THIS EVENT IS A FREE GROUP RIDE

What and why is The Diamond Grinder?

The Humboldt Diamond Grinder was originally developed as a gravel-only ride by Revolution Bicycles in cooperation with Green Diamond Resource Company (GDRC); the Diamond in Diamond Grinder! Now in cooperation with GDRC and the City of Blue Lake, the Humboldt Diamond Grinder has evolved into a multi-course ride with epic routes. It is now a fundraising event for the Humboldt Composite High School Mountain Bike Team (HCMTB) and Redwood Coast Mountain Bike Association (RCMBA), two volunteer-only local nonprofits working to improve the local cycling experience. Check out the links below for more information on these awesome groups! 

Friday Evening

We want you to be stoked! This is what your experience could look like: You roll in on Friday evening, pick up your race plate, and set up your campsite. If you get there early enough, we would suggest checking out RCMBA’s trail system on Green Diamond Resource Company’s land about one mile from the camping area or perhaps roll around Blue Lake with your kids and check out Perigot Park; just a short stroll from the camping area. You’re hungry you say? Well Blue Lake Pizza Company in Perigot Park offers fresh pizza on Fridays and Saturdays or walk over to the local brewery for amazing food from Low n’ Slow. The Blue Lake Casino & Hotel offers even more restaurant options! After all that, get a good rest for the big day!

Race Day

We are planning early starts for the longer routes. Showers Pass and Lone Star will start at 7 am. The shorter Diamond Grinder route will start at 10 am. The race start is a one mile easy spin up Hatchery Road. You can head out in the mass start, or if you prefer something more casual, we can start your time a little later. All of the courses will climb up through the scenic redwoods and empty gravel roads of Green Diamond Resource Company’s timberland. The long courses will lead you out of the Mad River watershed onto lightly traveled public roads through mixed forests, open fields, and oak prairies. The Showers Pass route is hands down the most epic gravel loop in Humboldt County! Enjoy the homemade goodies at our aid stations complements of HCMTB families! If the Showers Pass or Lone Star routes seem too much then the traditional Diamond Grinder course is for you. This route stays inside the watershed and doesn’t leave private property. This means almost zero pavement and zero traffic! The end of this route has a bonus stream crossing allowing you to freshen up before heading back to camp!

Post Race

After the race you have a short downhill spin back to the campsite. We would heartily recommend a brief dip in the river before returning to camp and changing clothes! Now it is time to kick back and enjoy food and libations. We will have a burrito with SHERA SAUCE at the campsite. Get the lawn chair out and enjoy the perfect weather. The average high in July is 82F and the average low is 57F.

We will have medals for the top three finishers in all categories.

Youth Prizes

There will be a $500 purse divided up between the top 3 male and female riders. The youth categories are U23 for the longer outside routes and U19 for the shorter inside route.

Should The Family Come?

While you are riding there are lots of options for the family. If you are a biking family there are RCMBA’s epic enduro trails and hopefully Blue Lake’s pump track will be up and running! The Mad River is walking distance from the camping area and offers beaches and swimming. We also have great ocean beach walks and nature hikes nearby; Trinidad Head, Sue-meg State Park, and Prairie Creek State Park are a short drive from the venue.