on september 27th, the sandiego association that has put on the rosarito to ensenada bike ride for almost 30 years, will host it’s final event. tourism in baja california has been way down in the year, and according to the company’s website, the last event only brought 5000 riders, which was their “financial break-even point.” while the decline in participants has been steady for the last 5 years, increased drug cartel activity in the region, coupled with new passport requirements for 2008 made for a very small event in april, leading to this final ride next month.

i had missed the last 2 events being busy with nothing in particular, but i’m pretty exicited to do it one last time. taka’s going to ride it for the 3rd time, having done it once with me on a tandem, and then another time all on her own. the ride can be pretty grueling — with some f’d up hills — but the weather and scenery is always pleasant, and the feeling of accomplishment (and beers and tacos) when you finish always make the effort and the trip worth it.

so far it’s me+taka, costin+lauren, al and ben, so if anyone else is interested in coming along, either for the ride or just to hang out, lemme know, i’m not gonna be asking about it next year.