Tour du Green

TOUR du GREEN
was held on May 15, 2010

Check out the great comments on this tour on Active.Com

The tour's start location is in Marina Park in Ventura, CA
The park is at the corner of Coral Street and Pierpont Blvd.
You can access Pierpont Blvd by getting off HWY 101
at either Seaward Ave. Exit and heading towards the ocean.
Then turn left and proceed east to the end of Pierpont Blvd.

Century Riders check-in from 6:30 to 7:30AM
Half Century/Metric Riders check-in from 7:30 to 8:30AM
EcoVan riders check-in at 8AM and leave the site by 8:30AM
Quarter Century riders check in from 9AM to 11AM

TOUR du GREEN is a EARTH educational event
with over 4700' of climbing along carefully crafted
Century, Half Century, and Quarter Century routes
along the Pacific coastal plains & mountains to some of the GREENEST,
most sustainable sites on the planet! *Also available: EcoVan Tour option for Non-Riders.
This May 15th tour will CHALLENGE your cycling skills,
expand your knowledge of all things GREEN
while fundraising for charity!

Veteran ride Producer Ventura Velo.Org, donates all funds
to cycling advocacy and to fight Cancer, MS & Arthritis.
Joining with the ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) Los Angeles,
TEAM Ventura Velo will once again provide outstanding SAG
hosting abundantly-supplied rest stops serving local organic & sustainably produced foods.
Industry Professionals will lead tours of award-winning ECO sites showcasing
newest technologies in solar, water, agricultural & recycling innovations.

A Safe Family Coastal Ride (Quarter Century 8-25 mile spur) stops
at the City of Ventura's LEED-certified WAV Artist's Complex for arts, music & tours.
Come enjoy some of the best cycling in America
while learning about a sustainable future...
Make a positive impact on the environment &
GET YOUR GREEN RIDE ON!

Join the TOUR du GREEN by showing up on ride day for day of ride registration.

Event Lodging:

Mention "TOUR du GREEN" when registering for Discount before 5/7.
Camping at nearby McGrath State Beach.

"Bicycle Rentals"

PhotoCrazy will be out taking pictures of all riders to capture the moment
Please look for the clocks and remember the time you pass the cameras so you can locate your pictures

VENTURA VELO.ORG requires all Riders must wear helmets, sign a waiver & obey all traffic laws!

Links to Participating Sustainability Partners:

TOUR du GREEN CENTURY ROUTE

This route is 101 miles long with over 4750' of climbing! BRDA rated Extremely Difficult

The CENTURY route is BRDAA rated "Extremely Difficult" because its over 4500 feet of climbing & over 100 miles long. This first rest stop is the City of Oxnard's LEED Gold Water Campus & ASCE award-winning Brackish Water Desalter Facility.

The 2nd rest stop is Houweling's Hot House, the most advanced sustainable hot house production facility in the world. *Sample some of their fine tomatoes & cucumbers & see this huge, one-of-a kind Eco-AG site. The route turns up the Santa Rosa Valley making the 3rd Rest stop at the City of Thousand Oak's Hill Canyon Plant's large solar array. An award-winning bio-methane electric generation facility, it features a restored wetland habitat sited in a wonderful park area.

The Tour heads through Moorpark, a charming small town of rolling greenbelts. Next head to City of Fillmore's new Water Recycling Facility -Rest stop #4 having it's Grand Opening on May 22nd day, so you get to check it out early!

Crossing Sespe Creek, riders cruise down scenic Santa Clara River Valley. If you enjoy TUFF climbs, head up Toland Road (8% grade) to the Ventura Regional Sanitation District. Tour the award-winning Bio-solids Drying and Bio-methane Electric Generation Facility. This facility has resulted in a reduction of a million truck miles annually in transport costs resulting in less fuel burned. Also, it produces over a million dollars a year of energy (@ 10 cents a kilowatt hour in electrical power for the grid) after providing all the power needed to run the facility. Next its a dramatic climb up spectacular Ojai Pass (elev.1550') to Rest stop #6 at The Ojai Foundation's straw bale Visitor Center & Council House Green roof. Descend into Ojai valley along parks & lively arts-centered downtown. Heading back towards Ventura, the TOUR pedals the scenic Ojai Trail with two stretches sponsored & maintained by Ventura Velo.Org.

Final Rest stop is at the City of Ventura's WAV facilities, a LEED certified Working Artists project that opened 12/09. The only Affordable Housing Artist community in the USA promises an art exhibit, music & facility tours. Pedal back with coastal cool winds to Ride Headquarters on the water at Ventura Harbor. Enjoy ECO Fest & the After-Ride Wrap Party with a special organic meal. Have a massage or sample goodies vendors will be offering as a part of the first TOUR du GREEN!

TOUR du GREEN HALF CENTURY ROUTE

This route is 53 miles with 1550' of climb. BRDA rated Moderate.

The TOUR du GREEN Half Century Route is BRDAA-rated "moderate" ride. It has the same first & second rest stops as the Century Route, then @ Los Posas Road, it turns north toward Camarillo. After a short bit of hill climbing in the classy Spanish Hills area, the route stops at the McGrath Family Farm, an 200+ acre sustainable organic farm. rest and where you can enjoy some organic strawberries along with lots of other good fuel for the ride.

Its a pleasant roll through fertile Ag country, where riders stop at to the 117 year old Limoneira Ranch in Santa Paula, CA. The Half Century Deli lunch will be served under the giant redwoods at Limoneira's handsomely restored Historic Headquarters. View the 5 acre solar array & Gold LEED-certified Visitor's Center before pedaling through miles of fragrant citrus orchards along Foothill Road. Pass the grand old City of Ventura City Hall then visit the Bell Arts Center, an old mattress factory turned vibrant artist's space/gallery. Final Rest stop is the LEED-certified Working Artist Ventura (WAV) facility, where music, an art show & beautiful GREEN Open House Tours will be given throughout the day. Follow Harbor Blvd. along the coast back to the water at Ventura Harbor for ECO Fest, the After-Ride Wrap Party & a great organic meal awaits you.

TOUR du GREEN QTR CENTURY ROUTE

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400 feet of climb if you ride all the way to Foster Park! BRDA rated Easy.

The "Safe & Sane" Family route is a QUARTER CENTURY that is 11-25 mile spur & is BRDAA-rated as an "Easy" ride. YOU determine how far you want to ride; this route keeps Riders off busy streets on mostly multi-use paths (with a few bicyclists & people walking pets). Enjoy watching surfers, para-sailers & wind-surfers carve the waves along this scenic stretch of the "Best of Coastal California!"

This route runs through Ventura's Harbor area and beachy Pierpont community. Pedal the bike paths of San Buenaventura State Beach along the coast and past the Ventura Pier. Continue up the waterside promenade all the way to Surfers Point and the mouth of the Ventura River Trail. Follow this safe paved trail, arriving into historic downtown Ventura by way of Main Street.

Visit the LEED-certified Working Artist Ventura (WAV) complex and enjoy GREEN condo tours, music & resident Artist's show. If you desire a longer bike tour, head back up to Ventura's River Trail continuing six miles to Foster Park. Return loop back to Ventura Harbor Ride Headquarters for ECO Fest, the After-ride Wrap Party & a tasty organic meal.

Riding the entire Quarter Century route, Riders will have smooth climb totaling 400 feet. Riders on the 11 mile, shorter loop, will climb less that 100 feet. This is a great route off busy streets as 17 out of 25 miles are on protected bike paths. Ideal for less active adults or those in less than peak condition who want to improve their bike stamina. Fine for all family members, many kids have successfully completed this route on past tours.

Get your Green Ride on & join the Tour du Green!