From the redwoods to the desert, NorCal to SoCal

Tackling the gnar in SoCal


When I’m teaching on the road, I explore the new terrain then map it to my curriculum. We always start with the base of the skills tree and work our way up. A couple weeks ago in Temecula, CA, we climbed high into the gnarly branches.

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From the archive: Big Bear national ’04

Originally posted Posted May 26, 2004 — Back when we raced gravity events at Big Bear (and I had time to do massive posts like this one. Tons of photos!).

Oh, Big Bear. El Oso Grande. The Jewel of SoCal Mountains. Womb of the SoCal downhill scene. One of the oldest, best-run venues in mountainbikingdom. Great things have a way of happening here, and this year was right on target.

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Pump/jump in San Luis Obispo?

Hey Lee…..Just wondering if you know of any pump/jump spots in San Luis Obispo area of California. I am traveling there a week from today and I would like to hit some spots. I know of some great areas to MTB around but I am looking for the “other” kind of riding. : ) Trying to figure out what bike to bring.
Thanks – Ray, OKC

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The Great Spring Norcal Adventure of 2007, Day 1


Sea Otter ho! Yesterday/today Zach Griffith and I drove straight from Boulder to Marin (it took 20 hours with heavy snow), and today we tasted the goodness in a big way.
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Built: Lory State Park bike park


Super cool! The Corral Center Mountain Bike Park at Lory State Park near Fort Collins, CO, is built and ready to ride. Session this Saturday …
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XC ride at Southridge Park


After my clinic with the InCycle guys last week, I took myself for a little spin. Southridge Park is in the middle of the Fontana, CA suburbs, but the trails are sweet!
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Santa Cruz love festival


While I was in Norcal this month, you KNOW I rode in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The woods are deep, and the trails are super flowy. It was too dark for my little point-and-shoot camera, but still:
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Pump Track Worlds at Mark Weir’s


Last Sunday, Mark Weir had a massive pump party at his house in Novato, CA. Reasons: 1. his one-year wedding anniversary, 2. Chevy’s birthday and 3. the pump — oh, the pump.
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Pleasanton jump park

Hey, I was looking over your site and saw the story about legalized dirt jump parks, and then saw there was one in Pleasanton, California. I was wondering if you had the address of that place, because I looked online and couldn’t find it. Thanks!
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Tour of California Day 6: Tunnel Trail, Santa Barbara

Top section of Tunnel Trail.When Jim and I landed in Santa Barbara we dialed ourselves in at Motel 6 then mosied downtown to buy a trail map. The whole shopping scene was very shi-shi…with rich, beautiful women everywhere and a bakery for dogs.

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Tour of California Day 5 – San Juan Trail

When you think of the greatest places to ride in California, southern Orange County usually doesn’t come to mind. I mean you’ve got your Downieville, your Lake Tahoe, your Mammoth and your, uh, San Juan Capistrano? Unless you’re a swallow, that just ain’t the place to visit.

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Tour of California Day 4: Lower Rock Creek Trail, Bishop

Hey, Jim...watch out for the rock!  Mr. Norman skirts some of Lower Rock Creek's finest.I found Day 4’s route in the trail reviews section of www.mtbr.com. There are almost 6,000 reviews in there, a few of which are actually literate. From what I could tell, we were in store for nine miles of pure single track, with a drop of 2,000 feet through a variety of terrain.

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