TR: Santa Cruz trails kick ass!
Literally.
Super fun ride with Telenator and Scott yesterday in Santa Cruz. We went near UCSC on a bit of a wild goose chase, since Scott was the most knowledgable of the three of us, and he didn't really know where to take us. But as luck would have it, we met up with Lyle (who some of know from D-Ville) on the trail and got a kickass guided tour.
Started out mellow - too mellow. On a fire road with not much grade, just cruising along. Some good berms to ride up, but nothing to write home about. Just as I was arrogantly proclaiming "This is a gaper trail!" we come across Lyle who's sweating like a beast, breathing hard, and looks dead. But being the trooper he is, he ditches his other friends and takes us into the goods.
You had to drop off into the trees to get to a trail called "Lock em up", which true to its name, was a screaming fast downhil. My heartrate immediately when up, and a smile came across my face, as we found luscious, gnarly singletrack. I don't think my hands ever came off the breaks, and I was flying.
But Lock em ups was over pretty quickly, and then we began the ascent out, which was nothing compared to the many climbs Nate and I had done last weekend with Shoe, Stoneywall, etc., so we were fine. We hit the top, and then beelined it for Mailboxes.
We travel on the paved road for about 1/4 mile, and then duck off into another hidden spot. I stop to lower my seat, and Scott whispers "we've got to hurry on this one - it's illegal." Damn shame, too, cause that was some of the funnest and fastest riding I've done in a while.
The trail is narrow and packed, with lots of obstacles to keep you on your toes. It's just technical enough to keep you focused, but not so gnarly that you truly have to slow down. There are plenty of log formations to ride up and over, and for the airborne among us (not me), there were some big jumps built up. There were plank bridges to ride up and over.
Then we go into the rock garden, which reminded me of Tahoe and meant that you had to pick your line carefully.
Then came the steep nasty section that literally kicked my ass. There were some steeper sections that were good and technical, but had a couple options for which line you'd take. I chose the simpler line, and though I felt whimpy, was glad to make it through. Loose dirt and a steep grade made very difficult navigating. I came to the steepest section, and didn't exactly know how I was going to do, but had some confidence from the last section, and just rode. Started to lose it pretty quickly, and then had one of those slow motion falls where you see the rocks underneath where you're going to land, and you just wonder which part of you is going to pay the price. In my case, as long as it's not my shoulder, I couldn't care less.
Took just about all of it on my right leg, from knee to ankle. Got an almost immediate large grape-sized nugget under the knee, and a pretty big lump on my calf bone (whatever that is). Despite the numbness, it wasn't too horrible. After readjusting various pieces and parts on my bike, we carried on.
We followed things up with a party on a private, gorgeous beach in Santa Cruz with skirt steak, beer, and volleyball (bad move on my part with a bum shoulder :( ).
All in all, a nice Saturday and a great ride that was fast, furious, and fun. Enough rocks, roots, and ruts to keep things super fun, and all in the Santa Cruz hills, which are amazing scenery.
:D :D :D
