I naturally wake up early in the morning, however when an alarm is set I tend to have more difficulty emerging from the cocoon of blankets and pillows, even if it is for a mountain bike ride. This morning I had to rise at the pre dawn hour of 5, which makes for a difficult awakening, in order to meet up with Sid Taberlay to make the trek up to Castaic Lake for the CORBA Fat Tire Festival. CORBA, or Concerned Off Road Bicyclists Association, is an all-volunteer mountain bike advocacy group based in the Los Angeles County area of California. And the annual Fat Tire Festival, held in October, is the organization’s most popular fundraiser.
Enter the demo zone. Tonya Bray photo
Girls Meets Bike's Lisa Hachadoorian (r) with Model. Tonya Bray photo
The early morning ride to Castaic in the Sho-Air/Specialized Sprinter van was quiet as John, our skilled driver, Sid and I groggily prepared for a day of mountain biking in the high desert. I missed my cup of coffee, making the ritual of waking up doubly difficult. As the sun began to rise and we exited the 5 we pulled in to get John some breakfast at I think it was Carl Jr’s. I can’t even remember, but I do remember vaguely purchasing small coffee and proceeding to dump “creamers” and ice until I felt I could get it down just to have some caffeine.
Tonya, Ned and Sid before the Advanced group ride. Photo by Rich Walsh.
Lyle and Brook Warner of the local Gary Fisher/Subaru Regional Team. Tonya Bray photo
The next step in the adventure: being told we were not “on the list” to get in to the park. Sid handled the situation very well. I giggled from the back seat, how many times have I been through this scenario. Of course the girls working the parking booth don’t know Sid, Sho-Air, or Specialized from Joe, so after a small discussion between Sid and the girl with the clipboard, the organizer finally saved the day by appearing to point to Sid’s name “on the list”. Phew. Now we can go park.
Kimberly Cofield of DirtChix. Tonya Bray photo
 The CORBA Fat Tire Festival crew. Tonya Bray photo
The CORBA Fat Tire Fest hosts a full day of events, from group rides with the Pros, to bicycle limbo, a fashion show and wheelie contests. Headlining the festivities were Ned Overend, Brian Lopes and Sid who would be leading rides and teaching clinics throughout the day.
Mountain Bikers Galore. Rich Walsh photo
 Ride Leader at the top of the climb, before the sweet singletrack! Photo by Rich Walsh.
I joined up with the Advanced ride along with Ned, Brian and Sid and a very large group of eager participants. CORBA Leaders sent of off around 8.30am on an 11 mile ride around the Lake. The trails were brutally steep for climbing, sending most of us into the Granny right away. The short amounts of payback were priceless swoopy singletrack sections of trail that proved to be entirely too short.  Rich Walsh with Ned, Sid and Lopes. Photo by Tonya  Paula and her husband Brian Lopes. Photo by Tonya
The ride was surprisingly fast, and I don’t mean I am surprised at how fast Ned and Sid are, and for that matter Lopes- who is in very fine shape for a “gravity” rider- however the pace of the entire group and the very short wait times proved that the everyday rider is in great shape! The ride was truly a family affair, including a few high school kids and even a few women, even Lopes’ wife Paula graced the group with her presence.
Louisa Bonnie with Sid and Ned (watch those hands!). Photo by Tonya
Later in the day, riders could be found testing their balance on teeters and bridges, wheelie and limbo contests, while the absence of a Huffy toss may have gone unnoticed by many- I was disappointed. One of the highlights was watching the little people (sub 8 year olds) show their lack of fear and unmatchable resiliency in falling off the bike on the kids obstacle course.
Who's THAT guy? A once in a million shot and the Cannondale Hooligan donated
to help raise money for CORBA. Tonya Bray photo
Organizer Louisa Bonnie was pleased with the turnout, and could be seen zipping about like a hummingbird taking care of business, getting her photo ops and generally keeping the event running in a timely and professional manner. Turnout for the event was in the hundreds, kids of all ages, from sub 1 year to 80s. Manufacturers Specialized, Cannondale, Ibis, Scott, Trek, Giant, Sette, Turner and others graced the event with 2010 bicycle demos Interbike style for the masses.
The ride home went quickly enough. Dehydrated, famished and sun-and-wind-cooked from a great day of mountain bike culture, I returned home to Altadena for a shower and a long nap.
 Trek Women's Wrench Tori Broughton. Photo by Tonya
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