Hielo Ride: A Paradox in Fort Ord
Words by Dave Malwitz / Photos by Sam Jackson
It was earlier this year that I received a message from Randall Jacobs, “We’re interested in partnering with the ‘Stoke… feel free to ring some time!” I first met Randall back in 2018. He was just getting his new bike company, Thesis Bike, off the ground and we immediately hit it off. I visited him in SF to ride the new OB1 gravel bike, and he came down to San Diego to ride with our community more than once. A few years passed and I wasn’t surprised to see Randall launching a second brand with business partner Sam Jackson in 2022, Logos Components. In a similar vein to Thesis, Logos offers high-quality, high-value products, only this time with carbon wheels. Being like-minded in our dedication to cycling and community engagement, it was only natural for us to connect once again for a new project, this time at the 2024 Sea Otter Classic.
I gave Randall a call. We caught up and explored ways of collaborating in 2024. The best idea to emerge was a co-hosted gravel ride at the Sea Otter Classic in April, and what I eventually named the Hielo Ride. The experience would not have been possible without our third partner in this endeavor, Enduro Bearings. To say Enduro was a key player in the success of this event would be an understatement. It wasn’t until the end of the festival that I truly came to appreciate what their staff contributed to make this a seamless and memorable experience for everyone involved, most notably Rick Sutton. Not only is Rick local to Salinas, CA with a strong familiarity of the trails in the Fort Ord backcountry, but he also has an intimate knowledge of Sea Otter and its history since co-founding the festival in 1991. Now the Global Director of Global Business Development & Marketing at Enduro Bearings, Rick kindly offered to support with route design and a host location at their booth on Friday, April 19, 2024 at 10AM.
I had been to Sea Otter just once before and mostly I recall how navigating through waves of attendees and labyrinthine aisles was a disorienting experience. I made the mistake of not venturing beyond the Laguna Seca Raceway to discover what lied beyond the still green hills. I promised myself that when I returned it would be on my own terms, and somehow contribute to the festival with a unique shared adventure. Unlike other rides hosted that weekend, the Hielo was an experience that ran juxtaposed to Fuego. The “ice ride” delivered our guests an expertly curated 20-mile, 2000 ft course through the rolling hills, open grasslands, and oak woodlands of Fort Ord National Monument, while also having the opportunity to witness the Lifetime Grand Prix opening race ignite before our eyes. While Fuego XL riders departed in waves from 9-9:40AM on a two-lap MTB race covering 70 miles and 7,800 feet of elevation, our disparate tour offered a chill contrast to that morning’s marquee event.
The dream came true as we departed the festival grounds for one of the best escapes in recent memory. It doesn’t take long to find yourself lost after departing Laguna Seca Raceway, as the adjacent national monument boasts 14,658 acres of public land and more than 86 miles of trails. The Hielo route offered sweeping views of green hills, coastal live oaks providing occasional shade, smooth flowing singletrack, and empty roads perfectly placed in between to strike up a conversation. Our small group was capable, but no one too eager to push the pace. We were fortunate to keep everyone together thanks to Kurt Stockton, Danny Geary, and Rob Hunt who could be found sweeping and floating amongst the pack. We leveraged singletrack outside of the day’s race course, but occasionally encountered Fuego traffic on wide dirt roads, reminding us of the carefully planned paradox we created in Fort Ord. The event wrapped at 2PM with an insightful tech talk on the ever-important role bearings play by Matt Harvey who leads Enduro’s cycling division, and a copious raffle that even included an Enduro Bearings X15 Bottom Bracket worth $300. I love creating small impactful experiences like these with friends, and the Hielo was just that.
Sea Otter Hielo gravel Route
Special thanks to Rick Sutton, Kurt Stockton, Sam Jackson, Randall Jacobs, Danny Geary, Rob Hunt, and Allen from Motovelo Coffee for helping to make the Hielo Ride a success. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive invitations to special events like these, and catch other stories from the Gravelstoke community. You can also see some video footage of the ride in the GBC SOC roundup video here.