New Trails Proposed in Santa Cruz

City of Santa Cruz Parks Master Plan 2030 provides for multi-use and bike specific trails in Pogonip, Harvey West, and Delaveaga parks Photo: Ryan McCarthy The City of Santa Cruz is currently undergoing a master planning effort for its parks. Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz (MBOSC) has been working closely with City Parks and Recreation Staff on the plan. The proposed plan includes a progressive, directional, downhill, bike specific trail in Pogonip, the concept is to build a technical and rocky trail, geared to intermediate and advanced riders. The plan also provides for new multi-use trails in Pogonip, Harvey West, and Delaveaga parks to provide better connectivity to residential areas and trail network. Check out the Parks and Recreation Committee website for more information. These proposed trails represent an unprecedented increase in legal mountain bike trail access, creating new riding opportunities accessible from town. The Parks and Recreation Department...

Ante Up for Trails and Win an Ibis

Fundraiser presented by Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz and Ibis Cycles benefits Santa Cruz County trail stewardship For each $5 you ante up you will receive a chance to win the Ibis model of your choosing, spec’d to the nines. Better yet, every fist full of dollars you pitch in goes directly to trails in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz is a world-renowned mountain bike destination. The convergence of towering redwoods, verdant mountains, and the shimmering Pacific are attraction enough, but add A+ #1  trails to the mix for a mountain biker’s dreamland. Sounds pretty good eh? Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz (MBoSC) is just getting started … with more opportunities to build new trails than ever before, the 501(c)3 non-profit organization is working to develop new pump tracks and dirt jump spots, and maintaining miles of trail at a feverish rate. MBoSC needs you to ante up so that...

Kali Road Warrior Hits Up China Peak for CES Golden Tour Kickoff

Kali Protectives Race Support Program assists racers at 4th round of the California Enduro Series Word and photos by Cedar Kyes Stoke levels were high last weekend at China Peak for the first stop of the VP Components sponsored California Enduro Series “Golden Tour” and the Kali Road Warrior program was in effect keeping people safe throughout the race weekend. The Golden Tour is a triple crown series within a series intended to spotlight top talent and events with the added bonus of being Enduro World Series Qualifier Events. That means more prize money on the line and valuable EWS points up for grab. It also means real rowdy trails and fierce competition. The drive up to China Peak is as impressive as the venue itself. Passing through agricultural zones of the Central Valley and rolling through the foothills en route to the heart of the High Sierras is...

Kirkwood Bikes and Brews 2017

Inaugural Kirkwood Bikes and Brews features unlimited beer sampling, live music, biking events, kid-friendly activities and more The inaugural Kirkwood Bikes & Brews event features fun for all ages with unlimited brew tasting, live music, kids activities and mountain bike events on Saturday, July 29, 2017 at Kirkwood Mountain Resort. This event will support the Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association (TAMBA), a non-profit organization dedicated to the stewardship of sustainable, multiple-use trails and to preserving access for mountain bikers through advocacy, education and promotion of responsible trail use. Time and Location: Bike events starting at 10am, brew festival events from 3 – 6pm at Kirkwood Village Plaza. Activities: Live music (Lebo and Friends), mountain bike events, unlimited beer sampling, a raffle, rock climbing walls, Euro Bungee trampolines, bouncy house, face painting, balloon twisting, BBQ dining, KBar drink specials and more! Biking: Gran Fondo mountain bike rides will be...

Race Report: Wild Wood Adventure Enduro – CES #3

By Amber Streiff Taking on a loose, steep section of the Wild Wood Adventure Enduro course. Photo: Called To Creation. The enduro race season is in full swing and this past Saturday, June 17, 2017, the California Enduro Series made a return to Mendocino, CA for what could be coined a second season a racer’s favorite. With a race entry into stop number three, the Wild Wood Adventure Enduro – presented by Mendocino Bike Sprite – got you not only a race number but also a weekend of camping, meals, and an epic mountain bike tour of all that Mendocino has to offer. It was a big day on the bike for all. Racing Beginner category, I took on four stages logging 30 miles total with 4,000 feet of climbing by the day’s end. I dropped into my first stage, Casper Crossing North (CCN) gave me a taste of...

Race Report: Toro Enduro – CES #2

By Julie Kanagy Photo: Scott McClain / Called To Creation This was a really fun day on the bike! The Enduro format is awesome. You do 14-20 minutes of actual racing, and the rest is just cruising and walking and chatting and eating and drinking. Non-alcoholic bev’s at Toro Park, of course. Trails were dry and soft and sandy/dusty which added some challenge, especially around the corners. I wasn’t able to pre-ride, so I practiced Stage 4 early morning before the race started. On the last stage, I forgot to activate my timing chip (whoops). So I rode it again just in case. PSA: Don’t worry if you forget to swipe the chip on a stage! It turned out that they still do the manual timing as a backup. I would have done better on my 1st time down according to Strava. Lesson learned. I hung out with the...

Carson City Off-Road 2017

Carson City Off-Road June 16-18, Carson City NV Racers climb the Tahoe Rim Trail Saturday (Brian Leddy Photography). Ride the Carson City Off-Road June 16-18! Choose from three different distance options of 15, 35 or 50 miles; each consisting of a carefully curated set of spectacular trails. All participants will climb their way into the eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada, take in huge views of Lake Tahoe, Washoe Valley and the Carson Valley while connecting some of the area’s favorite (and challenging) pieces of singletrack, double track, gravel roads and the occasional paved segment. During your visit to Carson City, enjoy three days of event festivities while being submerged in the mountain bike industry. Mingle with the most bike-minded people you’ll ever encounter while appreciating the area’s silver mining heritage and feeling welcomed by its modern day appreciation for the outdoor enthusiast. Nestled 30 minutes between Reno and...

The Road to Devils Postpile

Discover the adventures near this basalt wonder in Mammoth Lakes By Leonie Sherman Devils Postpile’s waves in columnar basalt. The seasonally gated road. Where frustrated motorists see a barrier, intrepid cyclists see an invitation. Those thin metal bars keep out cars and create the perfect avenue for two-wheeled adventure. Every year there’s a magical moment when the road to Devils Postpile is closed to traffic but free of snow. That’s the time to grab a trusty chromoly companion and saddle up for a day or three of Mammoth back-country adventure. Devils Postpile was formed about 100,000 years ago by the slow cooling of a lava flow, leaving behind symmetrical columns of basalt up to 60 feet high. After plans to blast the dark cliff into the San Joaquin to make a hydroelectric dam were defeated, President Taft declared the area a National Monument in 1911. A hundred years ago...

Women of the Wild

These California athletes have put adventure at the center of their lives By Aloe Driscoll What is a wild woman? Wild is defined as “living in a state of nature” and “not subject to restraint or regulation.” And a wild woman is what I aspired to be when I set off from Santa Cruz to surf Central America during the summer of 2015, just as eager to break the prescribed boundaries of being a thirty-something woman as I was to immerse myself in the raw and rugged landscape of the Pacific Coast. Though I traveled solo, I wasn’t alone. Increasingly, more and more women are putting adventure at the center of their lives. And who can blame us? Adventure inspires us to forge a deeper connection with the natural world and the beings within it, to surpass the limits that others set for us and reach beyond our own...

The Lost Sierra Triple Crown

A trio of challenging off-road bike events that raise funds for trails and local employment By Kurt Gensheimer Photos courtesy of Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship With 60 miles and 8,000 feet of climbing, riders earn their beer at Grinduro. For cyclists in search of the ultimate off-road challenge, the Lost Sierra Triple Crown should be on your short list. Consisting of the Lost and Found Gravel Grinder, the Downieville Classic cross-country  mountain bike race and Grinduro – a mashup of a gravel grinder and a mountain bike enduro event – the Lost Sierra Triple Crown rewards the most well-rounded riders who are as fit as they are skilled. In its second year, the Lost Sierra Triple Crown has more than doubled the number of riders vying for an actual steel crown that’s laser cut and fabricated by Terrence Martin of Jagged Edge Metal Art. Dreamed up by the folks...