May 26-29, 2006--Two intrepid cyclists, Michael "Mojo" Cosgrove of the Big Fix and Campy Only's own Eric Norris set out on a four-day, fixed-gear excursion through Northern California's backcountry.  Four days, 400 miles, and 20,000 feet of climbing later, we had finished this "training" ride for the upcoming Big Fix.

Mojo used several gear combinations, ranging from 68 to 83 inches. The Campy Only Guy stayed in one gear the entire way: 72 inches.  All fixed, NO coasting.

>>>Yes! You can still donate to the Big Fix! Click here to go to our fundraising page.<<<

Presented below, photos, aerials, and more.

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Overall aerial of the route. Click here to download the route for Google Earth.
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Day One
Oroville to Quincy. 75 miles, 7500' of climbing.
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First glimpse of Lake Oroville
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Lake Oroville
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Suspension bridge over the lake
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Lake Madrone
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Quick rest stop on an 8% grade
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Mojo, looking cocky
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Beautiful mountain scenery
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Entering Plumas County
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Up, up, up, but not the summit yet
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First glimpses of snow
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More snow
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Quickbeam on ice
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Finally at the top! Grizzly Summit, 5,900'
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Tall snowbanks
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Video!
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Almost in Quincy
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Quincy courthouse
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Historic downtown Quincy
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Dinner stop Friday
Some very heavy rain came in Friday night, starting just a short time after we got to our hotel. Lightning and thunder, heavy rain, even some hail!
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Day Two: Quincy to Corning. 145 miles, 7,800' climbing
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Getting ready to ride Saturday morning
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Heading for downtown Quincy
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Breakfast
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There was so much gorgeous scenery, it was hard to decide what to take pictures of
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We rode along this river
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Saw this old school bike trainer in Canyon Dam
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Lake Almanor
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Entering the Lassen National Forest
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Next stop, Chester
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More uphill today
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View the larger photo to see the words on this traffic barricade
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Those clouds would soon be dropping snow on us
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It's a little hard to see, but there's snow coming down in these photos. We were snowed on several times today
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Gratuitous photo of the Campy Only Guy. That's melted snow on my glasses
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Morgan Summit, 5,750 feet
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Drying off in Mineral
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Warming up with hot chocolate in Mineral
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On the way down to Red Bluff
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Somebody left these toys at the vista point
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Great view of the valley below
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Long, long, downhill. Too bad we couldn't coast down it
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At the hotel in Corning
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Dinner stop
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Day Three: Corning to Williams. 111 miles, 3,500' climbing
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This horse was just wandering around
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Sign at the Paskenta Cemetery
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Actually a very nice place to be buried
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Paskenta store
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Next services, 62 miles ...
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Mojo checks the map before we continued south
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These three shots show a cattle drive that was taking place in the road
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Video!
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The dam at Stony Gorge Reservoir
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Looking downstream from the dam
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Gratuitous action shot of Campy Only's Eric Norris
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Video!
Mojo hammers
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Stonyford Ranch
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Beautiful downtown Stonyford, California
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The Handlebar Ranch ...
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... where they're not at all friendly. Read their warning sign.
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The summit at Windy Gap
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This was a truly spectacular scene. The photos hardly do it justice.
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Video!
A few miles outside of Williams, we came across a guy we called the "Snake Whisperer." In this video, he is using a shovel to move a rattlesnake off the road (so it wouldn't get run over)
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Yesterday, snow. Today, a polar bear (at Granzella's restaurant in Williams)
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Downtown Williams
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Day Four: Williams to Oroville. 59 miles, 1,500' climbing
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First view of the Sutter Buttes
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Video!
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Back where we started.
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Self-portrait in the rear glass
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Gratuitous finishing shot
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This dead bird was there when we started, and still there when we finished
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It's a Circle of Life kind of thing ...

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