Photo by John Hershey
May 18-19, 2013
The Ride:
The Jonathan Pon Memorial 2-Day Ride will give you the experience of riding two days back to back and includes a night sleeping in camp with your fellow cyclists. Your $95 registration fee on this PosPed supported ride covers food and campsite fees. The route covers almost 150 miles through scenic Marin and Sonoma counties, with overnight camping on the Russian River.
Jonathan Pon:
To quote the March 2002 edition of OutReach,
“The San Francisco AIDS Foundation lost one of its staunchest advocates, most tireless fundraisers, and greatest friends on December 29, 2001 with the passing of Jonathan Pon.”
“Jonathan’s remarkable courage and conviction inspired everyone around him. He liked to say that he was truly living with HIV, not just alive with it. He was strong-willed and sometimes quick to anger, but he was equally quick to share his killer grin and sharp, dry wit. He had a drive for perfection that only he could get away with, and was generous to a fault. Those who incurred his wrath soon learned to regret it; those who became his friend were truly blessed. His passion was infectious, and it was impossible to spend any time around him without catching it.”
The Route:
We’ve got some exciting route changes to announce for this year. Veteran riders may be thrilled to learn that you will not be facing the 20-mile long headwind from Petaluma to Valley Ford, as we reverse direction on that stretch of road. For safety concerns, we have revised our course to stay out of the way of the pro-cyclists competing in the Amgen Tour of California. Along with this shift, we will be traveling on a few new roads, so the ride promises to not only continue to be as breathtaking and rewarding as year’s past, but to also be a new experience for veteran and newbie riders alike.
Day One:
We start our journey in Mill Valley and wind our way through Marin over familiar roads through Larkspur, Fairfax, Lagunitas, and Pt. Reyes, all before we break for lunch in the town of Tomales. From lunch we travel through Valley Ford and Bodega before heading up the Coast on Highway 1 with the Ocean to our left. We finish the day at Casini Ranch on the banks of the Russian River.
Day Two:
From Casini Ranch in Duncan Mills we take the historic Bohemian Highway towards Occidental where the Amgen Tour cyclists will be speeding across the road a few hours after we’ve passed. Our first stop of the morning is a brief one at the famous Wild Flour Bread Bakery in Freestone. From there we head to Valley Ford and then on to Petaluma where we break for lunch. From Petaluma we head to Novato and then on to San Rafael and the familiar towns of San Anselmo, Ross, Larkspur, Corte Madera, and Mill Valley.
The Details:
All cyclists are responsible for transporting their gear and bicycle to the ride start on Saturday morning. We urge you to consider car-pooling or having a friend drop you and your gear off at the ride start and to pick you up when you finish on Sunday afternoon.
The most up-to-date information about this year’s Jonathan Pon Memorial Ride will be announced to our Jon Pon Facebook group.
In addition, all registered participants will be provided with all the detailed information they need to make this a memorable weekend.
Your registration fee covers:
- Gear transport to and from Casini Ranch – gear is limited to one overnight bag with sleeping bag and sleeping pad;
- Meals – lunch and dinner Day 1, breakfast and lunch Day 2;
- Snacks and Bottled Water – at all supported rest stops;
- Moto and SAG support along the entire route;
- Camping fees at Casini Ranch;
- Tent to share.
Ride Registration is now CLOSED.
Registration has reached full capacity. Final numbers have been given to the caterers. Those of you who aren’t able to join us, we hope to see you next year.
Special Thanks:
Special thanks to Dan Dodd of Vanguard Properties for helping underwrite this event.
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