncture, Yoga

We offer a range of wellness options for you. Our team of three massage therapists (Garde, Maria, Aric) travels with the event; they begin services on Sunday afternoon, and are available through Friday evening. You can schedule appointments (30 or 60 minutes) by contacting an LMT ahead of the event, or stop by their tent during the event to see what they have available.

Contacts:

Garde Wells, gmacwells@gmail.com, 541.556.9893

Maria Weinstein, mariaweinsteinlmt@gmail.com, 541.801.6310

Aric Naber, aric.naber@gmail.com, 503-481-6725

We also offer acupuncture, by Betsy Platt of AcuOm Acupuncture, also by appointment or drop-in if she’s available.

Betsy Platt, betsyplattlac@gmail.com, 503-939-2796

Yoga

There is a daily yoga session at 4:00 p.m. in camp on days we move to a new town (this is a change; it used to be 4:30). On layover days, yoga will be at 3:00 p.m. Our instructor for this tour is Piper Peterson, an experienced BRNW yogi. The classes will be geared toward cyclists, and can be done by beginners and veterans alike. She won’t have extra equipment with her, so please bring your own mat or towel. Camp Central will know the location of each day’s session.

CPAP Users

If you use a CPAP machine, we asked you to specify during registration whether you would need overnight electricity to run it. If you answered yes to that, we have a spot for you. In each camp you’ll find a designated area (adjacent to the Tent & Porter tents); pitch your tent there. We’ll have extension cords for everyone to use for their machines overnight.

IN CAMP

Camp Central

Camp Central is our social and informational hub in camp. They have answers to your questions, food and drinks, the really big first aid kit, and a cheerful attitude. Camp Central typically opens at 11 a.m., and you’ll find a daily variety of snacks, plus cold beverages both alcoholic and non-alcoholic; it’s all free. Snack service ends at 4 p.m., and you can stop by at 6:00 to get a drink to take to dinner if you like. After that, the non-alcoholic drink barrels will be left out, in case you have a late-night thirst (this is new).

Site Maps

These will be in your RWGPS Experiences app, but if you want to see where we are in each town, these should help. See below for site plans - click to open.

Yreka - Day 0 and 7

Happy Camp - Day 1 and Day 2

Etna - Day 3 and Day 4

Weed - Day 5 and Day 6

Mechanics

We’ll have three professional mechanics on the ride: David Gast, Jay Scott and John Walker. All three are new to the BRNW team, but not to wrenching. They’ll be deployed like this:

Check-in day, 6/22: Open in camp beginning no later than 2 p.m., when camp opens. They will have all the shipped and rented bikes at their location for riders to pick up.

Riding days: One mechanic will remain in camp until all riders have departed, to help with any last-minute problems. The other two will move ahead to be positioned at the rest stops on the route. The first mechanic will drive ahead to the next camp when he’s done helping get riders on the road in the morning. All the mechanics will be available at some point in the afternoon, depending on route length and other factors – they shoot for 4 p.m. every day. They’ll probably be in a situation where they triage your bike and you leave it with them to work on when it’s your turn. They attempt to get everything done right away, but please respect that they need a break now and then, too.

Final day, 6/24: When you get to camp, the mechanics can help you with bikes being shipped, and you can return rental bikes to them.

Cost: The mechanics’ services are free to riders; you’re only charged for any parts needed. The only exceptions to this are helping you assemble/disassemble a bike for shipping, and detailing (see below). The mechanics do accept tips, and we encourage you to recognize their help accordingly.

Bike detailing: Based on time availability, the mechanics can do full-bike detailing during the event. A single bike is $45, and a tandem is $60. Inquire with them about availability.

Before the ride: Please have your bike checked out/tuned up/overhauled before the ride. The mechanics are very busy the first day, so please don’t bring them a problem you could have taken care of before the event.

Things to bring: The mechanics recommend everyone bring a spare derailleur hanger for their bike; it’s a very common need on a tour, and trying to stock one for every different bike is impossible. It’s also a good idea to bring a spare tire you like. If you ride tubeless tires, you should bring your own specific tools for this; SAG drivers will help if they can, and mechanics will be able to work on them at rest stops and in camp.

Food and Beverages

Please eat what you signed up for: When you registered, you were asked to choose between the Omnivore and Vegan menus. We don’t like making people wear wristbands or other ID, so we trust you to stick to your chosen plan. We understand that occasionally someone who chose omnivore will not want red meat, or that someone who chose vegan will want the fish, but PLEASE don’t consider this a fluid decision each day. The caterers make some extra of each at each meal, but please don’t choose the vegan option just because it looks better – if we run out of vegan options, committed vegetarians/vegans have nothing to eat.

Here’s the food/beverage schedule each day:

Breakfast (Sunday through Saturday): 6 to 7 p.m. (Coffee service begins at 5:30 a.m.). This can change to a later start on layover days.

Lunch (Sunday through Saturday, except the Wednesday layover): Lunch is served at the catering area starting at noon each day except the Wednesday layover in Etna. On that day, you can choose between going to one of three local restaurants, or we’ll have a barbecue in camp from a local group. Please note: Lunch is separate from the Camp Central snacks; please don’t try to make your lunch from Camp Central nibbles.

Snacks/Drinks: Free healthy (and some non-healthy) snacks are available at Camp Central each afternoon, until 4:00. In addition, there will be an assortment of cold beer, wine, cider, soda, juices, waters, etc. This service ends at dinnertime for alcoholic drinks; if you want something from Camp Central to drink at dinner, please come get it before 6:00. Non-alcoholic drinks will be left out in the evening.

Dinner (Saturday to Friday): 6 to 7 p.m.

Find a meal menu here; this will also be available as part of the RWGPS Experience.

Showers and Towels

New this year: The showers will not be open in the morning on days when we move camp – but the sinks will be open from 5:30-7 every morning. (This is so the shower team can get to the next town in time to be open by noon there.) On layover days, both the showers and sinks will be open. They open again at noon and are open until 9 p.m. on all days. Please respect the closing time, as it’s a long day for the operators.

We provide one fresh towel for riders and crew each day; they will be on a table in front of the showers. We can run out if some people use two towels per day; please don’t be that person who thinks it doesn’t matter if you do it.

Portable Toilets

Our vendor, Spot-On Septic, will provide banks of toilets as needed. Each bank of toilets will have a handwashing station outside, as well as stations at the beginning of the meal line. Please DO NOT drop paper towels in the toilet tank; we’ll also provide trash receptacles right outside the toilets.

Baggage

You can drop baggage at the trucks from 5:30 to 7:30 each morning. We ask that riders bring two bags each, maximum, with nothing (like chairs) attached to the outside – and that each bag weigh no more than 40 pounds. (Better to have two bags than one giant, heavy one, please.)

Bags will have a specific color of ribbon attached, which you’ll get at check-in. When the baggage trucks unload, they’ll put all the bags for each color in a separate line, to help you find yours more easily. Baggage will be available in the next camp as soon as the trucks can get there and the crew unload them; this time varies.

Baggage Service: Fundraisers

In many communities we’ll have local kids to help with baggage. They’ll offer to carry your bags to your camping site (or back to the truck, in the morning). This is voluntary, but encouraged; their service is a fundraiser for their organization, based on tips you give them. They really appreciate your help and getting to talk to people from all over, and it’s fun to get to chat with them about their lives, too.

Rental Chairs

You can rent a camp chair from BRNW for the week; the cost is $25. Many of you already have reserved them, but you can also book one at check-in in Yreka. The chairs are put out each day in bins, usually near the baggage trucks. If you’ve paid for a chair, just grab one.

Camp Laundry

There are buckets, soap and even a wringer/dryer available in camp each day; this equipment will be right next to one of the water stations in the camping area.

E-bikes

We welcome e-bikes for those who have a specific need; we anticipate 12-15 on the ride this year. There will be a special charging area for e-bikes in camp, usually near Tent & Porter; Camp Central will know where it is. The bike stands for e-bike charging are for e-bikes only.

Device Charging

This year we have a new charging cart, plus the old one – so we hope our charging capacity keeps pace with the number of devices people are bringing! The two stations will be located in spots in each camp that are convenient, sheltered and next to electricity. It’s really important that you don’t just leave your device plugged in long after it’s charged; please be considerate of others who need a charge too. We may run short on USB C ports; if you have USB C cords, it's a good idea to bring USB A to USB C converters. Don’t use the e-bike charging stations.

Retail

We have a small retail operation during the tour, located at Camp Central. We have jerseys and other BRNW gear, along with other selected items. This is also where you pay for any parts the mechanics need to fix your bike. We use a Square system that should work in all camps, so you can pay via credit card as well as cash, check, Venmo and PayPal. Retail is open from 2:00-6:00 each afternoon in camp.

Entertainment

The tour features cultural and entertainment activities where they’re available. This includes concerts, speaker presentations and other opportunities. There will be an entertainment schedule in the RWGPS Experience package, so you can find details for each day ahead of time.

Bike Security

We’ve never had a problem with bike theft on our tours, but your bike is still your responsibility. You can park it anywhere that doesn’t obstruct others from navigating between tents or other camp infrastructure; you can lock it to a fence, tree or other object – again, as long as it doesn’t obstruct anyone.

Separate Lodging

If you’ve arranged lodging away from camp, it’s your responsibility to get back and forth to camp. Most riders who do this bring a small backpack to carry their overnight things; they ride to lodging with it and then back in the morning. Our baggage team will keep your larger bag(s) in the baggage trucks overnight, and in the morning they’ll put them out so you can access them before you ride.

Wine Social

Each tour features a “wine social” on one of the early afternoons of the week. It’s simple: bring a bottle or two of wine to the start in Yreka, and we’ll store/carry it until the day of the social. Our wine social for this tour will be Tuesday, June 25, in Etna. Kim and her catering crew put out a variety of snacks, we open all the bottles of wine, and everyone partakes and mingles. It’s a very relaxed way to enjoy good food and drink and meet people.

Note: Bringing one or more bottles means you’re willing to share them with others; the bottles are all open and available to everyone at the same time.

Another note: We’re going to having a rest stop the next day, Wednesday, at Iraui Winery, a local operation that puts out small batches of wines. We’ll have some of their wine at the wine social, and you’ll be able to taste their wines at the rest stop on Wednesday. You can also buy their wine, and we’ll transport the bottle(s) back to camp for you and hold them for you.

Sustainability (reuse, recycling, dishwashing, etc.)

We’re always trying to reduce our waste and environmental footprint; a tour of this size has challenges. Our approach is to reuse as much as possible, recycle or compost as much as we can, and throw away as little as possible. This is why our rider gift is an insulated water bottle; please use yours every year, to reduce the number of disposable cups we use.

Last year we bought a commercial-grade dishwasher, and we plan to use it daily on the 2024 tours. In addition, we bought 400 sets of reusable mealware – plates, bowls, cups and utensils – that we’ll use for all meals in camp. Our expanded Sustainability Team will wash all the dishes after every meal, and you’ll do your part after meals by scraping, sorting and recycling, with help from our team.

Layover Days

We have three “layover days” on this tour, where we don’t move camp to a new place – Monday 6/24 in Happy Camp, Wednesday 6/26 in Etna, and Friday 6/28 in Weed.

On each of these days you have the option to ride a loop or out-and-back route that’s somewhat shorter than “moving days,” typically with one rest stop. Lunch will NOT be served in camp on the layover day in Etna; they have three restaurants that are expecting you, plus we’ll have a fundraising barbecue in camp, provided by a local group.

Resource List

We’ve compiled a list of handy things to know in each town: groceries, banks, pharmacies, etc. You can see the list here; it’ll also be on your Ride With GPS Experience app.

ON THE ROUTE

Departure Time

The time window for departing camp on your bike is 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. This allows a more even flow of riders. Please do not leave early unless we instruct you to; there won’t be any support on the route, and stops may not be ready when you get there.

Arrival Time

If you arrive in camp far sooner than everyone else, the camp infrastructure may not be ready. You may have to accept some delay in services.

Pacelines

Yes, pacelines are an efficient way to make good time. But you realize that it’s very hard to enjoy the scenery safely while you’re focused on someone’s back wheel, right? It’s a tour.

If you want to paceline, the limit of riders in line is SIX. That’s all we consider safe for passing others. If we see longer pacelines, we’ll ask you to split up. And remember that it’s not your automatic right to pass someone just to keep the paceline intact; if it’s not safe to have the entire line pass someone, or if it causes you to cross the center line, back off; you have all day.

Water Stations/Stops

We have two to three water stations in each camp, positioned near the camping areas. The one positioned near Tent & Porter will remain running each morning until all riders have departed.

We also have water available along the route. You’ll find water at our initial toilet stop each day, which is ~10 miles into the route. There are typically other official water stops listed on your route map each day, plus we’ll create stops each day as needed – for hot days, extended climbs, etc.

Route Stops

We have three different kinds of route stops each day:

• The first is a toilet stop roughly 10 miles into the route; this stop just has a couple portable toilets and a water dispenser.
• We also have other water stops along the routes, marked on the route maps. These will typically have one or two water receptacles, and in some situations a little food – bananas, energy bars and the like.
• The third type of stop is a full rest stop. At these stops we have a huge spread of food choices, a mechanic, a chance to drop gear and apparel, and more. There are two rest stops every day, except for shorter layover days, where there may be only one rest stop.

Rest Stops

Just a few guidelines for Rest Stops:

• Take off your gloves and sanitize your hands… every time.
• There are no “buffet lines” at Rest Stops – (politely) dive in and get what you need.
• Please don’t stand in front of the tables to eat; get your goodies and move along!

Route Maps at Rest Stops

Each Rest Stop truck will have a large map of the day’s route taped to the side of the truck, usually right next to the Gear Drop collectors.

SAG Vans

We have five minivans working the route as SAG (Support And Gear) service. Each one typically stays with a specific segment of the riders on the road, moving forward with them through the day. If you need help from a SAG driver, stop safely on the side of the road and signal by tapping the top of your helmet when they approach or pass.

SAGs are available to help with flat repair and sometimes other minor repairs; if the driver can’t fix something on-site, he or she will drive you to the next available mechanic. They also carry water and snacks, if you get caught short on the route. SAGS can take tired riders to the top of a climb if needed, based on the number of seats they have open. If we have a really big climb, the SAGs will work up and down the climb to help multiple riders if needed.

All our crew members are certified in First Aid/CPR, so they can help with minor medical situations. If you need professional medical help, the SAG driver or other crew member can call for emergency help.

If you get in a SAG van, the SAG driver will try to get you where you want/need to go as soon as possible, but he or she has other responsibilities as well, and you may have to be patient. If you’re done for the day, you’ll have to be in the SAG van until it reaches camp; they usually cannot drive ahead to drop you off.

Important notes on SAGs:

• If a SAG van passes by you even though you’ve signaled, it doesn’t mean they’re ignoring you. They’re probably already full, but they’ll note your need and either circle back or radio another SAG to come help you.
• If a SAG or other event vehicle is driving behind you at a very slow rate (i.e., your riding speed 😊), it’s because they can’t see ahead far enough to safely pass you. Please don’t wave them past; they’ll decide when it’s safe.

First Aid on the Route

All SAG vehicles and the Rest Stop vehicles on the route have a first aid kit.

Gear Drop

We offer a gear drop service at our rest stops, where you can peel off some gear/apparel and leave it at the stop; we’ll bring it back to camp for you.

Use your BRNW backpack (with your name on it) for gear drop; there will be a collection point in each rest stop, by the truck. All the bags from a normal gear drop will be delivered to an area near Camp Central when the rest stops team gets back to camp; typically they’re back by 4 p.m. or sooner, but it can vary.