Tierra Bella, Spanish for “beautiful land,” is the aptly named cycling tour hosted annually by the Almaden Cycle Touring Club of San Jose. Now in its 36th year, Tierra Bella had an estimated 2,000 riders cover about 144,000 miles through Gilroy and Morgan Hill on Saturday.
The Tierra Bella 2013 Bicycle Tour began and ended at the Gavilan College Student Union in Gilroy. According to organizers of the event, there are four different routes, from flat to hilly, for riders to choose from.
About 400 riders, mostly families with children, chose the 60K with 1,067 feet of climbing, while 900 riders chose the 100K with 2,458 feet of climbing. Among the more experienced riders and those looking for a challenge, 550 riders chose the 100-mile course with 6,375 feet of climbing, and 150 riders chose the 200K with 7,747 feet of climbing.
Gilroy Hot Springs, Henry Coe State Park, the Uvas and Chesbro reservoirs and the Cañada-Roop Road Loop were just a few of the many areas seen by riders along the scenic course.
Virginia Vaquero and Ed Casey, a married couple from Morgan Hill, certainly know a thing or two about cycling. Virginia and Ed, members of ACTC since 2004, are a great example of the Almaden Cycle Touring Club’s dedicated-to-cycling lifestyles.
“In fact, we chose to live in Morgan Hill because I could ride up Henry Coe pretty much from my front door,” Virginia said. “That is my favorite ride around, and I’m glad it is on the Tierra Bella route.
“I kind of think of myself as more like the Forrest Gump of road biking. Like in the movie when he just takes off running and keeps going. I’d like to do that on my bike.”
The host of Tierra Bella, ACTC, is a non-profit organization that emphasizes the recreational, social and health aspects of cycling through club rides, philanthropy and education, said Tony Le, president of the ACTC.
The motto of ACTC is “Riding for Fitness, Friendship, and Fun.”
One of the unique aspects of ACTC is the ACTC Academy, a 12-week cycling instruction course for adults who want to become competent cyclists.
A meal at the end of the tour was provided for all of the riders in the Student Center at Gavilan College. About 2,000 riders make for a lot of mouths to feed. Colette Karabaugh, the food chairperson of Tierra Bella, is in her fourth year of being in charge of the food and making sure that each cyclist gets their energy refueled at the conclusion of the event. In accordance to the philanthropic views of ACTC, the remaining food was donated to a local program, in this case, the St. Joseph’s Family Center in Gilroy.
Tierra Bella 2013 would not have been possible without the help of more than 200 ACTC volunteers, who helped with route markings, parking, registration, T-shirt sorting and food, among other things.
“We had a wonderful ride, and we appreciate and would like to thank Gilroy and Morgan Hill for welcoming us into their beautiful area,” said Sue Bialson, an ACTC spokesperson for Tierra Bella. “Come out and ride with us.”
